I'm glad young men like yourself are taking on these projects and putting them on YT. I'm too old and easily irritated to still be working on trucks like these, so I live vicariously through you guys.
How be you ?? I am 57 and no one believes I am. Genetics keep me very young looking . Still have a full head of hair no gray or white .. I won't fix junk, got screwed to many times ..
Fun fact: a Cherokee gas tank fits nicely where a Comanche spare tire lives (behind the rear axle). I rebuilt a Comanche years ago using an '89 Cherokee for parts. The weight distribution made the truck flex out real nice.
Rudy, Way back in the early 2000s, about 7 of my buddies all decided to go off-roading in the Mojave Desert in his white Comanche through the sand dunes with all of us piled in the back end. The Comanche did a phenomenal job driving up a hill until a tire blew out from the weight, & the pickup bed bolts sheared off their mounts of chassis!!! 😂😅 😮 It was pretty awesome until we had to walk the 2 mi back to camp. This looks like a great build, Good luck to your new business adventures!
Rudy, I had a Commanche for about ten years in southern Arizona; my 13-year-old grandson learned to drive off-road in it. He went up hills in 2-wheel that the expensive Jeeps needed 4-wheel. As to the sagging headliner, it came down, I painted the ceiling flat black and I never looked back. I took the 'manch went from Arizona to Vermont, and a couple trips from AZ to Alaska and back. Loved it, but think about bucket seats. Janelle is a sweetheart. Be sure to acknowledge her contributions; I love to see her smile.
I think that you got some smoking hot deals on the Comanche and the spare engine/transmission/wiring! Good job getting it running , thumbs UP to Rudy and Janelle! 👍💯💙
We use to own 2 of them and I regret ever selling them that was 10yrs ago lol still heart breaking 😅 Hey just a FYI if you have another jeep Cherokee 4x4 if you drop the front end out of the Comanche the 4x4 Cherokee front end will go right in place of the other one just an option lol
9 times out of ten when a 4.0 quits its because of the fuel pump. Bought two xjs cheap because of that issue. Good video. Love that you and your dad keep the old 4.0s alive.
We (by we, I mean me working in the engine dynos at Chrysler Jeep Truck Engineering - JTE in Detroit in the late 80's) dropped a 4.5L into a Comanche. Then we supercharged it with a Paxton supercharger. Yeah! A supercharger..... It went like a BAT out of hell! We took it out on the streets of Detroit and proceeded to beat up on ALL sorts of muscle cars on Woodward Avenue and other cruising/street racing spots. With today's tech? If ya turned it into a street machine, with a 48RH trans and a Dana 60, you could be even MORE heroic than we were.
First, you two are a great team! A guy is really fortunate when he has a helper that shares his passion. My dad had a longbed version of the Comanche. I sure wish I had bought it from him when he sold it. I was stupid at the time and realized it a week later!
Great vehicles. My brother ran his from 1984 to 2019, daily driver for 15 years then sat in his driveway for chores the rest. You should consider a Patreon account, can't do things exactly the way your dad does, he was fortunate to be ahead of a lot of others in this. But Patreon gives you a chance to allow followers to support you.
Man, I bought one of these 10 years ago for $250. It was a 2wd. 4.0 auto. I picked up a 4wd trans and t case for it, a xj dana 44 rear, and a matching 3.55 dana 30. So far all I have to show for thus project is the axles are in it, with a spring over out back, and some lift springs up front. Keep posting videos about this. I need motivation.
I can't wait to see what you do with this!! I've never been more happy with anything I've owned than I am with my xj. Y'alls videos sold me and I found one for $1300. No rust and a clean title. But she was rough lol. A lift kit and trailforged steering and a room of other stuff fixed all that. Now I just need to fix all the leaks haha. I'm extremely happy when I'm out running the desert trails with my family and I owe y'all for that
@@61rampy65 I check mine before I drive every time lol. Mine developed a squeak while out in the trail today. Only when turning full lock left. I've heard heim joints do that but man I can't stand it lol. I blasted them clean at the car wash and worked it back and forth and boom noise gone. Then I applied ptfe dry lubricant to help prolonged the life of em
@@autotek7930 heims are just rough like that, thats why a lot of people in really muddy areas like me(minnesota) generally get jjs or i have metalcloak joints cus the roads are ass
@@mails5054 what's metalcloak lol. Ima have to look that up. The high pressure car wash knocked the squeak right out. Me being an auto tech. Well. Noises put my brain into overdrive with what's wrong haha
@@autotek7930 it's just a popular offroad company but mostly for wranglers i beilive. Lots of really good companies out there, too bad everything is getting so expensive
I want to shake the hand of the engineer that made that decision. Ive never seen a fuel pump on the side. Some vehicles will give you an access panel through the floor, but most trucks involve dropping the tank or removing the bed.
