I had to start this page over; not sure why, but I couldn't edit my other one...it would lock my computer every time I tried. So here it goes; My stock MJ started out as most do, a 13 year old dry, crusty, neglected truck. 1987 2wd, 4.0, 5-spd base model.
Being young and enthusiastic about my truck and it being 2wd, I wanted something unique. I took NO before pics, only after. Years of blood, sweat and tears got me this:
Long story short, I sold the truck to my roommate, it got stolen and was later found wrecked, and he sold it back to me CHEAP ($300 bux). A junkyard trip and a few hundred bux later, I decided my taste in the previous style had fadded, so I wound up with this after the rebuild:
Happy with what I had, I left it that way until the day came I was BROKE and needed money...yup, I sold it again for top dollar, this time to my co-worker. 2 years later (x-mas day '08) I ran into him; he said the tranny was blown, bedside was dented and windshield was cracked and he needed it gone ASAP; $200 later it was mine again. By Jan 4 '09 the motor was out & I began to explor my options:
A couple weeks later, I was poking around on Craigslist and stumbled across this LIFTED 1994 Jeep Cherokee Country. It was fully loaded with the 4.0 HIGH OUTPUT, 4x4, Automatic, all power. a/c, cruise control, etc. etc....$600; it was t-boned hard on the Pass side and rolled onto the drivers side, but it Ran and drove GREAT:
Well, I drove that Cherokee around for 5 months as-is, until the inevitable...I just decided the time was right:
Did a little paint work on the manche engine bay, undercarriage, and inner fenders...then tore the guts out of that XJ:
Yup, RIP little Jeep. But look what it did to my Comanche! After a complete teardown and re-assembly:
It runs and drives GREAT now!!! Missing the 5-spd, especially with the HO motor, but I'll get over it. Rear suspension should be here and intalled by the end of August. Oh ya, and for the sake of entertainment, I smoked the front lights, ordered some black projector headlight conversion housings and a 4300k Bi-xenon HID kit...and I am currently painting the fender flares flat black...they look great. More pics after suspension and light completion, by the 1st of Sept. The Interrior will be next...headliner, overhead computer consol, rear custom built sub/speaker/amp box. :)
OK, so here is the end result of with the HIDs and lift...wound up lifting an extra approx 1.5" (via coil spacers) in the front to match the rear lift. Dunno overall size of lift now as I thought I had 3.5" coils and ordered 3" leafs, but the extra 1.5" was needed to level it out...I know the rear spring co. had a 4.5" option avail, maybe I got those instead.?. Whatever, I like it...in need of some bigger tires now though...
Int. to be next...I will be posting pics/progress on a second page when I get to that point. Thanks for looking!
