bigassedredjeep
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2005
- Location
- Middlesex, NC
Let's see some progress.. Or new parts atleast?
Another LJ stretched on 42's "Sylvia"
- Thread starter VecoPlan
- Start date
dkrajcovic
DKRAJCOVIC
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2010
- Location
- lincolnton
more pics
VecoPlan
Member
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2008
- Location
- High Point, NC
Ya know what? Life is funny... in the last 3 years since I started this build and in the last 18 months since the Jeep has essentially been more of a paperweight than an automobile my life has been blessed beyond measure. I've met a ton of you great guys through Pirate, John, Tim, Mike, Will, Adam, Gil, Brad, Lance, Andy... the list just goes on and on and if we're friends you know who you are. To me the Jeep has always been as much about the journey as it has been about the destination. Having been raised by a man that to this day doesn't know how to change his own oil working on vehicles, initially in bolt on rice rocket crapp, then bikes, the bolt on Jeep stuff, then mild fabrication to becoming a pretty solid welder, knowing my way around a press brake and a CNC table, and learning just how black and white words like plumb, square and pregnant really are.
God is good... but life is also hard. Alot of you have noticed (based on the flattering number of PMs I get) that basically nothing has happened in the last 10 months so here is the scoop and what the future holds.
- in June 2011 after years of trying and losing baby after baby we had a little girl and those of you guys that know what that is like know that the amount of time you spend with dogs, family, and your spouse just pale in comparison to what we want to spend with our little girls. So... Jeep goes from priority #4 to Priority #10 in the list. Production slows to a grind.
- in February I got a promotion that put me on the road about 2x what I already was doing which is a huge gift from God but which also meant that what my already strangled life because even less devoted to the Jeep project.
- in the spring of last year we had a fire. Lightning struck the carriage house (what old houses built in 1908 like mine have in place of a garage), ran up the electrical panel which was improperly grounded and basically followed the lines all the way to the 2x 240v outlets which basically exploded and burnt that portion of the building to the ground doing severe smoke damage to everything else. The tub, the frame, and the metal goods not in the immediate vicinity of the fire were a little bronze... but otherwise fine but all my tools which were in the back corner of the shop near the welder, plasma, and outlets... gone. Insurance basically sucks (and look... I read the policy and approved the numbers so I am to blame for not considering the value of what I had and what the pieces cost that I owned were so I suck too) and though I had considerable coverage I topped out in categories which meant I've been mostly on my own through this sans the building itself less deductible and whatever the categorical caps would provide. No tools, damaged soft goods (Recaros, floor mats, top, carpet, wiring, stereo, dash, seals, and even the transmission melted!) and a hurting budget are not good ingredients in the stew that is a high dollar Jeep build. Still, as I said above I love the journey as much as the destination so we rebuild the garage, claim what can be claimed and start amassing replacement items to get wind back in the sails. Big step backwards.
- All summer and this fall I have been collecting parts and am 90% back of the way basically only missing the following components:
Transfer case (was going to do an Atlas 2HD from Advanced Adapters based on reviews from Pillsbury who raves about his over the 4 he had before it)...
Motor mounts- advanced adapters makes a kit that the frame that Artec and I have been working on was designed to accept
Drivelines for front and rear (of course I was going to use you boys at Oliver's in Winston)
U joints front and rear
Headlights- was planning on Vision X 7” Prime round lights with Oracle doing LED rings for them inside for a little visibility when you have someone in front of you and need to see the trail w/o blinding the poor guy cutting a trail for you.
Upper foglight bar/light (also was planning on 52” vision X lights) for when NOONE is in front of you
Auto trans shifter (was planning on Art Carr)
Center Console/Dash (was planning on fabing this out of MDF and aluminum with some inlays-)
E-brake assembly (was planning on T-Case brake with T-case)
Side rockers- Was in process of making my own until I stumbled across most amazing rockers I have ever seen that had a step that came down. Not bestop BS but an actual slider that has a flush mount mechanism. Saw one get the crapp knocked out of it on Daniel (Uwharrie ORV) and after all day riding behind the dude we stop for grub and the step comes out. awesome.
