johnj92131

DieselMarty, What did Miller Diesel charge to rebuild the injection pump? I had a VW injection pump rebuilt in Portland for about $850 and another on cost me $1150. So if you have somebody more reasonable than that..I sure would like to know. Thanks,

Check the for sale section. There is a factory MJ hitch listed for $250 and someone else is selling a factory hitch for $175. Not exactly budget priced, but it will do the job for many, many more years. You are going to spend a couple of hundred for a Fey bumper anyway by the time you are done. Something you get from the JY may be about as rusted as what you have in a couple of years. And you have to adapt it to your Comanche. Now, depending on how far away you are, MuddFoot's bumper may be your best bet.

When I was looking for doors 4 years ago, I wanted 91-93 White, all power with the Laredo trim and fixed vent windows. I got them in Phoenix for $100 each and drove from San Diego to get them. That was a very good price, worth an 800 mile round trip to get. So at $135 complete and in excellent condition, you have to be in the ball park.

Aluminum tube would look good. Much better than steel or iron. Larger diameter would be stronger and could be thinner also.

My longest driving stint was from Old Faithfull in Yellowstone National Park to Anaheim, Ca in a 24 hour shot. My wife had me pull over outside St.George, Ut so she could drive. 3 miles later, she pulled over and told me I had to drive because she was too tired. Got home at noon. Went right to bed. Did not even turn the head lights off. Battery was dead next day. That was about 1250 miles in 1973. Car was a 1969 Chevrolet Corvair.

John, Search the posts on the for sale forum over the last 4 months or so. You will find a number of tail light sets for sale. You will also find several people who have small console's for sale. Parking brake? might be a bit harder.

For any of you that think 20+K is too much, I will offer my original California 91 Comanche: Factory Stock 4.0 with original Single exhaust (none of this dual crap) Factory Stock rubber floor mats (none of this crappy dirty carpet) Factory Stock AW-4 automatic. Factory BigTon (aka MeticTon) package New paint, your choice of colors, Original 250,000 miles, with near new tires. Available for only $19,895 Offered AS-IS, but comes with original factory window sticker (no cheapo repo siticker). What do you think fellows, should I post this on CL? Maybe I could get the big, rich, fish first??? :yes:

Two thoughts: Try a penetrating oil like Kroil. Kroil is supposed to be the very best from everything I have read over the years. Next, instead of removing the nuts that hold the seat brackets to the floor, try removing the nuts/bolts that hold the seat to the seat brackets. There is more than one way to skin a cat. Once you have the seat off the brackets, you will have more room to work on the nuts holding brackets to the floor boards. A nut cracker, as suggested by Nobles41 is also a good idea. One more thought: I used an angle grinder to cut away part of a VERY stuck, corroded nut. Then used a chisel and hammer to work the nut loose with hammer blows in each direction. That and penetrating oil, eventually got the nut off. BUT don't think I would do this for a seat bolt.

Do the seats tilt forward? Guessing they do not tilt forward.

reketranch Where in SoCal are you?

No, gas at Costco today is $2.49 - At that, they are giving it away. So you are only looking at $400 for two trips up and back!! Even at 10 mpg.

Don't have no Datsun stuff but do have the trip carb set up from a 1962 Austin Healy 3000. One of the few cars, trucks, I purchased new off the dealers show room. Saw an Austin Healy 3000 this morning when we were at breakfast. Red/orange, wire wheels, looked good. Then in the afternoon, we walked past a parked Aston-Martin in Ramona. While I was gawking at it, Anita ask me what I was looking at, so I told her, "an Aston-Martin" She said, "Oh that is the second one today." Had to tell her the first one was an Austin Healy and the second one was an Aston Martin, as in James Bond.

Interested in knowing how many speakers you are using and where they are located. Want to get my stock radio working properly again. I finally (after 4 or 5 years) got a stock radio back in my truck after a thief stole the old Sony and another set of thieves stole the entire truck about 2 years ago. Thinking there should be 2 speakers in the doors (have them). 2 tweeters(?) under the dash (missing). and 2 speakers behind the seats in the B pillars (not sure if these work right now, but I have a spare set). Thanks, JJ

When will the Dodge Promaster actually be offered for sale? What is the turbo on that diesel? Guess it is on the small side for drivebility and good low end performance. 295 lb/ft from 3liters?? Not a lot for a modern turbo diesel. Peak horsepower around 140???

Quite sure U-Haul has been sued because of stupid customers doing stupid unsafe things with rented equipment. So they, U-Haul, has what we call a stupid policy, because U-Haul has the deep pockets and insurance to pay. I rented a U-Haul enclosed trailer a couple of months ago (with the Comanche) and had to jump thru a couple of hoops inorder to get it. All in the name of legal protection for U-Haul. So yes, as yellaheap said, under state the amount of weight you are going to tow. Do tell them it is a VW Bug.

krustyballer16, That 3.3 is a reasonable weight to replace the 4.0, much better for the front end than a 4BT. Your 3.3 engine find was a good deal, but required a whole lot of work and education. The 3.3 also is a good displacement to get more power and torque out of without giving up any reliability. I have been following your project since your first post. So keep updating your posts. Please! Actually saw a late 40's/early50's Studebaker pickup with a turbocharged Cummins 3.3 in it last month at a memorial hot rod run for the father of my sister-in-laws husband. Not the time or the place for me to get any info about the Studebaker. But it really looked well done and very well finished. The fellow actually had the truck set up for towing a loaded car trailer. That is not something you can do with a Comanche.

