Jeep question

[Grant Lamontagne]

I'm not as up on modern Jeeps as I should be, but I'm looking at a couple of 2000 TJ's now that seem almost identical except for wheel style and color.  One is listed as a J-10 and the other is a Comanche, and I'm just wondering what, if any appreciable differences there are between them.

Also, how bad are the rags in winter?  Are they do-able or would I absolutely need to get a hardtop by the time the weather changes?

Any help would be appreciated.

Def

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Are there any worthwhile online review's?

[jzmtl]

Well damn, My TJ is a 2000 and I've been crawling over and under it enough to know these things inside out.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by "One is listed as a J-10 and the other is a Comanche", J10 and comanche are completely different model that have been discontinued for quite some time now. J10 is the full size truck whereas comanche is the smaller pickup based on cherokee.

I have a hardtop, but my buddy who used to have an YJ told me softtop is absolutely doable in winter, and I have seen people do that. 2000 and before use canva for soft top, 2001 and after use sailcloth which is stronger and quieter. Take note if the softtop is original or aftermarket, some aftermarket are good some are crap. Just a thought, softtop is easier to aquire afterwards and there are quite a few selections, but hardtop OEM is the best.

Here's something about differences in model year: http://www.geocities.com/jeepboy49028/changes.html

[scibeer]

All I know is my Willys no top sucked bad in the winter!

[bobofish]

Quitcher whinin. When I was a kid, they didn't have tops, and we had to bore through solid ice with our teeth driving down the ice age freeway. We didn't even have wipers for the windows, we had to use our armhair to wipe the mastadon poo off the windshield.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Well damn, My TJ is a 2000 and I've been crawling over and under it enough to know these things inside out.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by "One is listed as a J-10 and the other is a Comanche", J10 and comanche are completely different model that have been discontinued for quite some time now. J10 is the full size truck whereas comanche is the smaller pickup based on cherokee.

I have a hardtop, but my buddy who used to have an YJ told me softtop is absolutely doable in winter, and I have seen people do that. 2000 and before use canva for soft top, 2001 and after use sailcloth which is stronger and quieter. Take note if the softtop is original or aftermarket, some aftermarket are good some are crap. Just a thought, softtop is easier to aquire afterwards and there are quite a few selections, but hardtop OEM is the best.

Here's something about differences in model year: http://www.geocities.com/jeepboy49028/changes.html

I'm looking at two different TJ's at Trader.ca, both from the same dealer:

J-10

Comanche

I knew the Comanche was the old pickup version, but I thought maybe they had recycled the name into different trim/option levels, as manufacturers often do.  Maybe the dealer just has his head up his butt...

I plan on getting a hardtop as well, but I was wondering whether it was something I'd have to do ASAP, or if it could wait a bit.  I've got a friend in the parts department at the local Chrysler dealership, and there's a large wrecking yard nearby, so I hope that a top won't be too hard to find, but I'd rather work on my schedule than anyone else's!

Def

[ducktapehero]

Quitcher whinin. When I was a kid, they didn't have tops, and we had to bore through solid ice with our teeth driving down the ice age freeway. We didn't even have wipers for the windows, we had to use our armhair to wipe the mastadon poo off the windshield.

Quit yer whining, at least you had motorized vehicles. We had to go out in -80 degree weather to CATCH an animal to ride to school. And it was uphill both ways and usually you had to drag the animal behind you. You couldn't just leave it because that was also your lunch.

On the way home the temperature was, by now, 130 degrees in the shade. It was a little easier than the cold because you didn't have to drag an animal but walking 56 miles with no water UPHILL was tough. Ahh the good ole days. 

[jzmtl]

Yeah the seller is full of it, they are all TJ, not J10 or comanche. TJ that year has three trims, SE (4 cyl), Sport (6 cyl), Sahara (basically a sport with more bling blings)

In my experience, soft top are easier/cheaper to find than hard top, and there are many attractive aftermarket options for softtop. Don't even think about buying hard top new, they used to be over a grand each and since TJ discontinuation most parts doubled in price.

Do you have any plan at all to lift it and putting on bigger tires, or going offroad? Or will it be strictly around the town?

[Grant Lamontagne]

I may lift it, but it will mostly be a daily driver.  I have a few other mods in mind, and if memory serves, a TJ is reasonable when taken off road in it's stock configuration.  I doubt I will do any serious off roading, but I guarantee that it will get a fresh coat of mud on a regular basis!

Def

[jzmtl]

It is, you just need better tires than stock. Reason I asked is if you have any plan for bigger tires and offroad, you want to look for the dana 44 rear axle, instead of dana 35, it'll save you loads of work down the road.

[NutSAK]

Def, are you planning to buy a 6 cylinder or 4?

You mentioned that you are looking at 2000 models.  One thing you should be aware of is that some 1999-2000 models with the 4.0 Litre six are susceptible to having cracked heads.  I can show you where the ID stamp is on the head so you can stay away from a certain production run.

I have one in my Cherokee from that production run with 98,000 miles on it, however, and there have been no head problems yet.

IMO, you shouldn't worry about the rear axle unless you're planning to put tires bigger than 31" on it.  I run 31" tires off-road on my Chrysler 8.25 rear axle with zero problems.

[jzmtl]

I thought they redesigned the head in 2000 to fix the problem, or was it 2001?

Axle strength is part of the reason, d35 usually come with 3.07 gear ratio whereas d44 is 3.73, which is much handier with larger tires. Besides, locker is always handy, if I had one I wouldn't have gotten stuck in front of my driveway this winter.

31" is the biggest you can fit on stock suspension by the way.

Nutsak are you on jeepforum by any chance?

[NutSAK]

I thought they redesigned the head in 2000 to fix the problem, or was it 2001?

Axle strength is part of the reason, d35 usually come with 3.07 gear ratio whereas d44 is 3.73, which is much handier with larger tires. Besides, locker is always handy, if I had one I wouldn't have gotten stuck in front of my driveway this winter.

31" is the biggest you can fit on stock suspension by the way.

Nutsak are you on jeepforum by any chance?

The head was not redesigned, there was a casting issue for a certain production run that was resolved in 2001.  Those problematic castings have shown up in a few '99 models, and most 2000 models.  The casting number to avoid is 0331.  Only some of the castings will fail--estimated around 15-20% them--and most agree that if you are able to put 100,000 miles on your 2000 model 4.0 Litre without head cracks, you likely will never have a problem.  It is a very good idea to never let a 2000-model 4.0 Litre overheat!

Right, I'll stay out of the rear axle coversation since most Cherokees use the Chrysler axle instead of the Dana 35.  Our gear ratios are a bit different too.

I am TboneXJSport on jeepforum.  I'm mostly a lurker.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I have no particular interest in a 2000 model- just those are what is available in the price range I am looking at the moment.  I'm not too worried about the rear axle as I'm probably not going to go bigger than 31" tires, and I doubt I'll be doing any serious off roading- just the odd bit of playing in the mud, although some of the trailer yards I work in can be pretty demanding!

Def