Jeep Strokers

It’s been a while since I’ve messed with my Jeep but recently decided to start up on the project again. Figured I’d make my first post to say “Hi” and mention a few of my projects.

Currently I’m working on my 1989 Jeep Comanche with a 4.7 stroker with 2wd ax15. I started this project back in 2003 while I was at college. As a student at UNOH I was able to do all my own machine work and assemble the motor myself. When I got home from college in 2005 I dropped the engine in my Comanche but found that mice had chewed up the stock harness pretty bad while I was away. I installed a 1991 harness and cooling system from a parts Cherokee and was able to break in the motor but it never idled or ran correctly. After a few days of trouble shooting and testing sensors it was looking like the computer was bad (might explain why the parts Jeep was free).

At that point I got sidetracked with a few other projects. I ended up building a 1991 Turbo Miata for the Grassroots Motorsports Challenge and entered it from 2008-2010. Last year our team also entered a 1995 turbocharged 4.0L Cherokee controlled by MegaSquirt while retaining the factory shift computer. Working on that project kind of got me thinking about my Jeep again and that’s when I found this place.

Here are some links to the build threads if you are interested.

Jeep: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/ ... 247/page1/

Miata: http://www.miataturbo.net/showthread.php?t=50301

Anyway as I work on the Comanche and dig up my old pictures I’ll post some updates.

Thanks
-Greg

Welcome Greg! I read up on your white XJ a few weeks ago--very nice. I read that it was featured in this month's Grassroots mag. I had seen your reworked front axle year(s) ago on Naxja. I have the green 96 2dr 2wd ax15 4.6l that nccbmwcca let me autocross(just registered for another one at BlueCrab in Waldorf, MD on 7-9). My brother and I are working on a 4.9l '88 Eliminator that'll see boost in its future and will also be auto-Xed and road-raced.

Thanks, I’m surprised at how many people have found out about our project. Everyone I’ve talked to loves seeing the Jeep autocross even if they don’t understand why we did it. I believe my teammates are actually bringing it out for the first time this year Sunday (6/26/11 )with the Boston BMWCCA. Last fall we actually removed the turbo set up till we sort it out more. Our N/A tune is doing well so farm minus being a little rich on decel. A Jeep on huge Hoosiers at an autocross shooting fire makes for one hell of a show. Later this year we hope to reinstall the turbo and sort out our fuel issue. I’d like to make some passes at New England Dragway just to see what it can do.

As for the Comanche my only current goal is to get it running with MegaSquirt and sort it out.

Here are some old pictures and the back story.

I picked up the Comanche sometime around 2005. It had 101,000 miles but the motor was junk. Body was pretty rust free with just a few dents. So for a few hundred dollars I dragged it hope with the intentions of dropping my stroker motor in. When I started working on the truck and pushing it around the yard there was some odd clunk when turning. I guess at some point the truck as hit in the front and there was a poor repair done. The subframe was welded but then cracked around the steering box. Instead of welding it back up I cut the outer part of the subframe back and welding in a new part from a parts Cherokee.








A month later after I fixed the subframe I had a tree branch land on the front clip.



Fenders, hood, and header panel had some damage so I decided to start swapping on a 97+ front clip




I’m still waiting to pick up another header panel since my friend dropped the other one I bought.

Stroker has been installed along with a harness from a 1991 Cherokee. Since this picture was taken I’ve decided to start installing MegaSquirt.