The newer Cherokees don't have that unfortunately, only older ones and (of course) the Commanches. It changed some time in the 90s, until the final year in 2001
Sweet! I have a 1990 Comanche Eliminator, 5 speed, 4x4 with 256k miles and counting. Absolutely awesome trucks. Handle well, comfortable, all the advantages of a Cherokee but in truck form!
I bought an 89 comanche for $600 5 years ago and turned it into a truggy. I didn't realize how sought out they were until I got it running then everyone wanted to buy it from me.
Yep, I've had two, an 88 SporTruck and now have a 90 Eliminator. They get so much attention. Quite a few offers to buy it and lots of positive comments.
My barber Ray had a red one. He drove it daily for over 25 years. His stuck up wife hated that truck but he didn't care. That's a nice find you got there. I look forward to watching you resurrect it. Since you have a transfer case it would be cool if you converted it to 4WD and maybe do a 2" lift.
There is a guy in Texas that buys those Jeeps and rebuild them and resell then for great money. Dennis Collins, you will find him on you tube. He owns at fancy Jeeps parts in North Texas. He knows the history of every car ever made. I bet he is interested.
It's nice seeing you and Janelle working together on the vehicle... My wife wants nothing to do with cars and sometimes I wish we could share that together
the wife and I just got a new place almost 2 years ago ..2 car garage in front of the home is where she parks ,,then about 100 feet away from the house is my shop I can count on one had the number of times she has been in my shop , only nice thing about that is when I get a new tool she don't see it lol ..but could use her help from time too time ..
While i understand your desire for her to join in on your passion, sometimes it's better if they don't. I've been a gear-head since i was a few yrs old (lets just say more than 40 yrs, ok? 😂) and i don't want to even consider what the cost to our household would be if my wife (or our kids) followed my passion for working on/customizing vehicles. Don't get me wrong, they all appreciate nice vehicles (we go to plenty of shows/cruise nights) they just don't want to get into the nitty-gritty of it is all, lol!
My first vehicle was a 1986 Jeep Comanche. It was usually in the shop but when it wasn't it was the best. I took it places 4 wheels shouldn't go and had a great time. Loved that truck.
Rudy, sometimes when you can’t stand to wait for a new fuel pump, reversing the polarity on the old one will make it spit out whatever junk is in it. I know it sounds stupid but I’ve had it work more than once to get a car started until I can replace the pump.
Sometimes a hammer works. I have an old tempo that wouldn't start after it sat for 45 mins and had run fine before I shut it off. Before I called for help (I couldn't hear the pump) I pulled the bottom of the back seat loose and took the tire iron and smacked the floor a few times and it started right up. That was a year ago, I left the seat unhooked and have had to give it smack a couple more times. It will leave me stranded sometime but I keep pushing my luck.
I use to have a Jeep Comanche that I got because I guy owed me a debt.. I loved it and first thing I did was remove the bed and welded up the coolest flat bed.. People asked all the time where I got the bed.. I now have a 2008 Jeep Commander but I still miss that truck., Have fun with it..
My neighbor bought one new and gave it to his son 13 years later as a 1st car. Always reliable. Rudy your channel has that down home, real deal vibe that I love about your dads early channel. I wish you well and success with your channel and have added it to my list.
Excellent work getting that running ! Until you get the door fixed maybe you need to glue a couple of magnets on there to hold it shut and as long as you've got magnets throw a couple up on the headliner to keep it out of your face when you're driving. 😉 Maybe a couple of bolts to hold the seat down wouldn't hurt either. 👍
A lot of these trucks were imported to Iceland in 1987-1990. Almost all of them were modified for 38"+ tires and used for winter travelling. Today, only a handful of them still remain.
Congrats on the new truck, Rudy. 👍 JaNelle is a keeper for sure! Willing to get her hands dirty, great smile, cute as a new puppy, and a laid-back sense of humor.
Just a little fyi from someone who hates drum brakes. In that same year-ish (87-89?? I think), 4x4 xj front disk brake calipers were bolted on. If you can find a scrap yard with an xj from those years, you can easily remove the calipers and brackets. Then a simple after market bracket, or fab'd one for that matter, welded to your rear axle with appropriately aligned holes and you have stock Jeep disk brakes on your rear axle. Worked like a charm on my '94 xj. With the Comanche being so rare, I have not seen one to know if its the same setup. Perhaps your front brakes are the bolted on ones and you can see what I'm talking about.
I had a 1987 Wrangler that had a 7 inch lift with 34x9.50 Swampers and a 1989 Cherokee with a 3 inch lift with 31s ... Always wanted a lifted Comanche to make a square headlight complete
Rudy, I have not watched enough, but you have picked up my first vehicle. Bought an 88 new but had to sell it when I went back to school. LOVED this truck, lots of memories. Looking forward to you getting it rolling under its own power. Love your channel and seeing you in the odd episode of your dad's channel. Keep up the great work. Janelle is a great addition to the channel as well, hoping for the best for you guys!
I used to work with my dad in his garage. Seems like centuries ago. We did what you and Janelle are doing and what you and your dad are doing. Brings back good memories.