Gauge Cluster- my cluster is ok even after the fire I think but it will need to be flashed as part of the new computer install anyhow. My plan was so send it to Dakota Digital for overhaul and digital retrofit.
Roll bar padding (foam padding)
Steering wheel- mine is ruined from fire
T-case shifter kit- (was going to use the novak kit and a custom set of handled that are offered through Advance Adapters)
Paint, Line-x and powder
Lugs and new bolts for wheels
New gaskets for beadlocks (existing ones melted)
Tire carrier/bumper-
New top
Just the dressings really sans the Tcase.
Then this happened...
On November 7th, 2013 at approximately 2:38AM while at SEMA in Vegas with myself and another friend one of my best friends for nearly the past 20 years passed away in his sleep not 50 feet from me and not 15 feet from our other friend. He was 37 years old this fall, has a young wife and a little girl the same age as my daughter and was just taken from this world. Perfectly healthy, very happy, and with friends but just taken. We are still waiting both on the toxicology and autopsy reports mandated by Clarke County in such instances but needless to say when you lose someone you love so abruptly and at such a young age it just wakes you up as to where you are in your life and what perspective really is. The last week has been tough and I basically have just spent alot of time in prayer and thankful reflection on what I have been given undeservedly in this life and how this towers over the contributions that I perhaps make in return. Then I realized the opportunity I had in front of me to do something meaningful and wonderful for a great man and the crushed young family he left behind.
It all started with the setup of a non-profit categorized trust made for his family by the good folks at AAA Carolinas. Then it turned in to a group of 5-6 of his closest friends coming together (thanks Mike Green from Pitbull Tire for really injecting this idea in to my thick skull) to do a build we could sell locally to raise some money for his family. Then I realized that I have the perfect vehicle for this sitting in my newly rebuilt carriage house and that since time has really always been my issue since our little one came along now I have a team of people who can pick up the slack where I cannot. So, we called around and the amazing people of this industry thus far have, to a man, really stepped up. A popular TV show which focuses on awesome projects (yes... this is a teaser) has agreed to do an episode on the story and the build, about 10 local shops in the Charlotte area are on board to donate tax-deductible time, funds, and parts to the charity, and a certain industry media publication we all pick up while our wives are in the house goods section at Walmart is going to write an article on it. Additionally, though I do not have any formal commitments from them as to what specifically is being offered, SEMA has been incredible in reaching out to see how they can help. So... the plan is build this thing the way Jeeps are meant to be built, make it the Magna Cum Laude of the 2014 SEMA show, and either auction or raffle this thing off for charity at next years' event. We have a long road ahead of us, but 50k "worth" of parts in a pile and a dream is a heck of a start. Keep us in your prayers.
Additionally you may be thinking to yourself "what I can do to help this poor family that lost their father, husband, and provider"? Well... you can help them out.
Information below from Marcus’ business site on FB. Evolution Auto Salon, Indian Trail NC
The fine folks at AAA Carolinas have set up a memorial trust for Marcus Klaus and his family to help provide for them as Marcus would have done. Anyone who is trying to figure out what they can do to help. Here's your opportunity to do so. Anyone that would rather help in person can drop by the shop and I will make sure it is deposited in the account. Thank you all.
Memorial donations can be made payable to “Kristie Klaus, Owner, FBO Kayden Klaus 529” and mailed to Cap Trust as noted below.
You can use PayPal to make a donation for Kristie/Kayden as well. Please use mferguson3@carolina.rr.com
Addresses:
Cap Trust Financial Advisors
c/o Ed Dalrymple for Kayden Klaus
4201 Congress Street
Suite 160
Charlotte NC, 28209
Attached below are the last two photos I have taken with Marcus the afternoon before he passed. I'll always cherish his fearless friendship and his devotion to the sport, industry, and hobby of automotive aftermarket.
