JZLAJeep

Have had that thought too. If this gets too complicated, then not worth it and the bench will become a couch in the garage.

The MJ has a bench. And you are right, three across is not the most comfortable, but not terrible if the two passengers up front are little (like my 4 and 3 year olds). Only driver air bag so at least some of the concerns about kids in the front goes away...

Have a guy locally that wants to give us his gray bench out of his Comanche. This has got me thinking about a crazy idea of putting it in our red '96 XJ as a front seat. I've previously noted that I have a handicapped daughter that can't sit in the front seat (because she grabs stuff) and can't sit too close to anyone in the back seat (because she grabs stuff). A bench seat in the front would mean we can put three in the front and give her more space in the back seat. There are some pros and cons of course, and here are some that I see: Pros: Get three seats across the front (will need to get a middle seatbelt) - makes the XJ a 6-seat vehicle Should bolt right up (except conflict with hand brake) The bench is free! Cons: No head and neck support from the bench Lose the center console and air to the back seat Conflict with hand brake?

I've always wanted one of these. Wild that there are still WWII Jeeps still in a crate! (Edit: I just read the fine print, "These are new reproduction kits, not leftover surplus.") Not cheap though are they? But what I really want to do is this...

We've taken manifolds off a couple 4.0s. We took the fuel rail off both times. The fuel rail is pretty easy to take off.

Good to know! So not interchangeable I take it...

I've wondered if it's possible to use the two-piece exhaust manifold from late model XJ's. Would have to weld in a wye in the exhaust pipe where it connects to the exhaust manifolds, but seems like it could be done.

Congrats on Calvin joining the Comanche family!

That's a solid plan. Those splines are a pain. I recommend replacing them with 97+ XJ wiper arms. We've done this on our XJs and MJ. Now I can buy wiper blades from Costco when they are on sale.

To fit the rails on this bed. This is the Comanche the bed liner came from.

Dusting this topic back off. Picked up a long bed bed liner yesterday. Wasn't really looking for one, but knowing how hard they are to come by, went and ahead and got it. Cleaned it and the bed up and set it in for now (tires are holding it down). Thoughts so far: It's ok... The black bed liner looks pretty good in the white bed. It does look quite period correct... I don't like how much volume is lost in the space behind the bed rails and in the tail gate. Where are we going to pour the Cheetos when we are out with the Comanche at lunch time (see the photo below)? The condition is good. There is one vertical crack on the driver's side. But... There are holes cut in each corner to access the tie-downs. I can appreciate that, but the hole left behind the bed liner is gaping and I'm concerned about what will get in there. The Comanche this came off of had rails on the bed rails. It took me until I got home and was scrubbing it that bed rail caps had been cut. Not sure what to do about that (keep reading)... The bed liner was held into the prior Comanche with a number of self-tapping screws around the bed rail and on the tailgate. I'm probably ok with installing a few self tapers in the bed rail and less excited about drilling them into the tailgate (not that the tailgate is anything to write home about). As I think about this, I'm inclined to run a bead of a sealant or adhesive around the top lip (that's all that remains) to keep debris and water from going between the bed liner and the bed. I'd like it to be removable in the event that I change my mind about the bed liner. Thinking silicone... I'll appreciate any thoughts on the subject. Before Cheetos in the tailgate When I picked it up Clean and drying Set in the bed, not attached Corners cut out for tie down points (photo taken before scrubbing bed liner) Bed rail caps (or lack thereof) and gap between bed rail and liner

Today was the long awaited day that the console was finally re-installed. It's only been 18 months since I asked the question after all... Put extra layers of the flooring (about 1/4" thick) under the flooring to close the aforementioned gap. On the driver's side it took about 8 layers, but we got there. The picture wasn't taken in the best light. Will try to take another one later.

Year, Make, Model: '88 Comanche Image Engine / Trans / Transfercase / Front axle / Rear axle / Wheelbase: 4.0L, 5-speed, Longbed Build date: Unknown Current Location: Caldwell, Idaho Status: On the road, new owner just put on a new chrome front end. Notes: Was recently traded to the current owner for an XJ. Current owner: Well, you know. Put down who has it, the yard its in, or anything of that sort.