Pausing the video at 3:19 and looking at it's current 2 tone blue paint job with the storm clouds in the back round. Made me think to paint it to look like storm clouds. Use 3 or more shades of blue, dark blue storm clouds around the bottom gradually fading into light blue cloud colors near the top. Similar to what the storm clouds in the back round look like.
Awesome find! I love my Comanche. I get compliments and head turns everywhere I go. I have big plans for it. Eventually I'll be posting on my channel the build process! And one of these days, I'll have it in Utah! Have fun with yours!
Joshua--About the third time he shut it I wondered aloud just how many times it was going to take before he broke himself of the lifelong habit. It WAS funny!
In 2008, I took a tour bus from Disneyland to Las Vegas with a bunch of cash in my pocket to pick up a 92 Comanche SB. I loved that truck. Built it up and ran the Rubicon Trail and all over Moab. I believe its 113" wheelbase is perfect for offroading. Sold it to a friend in 2015, and have always thought about buying it back.
I would either make it a 4x4 or turn it into a mini truck for fun. Can't wait to see hat happens to it. Haha that license plate would be funny on a corvette Z06. I love how many times you tried to close.the door 😆
I can see Rudy turning that Jeep into a 4 Wheeler. Then he can add a couple of cable winches on it and still have the truck bed for all sorts of stuff.
Nice find. Janell is awesome. I cringed when I saw her kneeling in her nice boots. She has a pair of work boots due. I also work a lot on the floor. Watching you work on the wiring harness made me laugh. I am now 70 and it wasn’t too long ago I started using those fold up plastic tables from Costco. Rudy don’t take 50 years to wise up like me. Lol. I realize you are still setting up your shop and you’ll get there in no time.
I’m blown away that a 30+ year old Jeep does not have seized drum brake adjusters. Had that been up here in the salt belt it not only would be seized, it would be half the size from the rust scale! So awesome to see some of these old well preserved vehicles down there!
Great video. I'm just starting to restore/build my 87 Comanche that I bought when I was 15 in 1996. It's a short bed, 2wd, 4.0L. I'm swapping in a drive train and axels from my 94 Cherokee 4wd, 4.0L. So excited.
I recently (summer last year) bought an 88 short bed 4x4 for $500. Had been sitting for 7 or 8 years. Old lady said it just quit running. I put a battery on it and it started up. Aired up the tires and drove it on the trailer. Now I drive it fairly often as a little gas saver.
That is so awesome that you found a Comanche! I myself found me something more rare than a Ferrari. For $400 I found a 1965 Volvo 122S that runs. It is my current project and will be my daily when finished.
I got a chuckle out of you closing the door every couple minutes and it bouncing back open.... reminded me of my first car - it had the metal broken out around the door latch bolt like that. It was the result of door sag and the door hitting the latch bolt many many times. My folks' neighbor has a silver Commanche he bought new - and he still drives it daily, with well over 500,000 miles on it!
I bought a new one in 88. My friend liked it so much he bought a 90. We used to go wheeling every chance we could. We were both stationed on the same ship, so free time was hard to come by. Had to trade mine in on a minivan when family came into play, or I'd probably still have it. Crank position sensor will make the fuel pump not come on.
When my brother turned 19 I picked him up a thrashed 89 XJ with OEM hydro boost brakes that didn’t work. Could source an AMC hydro boost system anywhere so we swapped to a vacuum boost system and spent a few more months dialing it in. He still drives it today. I cost me $400 plus about 8-10 weeks of wrenching after work with my little brother, but great time overall!
I'm a jeep pickup guy. Always loved them, but I preferred the quaderatrac either 1/2 or 3/4 ton full size pickups. Never understood why the little Comanche was made in 2 wheel drive. Be interesting what Rudy comes up with.
When dealing with lights where the sleeve is damaged or missing use a socket next size down and be sure to include new nuts in the budget.Welcome to the channel Janelle!.
I bought an abondoned 95 XJ Cherokee for 750. Took a couple thounsand to get her back up to snuff but she runs amazingly. I plan on fixing her up and making her a nice daily/weekend rig. These Comanches are awesome as well.
My first vehicle was a 1987 Comanche 2.5L 2x4. Wish I had never sold it. Really excited to watch this build come together and hoping that you have big plans for it!!!
Darn, if these came with he Column shifter, too bad they didn't just keep it on the jeep grand Cherokee or as an option until the early 2000's too. Never knew they had it the jeep trucks.
Wonderful story. I had a similar story. I used to drive a Jeep Cherokee of a similar body style. I had to replace the whole front clip with the one off of a Comanche after hitting a deer. It was one my first auto repair jobs I did solo.
I bought one brand new in 1988! Absolutely loved it. Sold it with 200,000 on it and I’ve missed it for 25 years. That was the first year they painted them with lead free paint and the paint went in a few years but the rest of it worked until I got rid of it. Mine was the Sport Truck model, gray with gray interior. Beautiful!