So what condition is the 617? If you do a Google search for Jeep 0m617 conversion, you should find a ton of information. Not to mention parts sources for the conversion. The swap has been done a number of times into any number of Jeeps There are bargains on everything if you have time and keep looking. I had to go to Montreal to get my bargain TDI engine. But Anita grew up in Montreal. She still has friends and family there. So making a 2200 mile trip to pick up an engine was just part of a vacation!

Weight is a problem with the 4BT. It is between 745 and 782 lbs according to this link: http://www.cumminsdieselspecs.com/4bt.html Weight for the 3.3 Cummins is about 550 lbs according to this: http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f19/cummins-4bt-3-3bt-1427878/ I "think" the weight on the VW Diesel is about 350 lbs. I need to find a source. Here it is, with A/C and Clutch 361 lbs: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?s=8c6ed2fa12cdc7692a82063d669707f8&p=4029144&postcount=1 Weight for the OM607 MB engine is about 600 lbs according to this: http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/223218-does-anyone-know-how-much-om617-weighs.html Weight for the Jeep 4.0 is around 483 to 550 lbs, depending on which source you read. Novak says 515 lbs Novak also says the Jeep 2.5 weight is 340 lbs Here is a fellow who says the Jeep 2.5, AX5 and NP 231 weight is 540 lbs: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?s=8c6ed2fa12cdc7692a82063d669707f8&p=4040459&postcount=6 If Electronic Engine Management scares you with a VW TDI, then use an older non electronic injection pump. Perhaps a Giles SuperPump. It has been done several hundred times. Bargains are out there in the VW TDI world also. I paid $650 for my spare TDI and that included the computer and all the engine compartment wiring. Engine had 127K on it. There are some issues with the Jeep-OM617 engine swap that require the Jeep to be lifted 2 or 3 inches. This is just information and links I wanted to post. These questions come up every so often and the discussion/misinformation starts again.

Totally wrong physical size and shape.

That one is way to pricy. But it does look nice and the ad is well done. Saw one on craigslist in California a month ago for less than $2k, but did not run. Still a good looking truck with only one owner. I will see about locating the ad.

If the ZJ quick ratio steering box is a 12.7 ratio, what is the ratio for the stock MJ/XJ steering box? How much difference does it make. Meaning the stock steering is XX turns, lock to lock. With the ZJ box, it is YY turns, lock to lock? Is there another plug and play quick(er) ratio box? Like from a Camaro or Firebird? It is time for me to replace front end components on this 250K old street driven truck. What are the prefered sources for new tie rod ends and ball joints? Not looking for CRAP (Chinese Replacement Auto Parts), but reasonably priced would be good. Thanks,

Yes, it is just an interesting excercise. "More dollars than sense" I have always thought of as a bit of pejorative term. Maybe more like "Not my cup of tea"? It sure does not make economic sense, just like a bunch of stuff we do. Build Stroker motors, repaint 30 year old trucks, buy big tires for our street cars/trucks. Now, if I had a factory diesel Comanche or Cherokee that needed an engine replaced, I would have to very seriously plan on a VW TDI engine conversion. It would be both cheaper and faster for me than screwing around with a broken Renault 2.1 TurboDiesel. But then, I have a spare TDI engine in my garage with all the electronics need for it. Now that idea would not be a good idea to someone like Rob. To each his own.

You need to go over to the TDIClub and check out a few of the Toyota TDI conversions. You will find a whole lot more good information and practical solutions. You will also find a couple of Jeep TDI conversions: http://forums.tdiclub.com/forumdisplay.php?f=63 I can tell you that very few (like ZERO) of those people have $20 in a conversion. I would guess most are around $5K, including the VW they started with. Pay particular attention to the first post in the Stickied Thread: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=142679 You will find links to 6 different Jeep TDI conversions in that post.

Not to offend, but I simply do not understand people who totally bastardize a truck to their own very strange taste. Then want to sell the mess they made for all the money they wasted destroying the truck. I guess this is just someone trying not to be left with high priced tulips when the ponzi scheme ends. As for saying "Asking 8000 obo" Doesn't "obo" mean "or best offer"? How the heck am I supposed to know if my "best offer" will be insulting to you if I don't ask? When I see this on CraigsList, I just figure the seller is a big foolish idiot looking for a bigger fool with some money and move on.

The "trailer hitch" wanted comes up several times a quarter. I suggest you do a search for "trailer hitch" in all forums. That will bring up 160 different posts over the last several years. More than just a few are worth reading. Here is a link to start reading: http://comancheclub.com/topic/39756-receiver-hitch/?hl=trailer+hitch&do=findComment&comment=400252 The thread has some links to one or two other very informative threads. You can find drawings and measurements needed to custom make a duplicate factory hitch. Good luck.