How do I salvage...

[DaemonForce]

A transmission from a Jeep Comanche? Today I was in the picking yard getting all that I could from a beautiful Concord fleet vehicle and then I finally found a 4WD Comanche that appeared to have everything I'm looking for: A two speed full time 4WD transfer case married to a 5SPD manual transmission also married to an inline 6 engine.

I notice that whenever I pull transmission or transfercase parts from an Eagle or Wagoneer it is NOT the same process as pulling from a Cherokee/Comanche/DJ-5/Pioneer. The crossmember is different enough that I scramble to get different wrenches, I'm looking for a lot more nuts and bolts, I eventually get stuck trying to pull stuff apart and eventually hit a snag where there's either a huge mess or my hand wrenches WILL NOT turn a decisive bolt. At this point I am talking about the supportive crossmember that holds the manual transmission to the transfercase across the bottom right above the main transmission crossmember.

It's obvious to me that I will need my impact sockets to tear off those 16mm bolts but what else can I expect to find that will stop my progress dead? I'm already aware that the shifter housing is another fiasco from inside the cab but I have never successfully pulled transmission parts from anything but cars. For some reason the pickups and Jeeps are a completely different world.

[carnuck]

There might be a couple 15 and 18 mm bolts too. You need the starter, flywheel and clutch too. A breaker bar might get you past the tighter bolts. I would get the front yoke from the driveshaft (or the whole driveshaft) The Eagle tcase won't fit the MJ trans, even if they are both 23 spline (you'd need a 1" spacer ring)

[DaemonForce]

I intend to get the transmission, starter, bell, clutch, pedals and linkages from this Jeep so it looks like I've got that much figured out. The driveline yokes appear to be the same as the Eagle but I won't be able to confirm that until I get them free from the transfer case.

I don't intend to use the stock Eagle transfercase with this transmission. The idea here is to extend the range capability of the Eagle with the MJ's overdrive transmission for long distance road travel(since that's mainly all I really do) and a rare low range case for when I'm stuck between an unforgiving pole and a snow bank or when I just really need to tow up super steep hills. I'm expecting to find a NP229 or similar non-electronic full time case that can marry to this transmission. It looks like it has some kind of adapter for the transfercase so if this transmission turns out to be another useless gearbox I could probably just tear off the adapter and bolt in a NP435.

The 15mm bolts I've encountered so far have been at the far ends of the transmission crossmember. There were some 16mm bolts holding up the middle like the Eagle but they don't support a metal brick. Instead there's a thin metal plate holding the transmission to the transfer case with some VERY tight bolts and I am not physically capable of wrenching them off. Should I expect the bell bolts to give the same trouble?

[carnuck]

Take the trans and tcase together then take them apart. Bell bolt tightness will depend on factory or not. Top 2 bolts are E-12 reverse torx (I forgot till just now) if factory

[DaemonForce]

Top 2 bolts are E-12 reverse torx (I forgot till just now) if factory

This is what I'm talking about. This kind of random boltmaster game is super annoying and this information is really super good to know. I'm sure I have a socket for it somewhere.

[DaemonForce]

Went picking today, found an adorable girl picking the Concord that's been sitting in Tacoma for a week. An 89 Wrangler Sahara popped up yesterday and someone already picked apart a bunch of stuff just to get to the torque converter. It has an automatic transmission and I'm guessing it's a 998 like mine. I would hope for an A500 but not bloody likely.

The 86 Comanche seemed a bit more troublesome this time. I managed to get the rear driveline free but the front is stuck. I'll have to pull the transfercase free. It looks like a NP231. I've been poking around the Novak site and I think I can identify it fairly accurately. It's either an AX-5 or AX-15. Judging from how this drivetrain is arranged and the size/shape of the transmission body, I'm guessing it's the AX-5. Is this worth picking? I intend to bolt a manual overdrive transmission to my 258 engine.

[amcinstaller]

if it is in fact the ax5, its ok. not as desireable as the ax15, but not as bad as the ba5. if it were me, id likely hold out for an ax15

[DaemonForce]

Yeah I want the AX-15 assuming I'll ever find one. I need a transmission that will help me reduce the costs of these ridiculous distance trips I'm doing lately. The random breaking of the AX-5 behind stock engines doesn't make me feel too comfortable but anything is better than an SR-4 let alone my 3SPD auto. :/

[carnuck]

If that trans is behind a 2.8 V6 or 2.5L 4 cyl (only 2 motors available in '86 Except the Renault diesel) then it's an AX-5 and there is no bell for it to fit the inline six.

[DaemonForce]

The transmission is bolted to a fuel injected I6. That didn't stand out to me as much as the 4WD system and cherrybomb muffler but then I checked the year as 1986 and realized there is something very off about this vehicle. The engine is stock but the rest doesn't appear so.

[carnuck]

It's either '08/86 and newer or it was swapped in. (easy to do '86 up since the firewall is shaped right)