SHORT BED TO LONG BED SWAP

[loi]

if everything goes as planned i should have a nice shortbed in my possession over the weekend.

 

won't go into details as the ad is still up and i don't want anyone snatching it up, but its a good deal.

 

i will be looking to swap the bed, and camper cap, taller one, for a long bed and cap, or just long bed, whatever works best. am not concerned with colour or cosmetic condition as long as its solid. the one i am getting has good paint, looks very nice, but have not seen it in person. black. would be willing to trade trucks outright for a longbed auto. 2 or 4, just no 4 all wheel drive. if i find an uglier long bed for a low price i may just throw this one up for sale.

 

will also be looking to swap the buckets for a bench. another reason i might be just reselling or swapping the entire truck

 

either way, looking forward to getting my first mj. long time jeep owner and destroyer, so i am familiar with the brand. no inspection or emissions on a cheap vehicle that only weighs around 3000 lbs but still has a reliable and powerful enough drivetrain is why i want it. lack of a larger cab is annoying, i haul so much stuff its really nice to have interior space.

 

will post pics once i have the truck in my possession.

 

one question

 

the 4.6 v8 in the newer zjs, has anyone put one in a cherokee/comanche? if i was going to find a donor and do a swap and that was just some small fab work, i would ge interested since jeeps of all makes are cheap here wrecked/salvage/no title.

 

great site. thanks

[JeepcoMJ]

you can't convert a shortbed to a longbed. that requires alot of fabrication, considering that from the cab on back on the uniframe is different, along with wheel base, etc.

[jimmy21669]

you can't convert a shortbed to a longbed. that requires alot of fabrication, considering that from the cab on back on the uniframe is different, along with wheel base, etc.

 

:agree:

 

Look at the difference in length between the cab and the wheels....

 

That would take more work than it is worth.

[boardmanMJ]

the 4.7 didnt come in the ZJ, only the WJ and I'd stay away from doing that swap. Thoes motors are complete junk and parts are really expensive plus alot of new wiring would need done since it has so many sensors and what not. If anything throw a carburated SBC in it and call it a day. If you want to trade for a longbed and your short bed is nice let me know :thumbsup:

 

 

 

Josh

[Darren]

the 4.7 didnt come in the ZJ, only the WJ and I'd stay away from doing that swap. Thoes motors are complete junk and parts are really expensive plus alot of new wiring would need done since it has so many sensors and what not. If anything throw a carburated SBC in it and call it a day. If you want to trade for a longbed and your short bed is nice let me know :thumbsup:

 

 

 

Josh

 

The 4.7 is not junk. Your recommendation of a carbureted SBC leads me to believe you are a redneck. I'm not going to get into a bunch of reasons why, but you'd be better off with a 4.0 than a carbureted SBC.

 

If carburetors were so cool, they'd still be using them.

[Garvin]

the 4.7 didnt come in the ZJ, only the WJ and I'd stay away from doing that swap. Thoes motors are complete junk and parts are really expensive plus alot of new wiring would need done since it has so many sensors and what not. If anything throw a carburated SBC in it and call it a day. If you want to trade for a longbed and your short bed is nice let me know :thumbsup:

 

 

 

Josh

 

The 4.7 is not junk. Your recommendation of a carbureted SBC leads me to believe you are a redneck. I'm not going to get into a bunch of reasons why, but you'd be better off with a 4.0 than a carbureted SBC.

 

If carburetors were so cool, they'd still be using them.

 

Just cause I'm doing it and am a redneck doesn't make everyone! :thwak:

 

Also, just cause they went away from carbureted vehicles doesn't make them complete junk, it all matters what you plan on doing with it. The reason I'm going carb is because the 2.8L I had in mine before was carb and instead of running a ton of custom wires, I can easily just swap in another Chevy engine and be done with it fast.

 

The 4.7L is junk though. I work at an auction and they come through all the time. The motors are underpowered and like to leak like all hell.

[ratrapp]

4.7 in a truck may seem underpowered but i worked at a chrysler dealership for 5 years and the 4.7s in a wj have plenty of power for a suv.maybe by the time they hit an auction and have been neglected they are underpowered.

[dasbulliwagen]

Being a current Chrysler Jeep dealer tech, we see very few issues with the 4.7.... and it sounds awesome with a flowmaster! They have been pretty reliable so far in my eyes, and have good power, especially in the WJ platform. They are compareable to the hemis in the WK's.... though I think the 4.7 was also available at the same time in the WK models, there was not a lot of power difference, at least not enough diff for 95% of people to know the difference.

[jpnjim]

I like the 4.7L/WJ combo,

 

being the last of the (non-TJ) solid axle Jeeps, I'm leaning towards a 4.7L Ltd WJ for my next daily driver.

Hopefully I'd be able to find one that had been taken care of,

 

since it does seem like neglected 4.7L's tend to die an early death.

 

It would make sense that Chrysler Tech's don't see many of those,

since owners that neglect their Jeeps would probably be too cheap to take them to the dealer for service.

[mnkyboy]

http://www.ehow.com/i/#article_5571443

[loi]

..

[foreman1063]

i was not aware short to long bed swaps were not doable without fabrication

Yeah, I considered the opposite swap a while back, since I want a SWB. The frame and the rear axle location is different on the LWB and SWB so fabrication would be necessary( like cutting and splicing the rear frame section)

[jpnjim]

If you flip a SWB's leaf springs around you end up with pretty close to the LWB's wheelbase.

 

Not saying flipping the leafs is a good idea, or that it would let you put a longbed on a shortbed frame,

but just throwing it out there.

[boardmanMJ]

I said SBC beasue it is the cheapest to build and the one with the most advances to it. And all it seems like to him is he needs to haul stuff, so why make a wiring mess when you don't have to for a work truck? And I don't know about 4.7 that arent neglected but everyone I'm ever seen had split connecting rods, and I've seen about 7 of them come and go.

 

 

 

 

Josh

[jpdocdave]

the main downside to the 4.7 is internal oiling, they have oiling issues. I've seen them apart, and they have small screens filtering very small oil passages, and these screens get clogged easily with neglected oil changes. Clogged oil passage ends in internal lubricated part failure quickly. I've seen more common timing chain and cam issues. I had a Jasper engine rep that even brought by some visual aids of these screens and passages on these engines, its like having a screen door screen on a passage about an 1/8" in diameter.

 

iirc the jasper rep says they even redesign this on their rebuilds to avoid this problem.

[carnuck]

Several times I thought about a short bed on long frame so I could put a cab extension on.

[vaquaro]

Several times I thought about a short bed on long frame so I could put a cab extension on.

:yes: It must be a NW way of thinking , I've had that idea in the back of my mind for some time :thumbsup:

[loi]

sold it, getting a 5.2 2nd gen dakota until I find the right longbed Comanche

[Dirteatr717]

Several times I thought about a short bed on long frame so I could put a cab extension on.

Please do it! That would be awesome!