johnj92131

My thoughts - milk the XJ out, as is, for what ever time you can. Put your money in a newer Daily Driver and just scrap the XJ. Way too much time to part it out for a small, slow return of money.

Know what you mean. I am a week short of my 71st birthday. Pete, thanks for the reminder! Now have 100 km on this tank of diesel. So far, no issues starting the truck at all since it was back from the shop.

Picked up the truck from the shop today. They had it for the week and it started every single time. Next time it happens, I will throw a jumper across the starter relay and see what happens. So it is keep the jumper wire in the truck and drive it till it happens again.

Hey guys. I know Pete didn't set an amount because he wants everyone who wants on to have one. I respectfully suggest $10 or $20 if you can. If not, no problem. Just ask Pete for one!! JJ

Definitely less expensive to stay with stock! The 4.0 is a great engine.

Great picture of Mt. Shasta. Always a great view of the mountain when going north on I-5 to northern Calif. Shasta is 14,186 feet high and an active volcano last erupted in 1786

Just a quick, short update on March 1, 2019. Life has been distracting me from the Comanche TDI. I finally took the truck out of the back yard on January 30 to fill the fuel tank with 20+ gallons of diesel and parked it on the driveway. Tried to start it a few times in February with out success. Looked like a battery issue. Charged the batter for 24 hours but no change. Managed to jump start it from my son's Ranger, but it would not restart. So off to Costco to buy their biggest battery. Installed it, and still no start. New battery measured 12.64 volts, old battery measured 12.54 volts. Both should be good enough to crank the engine. BUT, I am not getting voltage to the instrument cluster, even the clock will not light up. So the truck sat till last Monday morning when I planned to tow it to a very good auto electric shop. Just for fun, I decided to try starting it one more time. You guessed it, the truck started with no problems. Took it to the shop on Monday and they have not been able to duplicate the problem. Truck starts every time. And Yes, I did clean the battery terminals before I changed the battery. Per previous post, the ignition switch was replaced. All signs seem to point to a wiring issue between the key and the starter relay. But, if the problem will not show up at the shop, they can not fix it. And I sure don't want to be a hundred miles from home when the gremlins decide to show up again. So the truck remains at the shop till the issue shows up. Oh the joys of old cars, reminds me of my days with British Sports Cars and Lucas Electric systems. Should say that once the truck starts, it is really nice to drive. Needs more sound insulation, but the TDI engine is a great match for the truck. More low end torque than the 4.0 for sure. One more comment on Low end torque. Last August I leased a 2018 Chevy Volt ($254/month for 12K miles/year). For low end torque, you can not beat an electric motor (maybe a steam engine matches it). And WAY less noise than a diesel.

Knew the pier fees were in arrears, did not know the ship was auctioned off and in Turkey. Thank You for the update. What prompted you to take the tour of the ship??

SS United States. Still holds the record for fastest Atlantic crossing. Here is a link to the ship's history: http://www.ssusc.org/the-conservancy/facts/ We passed thru Ellis Island (as did millions of other imigrants) when the ship landed in New York. From there we flew to Los Angeles. About 5 years ago I was in New York for work and got to spend a day at the Ellis Island museum - Had a great time soaking up all the history there. My dad and my grandfather were both coal miners in Scotland, my dad for 20 years, my grandrather for 50 years. Dad told me he did not want his son in the mines. (When I was a kid on vacation with my parents in Carson City, Nevada, I wanted to visit the famous Comstock silver mine. My dad flat out refused to take me. Saying he did not come to California to let me go down any mine. To this day, I have never been in any kind of mine. Caves, yes, sure, but no mines). So a better life in Southern California was the goal. My parents certainly found a good life here in Southern California. They lived in both Los Angeles and Orange County from 1952 till death in 2001, I moved to San Diego in 1981. My sister spent about 25 years in Atlanta, working for Coke. When she retired, she could live any place she wanted to live - she returned to south Orange County. So while my family was all born in Scotland, Southern California is our home by choice. And California has been very good to all of us.

I know I am a total wimp! But here in San Diego we have been freezing our butt's off. For weeks, our low temps have been in mid 30's. We have had rain falling from gray skies. Don't get me wrong, we really need the rain. We see lots of green growing in the foothills now. But that really means lots of fuel for fires later. Just part of the natural process here. Come September and October, all that is green now will be fuel for fires. My hat is off to you people who manage to withstand, even enjoy the snow and cold weather. I guess you really don't have much choice. But anyway, good for you guys! Funny thing about this rant: I was born in Scotland! So should not be a wimp, right? But I have lived in Southern California since December, 1952, for all but 4 years of my 71 years. Comanche content: Have had electrical gremlins months, finally decided to put truck in shop this weekend. Guess what? Gremlins have gone into hiding - shop can not find issues!!

