jazzyjeeper

Anyone have a short bed camper shell up for grabs in decent shape? I can pick up anywhere from Southern California to the Bay Area. Thanks!

Haha. Ok I think I grabbed a good one. Here are my materials so far, in addition to a decent Crescent tool set. I have a can of DeoxIT coming in the mail too. Missing anything else? What kinds of eyelets do folks normally use? Will probably need a few other wires too. Also going to get a gas can, fire extinguisher, and jack kit for the road. Trying to have an outlook of monetary abundance hopefully won't regret it later!

Almost just picked up a multimeter earlier but they were out of stock! So self-ranging = auto ranging right? Fluke like this one?

Nice! Just checked out the Dakota writeups. Lucky for me, my friend pulled a bench out of another Manche. Hoping it'll go in easy

Yep, I have the electrical volume that has the wiring diagrams. I just reached out to a buddy who is an electrician so I'm hoping he can help me grasp the electrical theory. Gonna grab those other items for my Cruiser's toolkit, thanks!

I do have the factory service manual, so that will be helpful. It's a lot of information Will try to break it down and google! Found a few helpful videos already. Thanks for the tip. Nice!

One other thing- there is an over rail truck bed liner currently on. I have to remove this in order to put on a camper shell right?

Following! I'm about to try swapping a bench in where my bucket seats currently are too.

Good to know! Checking on the steering box. Totally! I just upgraded my AAA membership to premium I am interested in doing more of the work myself in the future, with time hopefully I'll gain the know-how. I've been a little overwhelmed by Cruiser's tips. I don't know my way around under the hood so I'm not really sure how to start. Anyone in the LA area want to mentor me on this? Can supply beers! Some other additions I'm trying to fit in are a new radio, going to try to add an aux to it with a kit from @Minuit (very helpful information on all the radios, thank you!!), also a camper shell, and a bench seat. I found an s10 shortbed topper for sale for $550... would be cool to find one cheaper but will see. I now have 18 days before I hit the road!

Updates on the long haul preparations! Got the truck back from my mechanic, he replaced the following: - front upper and lower ball joints - radiator - water pump - upper and lower radiator hoses - inner and outer tie rod ends - thermostat - thermostat gasket - coolant - fuel filter - front and rear shocks - mounted and balanced my new Dextero DHT2 tires Taking it to an auto electrician tomorrow to troubleshoot the windshield wiper motor and inspect the wiring. When I drove it today the steering felt a little loose/floaty to me, but my friend who owned it previously said that's how it's always driven and he thought it was normal. I did ask my mechanic to check that the steering damper was tight on both ends. Maybe the steering just handles differently than the other cars I'm used to?

Thanks for the tip! Finally back to work on the truck

This is all amazing advice! Fun to hear about everyone's long distance adventures. What's life without a little risk right? I definitely need to drive the truck more and put more work into it before I can be confident in it but I think all the points made here give me a good starting point. Going to compile a list of components to upgrade and a list of things to bring on the road. Will share my progress and itinerary once I plan it out, thank you for the tips everyone!

Hi folks, I'm a fairly new MJ owner. My dear one is a 1989 2wd Eliminator with around 130,000 miles. I am moving out of LA next month and am curious if it is ridiculously optimistic to think that I could drive my truck across the country in August. I know this depends on the condition of the vehicle, but I thought I would ask if anyone has input on must have upgrades for this kind of trip? Replace the radiator? I've looked into towing but I'd rather put money into improving the truck than dump cash into a one-time service, if driving could be a realistic option. I'm aiming to arrive on the east coast by a certain date but can plan at least a week or even more for the drive as of now. So far I've only gone on short drives, and when I got up to 45 mph or higher there was quite a wobble. The tires definitely need to be replaced. These are the new upgrades made on the truck since I got it: catalytic converter crankshaft pulley drive belt spark plugs and cables distributor cap and rotor valve cover gasket freeze plugs front brakes rotors I'm a noob so any feedback is welcome. Thanks!

Vent window is now complete! I used 3/64″ setting tape for the edge in the window channel, could be a bit more snug but I think it will be ok. Was able to carefully get the pin back in the handle. No more raccoons are getting in here! I also pulled out the headliner and stripped it. Pretty gnarly, not super smooth. I saw some folks have used sealer and fiberglass to smooth out the board, thinking some kind of touch up like that would help the foam lay flat on it. I have a bench seat that was pulled out of an MJ, that I'd like to swap in for the bucket seats I currently have. Found lots of posts on bench to bucket swaps but not the other way around. Can I pull out or modify the center console to fit the bench? Should work to replace with something like this, yeah?

It worked Gotcha!

I’ve done some tinkering and put in the new wiper motor though it’s still not working. I think I’ll try putting new bushings in and maybe it’s a circuit breaker issue? Also started putting in the vent glass and can’t figure out how to pull the top cap off of this handle piece to attach to the outside of the glass. I tried popping it off and attempted to unscrew it but no dice. Any tips?

Ah ok good to know. Is the inner boot the same as a CV boot? Learning as I go!

Thanks! The front bumper is pretty wonky, was pushed in at some point from a collision I think.

Right on, thanks for the tip! I think I’ll keep the wheels, I do like them!

Woohoo! Got her back from the mechanic last week, they replaced the catalytic converter, crankshaft pulley, drive belt, spark plugs and cables, distributor cap and rotor, valve cover gasket, freeze plugs, front brakes, and rotors. Also turned out one of the wheels was only held on by two bolts so they secured that. With all the work done, passed smog and got it registered over the weekend. Next is a new vent window for the driver's side and got the wiper motor to put in. Mirrors definitely need some love and the headliner is disintegrating so want to prioritize those also. I like the factory rims but wonder if they'll be limiting if I want to beef up the tires. Friend offered some that are 275/60-15. I believe the base size for the 89 Eliminator is 225/75-15, would sizing up to 275 be doable? Bad idea? Also contemplating lifting it a bit later on. I drove about 10 miles total around the neighborhood, only up to second gear and drove pretty smooth. Though seemed like the transmission was generating a noticeable amount of heat, felt really warm around the shifter. Which currently has no knob, also on my to do list!

I don't know what values are failing, I haven't attempted to smog it myself. The owner said it's "never passed" in the 16 years he's had it. I'd like to do things by the books though. Guess we need to get it smogged to find out what the issues are.

Hi y'all, I'm a noob here. My friend is gifting me this '89 Comanche Eliminator, 2WD 4.0 L6 OHV 12V. It has about 130,000 miles on it. I have no car maintenance experience but am pretty handy and ready for a project. Here's what I know so far- the truck runs but won't currently pass CA smog, the brakes need work, and needs a new windshield wiper motor. I got the factory service manuals so am hoping to take care of the manageable fixes myself and rely on a shop for the more involved issues. I'll be using it to haul garden materials in the near future and then later down the line probably more farmy work and adventuring. My current plans: Get all the stuff off it Have a mechanic do an assessment/brakes Check out the EGR valve and spark plugs Replace the wiper motor Replace the driver vent window Any advice is welcome! I'm really excited and sure I'll have lots of questions once I get into it.