biffklg Posted November 7, 2010 Posted November 7, 2010 I recently picked up a 1988 Comanche and was thinking about doing a ground up restoration on it. I had purchased a new one in 89 and sold it 12 years later, regretted it the next day. The floor in the cab needs a lot of work but the rest of the truck is in pretty decent shape. I crawled under the truck and it looks as if the cab is actually welded the the frame almost like a uni-body type construction. Am I out of my mind or is the cab actually welded to the frame on these trucks? All my friends say I am crazy that it can't be welded on, but it sure looks like it to me...
Geonovast Posted November 7, 2010 Posted November 7, 2010 Cab on the MJ is unibody, bed sits on a frame.
Eagle Posted November 7, 2010 Posted November 7, 2010 All my friends say I am crazy that it can't be welded on, but it sure looks like it to me... Your friends ... let me guess, they ride bicycles, right? They obviously don't know jack about trucks.
Garvin Posted November 8, 2010 Posted November 8, 2010 The above posters are correct about the cab being welded to the frame. Comanche frames are considered unitbody frames, from what I've read, since the front half is unibody while the rest of the truck is full framed. The front half is just like a Cherokee, except a Comanche has a beefier frame and reinforcement pieces welded on top of the floors.
Incommando Posted November 9, 2010 Posted November 9, 2010 Nothing wrong with unibody...all mopar cars from about '60 on were unibody, including all of the monster 426 Hemi cars. I towed trailers very well with a unibody B350 one-ton Dodge van,
biffklg Posted November 9, 2010 Author Posted November 9, 2010 I don't have a problem with uni-body but it does make removing the cab for a restoration a bit move difficult, not impossible but difficult.
Darren Posted November 9, 2010 Posted November 9, 2010 I don't have a problem with uni-body but it does make removing the cab for a restoration a bit move difficult, not impossible but difficult. Remove the cab from what? Itself?! Cut the cab from the uni-rails and you'll no longer have a restoration project, you'll have a pile of scrap metal.
JeepcoMJ Posted November 9, 2010 Posted November 9, 2010 I don't have a problem with uni-body but it does make removing the cab for a restoration a bit move difficult, not impossible but difficult. NO it makes it a "you don't remove the cab to restore it, because it's part of the uniframe" situation. you can't remove the cab to restore the truck. the front inner fender frame etc. is part of the cab as well.
Darren Posted November 9, 2010 Posted November 9, 2010 I don't have a problem with uni-body but it does make removing the cab for a restoration a bit move difficult, not impossible but difficult. NO it makes it a "you don't remove the cab to restore it, because it's part of the uniframe" situation. you can't remove the cab to restore the truck. the front inner fender frame etc. is part of the cab as well. Ha! I beat you to it punk.
JeepcoMJ Posted November 9, 2010 Posted November 9, 2010 I don't have a problem with uni-body but it does make removing the cab for a restoration a bit move difficult, not impossible but difficult. NO it makes it a "you don't remove the cab to restore it, because it's part of the uniframe" situation. you can't remove the cab to restore the truck. the front inner fender frame etc. is part of the cab as well. Ha! I beat you to it punk. jerk! lol :rotf:
biffklg Posted November 13, 2010 Author Posted November 13, 2010 OK, I get it, I can't remove the cab and don't have to for a restoration. I was thinking about doing that to make a complete floor swap a bit easier but after dismantling the cab interior this morning I can see how it will be simple to do from the inside as well.
mnkyboy Posted November 13, 2010 Posted November 13, 2010 Rusty floors is very common on MJs, do some searching here and you will find several threads on floor repair/replacement.
AMC-MJ Posted November 13, 2010 Posted November 13, 2010 I'm fairly confident that with a cutting torch one could remove the Cab from the truck :eek: strip it right down to the bare steel, then slice the floor all the way around the outer edges and go up and around the firewall . . . sure it'll be a horrible rotten mess but you'll have technically removed the cab from the truck . . . You'll have a floor less firewall less Cab sitting on the ground and a rolling chassie with a floor pan and fire wall on it. It'll be no different then a plastic model truck you can buy at the hobby shop, Only this'll be life sized and made of steel . . . putting it back together again ? how good can you weld ? Mike
Geonovast Posted November 14, 2010 Posted November 14, 2010 Unless you know EXACTLY what you're doing, and have the blueprints for the Unibody/Cab memorized, and are PERFECT with a plasma cutter and welder, DO NOT attempt to remove the cab from the unibody if you ever plan to reattach it and drive the truck. Even if you could do the above, I would still recommend against it.
AMC-MJ Posted November 14, 2010 Posted November 14, 2010 Yep me too :bowdown: I was simply stating if he so wished to do it, That was how it would have to be done :thumbsup: Mike
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