"Special Delivery" another postal build........

[freaknajeep]

so hey all...names oliver...just finishing up a project that started out as a 78 ford and turned into a 99 cherokee....dont ask but heres a pic

it lookes different now but not by much...but anyway on to the point...was on the way to make a delivery and noticed a poor liitle neglected jeep like vehicle(mail jeep) sitting all alone and scared in some weeds next to some mangled wreck of a jap car...so i decided to rescue it....or at least thats what it thinks....ive been following 95yjjeep's religiously prolly have read it like 3 times from start to finish...but any way...

heres what i got to start with...a bone stock 1971 am general dj-5b light delivery vehicle complete w/ amber strobe light on roof...still intact...it has a 232(4.0L) and some automatic trans, that supposedly runs....a small amt of cancer mostly in floor soon to get cut away....will try and post some pics latter today

so heres the plan....
dana 60 rear 4 linked w/ coils.............have
hp44 front custom(teraflex style) 2 link front w/coils........have(searchig for driver drop 60 )
'93 4.0L propaned, w/ vacuum adv dist.......have
'99 aisin aw4 or equiv trans with swizzle shift kit.......have trans not kit
'99 np231............have...soon to be equiped with sye
indo-exo cage
tire size yet to be determined but 39.5x19 boggers on 15x8's will hold it up for now during the build

ok thats all i got for now..at least as far as the plan goes....will prolly just weld the 60 ands leave the 44 open for now as locking a 44 with anything over 33" is signing its death warrant...now granted i run a hp44 in the truck above with 44" interco farm tires and usualy only eat 2 ring and pinions a year but only because its "open"...lol....

so thats my story or soon to be that is....flame if you want just make it usefull info rather than just venting...lol

 

[GubNi]

I've been waiting to ask this for years!!

How much body lift you got on that cherokee?

 

[family xj]

I want some more pics of the Xj with tractor tires.

 

[freaknajeep]

I've been waiting to ask this for years!!
How much body lift you got on that cherokee?

Well since youve been waiting so long...lol....umm actually none..it is simply bolted and welded to a lifted 78ford bronco chassis....

If any one wants to see the build process of the xj i guess i can start a new thread on it tho it would be short

 

[freaknajeep]

I want some more pics of the Xj with tractor tires.

just after setting on chassis

chassis

body with linked suspension removed

body with linked suspension

the "Original" body with linked suspension

 

[freaknajeep]

ok so there some picks of the xj ill leave the rest to yall imigination.....cus after all this thread is really about a itty bitty mail jeep soon to grow a pair...lol pics to come soon

 

[Chris_Keziah]

Might wanna look at this for the HP44 until you can find a 60.
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=948996

Good lookin start I always like seeing more rigs on tractor tires.

 

[trailhugger]

Welcome, Oliver! Can't wait to see this build, sounds pretty interesting!

 

[freaknajeep]

ok well finally got time to start the build will load some pics here directly......

 

[freaknajeep]

ok so here are some pics of the dj5-b when it came home

 

[freaknajeep]

and heres where it starts gettin crazy

the suspension...

getting ready to cough up drivetrain...

drivetrain removed time to lose the suspension...

suspension gone...

yeah i know using one truck to build another is kinda redneck....

suspension under truck but not quite installed...

more pics to come later today ... have made lots of progress...tons of sheet metal replacement has occured...but hey its still all original cut from side doors...lol

 

[freaknajeep]

so here is a teaser pic...will splain later

 

[freaknajeep]

well was making hella headway on structural sheet metal replacement until a wonderfully hot peice of slag from the plasma decided to adhere itself to my eyeball...waited 4 days for it to pop off but it never did so i had to go to stupid Dr.....but starting to feel better now might get back on it later today...

heres whats done so far....

left side rocker panel fabed and welded in(as seen in pic in above post)...
left front a piller at base was rotted out...made new base and butt welded in will put a diamond shaped peice on back for extra ridigness....
replaced front corner sheet on body under vent(left side)
dana 60/coils and 5' longarms tacked in place(rear)....need to move upper coil seat up about 2.5-3" to tuck tires a little more
repainted defrost diffuser tray
roll pan at rear door replaced...
soon to fill gas filler hole and start on right side

have a set of poly body bushings from my 78 bronco im going to modify and use as the body pucks once new mount stands are added/replaced..i.e...on body and frame...then mount it with 5/8" grade 8 hardware....

 

[95yjjeep]

Where are the pics?! What wheelbase are you planning on? I assume full hydro steering with the front axle being pushed forward that far. I know the feeling about the rusty body. That's been a Job!! Let's see a full side shot with the axles.