My first vehicle at age 16 was a 87 Jeep Comanche, 2wd 4cylinder. It was pretty clapped out with 207,000 miles on it when I got it. Love the truck, got stuck in it so many times!!!! I didn’t know they were that rare.
I love it!! I had an '84, back '99-01... i loved it so much! It looked like it was in the same shape as this one (except it ran). I would LOVE another one.
A 1987 jeep comanchee was my first vehicle. To slow to really lose control and old enough that no one really cared if i damaged it. I drove all the carbon out of that motor and it sailed beautifully. Id love to have that old truck back.
RUDY!!! Please look into the best audio level for your videos, talk to tucker about it! If memory serves its +6 db on your video editing software, your videos are so much quieter than most channels, and I have to turn my headphones up to max, then when I click on the next video I about jump out of my chair! Congrats on the Comanche!
had a 91 Camanche 4x4 2.5liter and paid 400 dollars for it. pulled it out of the woods. rebuilt the front diff. they have to match. fixed the airbox, tune-up, and oil change, the usual. then it would fire right up and run for a while then die. found out it was the brain box. used one at the wrecking yard and fixed it. sold it to a cousin for college. last i heard it is still running great.
Milford, Utah. My bike broke down just about a mile east of Milford on the way home from Sturgis one year. I got rescued by a couple of locals and one of them was named Roy Rogers. Real name. They helped me get my bike back to town and set up in a motel. I spent most of the night on the front porch of a house down by the railroad tracks playing the comb on a beer can while the owner of the home played the guitar and sang songs, one of them being a 3 page long song on hemorrhoids. It was hilarious, and a night I’ll never forget.
Rudy, just a thought I started cleaning the engine bays with something like Purple Power. Sprayed everything, scrubbed greasy areas, rinsed and is much nicer to work on. Only takes a little time. Love the Comanche!
I didn't realize when I rode in it what shape the Comanche was in when you bought it. It runs and drives great! Well done Rudy!
Ruuuuuuddyyyyyy
yall do good work keep it up. you to ruuuuuuuuddyy
Hey Trevor you should start making videos about your adventures with Matt and the team
i subbed to your channel also trevor When can we see the projects and adventures of yours
It's Trevor!!!
I'm glad young men like yourself are taking on these projects and putting them on YT. I'm too old and easily irritated to still be working on trucks like these, so I live vicariously through you guys.
How be you ??
I am 57 and no one believes I am. Genetics keep me very young looking . Still have a full head of hair no gray or white .. I won't fix junk, got screwed to many times ..
"The brakes are really sketchy on this thing.....like, they don't work."
Derek at VGG would be proud.
Yup...we're going to do the right thing and ignore that.
I read this comment like 2 seconds before he said it lol
I love how you tried to shut the door every time without fail. 🤣
I have laughed each time.
Ha that’s all I kept laughing about! I’d probably be doing the same thing though
Rudy trying to close that door is a metaphor for me trying to sort my life out 😂
Fun fact: a Cherokee gas tank fits nicely where a Comanche spare tire lives (behind the rear axle). I rebuilt a Comanche years ago using an '89 Cherokee for parts. The weight distribution made the truck flex out real nice.
Doesn’t the stock tank on a Comanche hold more fuel then the Cherokee tank?
Can you run dual tanks?
@@compmodder01 that’s what I was thinking, why remove the other tank ? Have an auxiliary fuel tank, probably have a 600 mi range lol.
Rudy, Way back in the early 2000s, about 7 of my buddies all decided to go off-roading in the Mojave Desert in his white Comanche through the sand dunes with all of us piled in the back end. The Comanche did a phenomenal job driving up a hill until a tire blew out from the weight, & the pickup bed bolts sheared off their mounts of chassis!!! 😂😅 😮 It was pretty awesome until we had to walk the 2 mi back to camp. This looks like a great build, Good luck to your new business adventures!
In case you didn't know Rudy, "she's a keeper!" And the jeep is pretty cool too.
Rudy, I had a Commanche for about ten years in southern Arizona; my 13-year-old grandson learned to drive off-road in it. He went up hills in 2-wheel that the expensive Jeeps needed 4-wheel. As to the sagging headliner, it came down, I painted the ceiling flat black and I never looked back. I took the 'manch went from Arizona to Vermont, and a couple trips from AZ to Alaska and back. Loved it, but think about bucket seats. Janelle is a sweetheart. Be sure to acknowledge her contributions; I love to see her smile.
What!!!!!! No Matt’s straps?? You also forgot to bless the tie down. “That’s not going anywhere.”
Cool truck and excited about your build.
When I saw the blue strap, my first thought was "where are Matt's Straps"😀
If you think that Comanche is rough you should see the condition of the ones in the northeast!
I think that you got some smoking hot deals on the Comanche and the spare engine/transmission/wiring! Good job getting it running , thumbs UP to Rudy and Janelle! 👍💯💙
That door swinging back open just cracked me up for some reason.
