elcoyote
Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0004
After a lot of searching for an appropriate replacement vehicle and a bunch of soul searching too, I came to the conclusion that there was not a new vehicle on the market within my means to continue to support me on my trips better than the vehicle I have been driving for the past 16 years and 320,000 miles: my trusty Jeep Comanche MJ.
I bought the MJ new in '92, drove it 23 miles off the lot to home and started modifying it immediately. It has been raced twice, in 3 accidents (I was only present for 2), been all over the US, Canada and Mexico. It has gone through too numerous mods and re-mods over the years to even re-count properly in a few sentences here and I will spare you the details. Instead I would like to share with you the new changes that are happening to the MJ to keep it a vital tool in my ongoing wanderings.
As busy as I am I have been very fortunate to encounter a very talented and dedicated fabricator in another ExPo member to do the work and help me through the renewal process: Simon, aka "the exile". Based upon what he knows about my driving habits, he has suggested a Jeep Speed like suspension.
The MJ has been running a RE 6" exteme lift since the lift was conceived. The track bar lowering kit comes loose all the time and makes noises that seem to be untraceable. I am tired of off the shelf and ready for a change....
The first thing we are taking on is fixing the numerous and very long stress cracks through the fire wall. The dash has been pulled out and a bunch of TIG welding is going on this week. Unlike most XJs, my MJ has no cracks at all in the unibody chassis, just the firewall.
Step two is reinforcement of the unibody. Simon has bent up a bunch of 10 gauge steel and had it heat treated. After removing all of the factory under coating, they will be welded to the unibody "frame". The reinforced frame rails will then be linked together with a custom built belly pan & cross member assembly. After this is done, Scotty, aka Burl40, will build a pair of rock sliders that tie into the frame reinforcements and also provide 4 gallons of air receiving capacity for the on board ARB compressor. there will be an air coupler on each side for the roadside air ups.
Step three will be to remove most of the RE suspension which has always been noisy and come loose on a regular basis. The dropped short arm system will be replaced with a custom long arm system. To give RE their props, we'll retain their springs, track bar and use their joints on the new long arms. The Rancho 5000 shocks will be replaced with Fox reservoir units custom valved by Simon. The factory bump stops with the RE extension will be removed and replaced with Fox air bumps. I am looking forward to to the better high speed control.
Step four is to get rid of those silly sway bar disconnects and drop down brackets and put in a Currie Anti-rock.
Step five is to improve cooling under the hood. First we'll remove the factory fans: both the electric and clutch driven one and replace the configuration with a dual electric 11" fan Spal unit. I run a supercharger on my 4.0 and it can heat things up in a hurry. Next the openings in my fiberglass hood will be opened up about about 100% to improve flow. A custom air box will be made and all the intake air tubes under the hood changed from coiled plastic to smooth interior steel tube, insulated of course. Our theory is that the engine compartment of the MJ/XJ platform is so cramped that it does not allow for adequate airflow as evidenced by several cracked headers, melted wires, clutch and fuel lines over the years. A heat shield will be created for the critical lines & wires to prevent future failures.
Step six is the replacement of the front factory bumper and Warn winch mount with an ARB unit. A nicely built plate bumper that has room for the A/C condensate tank as well as the custom aluminum coolant tank for the intercooler that Simon will fab. I have some pre-detonation problems with the S/C and think that increasing the cooling capacity of the intercooler and hence reduce intake temps.
Step seven is to replace the the knuckles with a new high steer arrangement from Solid Axle. This will eliminate the drag link drop down bracket, a source of constant maintenance and improve the steering geometry. The pitman arm will be returned to its original length and thereby reduce stresses on the steering box attachment points. At the same time that this work is done, new axles and front hub disconnects from Solid will be installed. Bolt pattern will change from 4.5 to 5.5. Rims of course will need to be changed and a shallower back spacing will be selected. Tires will change from 33x10.50 MT to AT.
