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ZJ_flexxxer's manche build

14K views 79 replies 11 participants last post by  ZJ_flexxxer 
#1 ·
well i got me a mance!! i've wanted one of these little beasts for a long time now and i finally got one. i found it on craigslist for $1300, called the guy up, and finally went to test drive it tonight. i looked it over good, hardly any rust, needs some exhaust work and i think a brake light switch. me and a friend bull****ted around a little and kicked some tires and finally got the guy down to $1000 and i drove it home.

it's now sitting out front and i'm tickled pink. i can't wait to turn some wrenches on this thing.

for now i just wanna fix the exhaust and brake lights. any other little minor issues i find. i don't like the idea of not having a temp gauge(which didn't come factory)so i might throw that on there.

eventually i want to swap the front clip to a 97+ xj fenders/grill and if possible i wanna swap to newer tail lights as well. in time i also wanna make it 4wd, i'm gonna save my lp30 out of my zj to throw in it since it's free and i don't plan on wheeling this thing, i just want 4wd for snow and any other time i might possibly need it.

overall i'm just happy to own it and drive it for now. in time i'll slowly customize it to be mine. i'll try to get some better pics tomorrow

 
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#2 ·
got a few things accomplished on my manche. went to the JY and to my surprise actually found 3 comanches. i found a bench seat in good shape so i snatched it since mine was shredded all to pieces and i was almost sitting in the floor when driving it.



installed


then grabbed a back bumper to replace my bent and abused excuse for a rear bumper

before



new bumper wire wheeled, 1 coat of truck bed liner, 1 coat of gloss black


installed



also grabbed a woodgrain dash panel out of an xj. as soon as i seen it i just had to have it


and one of my favorite chores on the list was getting some new exhaust pipe welded in. believe me when i say this thing was LOUD the night i brought it home. now she purrs like a kitten, all except for my squealing belt. the pulley on my p/s pump is nicked up for some reason and causing the belt to squeal.

new exhaust

 
#3 ·
a little update on the mj since last time i was on here

i swapped to an old steering wheel i had saved from my old xj


i got a headliner from a junkyard and re-covered it in camo material


and i picked up a set of xj wheels and swapped my tires on them(old wheels are for sale by the way)


and today i found an xj rearend to throw in it so it'll be spring over axle and give me a few inches of lift
 
#5 ·
so i found some 97+ doors from a part out on craigslist as well as a driver side front fender. now all i need is a passenger side fender and header panel/grill/etc.

so i went to the JY to get my door strikers for the new doors and also scored a nice set of shocks for $25



only got the passenger door on so far.



i had picked up a mint condition pair of tail lights a week or 2 ago from a JY. i used a little headlight restore on them and swapped them on there.





i also swapped on my new shocks. i've lifted and changed shocks on a few zj's and xj's and the drivers side front shock is always a PITA. you can get a wrench on the top nut but you have no room to turn it. or you can get a socket on it but cant get a ratchet or extension on the socket, such as the 2 pics below




i feel like an idiot for not thinking of this solution before. but i thought maybe i would post up and save someone else some time and head scratching.

so before going any further just go ahead and pop the vise grips on the top of the shock.


then unbolt your bottom bolts and pull the shock over at an angle. i also used a small piece of pipe to wedge in between the shock and the mount to angle it a little more.


and shazam! 2 small extensions(couldn't find my large one) and a swivel and it comes out of there like cake.


new shocks installed and new bolts

 
#6 ·
went to the JY this weekend and picked up a rear sliding window for $25!! grabbed some 3M "window weld" from autozone this afternoon and got it put in. no pics tonight since it got dark on me but i'll try and remember to snap some tomorrow afternoon.
 
