Scott's 91

Since I've been on here for 5 years I guess I should create a project MJ thread about my truck. It will have a lot of pictures and a little bit of :wrench: . I'll start it off with the story on how I got it. When I saw it on e-bay back in 2003 selling in colorado springs I started drooling for just this comanche...the "so want" mentality. I did not have the finances to purchase it at the time and had to pass on the MJ that I wanted so bad, quoting my feelings short would be I was major league bummed at the time. I had a couple of TJ's for a couple of years and the MJ popped back up on e-bay selling in castle rock...sweetness! I was not going to let it pass this time, I maxed out the credit cards to get it (not a smart idea). Then I sold off the TJ that I had owned, and was a one Jeep man...MJ only. At that time one of my sisters made the decision on nicknaming it "black beauty" and it fit the name well at that time.

 

 

We were a team from then on, nothing could separate me and my MJ. I started to go on some wheeling trips...

 

Middle Saint Vrain, Coney Flats:

 

 

Colorado Offroad Extreme:

 

 

I got in touch with some folks that ran Christmas Caravan For Kids, and was in the St. Patricks Day Parade: (us waiting in the staging area)

 

 

I was wishing I had a lower gear since I had a 4:1 in one of the TJ's that I owned, so I had a shop install a Tera-Low 4:1 in my NP321 transfer case. I'm guessing that started the bug for me to Just Empty Every Pocket. I got a shop to install the 4:1 (I didn't have the equipment at the time) Then I installed the posi-lok cable system for the front axle vacuum disconnect, the vacuum shift motor had died. Then I went up Red Cone, but before we got to the top...the clutch line overheated and blew out and had also melted the posi-lok cable to itself:

 

 

but it was still an enjoyable trip the rest of the way in a highly modified TJ. After we got back down we got arrangements in order to get my MJ back to town.

 

 

Had a shop fix the clutch line, and I fixed the posi-lok cable and put some heater hose around it to keep the heat off of it.

 

A couple of months went by and had some fun going up what will be my favorite trail, Loch Lomond:

 

 

Went ahead and did another one of those parade thingies:

 

 

Didn't do much in wheeling or wrenching for a couple months then decided to hit up Middle Saint Vrain, Coney Flats again...with the same failure happening to me that happened on Red Cone...Clutch line and posi-lok cable failure again...guess it's time for me to install a aux electric fan in the MJ.

 

 

After all fixed up and running again, I made it to 250k miles on it:

 

 

Around thanksgiving time my mother was in a elevator accident and I drove the MJ like a bat outta hell down to see her in TX after they flew her from NM out to TX. I was driving it so hard that the D35 decided to give up the ghost, and I got it back to CO in one piece but it needed to be changed out. This is when I had to make a quick decision, another D35 or a D44a that was for sale... I chose the D44a, a little stronger than the D35 and a little lighter due to the aluminum housing. It came with only one drawback, nobody manufactures a locker to place in it. One bonus from the D44a, it came with disk brakes.

 

Then later on in the year, I hit up the Christmas Caravan For Kids event and it was a blast:

 

 

During that winter I was driving back from My parents cabin in New Mexico and found myself on a sheet of ice road. I was white knuckling the entire time the road was completely iced over:

 

 

That brings us from June 2005 to December 2007

 

Starting off a new year I looked forward to the CCFK Parade: (2008)

 

 

more to come, ran outta time for now.

Before this next trip I installed a electric cooling fan on the driver side of the radiator, and the thing moves some air, it has worked well in keeping the MJ cool so I don't blow a clutch line or melt the posi-lok anymore. There was a trail run on China Wall to support our troops that I went on:

 

 

After that, not much wrenching, but more trail running, Shrine pass, Wurts gulch:

 

 

After that, life got a little busy with being engaged and then married. I got back to the MJ after life slowed down a little and went to some private farmland out here where a bunch of 4x4's wheel:

 

 

a little later on I hit up loch lomond again:

 

 

Another CCFK event:

 

 

During the next year the odo passed 260k:

 

 

And then the Clutch pedal itself decided to brake it's weld and left me on the side of the road with my 2 mo. old son:

 

 

Where it broke:

 

 

 

Got it fixed up and really wanted to know what I had underneath the hood of this thing since it felt so perky compared to any other 4.0L the I've driven, DYNO time:

 

 

After that, my water pump started leaking, time for a complete build of the cooling system. It consisted of a new 3 core all metal radiator, water pump, new thermostat. My MJ really started to run great, and I started to push it a little more because I could...oops:

 

 

my passenger rear main leaf spring snapped due to torque and axle wrap. Time to get new springs.

 

Spring removal and install thread.

