This pair of Jeep Comanche Eliminator pickups could be a smoking deal for someone looking to restore one back to OEM-perfect condition. The seller has a running/driving 2WD example and a 4WD parts truck, which he intended to use to convert the 2WD example. Now, an unexpected roof repair is forcing the sale of both, which are currently bid under the reserve price here on eBay. There’s just over two days left, so hurry over if you’re looking for an original Eliminator project.
Hemmings does a nice write-up on the Eliminator, which was fairly significant in the history of the sport truck. Most smaller pickups in the late 80s were pretty depressing from a performance standpoint, and the Comanche intended to shake things up – starting with the company’s now-legendary inline six. It offered robust performance and obviously seriously capable 4WD. The Eliminator package added some nice cosmetic enhancements, like the polished wheels and fog lights seen here. This is the 2WD example, which looks quite tidy.
Both of these trucks are the desirable 5-speed variant, which when paired with the robust 4.0L inline six, offered compelling performance. The cockpit featured nicely bolstered seats and other touches. According to Hemmings: “Eliminator models included Custom trim door panels with stowage bins and hockey-stick armrests, floor carpeting, fabric headliner and sun visors, wingback bucket seats, three-spoke steering wheel, and a carpeted trim panel on the back of the cab.”
Here’s the 4WD truck, which the seller notes is missing its grille and headlights, and also has more rust present in the wheel wells and door edges. Frankly, since both trucks look pretty good, I’d sell the nicer 2WD model to finance the restoration of the more desirable 4WD example. If money were no object? Keep both and restore the 4WD Eliminator as time allowed. Sad to see the seller let these go, as he’s found two of the harder-to-find Jeep variants made in the last 30 years.
Hopefully he gets his price and can make his roof repairs… shame he has to part with these two sharp trucks. Having sold my dream car (at the time) years ago to buy a house, I feel his pain.
Parts for the parts truck would not be hard to find except for possibly the tail gate.
The maintenance light on the dash doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with the truck. If I’m right, it’s not a check engine lamp or a service engine lamp. It’s a lamp that was programmed to come on at pre-determined mileage intervals so that you’d bring your truck to a dealer for “major” service (not oil changes).
This happened to my father’s ’89 also. When I found out what it was, I took it to a dealer to have them turn it off because a regular scanner will not reset it. They said it would be $112.00 just to turn it off. The service writer said, if you just want us to turn the lamp off without doing any service, it will take about 5 minutes… we can do it right here in the parking lot. Since it has nothing to do with the check engine lamp, I took the truck home, took the dash apart and pulled the bulb out. Some of you MOPAR/Jeep folks may know about this little Chrysler conspiracy.
That still ticks me off.
My old man just put a piece of black electrical tape on his dashboard to block out the lamp’s glow…
I’d get the money and have a metal roof put on that way no more roof repairs and he might be able to keep one truck
The rust on the parts truck would scare me away. Rather than Jeff’s suggestion to sell the 2wd to finance the restoration of the 4wd, I would use the 4wd parts to convert the 2wd. Then I would reassemble the parts truck as a running 2wd and sell it. I realize that it’s a lot of work and you won’t get a lot for a rusted 2wd with parts missing, but I think you’d end up with a better end product.
It’s better than my situation where I had to sell dream cars to finance a…..divorce. At least this seller get a new roof out of the deal. All I got was screwed. And not in the way that feels good if you catch my drift.
if long wheel base one vehicle; short, a different 1.
Is the Eliminator monoc/unibody
or
body-on-chassy?
Peppy lill predecessor to Dakota, tho…
Both the Cherokee and Comanche are unibody vehicles. That’s why a lot of rust on these scares people away.
The Comanche wasn’t the predecessor to the Dakota but a one of it’s competitors. That’s why it was phased out by Chrysler after they bought out AMC.
Miss My comanche… great little truck with that 4.0 liter…
Pulled a long wheel base Chevy conversion van on a trailer over 100 miles with one of these. Plenty of engine but the chassis allowed the “tail to wag the dog” a couple of times. These are great trucks and the 4 wheel drive versions are highly sought after by the off-road crowd. Cabs were kind of tight for anyone with long legs. I’d bet you could get decent money for the 4wd truck as it sits as many will off-road it and add aftermarket lighting and carve out the fenders for oversized tires anyway. These trucks in any condition are getting hard to find.
Unfortunately I have to agree with the sellers plan about converting the 2 wheel drive to 4wheel drive. I’ve had several Cherokees and loved them. They are a unibody design and if there is that amount of rust showing on the outside I would be very, very apprehensive about the ‘chassis’ underneath. If you really couldn’t get yourself to use it for parts it could be saved but would sure take a lot of cutting and welding and even then I would install subframe connecters. Maybe even added plating welded in for peace of mind. I’m a former body man and that’s just my feelings on it.