DirtyComanche

Nope, needs new spring perches.

Yeah, not a problem. It'll be unibody, just not like anything that rolled off the factory floor. If I'm going to run into engine clearances, it will be with my feet. Well, the bellhousing more than anything. That's where things get funky. A friend has an alumi-tub YJ that's only 48" wide at the cage, about 52" outside body. It's an auto using a standard (skinny) brake pedal, and they barely fit.

The legal side of things is convoluted. It technically can be made to pass an inspection, providing I do not use any lexan, and follow all the other silly rules (tires covered, lights, brake fail indicator, and a bunch of other BS). It would need certification from a frame/collision repair tech - which is possible. I'm not worried about it entirely, the current MJ is in the same boat, other than no frame tech will even dare pass it. Worst that happens is about a $100 ticket and they tow it (tow and impound fees). I'm hoping if it looks decent enough the cops might just assume it isn't really 'modified'. Nobody in this area can make a laminated windshield that I know of. Hence I was hoping they could cut them, which I heard mixed opinons on. One glass shop told me to get out (legal issues I think?), another said no, but one said no problem over the phone (they might have thought it was flat like a YJ/CJ/TJ). I figured as long as it was properly supported and glued in in the centre it might be okay. But it seems fairly academic if nobody will do it. If I can't make it work like that I will just use lexan. I know how to polish the scratches out of it - and it is cheap enough to replace it once it becomes to ugly for that.

I've always liked the look of your MJ. Glad to see you came back.

Spools are cheap, like under $200 cheap. Mini-spools are way less. Not street friendly though. Aussie, lock-right, quik-loc and whatever those other lunchbox lockers are can all be had for about $250. Full case lockers are a lot more. HD LS/posi are avaliable too. And factory LS/posi can be sourced from junkyards for cheap. You can get a factory LS for the D30 front too - just not from a jeep. What axle is it? If it is a D35 it's a bad idea to add a traction aid - it probably will go kabloowy.

If it has a title, it'll be on the street :brows: At least until the cops catch up to me. :roll: I want to keep the cab looking reasonably like it's one peice. Only because I'm crazy, not for any good reason. Tie the cage into the inside/outside of it, then weld it onto a 'frame'. Buddy looked at it and thinks he can go hardcore with a bender and make it fit tight against the roof on either the inside or out and hopefully preserve the small amount of cab space I'll have. Single X the back, with tie-ins for the 5-points. For the windshield I wanted to get a shop to cut the required amount out of a stocker. Then run a peice of t-bar up the centre (roll it to fit the curve) and make it all nice and clean. However, it seems unlikely a shop will do this for me. So I might have to use lexan/speed glass. Which I'm all for; other than it'll scratch up and wipers are a no-go with it. The rear window will just be lexan, might as well save the weight. Dash and most of the interior refinements are down the road. As a quick guess I think it'll be something like a steering colum with a tach and speedo on it, with a panel to mount a night switch and maybe 8 toggles, and the smallest deck I can get. Grim. But simple. And the only requirement I've set for the floor is that I can take most of it out. I'm thinking just aluminum sheet, some small square tube, and lots of screws/nutplates. Probably the same for the firewall. Who needs that anyways. Anyways, if ya think it'll work using just a whole bunch of telescoping braces... WTH. Might as well try that. I'm going to avoid wasting a huge amount of effort on this until I see if it is feasable.

Optionally. I don't know what option package got them, or what they're avaliable in or w/e. But they were avaliable.

Yeah, I know what you're saying. I'm worried that it's going to go C#*@-eyed because if I use a brace system that is telescoping I can't use any triangulation. It might work if I used a LOT of braces.

The writing isn't on the wall yet, but.... I found a guy who decided he really needed a jeep trailor. So he decided to take what looks like a perfectly acceptable MJ and cut it in half. Conveniently that leaves a MJ that really is only good for scrap - or bad people like me. I'm thinking either 8" or a foot out of the middle of the cab. Which leads to a total nightmare as far as execution goes. My plan of attack is to start by cutting out whatever it has for a floor all the way up to the pinch seam at the rockers, and perhaps removing some of the rockers at the same time. Then cut straight down the middle, up the firewall, through the windshield, accross the roof, and down the back of the cab... Then discarding whatever is uneeded. And then welding it back together. Now, I know I'm going to run into a massive warpage and alignment issue. Typically if a guy is removing the floors and a lot of the structure in a body, tubes are welded accross the inside to keep the whole mess rigid until a new floor is welded in. I can't do that as I need to move the two halves closer together once I make the cuts... So, any crazy tips on something like this?

It's a pickle. Search for jeepco's post on it. We had a fairly in-depth discussion on it.

Locallity sets the price. I know there's plenty of places that you could get $650+ for that.

