Starting a jeep project

[wrx_stud]

Hello everyone, this is my first jeep project, but not my first "vehicle" project. ive got some other toys of modded and whatnot and am very familiar with cars, trucks on the other hand are somewhat strange to me, so i figured id give it a go, and being the first, i thought id stick with a jeep being simple and cheeper compared to say, my f250 !

anyway, ive done some searching around and come up with what im lookin at doing, and wanted to know some of your opinions, suggestions, and or better ideas.

now im not sure which model of jeep would be best for me, being the TJ,CJ,YJ or XJ. is there 1 model that would do well over another ?
being that this vehicle is going to be lifted and whatnot ? I like the TJ myself because i can get my hands on one for cheap !

second off, i want to get 40"-44" tires, and i know people are gunna say what the hell do you want that for.... well simply put... WOW factor, i mean honestly im building it for more show in mind, though i do want to letr rip when i can,so it does have to be functional. but also i dont wanna go with a set of beadlock rims, because i do want it road legal.

sofar, this puts me at something like a 10" lift + a 2"-3" body lift i believe i was told ? not sure about that.

the only other real concern i have is what kinda engines do you guys run ? being a 40" tall tire i know the stock engine is going to bog down, and i do plan on swapping out the axles and gears, but i still do want some power, any suggestions ? i have seen hemi conversion jeeps but i dont think i want to go that route. A stroked 4L would probably do the trick no ?

anyway thanks everyone in advance !

 

[wrx_stud]

i forgot to mention that this will be a total rebuild/makeover taking some time !

 

[GaryMB]

For a streetable Jeep with 44" tires, I would vote XJ, just because it will handle better with tires that big. A CJ will probably be the easiest to work with b/c the technology is so old and the design is so simple, but the TJ's definately are more comfortable on the street and have better suspension. A YJ is a compromise between the simplicity of the CJ and the comforts of the TJ. An XJ has comparable technology/design to a YJ. I would vote either a stroked 4.0L or a 350. As for lifts, well for a CJ or YJ you would be looking at a spring over lift with maybe 4" lift springs. For the TJ, you would want the biggest lift you can find, or something custom. I don't even know what your options are with an XJ. No matter what though, I would suggest getting a cheap Jeep that doesn't even run, because all you will be reusing is the frame, body, and possibly interior.

 

[wrx_stud]

well thats the thing, i really do want to just buy the frame if i can, and do a complete custom build up of a jeep, starting with a frame, axles and a suspension, and work on everything and so on and so forth.

 

[OutOfStep]

how good are you at welding?

 

[wrx_stud]

ive got my mig,tig,arc, oxy welding tickets, ummm id say better then average, for sure, but not AWESOME or anything creative sure, but i sold a lot of my welding stuff and metal fab stuff to pay for my motorcycle ..

 

[Sparky-Watts]

ive got my mig,tig,arc, oxy welding tickets, ummm id say better then average, for sure, but not AWESOME or anything creative sure, but i sold a lot of my welding stuff and metal fab stuff to pay for my motorcycle ..

Will you move in next door to me?

 

[OutOfStep]

It shouldn't be a problem for you then, you'll just need to narrow down what model you want to run and how much you want to spend on parts. It really just comes down to the money -vs- time issue, as do most things in life :lol:

 

[wrx_stud]

so then there is no real advantage over one model or the next ? also, id really like to just get a frame, new or used, but if i do that, where am i going to find a TJ body ? being i really enjoy that look more then any ! (thats the reason for going with a TJ)

any links to engines swaps or stroke kits for the wrangler ? im tryin to get as much info on these things as i can, but i cant seem to find much honestly, i dont know why. also speaking with people that do these things are best as well being that you deal with this realtime, over someone who knows specs alone !

another question, why dont i find a lot of modified axlehousings like i would on say a ford f250 or something ? there always super beefy lookin and on the jeeps, they look stock ? what axles would you recommend for my setup ? (44" tires, say a 350hp stroker)

 