We use to own 2 of them and I regret ever selling them that was 10yrs ago lol still heart breaking 😅 Hey just a FYI if you have another jeep Cherokee 4x4 if you drop the front end out of the Comanche the 4x4 Cherokee front end will go right in place of the other one just an option lol
9 times out of ten when a 4.0 quits its because of the fuel pump. Bought two xjs cheap because of that issue. Good video. Love that you and your dad keep the old 4.0s alive.
Janelle's smile and thumbs up when she realized she had missed the wire brush was perfect .. This should be the official RAD meme !!
Great to see a woman in coveralls working on a truck.
@@eltonyancey6426 Not to mention she sure is easy on the eyes...damn.
We (by we, I mean me working in the engine dynos at Chrysler Jeep Truck Engineering - JTE in Detroit in the late 80's) dropped a 4.5L into a Comanche. Then we supercharged it with a Paxton supercharger.
Yeah!
A supercharger.....
It went like a BAT out of hell!
We took it out on the streets of Detroit and proceeded to beat up on ALL sorts of muscle cars on Woodward Avenue and other cruising/street racing spots.
With today's tech? If ya turned it into a street machine, with a 48RH trans and a Dana 60, you could be even MORE heroic than we were.
Rudy
On video edit there should be section for audio adjustment
Where you can adjust volume of video louder
It was really low
Yep, I kept adjusting my audio thinking it was my phone.🤪
First, you two are a great team! A guy is really fortunate when he has a helper that shares his passion. My dad had a longbed version of the Comanche. I sure wish I had bought it from him when he sold it. I was stupid at the time and realized it a week later!
Great vehicles. My brother ran his from 1984 to 2019, daily driver for 15 years then sat in his driveway for chores the rest. You should consider a Patreon account, can't do things exactly the way your dad does, he was fortunate to be ahead of a lot of others in this. But Patreon gives you a chance to allow followers to support you.
@vintagelightman83 Yes
If they are the right people with the right interesting content there is no need to be ahead of others
Man, I bought one of these 10 years ago for $250. It was a 2wd. 4.0 auto. I picked up a 4wd trans and t case for it, a xj dana 44 rear, and a matching 3.55 dana 30. So far all I have to show for thus project is the axles are in it, with a spring over out back, and some lift springs up front. Keep posting videos about this. I need motivation.
I look forward to the build. It would be great if you kept a total of how much it cost in the end.
Congrats!! I just picked up a 1990 MJ 2wd with 107k miles 5speed ax15 with a d44 rear end. So happy to be restoring and see others do the same.
I can't wait to see what you do with this!! I've never been more happy with anything I've owned than I am with my xj. Y'alls videos sold me and I found one for $1300. No rust and a clean title. But she was rough lol. A lift kit and trailforged steering and a room of other stuff fixed all that. Now I just need to fix all the leaks haha. I'm extremely happy when I'm out running the desert trails with my family and I owe y'all for that
Remember: if it doesn't leak oil or water, it probably doesn't have any in it!
@@61rampy65 I check mine before I drive every time lol. Mine developed a squeak while out in the trail today. Only when turning full lock left. I've heard heim joints do that but man I can't stand it lol. I blasted them clean at the car wash and worked it back and forth and boom noise gone. Then I applied ptfe dry lubricant to help prolonged the life of em
@@autotek7930 heims are just rough like that, thats why a lot of people in really muddy areas like me(minnesota) generally get jjs or i have metalcloak joints cus the roads are ass
@@mails5054 what's metalcloak lol. Ima have to look that up. The high pressure car wash knocked the squeak right out. Me being an auto tech. Well. Noises put my brain into overdrive with what's wrong haha
@@autotek7930 it's just a popular offroad company but mostly for wranglers i beilive. Lots of really good companies out there, too bad everything is getting so expensive
What a blessing to Have Janelle , a friend that not only supports you but will dig in & get dirty helping !
Great find. Amazing Jeep knew to put the fuel pump accessible without having to drop the tank. Ford take note.
I want to shake the hand of the engineer that made that decision. Ive never seen a fuel pump on the side. Some vehicles will give you an access panel through the floor, but most trucks involve dropping the tank or removing the bed.
Let alone the oil pan on my 95 ford. Dont get me started man...
@@Jacksongamma agreed replaced an oil pan on my 93 ford van and hoping my 93 F150 I drive now holds up
The newer Cherokees don't have that unfortunately, only older ones and (of course) the Commanches.
It changed some time in the 90s, until the final year in 2001
Everybody take note!
Sweet! I have a 1990 Comanche Eliminator, 5 speed, 4x4 with 256k miles and counting. Absolutely awesome trucks. Handle well, comfortable, all the advantages of a Cherokee but in truck form!
I love how you shut the door a few times, forgetting that it doesn't shut. I would have done the same except I probably would have kicked it.
My great grandfather had one of these brings back a lot of memories.
