dasbulliwagen

I'm sorry, I didn't see the alert sooner. I started by just holding the XJ bumper up on the rear of my Comanche. I noticed that the flat mount plates of the bumper would be good at about the same level as the rear edge of the bed. So I started with mounting plates in the correct location on the back edge of the bed floor. Then I added supports off the front of the plate to existing mount holes in the the uniframe. Then all I had to do was trim the bumper end caps to fit around the bed corners. You'll then need to figure out a plate mount for it since you'll no longer have a place to put it. I've been through a couple different ones on mine, and I'm currently building a third and hopefully final one for my plate, most likely integrated with my recently added trailer hitch. Here are a few pictures. You can also see them in my build thread, Comanche Limited.

Mine has changed some over the years. The biggest reasons have been availability of cheap parts that I wouldn't have bought otherwise. My first mod was a set of aluminum XJ wheels for $50, then a free set of 235 BFG's. At that time plan was a prerunner type build, 2wd, but then a complete 4x4 86 donor fell in my lap. So then it became a 4x4 swap, with 5 speed, and 4:10 axles. Then a cheap set of JK takeoffs, and then to getting lift parts one at a time over a few years, and then a set of aftermarket JK wheels with M/T's. This is all not to mention what I got during cash for clunkers. If I hadn't got the cheap or free stuff, I wouldn't be where I'm at with it now. I'm not averse to buying good full price stuff, but I can't do it on a regular basis, which is why it took a few years to get all the lift parts. That's part of the fun too, as long as youre patient.

Also there are companies that make printed extruded aluminum bed floors for classic truck with just about any type of wood print you could want, plus any kind of image or graphic on top of that, but they really are purely for show. To do wood, youd have to cut out the bed floor metal, and make a supporting frame for the wood slats and spacers/attaching strips. It would look cool, but wood floors require a lot of maintenance to keep nice. It just depends upon what you want. All the stuff for them is out there. Just look up suppliers for classic Ford and Chevy trucks. They list all the slats, retainers, hardware and supporting brackets you could ever want.

My tailgate stopped opening Saturday afternoon for some reason. And my turn signals stopped working last week too. I pulled the tailgate off yesterday to see what was happening. The right side latch wasn't moving. I found that the pivot lever under the handle had bent down and wasn't in its detent. I bent the lever back up, and lubed the whole thing. Working great now, and smoother than ever. I decided to start looking at the fuses first for the turn signals. And that was it, the fuse was corroded and lost good contact. Easy fix. I'm still working on what I want for a new license plate mount in the rear. I think I'm getting it narrowed down though. That and wiring up my driving lights. The universal directions that come with the lights are hard to read, so I made my own wiring diagram to follow.

Your other option for relative ease would be a GM V8 conversion, of which there is good aftermarket support, or possibly a Mercedes Diesel conversion, which would be readily available in Europe. There are a few Mercedes conversion in the projects forum, as well as Chevrolet v8 conversions. But for greatest ease , the 97-01 Cherokee swap would be best. I believe many of them in Europe are 2.5 Diesels so there is that option as well. Most of it would be just swap it from the Cherokee to the Comanche, but would have to include the complete dashboard and interior electrics, full engine compartment electrics, as well as fuel system conversion of some sort and modification of the exhaust and driveshafts. Explore your options and consider your mechanical experience level there too. Good luck.

I'm working at a GM dealer now. We had a factory rep come in a month ago warning everybody about filling out our multipoint inspections. Evidently a dealer on the coast had a lady come in for her second oil change on a less than 1 year old car, and was warned that the car was unsafe to drive with rusted rotted broken strut towers and leaking brake lines. She started having a fit about it and contacted lawyers because she wasn't warned about any issues at her previous visit. Evidently this lady drove through the ocean sea water on a daily basis out on one of the barrier islands and never rinsed the thing off. Between the ever building salt and continued wetness it ate that car alive. The dealer took a while to find the multipoint inspection and was facing a huge lawsuit for both the dealer and the individual technician, but they finally found it where it had warned the customer of impending issues. The owner said that they never gave her one and was running on the hope the dealer wouldn't find it where she had signed and acknowledged the issue. She was out for a settlement and a new car pretty much, not to mention ruining the life of some lowly tech.

