PCO6

My '88 MJ is basically stock except for a few things (rear bumper, radio, B pillar lights, Eliminator stickers) but it has something that is period correct although probably not from a Jeep. Each side of the bed has 3 aluminum cleats or tie downs. I have never seen them on a Jeep and I don't think any other truck either. The original owner and then his daughter owned it for about 20 years. They lived in a resort town where boats are common and I suspect they are boat parts. The fellow I bought it from was big into boating and was pretty sure that's where they came from too. I removed them when I had the bed Line-xd. I was used to seeing them on of course and it drove me nuts not to. I couldn't wait to put them back on. They're practical but I have to be careful because I've caught my shirt or jacket on them several times. I think they've been on for most of the life of the Jeep and out of "respect" for the previous owners (I'm #7) although not stock they're staying.

The top of my list would be the Kinks … … and Blue Rodeo ...

I saw it a few weeks ago and thought it was great. My son asked me if I wanted to see it with him and by total coincidence I had watched the documentary on the real life story on Netflix the night before. It's well worth seeing too.

^^^ LOL I've seen this done with a JK front end too. It was well executed ... but still looked a bit umm .. "odd". EDIT: Oops ... I think that ^^^ is a JK front.

On the subject of keeping original Jeeps original, there's a current ad on Kijiji for what appears to be an untouched fully loaded '88 Cherokee Laredo 2 dr. that caught my eye. It's a 225,000 mi. XJ with rotten sills and who knows what else underneath but it appears to be absolutely original. The pictures look good and the guy is only asking $800 CDN. It's only about 60 km from where I am and I'm tempted. I have an original '89 (white one above) that's virtually the same model I'd like to have a second one to build up. Despite its low cost I'd think twice about modifying it because it's so original. I had to laugh though at what the vendor planned to do with it. I'm not sure why he put all of this in his ad but I found it pretty funny. Hopefully it will go to someone with a different "vision". Had visions of customizing it by grafting a jeep tj grille and hood to it and making fenders out of trailer fenders and raising the wheel Wells to not need a lift and welding in the rear side windows to look like a more modern willys delivery jeep of the 50's but with a fuel inject 4.0 six and automatic transmission and power options but due to health reasons I'm not going to be able to unfortunately comes with sandblasted 15" steel wheel and tj hood and grille also $800

I agree with this. If I had the space I'd have more Jeeps so maybe it's a good thing that I don't. I had 2 MJ's for about 6 months. Both stock '88 Eliminators, black with gray interiors. One was on the road in great shape and running with no problems. The other was a project. It didn't run and had some rust but it was nothing I couldn't deal with. The body had never been hit and was a straight as a die. I let the project MJ go and have often had second thoughts. A stock MJ and one to modify is a nice combination. My "problem" at the time was that I had 5 Jeeps and 5 trailers. I'm now down to a more manageable 9 lumps on the property ... 4 daily drivers and 3 trailers with 2 projects. It's hard to resist modifying Jeeps that will only be original, or close to it, once.

I drifted away from GJ a while ago, and no, it wasn't because they yanked the "Hot Women" thread. Some did complain though.

I like this design and it would be a fairly simple build. I have a Coachmen Clipper tear drop trailer and being ably to stand up in it is a big deal. I've built 3 trailers, one off road, and I've considered duplicating the Clipper in a more heavy duty off road version. The only tricky bit would be the "tent". I need to learn how to sew! Trailer build … http://www.jeepcentral.ca/forums/showthread.php?3937-PCO6-s-Trailer-Build

I saved this pic a while ago. It looks like it might be home built. If not it would be a pretty easy design to duplicate. Not big but not bad.

That's interesting. I'm sure it did not look like that. It came in a white carboard VHS sleeve and I'm pretty sure it had a very simple label on it. Again I doubt we got a different video but I'm wondering if they made one with metric measurements and English/French labels. Everything we get has the labels in 2 languages. The joke, for me anyway, is that at least I know which side of the can to pour the paint from.

I bought a 1990 XJ Laredo at the end of 1989 and a VHS came with it. It was so long ago that I can't honestly can't remember if it was this one but my guess is that it was. They may have made a separate video for the Canadian market but I doubt it. The XJ and video are long gone but I still have the sales brochure in which I highlighted the options that I wanted.

Great video! Thanks for posting it. It might be easier to find an MJ in good shape than to find a pair of those shorts!