I bought an 89 comanche for $600 5 years ago and turned it into a truggy. I didn't realize how sought out they were until I got it running then everyone wanted to buy it from me.
Yep, I've had two, an 88 SporTruck and now have a 90 Eliminator. They get so much attention. Quite a few offers to buy it and lots of positive comments.
My barber Ray had a red one. He drove it daily for over 25 years. His stuck up wife hated that truck but he didn't care. That's a nice find you got there. I look forward to watching you resurrect it. Since you have a transfer case it would be cool if you converted it to 4WD and maybe do a 2" lift.
Jeep Comanche is one of my favorite models with 4.0 L 6 cylinder motor
There is a guy in Texas that buys those Jeeps and rebuild them and resell then for great money. Dennis Collins, you will find him on you tube. He owns at fancy Jeeps parts in North Texas. He knows the history of every car ever made. I bet he is interested.
It's nice seeing you and Janelle working together on the vehicle... My wife wants nothing to do with cars and sometimes I wish we could share that together
the wife and I just got a new place almost 2 years ago ..2 car garage in front of the home is where she parks ,,then about 100 feet away from the house is my shop I can count on one had the number of times she has been in my shop , only nice thing about that is when I get a new tool she don't see it lol ..but could use her help from time too time ..
While i understand your desire for her to join in on your passion, sometimes it's better if they don't. I've been a gear-head since i was a few yrs old (lets just say more than 40 yrs, ok? 😂) and i don't want to even consider what the cost to our household would be if my wife (or our kids) followed my passion for working on/customizing vehicles. Don't get me wrong, they all appreciate nice vehicles (we go to plenty of shows/cruise nights) they just don't want to get into the nitty-gritty of it is all, lol!
My first vehicle was a 1986 Jeep Comanche. It was usually in the shop but when it wasn't it was the best. I took it places 4 wheels shouldn't go and had a great time. Loved that truck.
Rudy, sometimes when you can’t stand to wait for a new fuel pump, reversing the polarity on the old one will make it spit out whatever junk is in it. I know it sounds stupid but I’ve had it work more than once to get a car started until I can replace the pump.
Good to know, thank you.
Sometimes a hammer works. I have an old tempo that wouldn't start after it sat for 45 mins and had run fine before I shut it off. Before I called for help (I couldn't hear the pump) I pulled the bottom of the back seat loose and took the tire iron and smacked the floor a few times and it started right up. That was a year ago, I left the seat unhooked and have had to give it smack a couple more times. It will leave me stranded sometime but I keep pushing my luck.
I use to have a Jeep Comanche that I got because I guy owed me a debt.. I loved it and first thing I did was remove the bed and welded up the coolest flat bed.. People asked all the time where I got the bed.. I now have a 2008 Jeep Commander but I still miss that truck., Have fun with it..
My neighbor bought one new and gave it to his son 13 years later as a 1st car. Always reliable. Rudy your channel has that down home, real deal vibe that I love about your dads early channel. I wish you well and success with your channel and have added it to my list.
Putting on coveralls before opening that container of anti seize was a great idea, Janelle!
Excellent work getting that running !
Until you get the door fixed maybe you need to glue a couple of magnets on there to hold it shut and as long as you've got magnets throw a couple up on the headliner to keep it out of your face when you're driving. 😉
Maybe a couple of bolts to hold the seat down wouldn't hurt either. 👍
A lot of these trucks were imported to Iceland in 1987-1990. Almost all of them were modified for 38"+ tires and used for winter travelling. Today, only a handful of them still remain.
Congrats on the new truck, Rudy. 👍 JaNelle is a keeper for sure! Willing to get her hands dirty, great smile, cute as a new puppy, and a laid-back sense of humor.
Just a little fyi from someone who hates drum brakes. In that same year-ish (87-89?? I think), 4x4 xj front disk brake calipers were bolted on. If you can find a scrap yard with an xj from those years, you can easily remove the calipers and brackets. Then a simple after market bracket, or fab'd one for that matter, welded to your rear axle with appropriately aligned holes and you have stock Jeep disk brakes on your rear axle. Worked like a charm on my '94 xj.
With the Comanche being so rare, I have not seen one to know if its the same setup. Perhaps your front brakes are the bolted on ones and you can see what I'm talking about.
Money well spent and by the way what a cute little shop assistant she's definitely a keeper.
I had a 1987 Wrangler that had a 7 inch lift with 34x9.50 Swampers and a 1989 Cherokee with a 3 inch lift with 31s ... Always wanted a lifted Comanche to make a square headlight complete
Rudy, I have not watched enough, but you have picked up my first vehicle. Bought an 88 new but had to sell it when I went back to school. LOVED this truck, lots of memories. Looking forward to you getting it rolling under its own power. Love your channel and seeing you in the odd episode of your dad's channel. Keep up the great work. Janelle is a great addition to the channel as well, hoping for the best for you guys!
