johnj92131

When looking for an AX-5 replacement trans for my diesel swap, the knock I "heard" on the 3550 was that it could/was loud. My advice, buy whichever​ one you find a good deal on. Remember, the factory was happy with both. Likely also made a $$$ decision.

Just replace the manifold with a cheap one from Rock Auto, Ebay, etc. Then get a flex pipe connection and us it at the downpipe. That will solve the cracking issue.

True, the 86 MJ 2.1's didn't have cats. Buy VW TDI-engined cars used them. 8) Or are you going to use one of those TDI engines with an emissions defeat device like VW did? :yes: No, it's a 98 engine. The dieselgate engines were 2009 and later.

This sounds right. With the old Corvairs you could pick up 10-15 real horses by loosing the fan belt for a quarter mile run. Made a difference! But, that fan power goes up on a steep curve as the engine rpm goes up. So at 70 mph on the highway and 2500 rpm, fan power is nowhere near 15 horsepower, that is a 5K rpm number. 1 horsepower = 746 watts of electricity. The battery has to be charged from the engine/alternator - so their is no net change in power over the long run. Yes, the battery can store power for later use, so there is some time shifting of the engine power. But over the long run, it has to be a wash (disregarding conversion losses). This is why the clutch fan is popular, it trims the horsepower cost to run the fan at high speeds

Not sure. I won't know till the jeep is done. BUT, ask some of the guys who have done the conversion over on the TDIClub. Personally think water should just boil off the hot turbo right away. Mud may take a bit longer to fall off?? Does a top mount turbo run into hood clearance problems??

Funny what some people take offense at. Being born in Scotland, should I be offended by the old Studebaker Scotsman? It was the least expensive, most thrifty of the models. Are American Indians offended by the U.S. Army naming all their helicopters after American Indian tribes? I really wonder if more than a couple of dozen are offended by the Washington Redskins. Get a life and some psychiatric help. Oh and get a Comanche Eliminator to drive to the protest.

I ordered a new exhaust system for the 86 diesel project. Ordered all Walker parts, using Rock Auto, Amazon, and Ebay's Pep Boys. Went for a mid priced muffler, not the cheapie. Reasonably priced, quality name. The TDI engine conversion in in process, so can not say anything about the sound, except it should be quiet with the turbocharger on the engine and a single muffler. And all the parts/pieces, hangers, etc seem to be bolt on and clamp together. And there was no cat on the 1986 diesel. If there had been a cat, I would have replaced it with a new, CARB approved converter

Great documentation for the starting line. Welcome to the group. Don't toss that old burgandy interior if you can help it. Somebody will need it. I do like the silver colors, but the sun is not their friend. Come to think of it, Jeep paint is not all that great anyway. VW is worse.

To put the GTC1549VZ on the 1Z manifold, a simple flat plate adapter was made to join turbo to exhaust manifold. The output side of the turbo was "clocked" to point the fresh air in the correct direction. Then custom pipes were built to the intercooler. The exhaust down pipe was also fabricated with the new turbo in place and welded to the cat converter. Down pipe diameter is 2.5 inches. Matt Whitbread did all the installation in one day, including making the custom pipes. It was a real joy to watch the process. The GTD1752VRK will be a bit more complex to adapt. Will have to see when I manage to acquire one. The GTD has an electronic actuator for the VNT as opposed to a Vacuum actuator, so the tuner will solve that issue. All in all, the GTD will be a bit of a bleeding edge project to adapt. Someplace I have a poor picture of the manifold and adapter, but Whitbread has the drawing and can make it. No idea what he would charge, but would expect it to be reasonable for the machine work. Hope this helps, let me know if you have more questions.

I may have the spare engine harness for the 2.1 once the TDI engine conversion is done. :yes:

Very interested to know what you have in mind to replace the jute padding! And what/where research you did. Also should ask what you have experienced with wind noise ?? I do like having the power windows and lock in the truck. That and the power 97+ mirrors are a great touch.

Hey, that is good to hear! Always nice when it is something simple! NOW, go get a volt meter at Harbor Freight...only about 7 or 8 dollars and very much worth having in the tool box. I have a cheap one from Harbor Freight and a $200 Fluke. The cheap one works just fine for car stuff and around the house.

When it comes to lift, I am the odd man out. I simply don't get it for a street driven truck. Maybe it is because I am tired of jacked up, lifted 12 inch trucks behind me with their super bright headlights in my rear view mirror. As it is, I think my 91 Comanche is a bit higher than I like to get in and out of. But maybe it is just my age showing. If your truck is optioned just the way you would have ordered it - then just enjoy it. You are a lucky man! I have no problem making small, well thought out changes to make the truck just the way you want it. Same thing with bigger changes - no problem. I just like to see them well thought out and well done. Have fun with it. Welcome to the group.

What brand is that big record player in post #23? Reminds me of an old Magnavox my mother in law wanted in the very early 70's. Maybe it was a Motorola? Nice furniture for my mother in law. Later the father in law replaced the electronics with state of the art (late 70's) components.

I took Pete's advice and started using imgur.com What a difference! Now posting pictures is fun. With photobucket, it was like going to the dentist for one picture.

Matt is a darn good fabricator who has been working on/playing with VW diesels for years. So he knows them inside and out. This is the third and biggest project I have had him do. He did the custom turbo upgrade on my Passat in September, 2015 - it has been flawless. I also relied on another fellow on the TDIClub for engineering advice/guidance. The guy is a real world, professional Phd.level, engineer with diesel research experience in Europe.

Bet you can get it for much less than $25K. If it floats your boat...GO for it.

Because Barret-Jackson is in the business of "turning over" special interest vehicles. That is how Barret-Jackson makes their money! The high end sales attract a lot of middle and lower end sellers. Buyers come because we all "think" there may be some good/special value in all the weeds that we can just fix up a little and have a gem. Maybe the seller will get his money - maybe not.

Good news this morning about the crankshaft and the bearings. Whitbread says: "Yeah, all the old bearing looked great. Mains plastigauged right at .002". Put all new stock main, rod, and thrust bearings in. Turns over perfect." Nice, clean, rebuilt 11 mm fuel injection pump from Performance Diesel in Toronto. Front view of the engine.

Six month follow up report. Not a single issue with the cooling system since getting the stock system running properly. Even tested the truck on a 4100 ft climb in interstate 8. Temp goes up to about 210/215 and that is it.

The same people were stealing manhole covers and copper from empty houses when scrap prices were high. No real surprise here, some people will just take what ever they can convert quickly to what they need at the moment.

Since we are talking about ride height... Here is a link to "how to measure ride height" in the DIY sections. Should help if we all measure the same thing, the same way. http://comancheclub.com/topic/11098-how-to-measure-ride-hight/

Learned that lesson the hard way a couple of times in the late 1960's and 70's. "Dad, how come the car won't start?" Pull the coil wire, dry out the connections for all the spark plug boots. "you mean those are supposed to have covers on them?".

What does that script say just above the "Comanche" tag. Looks right in the pinstripe. Great looking truck!

You and I are never going to understand why anyone will buy this XJ....Much less for $25K that the buyer is asking.