neohic

Ha! I sure hope he doesn't plan on making one good MJ out of these two. Hell, probably not even enough good steel left between the two of them to make one good one! :laughin:

It's a terrifying thought, but we do not in MN.

I was thinking more along the lines as a trail rig. I mean... check that articulation, right? :D

Meh... I would've ran that. :dunno:

Fingers crossed for next weekend now. Got a few things done this weekend anyhow. Been working quit a bit on my shop lately trying to freshen it up but also threw some time at this. Ever since I painted it I never put any rear speakers in it. Found the 6x9s I had intended to use so many years ago and cleaned them up. They fit perfectly behind the seats as the boxes are very low profile. While I was checking things over I found that my CB crapped out. Not too surprised with that... that one got passed around a few vehicles of mine over the past twelve years to so. Replaced the cheap-o Cobra DX III with a DX IX... so it's a huge upgrade. While I was taking pictures I shot one of the alternator for those who don't know what they look like. Still trying to get a few more miles on it before the snow flies too. :crossfingers:

Looks nice Do the backs tilt forward for access behind the seat? Now if they came in a nice gray leather.... They do not. Hasn't been an issue though. I'm sure it'd be nice if they did but I just don't like leaving stuff behind the seats to rattle around anyhow.

:( ... or maybe next weekend. My buddy bailed on me.

Where in MN are you planning on calling home?

Anybody know what this is?... In MN you need to have an OHV registration and sticker to be allowed on state trails. You know what that means? That means that this little truck is going to see some trails for the first time in six or seven years! :eek: Well over due to say the least. The last time this was really offroad I wasn't even a member here... that's a friggen long time ago!!! So I went over the whole truck today in planning for this weekend. A friend and I are going down to Appleton, MN. Not an overly exciting park at all so I'm hoping that this is the spark that'll get me interested in dirt again. Never checked for bump stops before. Everything bottomed out just fine without any tire/fender contact but I think the shocks are a little too short all around. Ah well... I know... I know... barely even a poser shot but I also swapped in a new alternator this afternoon and was out on a test drive. Forgot I had the camera in the truck so this was really all I got. Threw together a small recovery bag and strapped in my small CO2 bottle. Added some more sticker power just for good measure too. Hoping for a good weekend.

I used seats from a 2004 Ford Escape. They are roughly the same width as the stock seats so they fit very well. Really nice to have some lumbar support in the driver's seat too! ... really old picture. They have since been thoroughly cleaned. I used the stock seat rails and made up some adapter mounts to put the Ford stuff on the Jeep stuff.

I kind of like the looks of the heavy duty Liberty bumper on the front. Matches the lines pretty good.

I love this truck. Every time you update this thread, the first thought in my head is always...

That's amazing. Just imagine the attachment that couple had to that old Merc... The whole story is a real dream. :)

So goes the snowball effect. :nuts:

Awe, shucks... :oops: :D

I thought you had that Chevy somethin'-or-other for a plow truck?... what about that rusty truck? :hmm:

Judging from your pictures I would have a blast with that!

Find a Redneck Trailer dealer and they'll build you whatever you want.

Years ago when I built mine I found some engine enamel labeled "AMC Blue". If I were to do it all over again, I would've waited until I wasn't a stupid kid who wanted to paint everything a stupid color... not to mention the flamed oil pan. :shake: I should've just done the whole thing black with a nice valve cover. That's all you really see anyhow...

If you're ordering an axle I'd go 62". As a comparison, Don used 1.25" spacers on the rear of his MJ putting the hub face width at 61". Stock axle width: After spacers: Here's my axle with 62" hub width: ... and thanks, Don for letting me using your gorgeous pictures. :bowdown:

:oops: ... on a side note, I'd just leave everything the way it is and just bend the axle in the other direction.

Nothing wrong with that... I just like getting rid of parts that don't need to be there. Here's more good information if you need a color layout on using the existing wiring too: http://comancheclub.com/topic/19339-trailer-wiring-for-4-wire-and-6-pole-receiver/

Rob ordered up exactly what I built for mine. They're both a 3500# axle that has a 62" hub face... yes, yes, I know that the factory track width is 58.5", but so many people run spacers to put the wheels out further to fill the wheel well anyhow. If you plan on ordering it and you plan to use the factory leaf springs, see if you can get it with 2.5" spring seats that are 42.5" on center to match the factory spring spacing. Otherwise, make your own or order 2.5" spring seats and weld them on yourself. If making your own, either use some 2.5" square tube or just build them like a puzzle out of flat stock like I did on Rob's.

I don't think I'd worry too much about this when building a pickup box trailer. I don't think I've ever looked at a snowmobile or utility trailer that was built right. The problem with a factory built small trailer is that they typically use too stiff of a spring (for more hauling capacity) and then cheap out on the material to actually build it making it way too light. So again, I'd say as far as shocks go I could take them or leave them.

:wavey: Really depends on what you want to do with the trailer when it's done. There's nothing wrong with using a hacked off MJ frame and throwing a tongue on it. If I were building another that all it was used for was a trailer, that's probably what I'd do. For my camper I wanted to go fancy with it and I had a pile of stainless tubing that was staring at me for a few years. Either way, you'll need to figure out some tongue weight keeping in mind that the wheels are just about dead center on the pickup box. If you use an existing frame, you'll probably be fine going a little beefy with the tongue material to make up for it... maybe mount a tool box on the front or something. Examples... Regardless of what you use for a frame, make sure you keep the wheels centered in the wheel wells and take your measurements from there. Here's some magic numbers for you when using a LWB bed... When measuring from here... ... put the center of the ball at 52". ... it'll ride down the road real nice without any wiggles IF you have some tongue weight on it. Not sure if using a SWB bed... never built a trailer out of one. As far as your axle questions, I'd either get or make a trailer axle to put under it just for the sake of less parts turning. As far as shocks... I could take them or leave them on a trailer. If you're putting a topper on it though... especially something as heavy as a WilderNest topper... you might want to figure out a sway bar. Mine is pretty top heavy. It was an added bonus of making my own frame to keep some weight a little lower. A sway bar is on my list of things to do with it. Hope that helps. :thumbsup: