Uh-oh. Wait, there's 'tech' in this post.

[DirtyComanche]

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?

[JeepcoMJ]

1"tubing as your braces on the left side, 1.25" on the other side. cut them all the same measurements, and drill your spots out...use them like a telescoping system and have a bolt cross through it.

 

you could even figure out how much you're taking out and drill another set of holes that far down..so that when you slide the halves closer you drop a bolt back through and voila, you're aligned.

 

 

these would be welded in place an cut out later btw.

 

that make sense?

[DirtyComanche]

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.

[JeepcoMJ]

5 or 6 braces would work...as long as the pipes fit like a glove together.

 

2 at the top of the cab

2 in the middle

 

2 or 3 on the bottom.

 

and for good measure, measure out solid square tube braces for the bottom that are the desired width...that way when you slide it together, you can square the bottom by welding those in and removing the telescoping ones off the bottom, do the same on the top, then start stitching, little spots and give it time to cool by skipping to the other side and such...

 

what are you gonna do for windows? dash will have to be cut down or removed in favour of custom stuff, and the engine compartment i'm gonna go ahead and assume will be all tube frame.

[JeepcoMJ]

OR you build a tube-frame vehicle of your specs and then use the mj cab like sheet metal and cut it down as a "bolt-on" body...removeable if you need to repair anything, with a removeable floor if, say, you need to get to the transmission or something...

 

not like it's street legal anyways..

[DirtyComanche]

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.

[JeepcoMJ]

first, like i said, premeasure some braces to the desired width to fit in between the rocker panels. heck, make a brace frame so it stays square if you want...that would help out alot and you could use that to bolt it to the frame if you welded it in.

 

for the windshield, go to a shop and have them measure out the opening...try and keep that as close to stock design as possible, with the exception of it being narrower. they can measure it out and just make a windshield to fit for less than 400 dollars. an xj windshield would crack and shatter if they tried to do it that way, and it would also crack/shatter with any weight whatsoever put in the center of it once put in.

 

if you don't wanna spend the $$$, then make a pair of box frames and set it up like an m715 where it's 2 panes of glass, and 2 little 14" wiper blades, seperate panes that are bolted into the frames...if you get what i mean. give it that armored car look :brows:

 

if you do it right you could set it up with your frame system and still have it appear to be a streetable vehicle. once caught, you will get ticketed probably for an unsafe vehicle, or at least be required to have it inspected...in which case it would probably not pass.

[feerocknok]

Yeah, your guys' posts got too long, so I stopped reading. Anyways, what about engine clearance between the frame rails?

 

Every 4x4s cab should be as narrow as a Sami.

[JeepcoMJ]

I believe he's doing custom frame/frame rails.

 

and i'm enjoying the posts...let's just say that i may follow in dirty's and pongs footsteps with what's left of project tatersalad.

[DirtyComanche]

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.

[JeepcoMJ]

OK, i still think you should go dual flat pane with shatter-proof glass though...

[DirtyComanche]

Yeah, your guys' posts got too long, so I stopped reading. Anyways, what about engine clearance between the frame rails?

 

Every 4x4s cab should be as narrow as a Sami.

 

 

 

 

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.

[JeepcoMJ]

hehe, no room for your ebrake pedal then...maybe you don't want a stick either....just a thought

[Eagle]

So, any crazy tips on something like this?

Yep.

 

Log onto NAXJA and contact the guy in the North Atlantic Chapter who posts as Magoo. (Actually, I think there may be some numbers in his screen name, but you should be able to find him). He did what you're talking about maybe two or three years ago. I haven't seen the finished product but, knowing Mitch, I'm sure it's pretty sick.

[DirtyComanche]

hehe, no room for your ebrake pedal then...maybe you don't want a stick either....just a thought

 

 

Probably not. Maybe if I just have a hand throttle, then the clutch and brake at my feet. That'd be funky. I bet that isn't street legal either!

[JeepcoMJ]

it is if you're crippled. wanna make it legal?

[DirtyComanche]

I'm pretty sure the floor pedals still have to exist.

 

 

And no, I like all my limbs attached like they are.