the plasma cutter told me to do it

[Cody]

.250 wall is over kill. 1/8" wall would be almost twice as thick as you unibody frame.

I would treat your current chassis like a body only, and bolt it to a frame like Grinch said. Keep it light!

see, now this is the point where I ask 'is it worth the trouble and expense to work around all this ****--mounting xj body to custom fab frame? Why not just build a chasis (or buy one) and throw on your hood, fenders and whatever else you want to make it XJ ish? '

I've never had problems with my motor mounts, however my fan taps the shroud lovingly when I'm flexed out sometimes. I've yet to tie into the front bumpers. I can honestly say, that I only expect another year or so out of what I have, then I'll have a 318 powerd tube buggy with ZJ/WJ skins.

Cody

 

[Caleb]

see, now this is the point where I ask 'is it worth the trouble and expense to work around all this ****--mounting xj body to custom fab frame? Why not just build a chasis (or buy one) and throw on your hood, fenders and whatever else you want to make it XJ ish? '

ICody

IMO, I think the buggy idea is a good one and in the end I think you would be surprised at how close the money will be...like you said, you have a great drivetrain right already so the expensive part is out of the way...I know of a local shop that does outstanding work or you could pick up a Diable II from Shafers in Carson City for about $1300...thats a DOM chassis

 

[Cody]

you can pick up the hendrix chasis for like what, 799 or something?

the diablo is mas blinga

 

[Caleb]

you can pick up the hendrix chasis for like what, 799 or something?

the diablo is mas blinga

yeah, the hendrix is $999 for hrew and $1499 for DOM...I almost went with the hendrix but by the time you figure in shipping ($500-$800) it put me into the price range of a locally custom built one...which is nice cause I can decide if I want something specific and I can have it built around my drivetrain instead of having a generic chassis...and Hendrix is way behind (not really behind, just the arrival date would be way out there when I checked into it...it may be better now)...

I wa in your same (or similar) position xj_punk...I started witha full bodied jeep and before I could finish my first rebuild I was wanting to change more and more and more...I was basically heading to a buggy...so I'm not just speaking out my arse

 

[Hickey]

yeah, the hendrix is $999 for hrew and $1499 for DOM...I almost went with the hendrix but by the time you figure in shipping ($500-$800) it put me into the price range of a locally custom built one

You could have tossed it in your truck and been down about 250 for fuel and meals though... it's not like they would have missed you at work..

 

[Caleb]

You could have tossed it in your truck and been down about 250 for fuel and meals though... it's not like they would have missed you at work..

actually I seriously considered it but the completion date was still way out there...

 

[N-Smooth]

.250 wall is over kill. 1/8" wall would be almost twice as thick as you unibody frame.

I would treat your current chassis like a body only, and bolt it to a frame like Grinch said. Keep it light!

hehe yeah i just like the sound of .250.... thats what i made my front bumper out of, like 4x2" .250 wall, i didn't realize it was overkill until i payed the 40 bucks and lifted the bastid into my trunk... heavy!!! but the shackle reverse mounts to it. and my bumper mounts, that is a whole other story, they didn't have 1/4" thick angle in the size i wanted but they did have 5/16" so i went with that... talk about overkill!!!! there is more metal on the front of my jeep than whats in the rest of the body period!!
what about 3/16"? should i maybe make the new rockers and frame out of 3/16" and then do all the dom 1/8" wall. btw what size dom should i use? i guess that depends on the dies we have, i think we have 1, 1.25, 1.75 and 2" dies. i think 2" is probably what i will use for the main hoops and stuff with 1.75" filling in supports/gussets.

i think i am going to pcut the uniframe out and box tube it up... but what sixe box should i use? i will just have to look at it. i think i am going to cut out the whole rockers out, not just the lower part like traditionally. i kinda want to raise the rocker up and get some boatside action going on. i will have to cut out some of the floor to get the results i want, but no biggie there, look at what i did yesterday
i have been thinking about cage work and i might do buggy bars, you know like not a and b hoops but bars running parallel with the jeep. i like that design because i think it look clean and you can lean it in to give that narrow, buggy type look. plus i think it is easier to bend stuff like that. especially when it is your first time, instead of trying to make clean, close bends around the contour of the hood and roof. imo

i could go for the buggy idea, but i would rather have one to look at so i could build my own. wouldn't it be cool to buy it and model yours after it and then take it back...jk? like that would work. there is just something about fabbing that is so much better than buying, if you have the time.

tonight was a night of thinking about it at home and "researching" on here (talking to you guys, beezil and some other naxja folks) and tomorrow i will start envisioning it with the jeep in front of me.
-nate

 

[JeepTJ38]

Im with shawn, looked cooler with the back but I understand the urge to just cut the hell out of something.

 

[Herzog]

I wa in your same (or similar) position xj_punk...I started witha full bodied jeep and before I could finish my first rebuild I was wanting to change more and more and more...I was basically heading to a buggy...so I'm not just speaking out my arse

Same here. I think yours is going to be done before mine though.

 

[N-Smooth]

Im with shawn, looked cooler with the back but I understand the urge to just cut the hell out of something.

its not just the urge to cut the hell out of it for me, it is FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION. cherocars weren't built to do what i want them to so i am forcing it.

buggy frames are cool, but i wouldn't want to just buy one.