Thanks for reading my story.
God is good... but life is also hard. Alot of you have noticed (based on the flattering number of PMs I get) that basically nothing has happened in the last 10 months so here is the scoop and what the future holds.
- in June 2011 after years of trying and losing baby after baby we had a little girl and those of you guys that know what that is like know that the amount of time you spend with dogs, family, and your spouse just pale in comparison to what we want to spend with our little girls. So... Jeep goes from priority #4 to Priority #10 in the list. Production slows to a grind.
- in February I got a promotion that put me on the road about 2x what I already was doing which is a huge gift from God but which also meant that what my already strangled life because even less devoted to the Jeep project.
- in the spring of last year we had a fire. Lightning struck the carriage house (what old houses built in 1908 like mine have in place of a garage), ran up the electrical panel which was improperly grounded and basically followed the lines all the way to the 2x 240v outlets which basically exploded and burnt that portion of the building to the ground doing severe smoke damage to everything else. The tub, the frame, and the metal goods not in the immediate vicinity of the fire were a little bronze... but otherwise fine but all my tools which were in the back corner of the shop near the welder, plasma, and outlets... gone. Insurance basically sucks (and look... I read the policy and approved the numbers so I am to blame for not considering the value of what I had and what the pieces cost that I owned were so I suck too) and though I had considerable coverage I topped out in categories which meant I've been mostly on my own through this sans the building itself less deductible and whatever the categorical caps would provide. No tools, damaged soft goods (Recaros, floor mats, top, carpet, wiring, stereo, dash, seals, and even the transmission melted!) and a hurting budget are not good ingredients in the stew that is a high dollar Jeep build. Still, as I said above I love the journey as much as the destination so we rebuild the garage, claim what can be claimed and start amassing replacement items to get wind back in the sails. Big step backwards.
- All summer and this fall I have been collecting parts and am 90% back of the way basically only missing the following components:
Transfer case (was going to do an Atlas 2HD from Advanced Adapters based on reviews from Pillsbury who raves about his over the 4 he had before it)...
Motor mounts- advanced adapters makes a kit that the frame that Artec and I have been working on was designed to accept
Drivelines for front and rear (of course I was going to use you boys at Oliver's in Winston)
U joints front and rear
Headlights- was planning on Vision X 7” Prime round lights with Oracle doing LED rings for them inside for a little visibility when you have someone in front of you and need to see the trail w/o blinding the poor guy cutting a trail for you.
Upper foglight bar/light (also was planning on 52” vision X lights) for when NOONE is in front of you
Auto trans shifter (was planning on Art Carr)
Center Console/Dash (was planning on fabing this out of MDF and aluminum with some inlays-)
E-brake assembly (was planning on T-Case brake with T-case)
Side rockers- Was in process of making my own until I stumbled across most amazing rockers I have ever seen that had a step that came down. Not bestop BS but an actual slider that has a flush mount mechanism. Saw one get the crapp knocked out of it on Daniel (Uwharrie ORV) and after all day riding behind the dude we stop for grub and the step comes out. awesome.
Gauge Cluster- my cluster is ok even after the fire I think but it will need to be flashed as part of the new computer install anyhow. My plan was so send it to Dakota Digital for overhaul and digital retrofit.
Roll bar padding (foam padding)
Steering wheel- mine is ruined from fire
T-case shifter kit- (was going to use the novak kit and a custom set of handled that are offered through Advance Adapters)
Paint, Line-x and powder
Lugs and new bolts for wheels
New gaskets for beadlocks (existing ones melted)
Tire carrier/bumper-
New top
Just the dressings really sans the Tcase.
Then this happened...
