"To keep it within budget, we're getting free suspension and tires".... Wish that worked for everyone's build.

Your guys definition of cheap is completely different than mine.

A Comanche is never a mistake. Just a project.

$3k or $4k donation of suspension/tires is kinda cheating when you're trying to keep it cheap. I'd love to get a free donation of suspension/tires.... Teraflex and bfgoodrich hit me up please lol 😂

Easy to be cheap when you get the parts for free! For the rest of us not so CHEAP.

Proof read the title guys... lol... you made a HUGE ESCAPE???

Quick correction on AWD vs 4wd. It has nothing to do with if there is a transfercase. Jeep offered AWD in the XJ and MJ for these years using the NP242 transfercase. This had 2wd high, 4wd full time (aka all wheel drive), 4wd high lock, and 4wd low. The difference between AWD and 4wd is if there is a center differential to allow for the front and rear axles to travel at different speeds. And... The XJ and MJ are both uni-frame, as is the ZJ. Unibody vehicles have bolt on sub-frames. uni-frame have frame rails that are integrated into the body.

A buddy of mine autocrossed a short-bed, 5-speed Comanche back in the ‘80s. It totally dominated it’s class.

Compare jeep Comanche to a 1988 Toyota pickup And take to cliffhanger

Imo the best looking mild custom XJ Comanches use stock parts from higher trim later Cherokees. Almost all of it interchanges. As a former Jeep tech, the Renault efi would have been enough to make me walk. I’m sure it’s fine. If you want it to run like an Eagle Medallion anyway. It was P(eugeot)R(enault)V(olvo) city at Chrysler back in those days. Always used to tell my Eagle Premier customers they had a DeLorean engine in their cars. That seemed to excite them for some reason.

Let's do a budget build for the audience so they know they can afford this too, but we need tires and "parts" given to us to make it affordable

If you can get bed-liner in red, you should do that to bed, and also think about doing the lower portion of the body panels too. Even if you can't doing the last crease of the body panels in bed-liner would keep the truck alive a long time...

Loved all the retro music in the editing!

What's the point of showing us a cheap jeep challenge build but then saying you get some of the more expensive parts for free?

Let me save you some time. I owned a 1987 Comanche. I equipped mine with a 2" lift and 235 75R 15 tires. It wasn't the worst 4WD that I ever owned, but it was close. Here is what you have to look forward to: 1. The '80's era 4.0L almost always cracks the exhaust manifold. If it hasn't, it will. 2. The Dana 35C is about the least robust axle assembly that Dana ever built. If you do break an axle, the entire wheel assembly may come off. 3. Late 80's Jeeps constantly suffer from a litany of electrical and electronics problems, all of which--including the wiring itself--that get worse with age. 4. Typical of 1980's vehicles, the paint is awful. Either let it look bad, or figure on buying an expensive full re-prime and re-paint. 5. I'm not a fan of the Peugot manual transmission. They are not that robust. With the 3.07 axles, the crawl ratio in low range is only about 32:1. Even the relatively torquey 4.0L won't overcome that. If you much rock crawling, you'll be replacing the clutch before you want to. 6. The quality of the body hardware is pretty poor and the seats are uncomfortable--the upholstery is pretty cheap and won't last. The best choice for a small 4WD pickup in that era was a an '89-'94 Toyota. Rode rough as as hell, the 3.0 V6 was gutless on the highway and fought to get even get close to 20 mpg, but it was a pretty indestructible truck. The Ford Ranger was also a better choice. By the time Jeep got some of the worst bugs out of the XJ platform by the '97 model year, the Comanche was long gone. My advice: sell the Comanche to some Jeep fanboy before you put a dime into it. You'll be happier.

I’m so jealous of this thing. I dream of finding one of these some day. People find all these awesome cars for “cheap” without any rust where they live and I’m here in Ohio like yeah it’s not too bad the frame is only rusted through in a couple spots and the floor boards aren’t completely gone.

I had a 1976 AMC wagon with the old slant six engine. I couldn't get that engine to give up and for some reason this video reminds me of my old wagon. R.I.P wherever you are old girl.

These series are quickly becoming my favorite thing y'all have done yet.

Been watching the XJ vs Explorer build battle over at Hoonigan. It's videos like these where I learn the most. Keep showing the build process, guys! It really shows that with time and critical thinking, any automotive problem can be solved.

