my next build...project "X-Cab"

[JeepcoMJ]

here's the next build for me.

 

it all starts with a longbed comanche, and a shortbox.

 

then, cut the back of the comanche cab off (after tossing the longbed), and extend it back about 2 feet. use 2 door cherokee doors, and the rear vent windows from a 2 door xj as your rear windows, in front of the cab vents.

 

so that makes a 2 door extended comanche cab and chassis.

 

then I'd bob the front of the shortbed, so it would be 5 feet long or so...and center it on the wheels.

 

couple that with a high output 4.0, aw4 and np242 case, a hp front dana 30 non-disco, and rear dana 44. trussed on both. 5.5" of lift with 33x9.50's with some fender trimming and stock raised fenders compliments of TNT.

 

the interior would be....the most interesting part to say the least. of course it will have a full cage, that's necessity with this kind of custom job.

 

the dash would be built from two stock dashes in matching color. basically think like you're in the driver's seat, how the dash on the left side of the dash looks. I'd use two driver's side portions of the dash to extend it all to the same height and look, all the way across. so no more glovebox.

 

to do the dash, you'd cut off the stock dash right where the radio is, then cut another one off right where your indicator lights are, and meld the two together.

 

next thing is an anodized black (or painted, whichever) aluminum diamond plate center console. this console will have the proportions (roughly) of the stock full lenght console, BUT it will run up the face of the dash in the radio section, and run up over the top of the dash to cover the seem between the two combination dashes. the heater controls would be here, mounted slightly lower, with a CB installed, CD player, and DVD deck (remote screens installed elsewhere).

 

below the heater controls and vent, the stock aw4 shifter will be located not flat on the tranny tunnel, but at a 55 degree angle slightly forward of where it is normally. then about 2" back from where the stock one would be, an arcade style 4 speed electronic shifter will be installed. this will allow for BrettM's manual-auto shift system to be installed, and this shifter will control 1,2,3, and overdrive. the t/c lockout switch and the manual shift engage/disengage switch will be next to the stock shifter in the non-stock location.

 

will not be running interior A and B-pillar trim, as the rollbar will be there hugging as close to those pillars as possible. I'd make panels from a different material and cover them with some sort of carpeting material that matches the interior color (black of course...well maybe tan).

 

split rear window is a must, it will have a rollbar in the rear with mounting points welded to the frame, and bolted through the bed which will also account for the front bed mount points. these will tie into rock rails (yes, I'll be keeping the stock rockers too).

 

thoughts?

 

this would be quite the project....

[over2land]

Sounds like a lot of body...

 

What are you doing behind the front seats?

 

No glove box at all? Not even a custom job that opened where the right hand side instrument cluster would be? I put a new dash in one of my YJs with no glove box and it drives me nuts not having that storage anymore.

 

I'm having problems visualizing two transmission shifters too.

 

I really like the idea of moving the heater controls down. I'd love to put either a dual din nav-style head unit or a CB and single DIN unit in the dash. What about depth of the CB though? The full size chassis Cobra I'd wanna use would run into all kinds of HVAC things back in the dash.

 

I like the idea ditching the trim and going with tight to the pillar tube for the cage and wrapping it.

 

I like the idea, but wonder how it'd look. I liked the idea of a crew cab comanche too. Then I saw one. Of course if the one I saw was lifted, I'm sure I would've liked it better. Did you photochop it yet?

[LEAD_NOT_FOLLOW]

Hope your good with metal work.

 

The XJ and MJ roofs are totally different. If you line the rain-gutters up this is what you have....

 

 

So to make it work "good" you'd have to have a spare MJ roof. Your still looking at 2 seems however.

 

Also if you plan on doing a 2 door, and adding the extra cab you'll have an issue with the rear of the MJ hitting the rear wheel.

 

Given this is an XJ, but they aren't to far off wheelbase wise. (XJ is 101.4" and Longbed MJ is 119.4) .Even with the 18" difference your going to be cutting it AWFUL close if your going to use XJ vent window's...

 

[LEAD_NOT_FOLLOW]

I'm assuming this is what your wanting to accomplish?

 

 

It's a photoshop, sorry to burst your bubble. :cheers:

[Pete M]

chop or not, that looks sweet. :D If I win the lotto someday...