At least in my area, most scrap places will no longer buy them unless you are a business. That has cut thefts down a lot. The one on my truck looks like a cat, but its not. :)

After adding the weight of the V8, you might need to install those stiffer cut XJ springs back in. Awesome build, can't wait to see more progress.

Love it. Keep it up!

Ive never seen those in anything but the red and orange setup. Awesome to see the different colors!

If youre getting a pull only when braking, one of your calipers is locked up and not working. The Brakes may look ok, but that's about the only thing that would cause that issue. You should replace both front calipers and brake hoses in that case.

Mounted lights up yesterday. They aren't wired yet, but youll get the idea.

I got two new lights, this time in amber. I don't have them wired in yet, but they are mounted. I'll update again when I get them wired.

Or a 4 door front one, then splice the rear half of a 2 door door with the front half of a rear 4 door door, that takes care of the B pillar and makes door modification easier

Start with 2, 2 door XJ's. Cut behind the front door on the front one, cut in front of the front door on the rear one. This keeps the back seat on the rear one(3rd row) available, and have longer doors front and rear, though the rear doors would need heavy modification to look correct. This also keeps a stock fuel tank setup and interior spare tire, as well as a little cargo area in addition to all three rows of seats.

I had one that was a generation before that, I think a '76 model, with that same engine, RWD. It was an awesome little car. I used it as a winter beater when I lived in Michigan, and had to put my old VW's away for the winter.

The internal and external bellhousings are the same part, you just have to add the pivot ball and arm it if doesn't have it. The 86 clutch master bolts to the firewall differently than the 87. I was able to adapt mine when I did it, but I don't remember how I did it or if I had any issues. Its been too many years ago.

Could the single key setup be an aftermarket replacement kit? I could see some aftermarket places advertising it as a one key for all upgrade type of thing.

Fuel pump on a Diesel means INJECTION PUMP.... it will cost more to fix it than you paid for your truck.... stay away.

Mine started like some of the others, signing up for my first online account... Dial-up! I did it to stay in touch with my new girlfriend while she was home from college over the summer (Where I worked in maintenance, don't worry, only 5 years different in age, we are married now). I was heavy into VW's at the time and owned a 1959 VW Microbus Panel van, that had been lowered and souped up! I didn't want something with my name and a bunch of numbers, so I made up a word that sounded German and related to VW's. Das I think is "The", Bulli, is a German generic name for the microbus, and Wagen is German for car. Dasbulliwagen…. Nobody else had a name like it, so it stood on its own!. Ill try to post a pic of it later.

I think Ive seen it at Crown Automotive/ Jeep parts, or maybe try Teamcherokee. Maybe rockauto.

Here is a mock-up of what it would look like in a couple different ways if I keep to the round style Hellas. One with them on top, one with them mounted underneath, two different color covers, and then the busted light. I think I am going to stay away from the LED light bars. I like the old school look better.

Awesome. Love it!

Those would be cool, but they cost more than I'm willing to spend for lights.

I pulled one of the lights out of the box to check it out and see how they mount. I set it on my jacket for a soft place to sit. Then close to the end of the day at work I decided I was going to pull the truck in to mount the lights. Not thinking at all, just grabbed my jacket to head outside forgetting the light was on it, and the light fell to the floor and busted the lense. I am so mad at myself for doing that. I've had those lights waiting to be installed for 2 1/2 years. And they've been fine this whole time. They are Hella 500 Black Magic lights, and Hella doesn't sell replacement lenses. I found some used ones a couple hours away, but it's almost cheaper to buy a whole new set or to go in another direction. I'm researching that now. Do I get another set of Black Magic, a cheaper set of regular Hellas, or some rectangular ones that might go better with the Waggy front end, or some sort of LED bar or setup? A 20 inch bar would fit perfect on top of the light bar, but I'm not sure that's what I want or not. I'll come up with something. And I'll post when I get there.