#7 ·
getting way behind on my updates for this thread. ok so here's the new rear slider window

used sliding window from jy= $25.00
tube of 3M window weld= $22.00
total= $47.00

not too bad in my opinion


ok so here's where this build thread takes a huge turn.

i was driving to work on saturday when all of a sudden POW!






my drive shaft came out doing about 75mph and pretty much destroyed itself. it actually drug the ground long enough to grind the ear down so that it'll never hold a c-clip in again, not to mention broke the bolts off inside the yolk on the pinion.

so after doing some thinking. my rear brakes have barely worked since i bought the truck, i would have to take the whole rearend out anyway when i was going to do the spring over axle lift, and having to fix the yolk on this rearend, eventually brought me to the decision to just ditch the d35 and buy a d44 w/ disc brakes from the jy and do my spring over axle lift all at the same time.

so all that thinking has brought me this much progress so far lol

d35 out!


counted the teeth, i had 3:55's which actually surprised me. i expected this truck to have 4:10's with it being the 2.5 4cyl. my goal is to find a d44 w/ disc brakes and 3:73's


and i've had these for a while but never updated, i think they'll go good with my spring over axle lift in the rear. 6.5" xj springs and CA's i bought off my local craigslist for $150


and finally i have a few questions for you guys that hopefully someone here can answer for me

what is this silly looking thing??? it had a small rod connecting it to another bracket on the unibody


and also i'm looking for a cheap solution for the front track bar when i lift this thing?? any suggestions???keep in mind, i drive this truck on the street mostly and i never plan on wheeling it. might occasionally go through a field to go hunting,etc but nothing even remotely abusive.
 
#8 ·
I believe that connects to the proportioning valve for the rear brakes.

Nice build so far.


You should head on over to comancheclub.com.

All you want to know about these trucks over there.

:tea:
 
#9 ·
I believe that connects to the proportioning valve for the rear brakes.

Nice build so far.

You should head on over to comancheclub.com.

All you want to know about these trucks over there.

:tea:
thanks. thats odd though i didn't see anything connecting it to the braking system. i'll take a closer look again today after work.

you can also find me on comancheclub.com under the same user name as here.
 
#10 ·
Cool...
I am Dadinator over there.

I also noticed you're in Louisville.

I'm in the same area. SW of Louisville in Meade County. Originally from New Albany across the river.
Small world.
I see the 502offroad link in your sig. I'll be checking that out.

Anyway, keep up the good work.
Check out my build when you get time...
 
#11 ·
That's not too far from me. I'm in south Louisville off Dixie hwy. yea definitely check out my website, it's a local forum for any offload enthusiasts in the area. I've been trying to grow it for some time now. I'll have to check out your build when I'm actually on the computer and can see something lol, this phone screen just doesn't cut it sometimes
 
#12 ·
went to harbor freight friday with a coupon and picked this little badboy up for $90. it'll run a sawzall or grinder like a charm.



then went to the JY today and thanks to my new generator i had a dana 44 w/ disc brakes on the ground in minutes. brought it home and started cutting the zj brackets off and getting it ready to weld the leaf spring brackets on. got all of them cut off except for one and was getting hungry and running out of energy so i called it a day.



i can't wait to get this thing put in and see how it looks with the spring over axle. unfortunately it'll have to wait about a week before i make any progress since i'm having to house sit for someone while there on vacation.
 
#13 ·
lol i know i said it would be a week before any progress or updates but i got done early at work today and came by the house today for a little bit to work on it before going to house sit(i'm addicted, i can't go a day without showing one of the jeeps some attention :ballchain:). so i finished cutting the last bracket off then started grinding the remaining metal off the axle tubes. i got one side finished and started on the the other

here's the clean side


and i also left a portion of the old coil spring brackets so i would still have these mounts for the brake lines
 
#14 ·
stopped by my house for a bit again today before going to house sit. i cleaned the axle up a little more today, getting really close but still not quite done.

and...the brown santa came to visit me today. got my leaf spring perches from quadratec. i did a little test fitting with them and it looks like they should work perfect

 
#16 ·
made some progress today. i finished grinding on the axle and got the new spring perches welded on.

not the pertiest welds but the feed was acting up on my welder a bit today and i'm not the most skilled welder anyway. i gave them the BFH test and they passed.


then i went and bought some new u-bolts and i reversed the sides the u-bolt plates were on so that i could still use the existing shock mounts on them.


dana 44 in, but still need a drive shaft, shocks, and brake lines


and then i get to start on the front lol. so here's the out come of my spring over axle lift


 
#17 ·
33's?



and i just ordered a set of these :2thumbsup:

 
#18 ·
well i went to the jy yesterday for a bit. found a lifted xj and a lifted zj there. I stole these rear shocks from the zj. not sure what brand they are but they're some pretty nice shocks and they have the nice big rubber bump stops at the top which i like. got them home and touched up the silver paint a bit.



and then from the lifted xj i stole this adjustable tracking arm and the bracket. the best part is, i got all of these parts for only $22 bucks :banana: . although i might have got a little wet from a short storm that decided to pass through while i was there i think it was well worth it.