I used to work with my dad in his garage. Seems like centuries ago. We did what you and Janelle are doing and what you and your dad are doing. Brings back good memories.
No rust? Definitely a keeper! Nice score, Rudy!
To get stuck sockets off lugnuts go half an ugga dugga backwards. I have to do it on most everything
Definitely restore it! with a trick suspension, (four wheel drive of course!)👍
Pausing the video at 3:19 and looking at it's current 2 tone blue paint job with the storm clouds in the back round. Made me think to paint it to look like storm clouds. Use 3 or more shades of blue, dark blue storm clouds around the bottom gradually fading into light blue cloud colors near the top. Similar to what the storm clouds in the back round look like.
Rudy, nice find! I am certain you have great plans for this rig. I hope it includes a conversion to 4WD; I'm guessing it will. Can't wait to see it.
Awesome find! I love my Comanche. I get compliments and head turns everywhere I go. I have big plans for it. Eventually I'll be posting on my channel the build process! And one of these days, I'll have it in Utah! Have fun with yours!
Everytime Rudy shut the drivers door and it opened back up it got a little funnier
Joshua--About the third time he shut it I wondered aloud just how many times it was going to take before he broke himself of the lifelong habit. It WAS funny!
I was mentally removing it before I got mad and ripped it off. Would drive me crazy.
In 2008, I took a tour bus from Disneyland to Las Vegas with a bunch of cash in my pocket to pick up a 92 Comanche SB. I loved that truck. Built it up and ran the Rubicon Trail and all over Moab. I believe its 113" wheelbase is perfect for offroading. Sold it to a friend in 2015, and have always thought about buying it back.
Always loved the Comanche jeeps. Glad to see this. Looking forward to see what you do with it
That door swinging back open got me everytime like a skit from top gear or sumthin
I would either make it a 4x4 or turn it into a mini truck for fun. Can't wait to see hat happens to it.
Haha that license plate would be funny on a corvette Z06.
I love how many times you tried to close.the door 😆
I can see Rudy turning that Jeep into a 4 Wheeler. Then he can add a couple of cable winches on it and still have the truck bed for all sorts of stuff.
Congrats Rudy. I had a Jeep Commanche and loved everything about it, can wait to see what you do with it!!
As someone up in the rust belt you folks don't realize just how spoiled you are with solid old iron. Nice job on getting it running.
She is so cute and beautiful!! Lucky Rudy !! But ya he has awesome merch !! Outstanding brand of hats and the logo is cool !! Go buy some !!
Janelle can dispense and apply never-seize without getting it all over everything. She's a keeper!
Nice find. Janell is awesome. I cringed when I saw her kneeling in her nice boots. She has a pair of work boots due. I also work a lot on the floor. Watching you work on the wiring harness made me laugh. I am now 70 and it wasn’t too long ago I started using those fold up plastic tables from Costco. Rudy don’t take 50 years to wise up like me. Lol. I realize you are still setting up your shop and you’ll get there in no time.
I think the "problem" with the lug nuts is the 12 point chrome socket instead if a 6 point impact.
I’m blown away that a 30+ year old Jeep does not have seized drum brake adjusters. Had that been up here in the salt belt it not only would be seized, it would be half the size from the rust scale! So awesome to see some of these old well preserved vehicles down there!
Great video. I'm just starting to restore/build my 87 Comanche that I bought when I was 15 in 1996. It's a short bed, 2wd, 4.0L. I'm swapping in a drive train and axels from my 94 Cherokee 4wd, 4.0L. So excited.
I recently (summer last year) bought an 88 short bed 4x4 for $500. Had been sitting for 7 or 8 years. Old lady said it just quit running. I put a battery on it and it started up. Aired up the tires and drove it on the trailer. Now I drive it fairly often as a little gas saver.
Oh man! My first truck was a 2wd Jeep Comanche 4cyl. Standard with bench seat. The first thing I did was paint it primer black.
So many memories.
That is so awesome that you found a Comanche! I myself found me something more rare than a Ferrari. For $400 I found a 1965 Volvo 122S that runs. It is my current project and will be my daily when finished.
I got a chuckle out of you closing the door every couple minutes and it bouncing back open.... reminded me of my first car - it had the metal broken out around the door latch bolt like that. It was the result of door sag and the door hitting the latch bolt many many times. My folks' neighbor has a silver Commanche he bought new - and he still drives it daily, with well over 500,000 miles on it!
Been driving my 87 as a daily driver for yrs...4x4 400k on the 6. Driven thru/past Milford from Cali several times. Been a great truck!
I bought a new one in 88. My friend liked it so much he bought a 90. We used to go wheeling every chance we could. We were both stationed on the same ship, so free time was hard to come by. Had to trade mine in on a minivan when family came into play, or I'd probably still have it. Crank position sensor will make the fuel pump not come on.
I had a 86 if I remember right. 4 wheel drive 5 speed and it had the 7' utility bed...loved that little truck...