Great shape for its age. I bought an '89 leftover with the 4L 5-speed new and unfortunately it was a total lemon - I didn't even get home from the dealer and it was falling apart. Sold it in '93 for $4000 with 50k miles on it, paid $11k in '90. It was like the United Nations under the hood - parts from US, Canada, France, England and Japan because it was a product of Chrysler, AMC and Renault. Good luck with your project.

Former owner deserves LOTS of credit for keeping that up--Don't see many like that

Lets build a cheap jeep with sponsors. Its like watching Ken Blocks videos.

Old Ford ranger vs new. I know it's not much of a comparison, but would be cool to watch anyway. My favorite vehicle related channel period! Thanks guys, keep up the good work.

These things are awesome! I would *kill* for one of these in this kind of shape. Way up north here they are all rusted out..... IF you could even find one. You guys are so lucky. If you ever don't want it give it to me!

AMC stood for " All Manufactures Combined " Did you not know this? :D

Complete with 80’s montage music ... Peugeot had a more compact transmission, that was also the era of Rally Cars... buddy in High School had a Rally inspired Ford Escort Sport complete with yellow rally lights.

had a 1988 diesel version of the Commanche. Great truck. I think is was the XL package. Had all the goodies that came with the Commanche at that time. Didn't care how slow it was because the diesel sound was awesome and so was 35mpg.

My 89 Wrangler tranny also crunched identical to your Comanche. New synchros and it was like new. I got rid of the problematic oem carb on my 4.2 and did a swap to a Motorcraft carb. Huge improvement. Be very glad you have a 4.0 in that because my son's Comanche with a 2.4 was as fast as my Wrangler.

I had a '92 Chevy S10 reg cab short bed with the 4.3 V6 and 4x4. Fast little truck, good off road. It was red too. All mini trucks looked really similar back then. Small, boxy, etc... Brings Back Memories.

You may have made a MISTAKE, but definitely not an ESCAPE! LOL

Great video guys! The transmission work is very interesting. Can't wait to see what happens next!

These Comanches with the 4.0L are very quick and a blast to drive around on the road. The light weight, correct size and big 6 cylinder, is just a great combo.

I have owned 15+ XJ-MJ's and the Renix 4.0 are just fine. Only problem I've really ever had is leakey injectors and FP regulator failure.

Awesome pick for your next moderate build! I graduated Highschool in 1989 and always thought these were way cool 😎

The AX15 is the same Aisen transmission Toyota used in there pickups prior to the Tacoma. They called it the AR150. Never owned a Jeep Comanche, but owned two Cherokees and currently own a 2017 Jeep Compass.

There’s just something about inline sixes that I love. Seems to me that’s the way a six cylinder engine should be. Probably because I learned to drive on a 1949 Plymouth. Flathead, That was. With just 107,000 miles, that thing should be good for a long time. Yeah, they should've have used the Japanese Aisin (eye-sheen) transmission!

Bed liner below the black trim on the body and flares, and around the bottom painted lip under the front and rear bumpers. That would clean up a lot of the scratches, and protects from future scratches, it would also match the cheap Jeep theme! Love the series guys!

Really cool i have a 92 cherokee and we slap some 31's on that sucker now nothing will stop the jeep

Nice shop! Would be nice to see more content from there

That's a nice Comanche; I would put some decent tires on it and that's it, it will make a great daily driver as is.

well good to know what things are all about.. l just got an 87 Jeep Comanche Chief short box has the 4.0l 5spd trans turbine rims and all the factory accessories fender flares, front fog lights, roll bar and buckets seats instead of a bench seat, but the body is pretty well done.. very cool little truck though

Have the same trans in my Eliminator and you used motor oil in it . Had the same issue with my Peugeot transmission. Especially in the cold. The guys at the Comanche Club gave me that tip and it has worked great for 3 years. I just can’t remember what weight it was. Mine was crunchy too but that smoothed it out. And yes these 2wd are pretty fast.

Whoever you bought that Jeep off of got an amazing deal lol

Looking forward to see the final product 👍🏼

Nice video. I'm excited to see the rest of the build

$6500. $6500?????? holy **** that the opposite of cheap. and yea, when does a 4.0 have an engine light on lol

To keep with the original-ish theme, you should use red spray in bed liner for the bed (obviously) but also for the rockers and possibly the fender flares.