That makes sense to me re improper use of a factory part number. I wonder if they ever corrected the spelling? I want to put this on my MJ for the same reasons you would. I don't leave things in my bed simply because they would be too visible. As mentioned, this cover attaches by Velcro along the sides and back. That's a problem in my mind because it looks awful when the cover is off. I tried to remove the Velcro from the barn car I had and it was not easy. it was damaged and had been baked on for years. A better way would be to attach it with dome fasteners. My Brother has an '87 El Camino and that's the way his tonneau is attached so although not original it would be period appropriate. The vinyl cover would be very easy to duplicate, with or without the sports bar holes and for either 6' or 7' boxes. Likewise the front retainer and the cross bow could be fabricated fairly easily.

Re the above … I just blew up the "JEEP COMANCHE WORKSHEET" from the brochure and the part # for the 6' bed with a sport bar matches the instruction sheet I have (Pt# 8982 200 691). Despite the spelling mistake on the instructions I have it seems to be the right one.

I have a tonneau cover that the previous owner of a barn find MJ that I picked up (see link below) claimed he bought at a dealership. In fact he said he bought one decades ago and the one he gave me was a new replacement for it, also bought at the same dealership. I posted it on here a while back and the consensus was that it's probably NOT a factory original because in the instructions they spelled "Commanche" wrong! It's quality piece that looks like it could be factory made but there is nothing on the instructions that indicates it is an AMC, Chrysler, Jeep. etc. item. The way it works is that there is a retaining bar that screws to the top of the front of the bed. The front of the tonneau clips into it and you pull it back from there. There are openings for the sport bar and they close up with Velcro straps. Velcro is adhered to the sides of the bed and across the tailgate. The tonneau then fastens to the Velcro on the body. There is a 2 piece metal stiffener that goes across the bed to hold up the underside of the tonneau. What's interesting though is that all of the metal pieces that came in the tonneau kit screw in to holes that were on the bed of both of my MJ's (both '88 Eliminator short beds). The bed of my main MJ appears to be totally original and the holes were punched not drilled. The kit screwed in with no problem. If any one can check their MJ beds I'd be curious to know if they have the holes too. Barn find Comanche, since passed on to a new owner … http://www.jeepcentral.ca/forums/showthread.php?6543-Comanche-Barn-Find

But wait … there's more.

Too late. I took them out of that XJ and put them in my LJ. I have to be honest, the seats in my current XJ are nice but the Tiburon seats are more comfortable. My XJ is pretty original and it's a struggle to resist the temptation to change it.

That's weird. Did they jack up the price of the Tiburon seats but not the Cherokee seats? I've never paid core charges for used parts but I guess some auto wreckers work differently. You're right though, they are nice. I have them in my TJ & LJ and also put them in my previous XJ below. I have a great set of original leather seats in my current XJ but as far as comfort goes I'd rather put in a set of Tiburon seats.

Nice job on that. I've made various tools to assist with threading wiring through firewall grommets and similar things. They're basically old screwdriver handles drilled out with brake line, gas line or whatever works friction fit through them. Sometimes you can't get your hands up into tight places and these make it a bit easier.

That's actually what I ended up with. I got it on line for about $35 CDN which I thought was pretty good. I've never had any problems with Dorman products. I don't know if O'Reilly's is in Canada. I've seen them in the US where I know they are popular but never here. Our choices are generally NAPA, Auto Zone, Parts Source, Car Care and various independents. I'm sure I've missed a few. I'm close to a dealership and end up going there too.

Little more often here … but they are fun to drive when it happens!

That's about as bizarre as it gets. The double hitch receivers is a nice touch though.

That's a good looking truck and if all you have into it is what it cost to fix it up so far you're well ahead of the game. I've restored several cars and have done restorations for others. I've told people that if you love the car and plan to keep it for a long time put whatever you want into it even if exceeds the value of the car. There are a lot of very nice $25,000+ MG's driving around for example with very happy owners in them. In many cases they would probably get back what they put into it in parts but not what they paid for it in labour. In your case the labour is "free" but not really when you go to sell it.

I tend to go with NAPA for most things. The only thing I've stumped them on lately is the RENIX coolant pressure bottle … which makes me think it's time to convert.

"Junk yard days" is one of my favourite past times. My brother and I go fairly often. When one says he's going the other drops everything and goes too. I keep a check list of things to look for in my junk yard tool kit. I'm always surprised by the low prices. I've put Hyundai Tiburon seats in a TJ, LJ & XJ for $35 ea. Original TJ driving lights when you find them go for $7 because to them it's a "headlight" and valuable hardware, brackets, etc. often get thrown in because they don't want to price the items out. I always look in the glove box. I've found a lot of owners manuals and other interesting things.