BEHOLD!!! something built 20 years ago that puts us to shame

[Mr_Random]

what about the suspension? could anybody help me out with that information? i have an 89 Eliminator and want to turn it into a street jeep but cannot find a better suspension for it. any links or information would greatly be appreciated. this comanche is what drove me to want my very own street jeep. :kissyou:

Why not go OEM solutions? TJ coils will provide 1" of drop, then just remove a leaf from your rear pack. Or do you want a more sporty ride rather than just a drop? Cut a 360 off the TJ coils to lose more height, but get a higher spring rate (stiffer spring), then swap in stiffer leafs from a 3/4 ton chevy, which should be spring over and therefore wont give any lift.

Maybe there are aftermarket solutions, but I'm cheap and that's what I would do, ha...

 

[1bolt]

Besides a thicker sway bar made by Quickor. I don't know of any off the shelf handling upgrades for the MJ. If someone made anything serious aftermarket wise at one point I'd have expected to see it mentioned or pop up on Ebay at some point.

I think for anything serious like IFS you would be solidly in the one off fabrication zone. Maybe use some S10 stuff and adapt it heavilly.

If you just wanted to improve whats there, then a 2wd axle swap (to save unsprung wieght assuming you have a 4x4). Some tubular control arms could be adapted from the off road market (RE for example). and front Coil over shocks. Add the big Quickor sway bar, adapt some caster camber plates from something else and finally do some home made front tower braces, and custom monticarlo bar. While you're doing all that you can replace every rubber bushing with poly.

I would imagine that would stiffen things up considerable. But its not going to eliminate serious impact on the handling characteristics of the long heavy solid axle.

Then again the MJ handles very well for a light truck already. It's light without the traditional frame of most light trucks (S10's for example) and yet still very stiff. I'd say that just based on the the cargo capacity and the MJ's available Metric Tonn cargo package.

For a light truck to handle over 2200lbs of cargo it needs a whole lot more than stiffer springs and a Dana44... Weight and Unibody stiffness is Probably the major reason they won racing championships in their day. The S10 I believe even with a conventional frame had a lower cargo rating and was much heavier with the same options, and I don't recall it ever having Big ton style package that upped it's cargo rating higher than many full size trucks.

Factoids: the full size Nissan "Titan" has a lower payload (1300lbs) than a bone stock MJ (over 1400lbs). The big or Metric tonn package was rated at slightly over 2200lb payload, that's more than a Full size Chevy silverado 4x4 by 200 pounds!

 

[Talyn]

IIRC someone makes sport/lowering springs for the ZJ.. you can look into that for the front.

 

[srimes]

what's a montecarlo bar?

 

[1bolt]

A shock tower brace sorry, it's what we called it when I was kid. It goes from side to side, in front of the engine. And is not the same thing at the K shaped brace that goes to the firewall and then to the shock towers.

 

[wolfpackjeeper]

I have not seen a street kit for a comanche. But you can build one pretty easily:

1) I will be using a set of front cherokee coils with 1.3 turns cut off. This should yield around a 1.5-2" drop. Cut less or more to vary the drop amount. I have Monroa sensatrac shocks made for a cherokee.

2) WJ lower control arms. Should take some of the flex out of the stock design so that you can corner a bit better. Also have a bend in them to clearance tires so you could inboard the fronts some if you want to.

3) ZJ swaybar, or a thick cherokee one if you can find it, I think it is either 28 or 30mm for the good one, then use urethane mounts and bushings.

4) Leaves. This is the hard part. I started with a set of Cherokee shackles in order to drop it some right when I got the truck. Now I need to either take a leaf out, or put some drop blocks in. You could have a new pack made with less lift and more stiffness too.

5) ladder bar, since you are not worried about travel or flex, you can run quite a few different setups. Also, you can try adding a rear swaybar.

I am hoping to do this to my MJ in the couple of months I have between training. I saw pictures of the race truck and of the world speed record truck and other than a traction bar and a bit of a drop I never saw anything special in the design. I also have a WJ brake setup for when I finally find a set of Moabs. And I also have a Trans AM "Z" steering box for when I convert to power steering, it is a turn and a half box.

I have a design for a bed cover that will sit flush in between the bed rails, but I have yet to build it. That should help out with looks and milage, as well as giving me a lockable storage place, not in the cab.

 

[mattbred]

Don't cut the coils. That's potentially very dangerous unless you know exactly what you're doing.

 

[Mr_Random]

Don't cut the coils. That's potentially very dangerous unless you know exactly what you're doing.

Wolfpackjeeper has the potential to know exactly what he's doing... I don't think he needs a warning, haha. There are other threads on lowering XJ's/MJ's and cutting coils, and long discussions on correct processes and warnings.

 

[REDXJ4FUN]

its tough, there is very little info on any realy street jeep setups. I can't even find lowering springs for them anymore except for using tj spring witch give you a 1 in drop then you can start cutting but I haven't had time to work on that yet. I am going to try that first with a set of air bags that go in side the coils to see if i can get the ride and spring rate i want. I ned to find a set of 4cyl tj coils because they may work better. the rear on a MJ is easy since u can use lowering blocks to start with(not ideal but its a start)

 

[JJacobs]

Ladder bars wouldn't be good. A true ladder bar can break or at least bind really hard just pulling up an angled driveway. They do work wonders at the track.

 

[urban yan]

I forgot to post this link.
http://mwphoto-misc.smugmug.com/Cars/297788
...some really cool comanche racing pics from the late 80s/early 90s

 

[hubs97xj]

Excellent

 

[seanyb505]

Great find on the Comanche racetrucks. I thought only two photos were floating around.