[JeepcoMJ]

shoulda specified...I'd be using a spare comanche cab to accomplish this...so there would be one seam, and the roofline wouldn't be [much of] a problem :D

 

I've been commenting on that xj...and yes, I'd do something similar. I think I have a good 20" to spare on the rear side in front of the wheel well too though if I'm basing it off of the longbed chassis.

 

2 door xj doors will most def. be what I use, and rear seats from a dodge dakota would go in (they fold up and have storage).

 

 

as for the glovebox, I'd probably do one on the passenger side but it would be sort of similar in design to the newer xj one (tall, and deeper than either would be normally).

 

as for the cb depth and such, I think that if I'm making the custom center console to run up and cover that seem anyways, I can extend it away from the dash a bit...and give myself whatever space I want to do anything there.

 

for the shifter, think the new compass how the shifter is more on the dash than in the center console. it's angled a bit too, more mounted with the actual shifter stick almost horizontal. then a arcade style shifter (like from a racing game from the arcades) would be near the stock spot. with the manual shift automatic system, you put the stock shifer in Drive, and you control up and down-shift between gears. you have to shift the stock shifter into reverse though in order to go backwards.

 

haven't photochopped it really....don't have photoshop lol.

[mfpdm]

the dash would be built from two stock dashes in matching color. basically think like you're in the driver's seat, how the dash on the left side of the dash looks. I'd use two driver's side portions of the dash to extend it all to the same height and look, all the way across. so no more glovebox.

 

to do the dash, you'd cut off the stock dash right where the radio is, then cut another one off right where your indicator lights are, and meld the two together.

 

How bout finding an old postal carrier xj that had right hand drive. Take the two dashes, cut them in the center. Both ends would match up and you would only have to join the middle. :brows:

[JeepcoMJ]

How bout finding an old postal carrier xj that had right hand drive. Take the two dashes, cut them in the center. Both ends would match up and you would only have to join the middle. :brows:

 

I can buy a factory new RHD dash for like $79 or so. that's how JBhill got his.

 

hmm

 

good idea. then I could be like a garbage truck and drive from either side!

 

:P

[Rokhound]

I'm assuming this is what your wanting to accomplish?

 

 

It's a photoshop, sorry to burst your bubble. :cheers:

 

That is just sick sweet sweet I just just nutted sorry got to excited

[JeepcoMJ]

beaterjeep has gotten to name it...project "X-Cab"

[JohnQ]

I'm assuming this is what your wanting to accomplish?

 

 

It's a photoshop, sorry to burst your bubble. :cheers:

 

 

:drool:

[ridenlow12]

:eek: :bowdown: about sums it up. How nice would that be!

[JeepcoMJ]

:D

 

imagine that...with the cab vents intact and the back of the bed still hanging out a bit more.

[Eagle]

the dash would be built from two stock dashes in matching color. basically think like you're in the driver's seat, how the dash on the left side of the dash looks. I'd use two driver's side portions of the dash to extend it all to the same height and look, all the way across. so no more glovebox.

 

to do the dash, you'd cut off the stock dash right where the radio is, then cut another one off right where your indicator lights are, and meld the two together.

Sounds like you have too much time on your hands.

 

For the dash, why not get the "business end" of a right-hand drive XJ and use that for the passenger side? Splice the two down the center, as you've described, and it'll be mirror image. There are some right-hand drive XJs around that are or were in service with the Postal Service.

[JeepcoMJ]

yep, that's the plan

 

I'll just pay the $$$ for a new RHD dash though...they're $80 new and a junkyard would want more than that.

[jbhill]

badass!!!. i would just use the stock MJ doors so it looks a lil more proportionate.

[Badger]

with an entire extra cab its completely do able since you will also need more rocker to add on for the added door length.your going to have two seems either way.if you really wanted to have some fun .you could do a true quad cab.now i don't mean true 4 door but make the extra cab section open in suicide fashion.

