jimoshel Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 The situation. I have a 2001 Cherokee that was totaled in a roll over.Has title. I have a 1989 Comanche,rust dent free body. No title The plan. Cut everything off the Cherokee level with the floor leaving the firewall an dash(with the VIN plate).Remove all body stuff,cab,fenders,doors,etc, the bed and the 11inces of frame from the Comanche and attach it to the floor of the Cherokee.Voila! A 2001 Comanche. I could just get a abandoned vehicle title for the Comanche but where's the fun in that? Keep ya posted, with pics. :mad: Horseless carriage? Forget it. They'l never catch on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stark Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 The VIN plate is actually attached to the plastic on the dash piece which is bolted on, if you transfer all the dash components the VIN will come with it. Why all the cutting??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimoshel Posted October 25, 2009 Author Share Posted October 25, 2009 Dern, Never thought about that. Ok, let's see. 1. I just like doin wierd stuff. 2. I always do things the hard way. 3. The Cherokee has the HO4.0 engine and 4WD. The Comanche has the 2.5 and 2wd. 4. And then there is the computer and all the wiring. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 so swap all that stuff over. it's been done before. no need to slice up a perfectly good MJ when it all bolts in. :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejndssn Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 :agree: with the team on that one x2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimoshel Posted October 25, 2009 Author Share Posted October 25, 2009 I have done it B4.got a '84 Cherokee stripped body. Had the 2.8 in it.Took a '89 Cherokee roll over and swapped everything. 4.0L, AX15. computer, wiring, gas tank, everything. It was a pain in the butt. But it worked. The part about chopping up a perfectly good MJ got to me. Thanks Pete, So,,,, gonna do it that way.Let ya know how it turns out. Jim Wish I still had my old '38 Buick 4dr convertable. It wasn't this hard to work on, and was a heck of a dern sight more fun. Horseless carriage? Forget it. They'll never catch on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeepcoMJ Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 you will make the vehicle worthless for resale by doing what you propose. almost everyone I know would consider it a parts vehicle if they knew how much structural integrity was breached by doing something along those lines. there is a comanche in socal that the guy did just what you are proposing, and he has it for sale. he cannot sell it, because the work he has into it is more value than the truck itself, as well as the fact that it's really not necessarily safe (in the eyes of purchasers) because we have no realistic idea of how badly the structure was affected. the frames are identical from the front foot wells to the grille. that said, i can't offer a legal resolution for you...but I'm sure that someone who can do the work you're suggesting can come up with a solution. oh, check with your DMV...IIRC the DMV can give you a custom vehicle title if you can prove that it has more parts of something else in it than what it came with. -Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpnjim Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 1) I would not chop the structure of a rolled (probably out of wack) XJ, and try to fit it to an MJ. Even starting with two straight, perfect Jeeps, piecing them together, and getting the whole thing to go straight down the road afterwards would be a trainwreck for the average homegrown 'mechanic', without the right alignment tools, or a body rack. Since everything bolts on anyway, I don't see the sense to doing it the hard way. FWIW, piecing an MJ & XJ has been done in the past (MJ sold on Ebay last year), but I'd have to have alot of faith in the builder to go near that thing. As far as VINs & titles, that guy got a salvage title issued, but I'm not sure if the state printed him a new VIN, or not (they can do that) 2) No way would I screw around with the VIN's on yours. 2a) I especially wouldn't do it, then post a public thread about it. The laws on this stuff are designed to keep you from even touching the number, and the penalties are based on punishing car thieves. = the average guy not trying to rip anyone off gets screwed. I'd get the paperwork in order before putting time & money in the MJ. It doesn't happen that often, but anytime you have someone look at the 2001 VIN on an MJ, (insurance company, registering it, inspection, shop doing work, etc, etc) you run the risk of them reporting it. I know of an old-old body style 1991 Chevy Crew Cab that was confiscated for a short time by a (mistaken) shop, because they didn't realize old body style crews were still being made in 91 alongside the newer body styles. State Police were called in to see if the VIN's were swapped, and alot of checking was done, till the shop realized they made a mistake :doh: :doh: :doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelbyluvv Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Read through my build. I did not cut my truck in half. I only cut the firewall section out of the XJ to cover the stock bulkhead connector and make the steering shaft hole cleaner. All I did was use it as a cover with some seam sealer and bolts. There is no reason to do the cut and weld to ruin 2 good vehicles. The link to the build is in my sig below. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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