Link to my TDI Comanche build thread: https://comancheclub.com/topic/52550-86-diesel-mj-to-vw-tdi-conversion/ Link to Krusty's build thread: https://comancheclub.com/topic/40407-cummins-b33-powered-mj-build/ A web search will find any number of XJ Mercedes diesel conversions. Google is your friend. The 300TD Mercedes engine reliability is legendary. Just my opinion, but if you want to keep an automatic transmission, I would "think" the MB 300TD drive train is the way to go. That would avoid the fuss/expense of an engine/transmission adapter.

Who supplied the TDI engine adapter for the Willy's?

Grand Prix was a great film in 1966. Real Formula 1 drivers and driving cut into the film story! Yes, I saw it on the big screen - way back when. That is the year I graduated from high school, got my first British sports car (63 Sunbeam Alpine). James Bond drove a 62 Alpine in " Dr. No", wonder if that was why I ended up with the Alpine? Actually the Alpine was what I could pay for at the time. Really wanted a red Triumph Spitfire - but that was $1800 and the Alpine was $900

Never have seen "Dear Hunter" or "5 Easy Pieces". The Great Escape was a fun action movie. Fondest memory: Taking my 4 year old son to the second Star Wars movie. Simply watching his reactions to the movie was GREAT. Nobody else has anything to say about "Dr. No"? Check out this link and imagine what this did to a couple of 14 year old boys!!! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_bikini_of_Ursula_Andress

Jeremy, If you mean that, suggest you talk to the OP. You are detailed enough to take excellent care of the rare old jeep. Very few of us here are that Obsessive/Compulsive. Hey, that is a compliment!! At least in my somewhat warped mind.

Nice find. But that Renault 2.1 turbo diesel engine is really a piece of junk! Very poor reliability record. No parts support in North America at all. No service support network in North America. Even the National Renault Club (yes, there really is one) will be no help. Post the VIN number: That is the key to getting the Jeep registered in California. My 1986 Comanche is a true factory diesel and the VIN number was key to get it registered here in California. I have a VW TDI engine in that truck now. The Renault diesel had a couple of cracked cylinder liners and a cracked cylinder head! Several years ago there was an 85/86 Diesel Cherokee listed on Craigslist all over the Pacific Northwest with an asking price of about 6K. It was listed for months off and on. As far as I know, it never sold. Perhaps this is the same Cherokee?? Automan on here has a running 86 diesel Comanche. He is a heavy duty mechanic by trade, so can keep it running. Think the truck was offered for sale at $2500 before he bought it. Don't know the final price. Frankly, I don't think you have found a valuable gold nugget. Just a nice old Jeep. And NO! I am not in the market. Been there, done that.

OP is in Montesano, Washington - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montesano,_Washington Montesano is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 3,976 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Grays Harbor ...

The first James Bond movie: Dr. No I was 14/15 at the time. Had no clue about 007 went to see the other movie. But never forgot Dr. No 2001 A Space Odyssey. How about the first time I saw Gone with the Wind in 1967(?)

I like that quote! Lots of truth there too.

Link in your signature did not show up till I signed in. Anyone else notice this issue? Using my cell phone's wifi hotspot with my laptop for internet access.

x 2. Manche757, thanks for bring this thread to the top. Think I will try to share this thread with my son. He did not smoke till his Iraq tour of duty in 2004. He was 28 at that point. Still has that filthy habit. Damn, it has been 15 years soon. How time passes!

Pete, Exact accurate art work is not important right now. Had a Corvair Club buddy of close to 50 years pass last year. Part of the service display was a rendering of Dick in a Corvair drawing. That association was what was important, not the accuracy of the Corvair drawing. Lets all remember that this is a celebration of Don's life. Just my humble and respectful observation.

PayPal sent. Thanks for doing this Pete

Knucklehead, Think Don would be quite pleased to see you taking care of business. So don't worry about it. Us old guys enjoy seeing younger people grow and mature. Be they our kids or other kids.

HATE going the the DMV here in California. Costs at least 4 hours out of the day. For registration, plates and most stuff The AAA is very well worth the money.