I had 90 Jeep Comanche Eliminator they drove and ride good the 4.0 good power just rusted out to fast don't forget about the ashtray behind the center console.

my favorite jeep platform. light 1300kg, lots of room inside, reliable 4.0l and plenty of aftermarket

Great episode. I like watching the process of removing the transmission and look forward to the disassembly. You guys may be on to something. Hopefully the views will skyrocket.

I'd touch up the paint, paint the flares, bumpers and the tailgate guard and bed rails black to freshen them up. The lift and tires are a given. Bedliner and then maybe a rooftop tent/tonneau cover and then set the bed up for overland gear. Beautiful little truck.

If you guys end up getting a spray in bed liner check out bullet liner. Have one in my 2018 silverado and love it. Bullet liner was started by one of the founders of line-x.

Great video guys, if you hit your budget of 10k it really is a cheap jeep. Given the choice of this 89 for 10k or a new gladiator for 60 or 70k,... I'll take the Comanche hands down. Looking forward to updates on this project.

Excited for the build! I got a roll bar that I had in my 92 Comanche for a bit that I’m looking to sell if you guys want to pick it up. I’m in Northern Nevada

Suggestion on repainting front/rear bumper, use black plasti-dip on the metal part and plastic end caps(not on the plastic step treads on the rear though) It will have a uniform texture/finish. Used plasti-dip on the plastic part of my old Tacoma's front bumper, made that faded black plastic look new. Looked like the day I put it on 3 years later when I sold the truck, doesn't chip, pit, etc. Great product.

Go straight pipe with the exhaust if your gonna do it, i loved the way my 4.0 sounded with it straight piped and it was very loud.

I had the 4 cylinder 2 wheel drive and drove for 17 years. I only replaced brakes and a water pump or two. When I took it to the shop the price was very high for the water pump. The mechanic pulled me to the side and told me to go buy a new pump at the parts store a Chevy water pump that was what it actually is. It was half the price because it was ordered for a jeep. Oh also I had to replace the air-conditioner unit. When it kicked in it would suck a lot of power from the engine and that was because it was used in big diesel trucks. So apparently they threw any available parts they had laying around that would work.

You can have the paint color matched in bedliner then run a line of bedliner on the last foot on the bottom down the length. Cover up scratches and prevent new ones.

TFLT posts a 20min video and people comment within 5 min of the video being posted. So much for watching the whole video and then commenting

I called and no one would donate parts to my cheap build. :(

Gotta love living in a state where rust isn't an issue. You would never find a clean rust free 80s/90s pickup in the Midwest. I had to go to Oregon to get my 93 Yota pickup.

Idk I've owned 2 xjs and I own one now, I got into them because first I love the look but also because of the reliability according to research and forums. I've had nothing but problems, my first one, 2 months in I needed a new engine, second one, a few months in I needed a new engine, new bushings, track bar, sjocks, stabalize r shocks, control arms, and let's not get into the sensors going out all the time. No sure what to feel about them now.

Dont doubt the the Dana 30 & 35, I've ran 36" super swampers with no problem.

I really like Zach. Dude just seems like good people.

If I found an MJ that clean I'd probably be willing to shell out 6 grand for it. There were only 160-170,000 made total with only 48 percent being 4x4 the rest were 2wd examples. I'd go with a VERY mild lift with some 235/75R15s, throw a lunchbox in the front axle and roll with it. With how many off roaders have hacked to shit, wrecks, cash for clunkers ect ect ect combined with low compared to XJ build numbers finding a clean unmolested MJ is going to be a challenge.

This makes me miss mine. It was my 1st car/truck but it was a 86 and was NOT in good shape bed was rotted and both sides of the frame had plates welded to them to stay together. That's Michigan for you..

My 92 F150 I picked up a couple of summers ago is in pretty similar condition, looks great with some minor cosmetic flaws . . . but biggest issue may be its bulky, wobbly, sometimes crunchy manual transmission.

I think on the exterior, maybe color match the bedliner, fender flares and bumpers. It will be cheap and look real good. If you find the rollbar, color match that too.

Great publicity for Zacs, awesome!

Should of just sprayed the roof, bed, rockers, and the flares in a bed liner but have it colored matched to the original red.

Zach seems like a cool dude. It's good you have him in your corner.

I really enjoyed the TJ project jeep. Excellent vehicle 🚗 I like the four cylinder since I do light off-roading.mainly light trails in the desert.

BA10 transmission on my 88 Wrangler made it 220000 miles before it gave out, not bad for "bad" transmission. Not for rock crawling but otherwise OK for general purpose.