 
#19 ·
well i got my new shocks on this morning. I knew it was probably gonna take some fabricating, and it did but not much at all. I just relocated the shock mounts to the axle and used the existing upper mounts. it worked out pretty good, after i got it off jackstands and on the ground i still have about 6" of upward travel and i'm not even sure how much down travel(A LOT i'll just put it that way lol).

i couldn't help myself so i got in the bed and jumped around and i do believe she's gonna ride quite nice. can't wait to finish everything up and drive it.





 
#20 ·
bought some 33's already mounted on cragar soft 8's today. been trying to get these things from a guy on craigslist since thursday. finally got them, and for only $200 :cheers2:

got 2 of them on the back already, just getting an idea of how it'll look.

 
#22 ·
well if you all remember this picture below is what brought me into this crazy rear end swap/lift. after getting the rear end in and the lift done on the back. i finally decided it's time to make this thing pull itself again.



you can't see it so well in the pic, but the ears on the yoke were ground down so much that it wasn't able to hold in a c-clip anymore. but with a little determination, my welder, and a dremel tool, i managed to repair it. i welded a bead around the grounded spots on the yoke an built it back up to where it should be. then used a dremel to grind them back into shape somewhat and clean out the holes where the u-joints would be going in. then finally used the dremel again with a small cutting wheel to cut out the grooves that the c-clip sits in.






i know this may not seem like much to some ppl, but i'm only 23 years old and just now starting to get alot of fabrication under my belt. and i have to say, i'm very proud of myself on this one. most ppl would have taken it to a shop, or thrown it out and went to the junkyard for another one, or had a new one built at a shop. but i was bound and determined to make it work and i did.

and here she is after her test drive. this thing rode smoother than it ever has since i've owned it. i'm very happy with how it's went so far, i just hope i can still say the same after i lift the front.
 
#23 ·
well i got my parts in today. 4-6" rough country shocks for the front, got one of them as a scratch and dent for only $12.00. not sure what was wrong with it, can't find anything so far.



and i got my adjustable control arms from a guy on ebay. very impressed with these things. i wasn't expecting to unwrap something so BEEFY! love these things, i might even sell the full set i have for my zj and buy a set of these.



once i got done having a mini christmas morning on the tailgate of my truck, i got to work. anybody wanna buy a 2wd dummy axle??

 
#25 ·
thanks
 
#26 ·
went to the JY today and got a d30 with 3:73's to match the new d44 in the rear.



didn't get much done after that. was kinda feelin lazy today. i took what was left of the upper control arms off and knocked the old bushings out of the mounts.



i also took the brakes off, since i'm gonna go back to the JY next weekend and get some WJ knuckle's and brakes for the bigger brake swap.
 
#27 ·
nice little update for today...

so i noticed today, one of the lower control arm mounts somehow got bent either at the JY or in the process of getting it home. so i'll have to get that fixed.


got some more old parts removed including the knuckles and axles/hubs.(not very good pics, i worked late tonight)


i also picked up some new cv axles


so today i came up with a little plan to make my sway bar links disconnect if i want. i used a speed bit to make my bolt holes a little larger


and i picked up some 3 point tractor pins from TSC. worked out pretty nice i think
 
#28 ·
made it to the JY today and got a set of wj knuckles and calipers. didn't have any luck finding a set of the '02-up akebono calipers but oh well, still better than the stock single piston's.



and i also ordered some drilled/slotted wj rotors and ceramic pads



that's it for now. waiting on money for more parts lol
 
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