[currupt4130]

four link front and rear, coil overs, body trimming, 42's. my buddy has a cj5 he drives around from time to time, its more of a trail only rig but it rides around town just fine and isnt overly huge and unstable. you gonna have to go one ton axles or rockwells if you really want the wow factor. and just for more wow factor a 454 or 502 would be great.

the yj is your best base for a buildup of this nature. you wont be trashing as much good stuff as you would with a tj, you have less brackets to remove than a tj, you have a better frame as a cj to use as a foundation. you have a better body than a cj, and you can easily swap on a cj front clip if you want that look. the dashes are easier to build around and customize than a tj, there is less there to botch electronically so you still have a lot of free reign with what you add or take away from the system. the yj in my opinion is the best platform to build up from. there are plenty of built tjs and cjs, but they both take more work than if they had started life as a yj

heres the guy im talking about

 

[OutOfStep]

Yeah all the models have their advantages and disadvantages. Currupt is right about the YJ, they're plentiful and cheap, especially if you don't even need one with a functional drive train.

However if you really want the wow factor and are willing to pay for it you should go with a Rubicon LJ..

Here are some links to get you going:
http://www.currieenterprises.com/cestore/cjrockjock.aspx
http://www.drivetrainspecialists.com/custom-services.html
http://www.advanceadapters.com/jeep.html

 

[wrx_stud]

yah i much rather have a very usable vehicle then wow factor haha, but good try. see i figured everyone was going to say YJ i just dont like that rectangular headlight, i really like the "real" jeep circular headlight !
but ill entertaint that idea i guess. im not planning on this project being over in a month anyway, so thats why i dont care about money for the most part though because ill be doing it in stages !

Rockwell axles ? why though ? why not unimogs ? i hear they are much stronger/better ?

Anyone know about places to buy bodys/frames seperate ? being i dont want a body layin at my house for X time rusting away, id really like to go tires up and get it done that way !

so far my parts list is looking like :
Dana 60/RockJock 35spline
Air lockers or ox lock
stroker motor
44"s

Still do need a lot of parts though, anyone recomend a specific driveshaft for this system ?

i really wish i knew more about 4x4'n !! it fruserates me to high heaven when i know my way around a car but trucks are just killing me actually street trucks ive done too ... its just 4x4s !

 

[currupt4130]

mogs are rated at 1.5 tons, rockwells are 2.5. if you wheel it hard i wouldnt run mogs on 44's. you can easily switch the yj front clip to a cj front clip for that round headlight look you wnat, its not hard and the pieces are readilly available. mogs do have a certain bling factor, but rockwells are just cool, end of story. the nice thing about mogs is taht they are portal axles nad give you tons more clearance under the pumpkin. if you plan to wheel it at all with 44s do not go 60s. 44s are too heavy and wide to stand up on 60s for long. there is too much leverage and too much weight for the stock inner-c's to deal with as well as the shafts. rockwells wont flinch at the 44's and if you want real bling oeverson engineering makes 40 spline shafts for rockwells. search around on pirate for this kind of stuff, its a gold mine

 

[Sparky-Watts]

you can easily switch the yj front clip to a cj front clip for that round headlight look you wnat, its not hard and the pieces are readilly available.

There are also a couple of companies that are making YJ conversion kits that will give you round lights instead of square, although I can't for the life of me see why anyone would want round lights on a YJ......

 

[Junkpile]

I agree with starting with a YJ. I'd skip the 44s and run 39s unless you are going to extend the wheelbase a good amount. Same with running a big block engine. A 350hp stroker inline? You won't be happy with that.....not in THAT jeep. Build a smallblock, any will work, but you want a longer stroke/big displacement smallblock. Think built Chevy 350/383/400 or one of the larger AMC V8s for swap ease. You can do it with a smaller displacement engine, but you'll make more compromises and leave less room for further improvement.

Run some beefed-up one ton axles and enjoy the lighter weight and better gear/diff selection. Save the pigs(Rockwells) for people who need them(2%), or at least think they need them(98%).