 

Got the new springs installed and I was on the road again and happy. Then it was a clutch replacement, and now it sits in the garage because I drive my wife's xterra as a daily driver and my wife got my grandparents lumina. These past 6 years have been great and I'm hoping to have many more memorable years with my MJ. :cheers:

good looking truck. what size are thoes MTR's?

Cool read, thanks for posting up! :cheers:

good looking truck. what size are thoes MTR's?

 

They were 31x10.5R15's on AR Baja wheels. The coating on the wheels got pitted from the mag-chloride during the two winters that I had them.

Great thread. It sounds like mine. Drove it hard and now it's earned it's spot as the non daily driver. Thanks for sharing the pics.

thanks, I'm trying to keep it the way i bought it just because it looked so good then.

Time to get the bumper back to not a smile...but the smile transferred to me, it's contagious.

 

 

got a buddy to weld the bumper end cap bracket back on, and got the end caps back on, looks good now :cheers:

Not sure why, but I love the look of your truck.

thanks :thumbsup:

Awesome read; nice MJ!! :popcorn:

Great story and a nice rig. These things are contagious. Ive owned 38 Jeeps (mostly Wranglers) but none consume my time and money like my latest Comanche.

I guess I have to start searching for what have you guys been doing to revamp/replace the "made in france" dome lights. Just recently on my last wheeling trip, the passenger dome light lens broke and fell out of the housing. Elmers glued it back in for temporary use at the moment. Including in me searching, what ideas have you guys had to replace/repair them? Wanting something that still looks OEMish.

 

my search has come up with that a lot of people have chosen to go with a light coming from a ebay company called euramtec http://www.ebay.com/sch/euramtec/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686 Since I have some time to work on this I'm not going to pull the trigger on these just yet and going to do a little more research.

and finally passed the milestone...

 

 

I used a pair of S-10 Blazer / S-15 Jimmy rear cargo area lights to replace my dome lights, They work off the doors, the headlight switch and can be turned on manually, they just don't have a setting to keep them from coming on like the OEM ones. They fit in the stock holes.

 

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Almost 3 years, guess a catch up is in order.

 

Since hitting the 275k mark, I've started using a LJ as a daily driver and have only had the MJ out on special events.

 

CCFK in 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

M&G and Rick showed up

 

 

 

 

 

Towing the trailer for work

 

 

 

 

At the top of Pikes Peak...Finally

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my friends that owned an auto shop burned down, and to show support Rick and I entered a vehicle show to support him

 

 

nice looking MJ.

Thanks . :MJ 1: .

Not a lot has happened over the past 2 years with my MJ. The only notable thing is the rust is starting to rear it's ugly head. It has 283k on it now, and still runs like a top on steroids.

Great truck, looks like you've a ton of adventures and put a lot of work into it over the years! Nice thread. 

Looks like an update is in order.

 

It's not a daily anymore, just goes to car shows and meets now. Trying to keep it in as good of shape as possible. I became a member of a two local clubs and have been on many outings with them. One was a show & shine for 4x4's, and I received an award that was imagined by regionally well-known artist Jeff Bates. Since I'm not driving it regularly, I have found that I have not been keeping up on regular fluid changes. The last time I have in my books that the coolant was changed was in 2018, so I changed it this past February...it still looked ok. I'm going to change out all of the other fluids also (brake, front & rear differentials, transmission, and transfer case) here in the next month. In February of 2021, I had to replace the wiring on my stereo. The previous owner installed low quality wiring to the front speakers instead of using the existing factory wiring which tested good and is still working to this day. I've attached some wiring pinouts that assisted me though the project. Many more adventures to come.

 

The saga continues...

 

Went to change the fluids in the differentials, transmission and transfer case. I found the front differential to have damage. Repairs will be underway shortly.

 

 

 

 

I have a personal motto "learn something new every day". I ordered a new roll pin for the front dana 30. While I was cleaning up the front dana 30 for the arrival of the new pin, I had found the old pin. I thought to myself, why not, I can have it back together sooner rather than later. I got the old pin back in, sealed it up, added fluid, and was proud of my work.

The new pin arrived, I opened the bag and my heart sank, it was 3/4" longer than the old pin. I thought to myself, maybe thats why the old pin fell out. I took it back apart, removed the old pin, installed the new pin. That extra 3/4" was the difference between a recurring failure and a success. Driving the last 1/2" of the new pin was a little tougher than the old pin and will make a huge difference in keeping the pin in the carrier.

Lesson learned.

 

 

On 5/15/2026 at 5:50 PM, COMJNUT said:

The new pin arrived, I opened the bag and my heart sank, it was 3/4" longer than the old pin

Same thing just happened with my anderson front screen door handle. 1/8in of the roll pin sheared off and caused the handle to wobble. just needed a new roll pin. She'll be right!