I envy you guys. My favorite vehicle that I owned was my 2001 Cherokee sport. It was only 2wd but if I ever get in a position with some extra $$ if love to buy one and have it fully restored. It was powerful and so comfortable to drive. I only got rid of it for something economical when I as younger. Great jeep though, no issues other than a very minor transmission leak.

Thanks for the video.

My dad had 89 jeep comanche long bed ours had automatic transmission it ran great just take running boards off put heavy duty leat springs on and put bfgoodrich a/t on and it will go through anything sadly we were hit and totaled the jeep my dad replaced it with a 2005 dodge Durango

What a great looking little Jeep. It would look great next to my red 99 XJ.

Nice good looking truck, it's a classic jeep with great style.

When you said the transmission was crunchy I thought it had shattered gears. Instead the syncros were worn out. Just double clutch.

I think y’all got took. You can get a Comanche in great shape with perfect trans AND the modifications you want to do for 6500. Hell, there’s a REAL gladiator with a basic restoration down the road from me for 8500. It kills me every time I drive by it lol

Great vid👍Bedliner spray, bed light with pop up camper try do a concept truck like ones at Jeep Easter Safari. Needs Jeep part sticker👍

Oh my! Something is telling me this guys just got themselves a ''money pit'' 😱

I’m guessing the crunch are the synchronizers. That happened to my 1987 Wrangler back in the day. Gears hopefully should be fine.

IMO if you want any six cylinder to sound its best, you want a quiet exhaust and open up the intake with an Airaid or whatever the kids are using nowadays. unless you own a Mack truck a noisy exhaust always sounds like a fart or at least annoying and harsh

A Jeep liberty uses the same frame design. A unibody with a ladder frame welded to it. Super strong but very heavy 😅

The “Low-Output” engine is actually a different engine even though it’s a four liter.It has a smaller displacement in c.i.

What a cool truck. I absolutely agree this one needs to be kept as original as possible but... Find another Comanche with a crap motor for a second build because this truck would ROCK with a Cummins R2.8 crate motor!

I had a '89 Cherokee Pioneer...same Renix 4 litre, same BA-10 trans, an add a elaf i nthe rear and a puck up front for lift, ran 31s and all. Honestly if you didnt' beat on it the BA-10 would work fine if you didn't pound on it and with 4 Low on the transfer case and in first gear...that thing would crawl easily up anything you aimed it at. I had no lockers but a sway bar delete assisted with go anywhere prowess.

That budget is toast after brakes and getting that BX-10 grenade box patched up. But roll in your bed liner before it rusts!

If your alreasy spending money to do something do it right the first time so it will last. Because staying with the unit that is not strong and lets say you blow a hole in it on a trail then you will have to get a whope new upgraded trans and end up spending triple the money. That is what i learned from my dad.

try changing the trans fluid, it may have the wrong fluid in it which will make them grind like that.

Your all wheel drive Discovery has a transfer case, as does my Defender. Using that to define a system is pretty dubious!

These things are like gold.... hard to find really cheap

Dude nice video

heck I paid three grand for a 90 r with rebuilt short block wrangler, the renix computer allows you to bypass emissions stuff, I have an O2 sensor and no converter, when it comes to the dana rear end ratios,, take the covers off the numbers are stamped on the ring gear

Hey TFL, huge fan of y'alls page. I have a 2004 Ford F 150 with a v8 4.6 liter engine, 2wd and I was wondering if yall could do a video on a truck like that

Renix EFI is plenty reliable. It just isn't entirely electronic. It has some analog bits (TPS for instance) which a lot of people don't understand. The IAB (idle air bleed) can also stick. But otherwise it should be perfectly fine for you guys. Oh, and the BA-10 *IS* junk. Yes you can rebuild it and fix the crunches (bad synchros). But they like to literally blow apart because of the split case.

I bet there is a roll ball somewhere here in Reno ,Nv in a junkyard. Try pick n pull , and airport auto wreckers. Reno , Nv.

Im going to like this season even more then the 1st

Wow mine is an 87 Comanche Pioneer Metric Ton option with bucket seats n console with the aisin auto tranny with Dana 44 TrakLok rear axle perfect body zero rust 66,000 miles and I paid $650 dollars delivered up in the mountains f NE Washington state easy off grid at the snow line. Jus got 17 inches snow to play ing.. 0n a 4 1/2" lift. Dandahemit