 

[freaknajeep]

[QUOTEWhere are the pics?! What wheelbase are you planning on? I assume full hydro steering with the front axle being pushed forward that far. I know the feeling about the rusty body. That's been a Job!! Let's see a full side shot with the axles.][/QUOTE]

at the moment wheelbase is 112"...i want the body to sit 3" lower between tires and yes full hydro is the only way to go...havent run linkage type steering since first offroad truck...lol

ok on to pics..

side shots first...

left front panel and rocker work....

rear roll pan...

well....here later im going to try and fab up the front upper perches for the front springs and cut the front bumper down...so tires will clear...just in case anyone was wondering they are 39.5x18 boggers with about 18%tread left...lol....still looking for any helpfull info and or critisizm i can get ...thanks

 

[freaknajeep]

oh yeah the left rear control arm will be flipped and rotated to work with the lower stance of body to allow for more ground clearance...

 

[freaknajeep]

hee hee oh and one more thought...would i just be totaly wrong if i painted it like a wwII medic jeep and put " Toyota Rescue" down the sides...lol

 

[Ray VanBuren]

When I had my '71 DJ my plan was to obtain another, lop the back off mine behind the back windows, lop off the back of the second one in front of the back windows, attach the two to make a unique, stretched DJ 'wheeler. Never materialized, though.

 

[Ray VanBuren]

Oh, and my DJ was LHD.

 

[up-n-over]

hee hee oh and one more thought...would i just be totaly wrong if i painted it like a wwII medic jeep and put " Toyota Rescue" down the sides...lol

Careful... I put a sticker on my old '73 Bronco that said "Jeep Rescue Vehicle" on it. I then immediately had a cooling fan failure that caused me to have to be pulled several miles down the beach by a Jeep.... Not too good...

 

[freaknajeep]

Careful... I put a sticker on my old '73 Bronco that said "Jeep Rescue Vehicle" on it. I then immediately had a cooling fan failure that caused me to have to be pulled several miles down the beach by a Jeep.... Not too good...

yeah true i guess...i could prolly get away with chevy rescue but yota's are pretty tuff...at least on the rocks....somethin about those 22r's tho that when playin in the mud in colder temps hit a good deep hole and there yer head warps...i mostly was goin to do it to agitate my buddy...i went to TN recently and we took an old four-runner he bought and straight axled it with the complete 6" weld in kit from trail gear....he claims his lil yota will out pull my xj all day long...hmmmm lets see him-22r,456:1 front n rear,38 boggers...me-400m,c6,np205,456:1front n rear,44" r-1 tractor tires....i dont think so...lol

anywhos...finally got close enuff on the (was supposed one week/500$ ) bathroom renovation...(which turned into a 2 mth/2000$ project)....wife might let me get back out to jeep again...did manage to pick up a 110amp gm one wire alt from "DB Electrical" and now the xj finally charges..which also now makes it a true AMC because its got a chrysler body, ford chassis and motor,and gm electrical(gm style hei as well as alt)...lol..oh and did i mention the alt is chrome...ha ha now ill never get home

 

[freaknajeep]

well ordered some steel ill need soon wont have it fer a week so looks like im playing with cardboard for a day or so...

right now these are the specs minus drivetrain

height: 84"
wheelbase: 112"+ or - an inch(front end just mocked in will prolly change to about 108")
ground to frame: 32"
rear axle: dana 60 (empty waiting on gears...have locker and 3.54's but want 4.56's)
front axle: hp d44 (empty waiting on gears,chromo shafts, etc)
rear links: 51"x1 3/4"x.250" dom...with currie rockjock johnny joints
front links: will be same i extended original links from 36" to 50" to test fit
rear springs: rubicon express 4" super flex coils
front springs" stock '04 f250 4x4 coils
shocks: will be 36" bilstiens
motor: hmmmmmmmmmmmmm (got a complete HO 4.0l with trans n case but hmmm)

well thats all i got fer now

 

[freaknajeep]

so got most of original brackets cut off the frame over the last couple days...hmmm too bad all vehicles werent built like thie frame on this jeep...every bracket was hot rivited then fully welded...total P.I.A.!!!!! to remove them...." pics to come tommorow or monday"...also after much study and consideration decided to build a full tub length subframe out of 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 14ga square tube... this will make the firewall stretch much easier...as of now it looks like the stretch will be about 8".....should have that old skool hotrod roadster look i hope....

 

[freaknajeep]

so ive pretty much decided that the xj will never see the trail in its present form....hmmmm 9 mnths on a build never to see it ride yeah well....i need the drive train and the front shafts, and the winches...lol the mail jeep will weigh like a third of the xj...so.....lets see its ummm june the 17th or so...hmmm so we will say jeep should be driveable by lets say sept 1st....maybee no gears but rollin none the less....pics to come tommorow

 

[freaknajeep]

oh yeah fixin to go pick up some steel...im stoked finally gonna get some "real" progress done...tired of grinding and cutting...also strengthening the fire wall by adding some pieces i cut out of the coverplate to a 78 bronco tailgate...some will be added to create boxed areas others will be butt welded in...well gotta run but will be back later today with a buttload of pics...lol...well maybe not a buttload...but a few