Hey guys,

Please let me know your opinions of my next project idea.

Originally I had planned a simple boring 1 ton YJ with 105" WB.

However, I am now thinking it would be much cooler to set a Series Rover body (prob SWB) on the YJ frame and 1ton gear.

I would use a Rover frame, but one is not available in decent shape here.

I'm not sure what body my source will have available, but It'll be a series SWB.

Any opinions or ideas? Any experience with Hybrid Rovers?

I'm wondering which other bits (other than the body) I should try and source Rover (pedals, steering column, etc?)

Thanks

I think you should make it a coiler. Did you know there is a book!
http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/1899870504.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1899870504/johnsdomainservi/202-2994570-4828622

go for it, but heres what i would do.

buy a good condition stock series IIA 88" with a good body and frame, but a bad drivetrain. expect to pay about $5000.

then, using the series body AND frame, drop in a big block, SM465, doubler, and D60s. do a search for posts by Strange Rover here on the board and you will find a bunch of pics of his badass SIIA/Range Rover hybrid.

it is 100" WB, with 42" tires.

where are you located? i might be able to get you tha hookup on a shiteload of parts.

adam

If you have a few $$$ frames can be had Also most frames rust out in back mainly so that could work with a little cut and shut.

whats your budget? Canada you should be able to get by cheap for the donor.

Ron

Hmmmm....

I can see that it's time for someone on THIS side of the pond to write a book about the truly ultimate hybrids. We could of course have submissions from OZ included.

I have an idea for people to be featured in different chapters.

Anyone think this is half-way doable???

Michael

"You do a considerable amount of thinking for a mechanic"
-C3PO-

Located.....Eastern Canada = serious rust belt.

Budget? - I won't embarass myself....but that 5k IIA would blow more than all of it.

What I want to try and do is combine the bits I have and can get cheaply....not a great strategy - but reality bites!

What I have is a good YJ frame, an as-yet unidentified LR SWB body and title, 351m, T-18, 2xNP205, RCD44, and D70.

I plan on the 351m, T-18, ORD Doubler, RCD44 (to be replaced by RC60 IF I ever find one reasonably, but I'm not waiting, and the D70. D70 is about 63" wms, 4.56 gears and powr-lok itching to be welded.

The serious bucks will be in the ORD doubler, tubing bender, and eventual beadlocks with 39.5 TSLs.

It has to be "semi streetable" as in - I only drive to the trail, my buddy will inspect it IF it doesn;t look so wild every cop will wave it down.

I think I'll be chatting with Strange Rover....my D70 is a big old 23 spliner just like his...coincidence???:)

Old Scout - thanks for the tip on the book, gonna get that. Oh yea - coils = control arms = more gemetry than my tiny brain can handle....gonna stick with simple SOA (prob Ford pickup springs) and build a truly minimalist rig (that's my excuse anyway!)

Cheers all

Keep the ideas and experience coming

sounds cool. got a pic of the body? i can ID it for ya.

adam

Sounds like a good plan. Anything with a rover body is a good plan and they are small and flat and really easy to work with. (and in OZ they grow on trees and you can get a body complete for $100).

The easy part is to mount the body on to the frame. Especially the way I did mine (and we mounted one on a swb scout 2 frame the same way). Ill see if I can dig up some pics.

Its a lot easier to use a later model land rover steering column and pedals (out of a Series Three Stage One I think) but as always anything can be made to fit. I just adapted my range rover pedals and steering column and steering wheel to fit. It wasnt all that hard but a bit of muching around.

Fitting the radiator may also cause problems depending on where you mount the motor and where you put the bonet and grill. I mover my bonnet and grill forward a bit but left the motor in the stock position and put the rad flat under the bonnet. It would be easier to move the motor back and mount the rad as normal esp if you gotta custom do the motor mounts and DS etc.

Its lots of work though but would be worth while cause it would be different.

Sam

Poopsie,

I'll post pics when i get it. It isn;t yet identified, not so much because i can't, but because the fellow I'll be getting it from has a bit of an old Rover graveyard farm place, and I've only e-mailed him, and he said he had what i needed...i don;t know which or which combo of pieces and parts he will be selling me.

Old Scout - ordered the book - hope it's good!

I'm not hearing anyone say "no way...it'll never work" so It's a go.

Strange Rover - any pics or other insight would be awesome.

I figure this'll prob. take quite a bit of time and trial and error, so I'll likely keep the Xj wheelin in the meantime.

Bill

If I knew what a YJ frame looked like I could probably help more. Width could be an issue.

If you are lucky you will be able to find a set of bulkhead outriggers on one of the frames in the bone yard. Also try to find a bulkhead that only need floor panels and not "feet" as well (cost issue). If you can weld this to a YJ frame the rest gets easy. All the other body mounts are just simple tabs. Even the bulkhead mounts are pretty easy to fab if you had to.

Later trucks with power brakes have a better brake pedal assembly for adapting to other MCs. The clutch on all is the same but the later ones have an integrated resivoir

You can also make a couple bucks by ebay all the spare parts you don't need. I got about 1500 out of a beat up/rusted out SIII and I kept the good stuff.

Anyway its a good idea, but the only thing I would do would be buy/find a rover frame and use that. Even if it is a range rover frame and convert to leafs (free to cheap for a RR frame usually) as IMHO it will be easier and cheaper in the end.