These things are all being done as the preparations for the next major modification of removing the existing false bed and Snug Top shell and replacing them with a custom Flippac shell and a complete self contained built out interior using composite materials. More on that later.
Here's a pic of the MJ in its current state
I bought the MJ new in '92, drove it 23 miles off the lot to home and started modifying it immediately. It has been raced twice, in 3 accidents (I was only present for 2), been all over the US, Canada and Mexico. It has gone through too numerous mods and re-mods over the years to even re-count properly in a few sentences here and I will spare you the details. Instead I would like to share with you the new changes that are happening to the MJ to keep it a vital tool in my ongoing wanderings.
As busy as I am I have been very fortunate to encounter a very talented and dedicated fabricator in another ExPo member to do the work and help me through the renewal process: Simon, aka "the exile". Based upon what he knows about my driving habits, he has suggested a Jeep Speed like suspension.
The MJ has been running a RE 6" exteme lift since the lift was conceived. The track bar lowering kit comes loose all the time and makes noises that seem to be untraceable. I am tired of off the shelf and ready for a change....
The first thing we are taking on is fixing the numerous and very long stress cracks through the fire wall. The dash has been pulled out and a bunch of TIG welding is going on this week. Unlike most XJs, my MJ has no cracks at all in the unibody chassis, just the firewall.
Step two is reinforcement of the unibody. Simon has bent up a bunch of 10 gauge steel and had it heat treated. After removing all of the factory under coating, they will be welded to the unibody "frame". The reinforced frame rails will then be linked together with a custom built belly pan & cross member assembly. After this is done, Scotty, aka Burl40, will build a pair of rock sliders that tie into the frame reinforcements and also provide 4 gallons of air receiving capacity for the on board ARB compressor. there will be an air coupler on each side for the roadside air ups.
Step three will be to remove most of the RE suspension which has always been noisy and come loose on a regular basis. The dropped short arm system will be replaced with a custom long arm system. To give RE their props, we'll retain their springs, track bar and use their joints on the new long arms. The Rancho 5000 shocks will be replaced with Fox reservoir units custom valved by Simon. The factory bump stops with the RE extension will be removed and replaced with Fox air bumps. I am looking forward to to the better high speed control.
Step four is to get rid of those silly sway bar disconnects and drop down brackets and put in a Currie Anti-rock.
Step five is to improve cooling under the hood. First we'll remove the factory fans: both the electric and clutch driven one and replace the configuration with a dual electric 11" fan Spal unit. I run a supercharger on my 4.0 and it can heat things up in a hurry. Next the openings in my fiberglass hood will be opened up about about 100% to improve flow. A custom air box will be made and all the intake air tubes under the hood changed from coiled plastic to smooth interior steel tube, insulated of course. Our theory is that the engine compartment of the MJ/XJ platform is so cramped that it does not allow for adequate airflow as evidenced by several cracked headers, melted wires, clutch and fuel lines over the years. A heat shield will be created for the critical lines & wires to prevent future failures.
Step six is the replacement of the front factory bumper and Warn winch mount with an ARB unit. A nicely built plate bumper that has room for the A/C condensate tank as well as the custom aluminum coolant tank for the intercooler that Simon will fab. I have some pre-detonation problems with the S/C and think that increasing the cooling capacity of the intercooler and hence reduce intake temps.
Step seven is to replace the the knuckles with a new high steer arrangement from Solid Axle. This will eliminate the drag link drop down bracket, a source of constant maintenance and improve the steering geometry. The pitman arm will be returned to its original length and thereby reduce stresses on the steering box attachment points. At the same time that this work is done, new axles and front hub disconnects from Solid will be installed. Bolt pattern will change from 4.5 to 5.5. Rims of course will need to be changed and a shallower back spacing will be selected. Tires will change from 33x10.50 MT to AT.
These things are all being done as the preparations for the next major modification of removing the existing false bed and Snug Top shell and replacing them with a custom Flippac shell and a complete self contained built out interior using composite materials. More on that later.
Here's a pic of the MJ in its current state
unk03: 