That's amazing! I had the same exact Comanche. 1988 Pioneer, 2wd, 4 lt., short bed, blue. Wish I still had it.
Someone makes new fuel sending units for Comanches! MTS Company makes one, I got one for my 86 last and i have had no issues with it.
When my brother turned 19 I picked him up a thrashed 89 XJ with OEM hydro boost brakes that didn’t work. Could source an AMC hydro boost system anywhere so we swapped to a vacuum boost system and spent a few more months dialing it in. He still drives it today. I cost me $400 plus about 8-10 weeks of wrenching after work with my little brother, but great time overall!
SCORE! #3 on the list of dream vehicles.
Love how Janelle gets right in there and wanted her own coveralls, kudos for having them for her.
AWESOME, same year as my 2 door XJ. Rocking that 8 slot grille.
I'm a jeep pickup guy. Always loved them, but I preferred the quaderatrac either 1/2 or 3/4 ton full size pickups. Never understood why the little Comanche was made in 2 wheel drive. Be interesting what Rudy comes up with.
When dealing with lights where the sleeve is damaged or missing use a socket next size down and be sure to include new nuts in the budget.Welcome to the channel Janelle!.
I bought an abondoned 95 XJ Cherokee for 750. Took a couple thounsand to get her back up to snuff but she runs amazingly. I plan on fixing her up and making her a nice daily/weekend rig. These Comanches are awesome as well.
My first vehicle was a 1987 Comanche 2.5L 2x4. Wish I had never sold it. Really excited to watch this build come together and hoping that you have big plans for it!!!
Darn, if these came with he Column shifter, too bad they didn't just keep it on the jeep grand Cherokee or as an option until the early 2000's too. Never knew they had it the jeep trucks.
Wonderful story. I had a similar story. I used to drive a Jeep Cherokee of a similar body style. I had to replace the whole front clip with the one off of a Comanche after hitting a deer. It was one my first auto repair jobs I did solo.
I bought one brand new in 1988! Absolutely loved it. Sold it with 200,000 on it and I’ve missed it for 25 years. That was the first year they painted them with lead free paint and the paint went in a few years but the rest of it worked until I got rid of it. Mine was the Sport Truck model, gray with gray interior. Beautiful!
My first vehicle at age 16 was a 87 Jeep Comanche, 2wd 4cylinder. It was pretty clapped out with 207,000 miles on it when I got it. Love the truck, got stuck in it so many times!!!! I didn’t know they were that rare.
I love it!! I had an '84, back '99-01... i loved it so much! It looked like it was in the same shape as this one (except it ran). I would LOVE another one.
Now, you KNOW you're gonna need some RAD coveralls in your merch store. With custom name badges.
Good deal on that older truck and that other engine. It's fun getting rare vehicles to restore and bring back to life.
A 1987 jeep comanchee was my first vehicle. To slow to really lose control and old enough that no one really cared if i damaged it. I drove all the carbon out of that motor and it sailed beautifully. Id love to have that old truck back.
Good find. I got lucky and found a clean long box in Oregon. Unfortunately I need to find a good shape tailgate
RUDY!!! Please look into the best audio level for your videos, talk to tucker about it! If memory serves its +6 db on your video editing software, your videos are so much quieter than most channels, and I have to turn my headphones up to max, then when I click on the next video I about jump out of my chair! Congrats on the Comanche!
Great find, I am extremely jealous! Here up north people want more than double that for an abandoned one with rotted out floorpans and rockers!
My Dad owns a 4WD Comanchee and it is in mint condition. Inline 4.0 and a manual transmission. It is fun to drive.
I’m on a similar journey with an 88 base model 4cyl Comanche! Fun project, congrats on the find, best of luck as you progress
had a 91 Camanche 4x4 2.5liter and paid 400 dollars for it. pulled it out of the woods. rebuilt the front diff. they have to match. fixed the airbox, tune-up, and oil change, the usual. then it would fire right up and run for a while then die. found out it was the brain box. used one at the wrecking yard and fixed it. sold it to a cousin for college. last i heard it is still running great.
That's a cool old truck! I was always partial to the Scout with the pickup bed but I do like the looks of the Comanche. Good luck with her Rudy.
Milford, Utah. My bike broke down just about a mile east of Milford on the way home from Sturgis one year. I got rescued by a couple of locals and one of them was named Roy Rogers. Real name. They helped me get my bike back to town and set up in a motel. I spent most of the night on the front porch of a house down by the railroad tracks playing the comb on a beer can while the owner of the home played the guitar and sang songs, one of them being a 3 page long song on hemorrhoids. It was hilarious, and a night I’ll never forget.
Nice find! Thanks for sharing
Rudy, just a thought I started cleaning the engine bays with something like Purple Power. Sprayed everything, scrubbed greasy areas, rinsed and is much nicer to work on. Only takes a little time. Love the Comanche!
Rudy,
You should fully build it out into an ultra 4 unlimited buggy. Something that can go anywhere and out run anything.