As I said, chrysler came up with them. So it really goes without saying.

I found this funny... I dunno if it has come up before or not. But ah well. Why Beer is better than women: 1. You can enjoy a beer all night long. 2. Beer stains wash out. 3. You don't have to wine and dine beer. 4. A beer will wait in the car while you go and play football. 5. When your beer goes flat, you toss it out. 6. Beer is never late. 7. A beer doesn't get jealous when you grab another beer. 8. Hangovers go away. 9. Beer labels come off without a fight. 10. When you go to a bar, you can always pick up a beer. 11. Beer never has a headache. 12. After you've had a beer, the bottle is still worth 5 cents. 13. A beer won't get upset if you come home and have another beer. 14. If you pour a beer right, you'll always get good head. 15. A beer goes down easy. 16. You can have more than one beer in a night and not feel guilty. 17. You can share a beer with your friends. 18. You always know you're the first one to pop a beer. 19. Beer is always wet. 20. Beer doesn't demand equality. 21. You can have a beer in public. 22. A beer doesn't care when you come. 23. A frigid beer is a good beer. 24. You don't have to wash a beer before it tastes good. 25. If you change beers, you don't have to pay alimony. 26. You can't catch social diseases from a beer. 27. When you're interrupted by a beer it's for a good reason. 28. A beer is always satisfying. 29. A beer gets lighter the longer you hold it. 30. A beer won't tell you its pregnant for fun. 31. A beer does not come with in-laws. 32. No matter what the package, a beer still looks good. 33. To cool off a beer, all you have to do is put it in the ice box. 34. All you have to do to get over a beer is take a leak. 35. Beer doesn't complain about farting. 36. The only thing a beer tells you is when its time to go to the bathroom. 37. You are never embarrassed about the beer you bring to a party. 38. Its okay to leave a party with a different beer than the one you brought. 39. Beer won't drive you to drink. 40. You can shoot a beer. 41. A beer chaser is easier to catch. 42. You don't need a license to live with a beer. 43. A tree is good enough for a beer. 44. Beer doesn't grow hair where it shouldn't. 45. Beer doesn't care how much you earn. 46. Beer and "ice" don't mix. 47. Beer won't complain about your choice of vacation--it goes along happily. 48. Beer doesn't care if you go to sleep right after you've had it. 49. Beer is happy to ride in the trunk of your car. 50. You never have to promise to respect a beer in the morning. 51. Beer never complains about a wet spot. 52. You can put all your old beers together in one room and they won't fight. 53. A beer doesn't bleed one week out of the month.

That's a bad way to tell. I think the later D35s had the plastic plugs, but I think they came in 8.25s and the ZJ D44 too. It was something chrysler came up with.

Might stick out too far. Rub the outer fenders.

Oh, you don't want to know how many things are 'wrong' with mine. But, it doesn't void my insurance. If your insurance company is such that they void you for a violation - find another insurer, or consider another hobby.

Well. Yes and no. I'll agree you don't gain any clearance under the good ol' pumpkin - but that's what a psycho with a sawzall is for. But the clearance gained over the tubes is well worth it. I don't care if it's a mud truck, or a rock crawler. It is a noticeable gain in clearance in both that you don't ride on the leaf springs, or snag the plates/shock mounts. The reality is that when 4-wheeling, unless you're some type of god or taking it easy, things are going to bottom out/snag up. The entire idea is to minimize the number of things that do; which increases the chances that you'll just slide on by with whatever is snagging. And stock leaves are great once you build the pack up a bit... (extra MJ main, or a S-10 or dakota should work out) Image Not Found That's not anywhere near lifting a tire. I gotta try it out with the revised shock mounts though, it should do even better.

But... How does it wheel?

Ultra black. Because it's 'ultra'!

It fits. Maybe. It won't be drilled for the BA10-5 and maybe not the AX-15 (I don't know how a AX-15 mounts). Worth anything? The non-drop one maybe. But then again not really. The drop one is pretty useless. Unless you like a boat anchor. And that's your tcase I'm talking about. Oh it is pretty solid, it's .188~.

Wow, purdy... I'd ditch the tape deck though...

Sweet. Soon as I get the junk out of the garage (it should be done by this weekend, or monday) I'll paint the floor!!! So excited!!!

I read it half-heartedly... They're wrong on a few things. (My knuckles haven't broke off yet!)

Okay, ya gotta tell me about the floor... How hard was it to do? Do you have to do a lot of prep? Do you have to wax it? How much does it cost? Where can I get it? Back to the MJ... Yeah, remember to drain things. I did that once pulling a diff cover from an axle that wasn't in the truck. Got 20 year old gear oil all over my $#!&/chest/crotch.

Yeah, once it hits the border things get ugly.