On November 7th, 2013 at approximately 2:38AM while at SEMA in Vegas with myself and another friend one of my best friends for nearly the past 20 years passed away in his sleep not 50 feet from me and not 15 feet from our other friend. He was 37 years old this fall, has a young wife and a little girl the same age as my daughter and was just taken from this world. Perfectly healthy, very happy, and with friends but just taken. We are still waiting both on the toxicology and autopsy reports mandated by Clarke County in such instances but needless to say when you lose someone you love so abruptly and at such a young age it just wakes you up as to where you are in your life and what perspective really is. The last week has been tough and I basically have just spent alot of time in prayer and thankful reflection on what I have been given undeservedly in this life and how this towers over the contributions that I perhaps make in return. Then I realized the opportunity I had in front of me to do something meaningful and wonderful for a great man and the crushed young family he left behind.
It all started with the setup of a non-profit categorized trust made for his family by the good folks at AAA Carolinas. Then it turned in to a group of 5-6 of his closest friends coming together (thanks Mike Green from Pitbull Tire for really injecting this idea in to my thick skull) to do a build we could sell locally to raise some money for his family. Then I realized that I have the perfect vehicle for this sitting in my newly rebuilt carriage house and that since time has really always been my issue since our little one came along now I have a team of people who can pick up the slack where I cannot. So, we called around and the amazing people of this industry thus far have, to a man, really stepped up. A popular TV show which focuses on awesome projects (yes... this is a teaser) has agreed to do an episode on the story and the build, about 10 local shops in the Charlotte area are on board to donate tax-deductible time, funds, and parts to the charity, and a certain industry media publication we all pick up while our wives are in the house goods section at Walmart is going to write an article on it. Additionally, though I do not have any formal commitments from them as to what specifically is being offered, SEMA has been incredible in reaching out to see how they can help. So... the plan is build this thing the way Jeeps are meant to be built, make it the Magna Cum Laude of the 2014 SEMA show, and either auction or raffle this thing off for charity at next years' event. We have a long road ahead of us, but 50k "worth" of parts in a pile and a dream is a heck of a start. Keep us in your prayers.
Additionally you may be thinking to yourself "what I can do to help this poor family that lost their father, husband, and provider"? Well... you can help them out.
Information below from Marcus’ business site on FB. Evolution Auto Salon, Indian Trail NC
The fine folks at AAA Carolinas have set up a memorial trust for Marcus Klaus and his family to help provide for them as Marcus would have done. Anyone who is trying to figure out what they can do to help. Here's your opportunity to do so. Anyone that would rather help in person can drop by the shop and I will make sure it is deposited in the account. Thank you all.
Memorial donations can be made payable to “Kristie Klaus, Owner, FBO Kayden Klaus 529” and mailed to Cap Trust as noted below.
You can use PayPal to make a donation for Kristie/Kayden as well. Please use mferguson3@carolina.rr.com
Addresses:
Cap Trust Financial Advisors
c/o Ed Dalrymple for Kayden Klaus
4201 Congress Street
Suite 160
Charlotte NC, 28209
Attached below are the last two photos I have taken with Marcus the afternoon before he passed. I'll always cherish his fearless friendship and his devotion to the sport, industry, and hobby of automotive aftermarket.
Thanks for reading my story.
mbalbritton
#@$%!
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2005
- Location
- Orlando, FL
frankenyoter
No Rain, No Rainbow
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2009
- Location
- DARK CITY
X3
pcole0920
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2009
- Location
- Lexington NC
X4-6. Great to know people still care
rodney eppes
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2010
- Location
- Mt.Holly NC 28120
X7 -- Keep it rolling
VecoPlan
Member
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2008
- Location
- High Point, NC
Update: got all the parts moved to a bay with a lift and steel racking to hold all the parts. Got the frame on the table to start on getting the front and rear bumper assemblies welded up. Getting the party started!
CTRaceWorx
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2007
- Location
- Charlotte
Hope to see this soon