Looks good! What year? As far as addiction, We know the feeling. And going to look at another XJ tonight after work. Going to hide (mostly from the Mrs.) now...

Copy. Could probably fab one up at home too, but might be some trial and error to get distances correct. Hmm, probably put this off a while yet.

Some updates on this guy. Temperature gauge on the dash hasn't worked since we purchased this vehicle. Tried replacing the temp sensor on the thermostat housing with no change and then learned that was the wrong one. So tried replacing the temp sensor at the back of the block. That turned out to be a surprising pain in the rear... and the gauge still doesn't work. Should have been a warning sign when I read that the sensor is easier to install if the valve cover is taken off first. The problem is that the stamped valve cover on '96+ has a vertical lip around the edge that won't let a socket or wrench sit on the hex part of the sensor. I snapped the old sensor off, which was no problem because I was replacing it and figured it was weak, which was why it didn't work anyway. But I didn't realize the valve cover lip was an issue until I snapped the first brand new sensor in half too. Ultimately ended up buying the cheapest 9/16 wrench I could find on Amazon and cutting it up to make a tool that kind of worked getting on 3-sides-ish of the hex. I got the sensor about halfway in before the corners of the brass hex portion of the sensor started to round enough that I didn't dare to further. I got it in far enough that it doesn't leak, so I considered that victory enough and quit. If the part manufacturer made the brass hex portion of the sensor taller, then this wouldn't be difficult at all. Haven't checked to see if this is as big of an issue on older valve covers. Location of old sensor at back of block Old sensor broken in half First attempt at installing new sensor. Broke it in half. Note the valve cover lip on the back side of the sensor. Once screwed in a little, a socket will no longer fit and are lucky to barely get the open side of a 9/16 wrench on it. But then the firewall and wiring harness get in the way. Cheap 9/16 wrench that I cut up to make a tool to install the sensor. In other news, drove the Jeep to work, came out later and the starter had given up (at work). So got to replace that in the work parking lot the next day. The old muffler had rusted through in a spot so my sons worked on that. Then last but not least, added some Grille decoration this weekend. Bought it used with the Hella lights on it. Haven't hooked them up yet.

Good to know. Where did you pick that up? Our CJ-7 is stock and has no booster, but it doesn't have upgraded brakes either.

Removed and installed manifolds a couple times from 4.0s (Once in '94 Xj, once in MJ) in the engine bay. It is tricky and takes some acrobatics, but can be done with hand tools (including a torque wrench) with crows feet, wobblers, and a variety of extensions and plan to work by feel and not sight.

Crows feet and extensions make those bottom bolt's doable. There are torque specs and a tightening order on the manifold bolts.

Aftermarket exhaust manifolds are available from any parts shop/website. Can probably find them used online locally too. Those are easy to come by. About $150 for new as I recall.

I've had success buying bolts from fellow club member @boxyjeep. https://boxyjeep.com/pages/bolts-fasteners

Nice work boys!

Bench seats, rear wheel drive, and manual transmissions are superior to the popular current preferences. I suspect those aren't all controversial on this forum though. To make the case for bench seats, I have a daughter that is handicapped and gets grabby with anyone sitting next to her. So three across the back (sometimes even two across the back) just doesn't work when she's in the vehicle. We frequently travel with 5 in the vehicle and end up needing the three rows in our Expedition to give her enough space. If vehicles had a front bench (like in the 70s & 80s) then we could put three across the front bench and two in the back. We have a Crown Vic that has a split front bench, but the split makes the center seat awkward. Our personal situation aside, I'm not particularly a fan of the boxed in feeling of new cars with a large console isolating the driver and passenger to their own box. I like the wide open feel of the bench seat.

Affirmative. There are other other threads on here that say it's not a big deal, but we'll see. I figure it was a lot worse when there was no boot on the shifter and heat poured through the shifter hole.