 

if you cut you're cab right before the turn up for the B pillar ,stretch it back the 2 feet or what ever.then take you're the other cab and take the center section out of it.weld that in as your fill from the roof to the frame rails .leave some extra frame rail on the bottom of it to sleeve into the original frame.this will help strengthen it.now this ring of body so to speak gives you a full length door opening from the front to the back as well as a roof opening.from this point you take the original Comanche door and cut the front off of it and section it down to what you need.go to a junk yard snag the rear doors of a 4 door Xj as well as the B pillar.take the B pillar weld it to the front of the rear door.section the front of the door off and weld that to the rear of the Comanche door.this gives you the rear door with the ability to make a working roll down window.put suicide hinges on it and get some latches from say a Ranger or S10 and get them into the B pillar area.next bolt on the front doors of the 2 door.

 

here is a guy that kind of did it with a 2 door Xj

 

 

 

of course if you started with a Comanche and do it the way i describe(can you tell i have thought about this a bit) you get to keep the square corners of the cab,you get work doors all the way around for easy access to the rear seat or storage,and it stays clean looking if not almost factory.if you don't stretch the frame along with it you don't get enough room before the rear wheel.don't the long bed and short bed have the same wheel base just a different bed length ,longer over hang to the rear.if so the rear tire would be right there at the back of the cab.

[Oizarod115]

.don't the long bed and short bed have the same wheel base just a different bed length ,longer over hang to the rear.if so the rear tire would be right there at the back of the cab.

 

nope, the LB is 6" longer in weelbase too, 119 instead of the SBs 113

[Badger]

well in that case you get 6 extra inches before the wheel gets in the way.

 

if you plan on do a full room rear seat you will need to measure a 4 door to the rear of the back seat for how long to make the cab.

 

you could most likely get a set of buckets in the back of mine but you would have to slide the front seats forward a bit to make room for the person in the back.i can measure mine if you would like

 

[JeepcoMJ]

yes, please do.

 

this project will be awhile but it will be fun

[carnuck]

What about a 2 dr XJ cut at the B pillar and grafted to the front of an MJ? I have one I wanted to do that with. It's getting the blue tip wrench taken to it next week for scrap.

[JeepcoMJ]

What about a 2 dr XJ cut at the B pillar and grafted to the front of an MJ? I have one I wanted to do that with. It's getting the blue tip wrench taken to it next week for scrap.

 

Badger is doing a variation of that.

 

and yeah, I thought of it. problem is that cherokee xj and comanche mj frame rails are not even close to being a match from about the foot area on back...you can't line them up.

[Badger]

What about a 2 dr XJ cut at the B pillar and grafted to the front of an MJ? I have one I wanted to do that with. It's getting the blue tip wrench taken to it next week for scrap.

 

Badger is doing a variation of that.

 

and yeah, I thought of it. problem is that cherokee xj and comanche mj frame rails are not even close to being a match from about the foot area on back...you can't line them up.

 

yep frame rails are not only shaped different but the Mj's is thicker as well about double that of the Xj .

 

i'm not so much building a MJ with a bed .its going to be more of a truggie when i'm done .i really just building a cab.i'll be making my own frame rails for it then doing a bed like Mudzilla.i had a tube bed stuck in my head then the other night i saw his and was like is it.even down to the storage compartments and fuel cell.

 

 

oh and i'm shooting for a 6" rear window.

[Badger]

ok walked out to the garage to get some measurements

 

ok from the upper corner of the windshield frame (along the gutter line) tothe rear corner of the cab is 4' .the same line but below the gutter from the back of the door frame to the rear of the cab is 16 1/4".down the bottom at the first body line from the rocker is 68 1/4" from the front of the door and fender gap.along the same line from the rear of the door frame is 19 3/4".those are rough guesses since i have yet to finish getting all together and ready for welding .by rough i mean i still have a gap of about 1/2" to get them fitted still .i took this off of all the measurements i took.

 

with in the next few days i will be going after that roof line.before i start welding i will be showing every thing i did a little better

 

here is a link to a pic with the numbers

[GirsMJ86]

I have thought about this for quiet some time also. Only not a 2dr XJ. Just take a LWB MJ and cut the cab right after the doors and cut the bed between the wheel well and front of the bed. Remove the front of the bed for later after the cab is done. As for the cab, take and cut the very rear window section out of an XJ and place between the doors and vents. And with the roof issue you all brought up just don't use the XJ roof but rather cut a section out of another MJ. Then put the bed back together only cut out the amount that needs to be cut to make the front go back in. I have only thought about this and have not even measured or anything, so maybe it wouldn't work. I was just going for storage without a seat also.

 

Alex