The hardest part about starting a build thread is knowing where to begin…
I’ve been dreaming about tube chassis, full bodied crawlers for a while now. A quick look around here will tell you that I was not alone. Something about the challenge of building within the envelope of the body and a finished product which is not quite as it seems is either appealing, or as at least one friend proclaimed, stupid!
I’ve had this ’79 CJ-7 since 2001. I picked it up for the cost of a new gas tank (~$80) after the owner’s wife threatened to call the kidney foundation to pick up the “eyesore” in her driveway. I freed the stuck clutch, patched the floor pans, slapped in the new gas tank and drove the bone stock Jeep around for a while.
Soon after, I decided to sell off my TJ and transform the little stock CJ into a trail rig. 15 odd years and 2 motors, 2 transmissions, 2 t-cases, 3 sets of axles, 2 frames, 3 cages, and 3 tubs later, this is where I was at:
Specs were 104” wheelbase, 40” MT/R’s on Trailready’s, 5.0L Mustang motor, T-18, Atlas, full hydro, and leaf sprung D60/14bolt combo. Simple and worked relatively well, but was not without limitations. Regardless, I had the itch to rip into it yet again.
Plans went from just linking the front to linking front and rear, while retaining some portion of the YJ frame I had been running since around 2010. Figured that would keep a good chunk of the Jeep intact and speed the build along, but at the end of the day thoughts of a full tube chassis won out over the relatively simple, but compromised plan.
My goals became:
• Tubular chassis with structural integration of the cage, but still retaining a removable body tub
• 4 link with coilovers front and rear
• 110” wheelbase while retaining a balanced look in the front and without comp cutting the tub
With that decided, I got in a couple last runs in September of ’16 and started the teardown:
I’ve been dreaming about tube chassis, full bodied crawlers for a while now. A quick look around here will tell you that I was not alone. Something about the challenge of building within the envelope of the body and a finished product which is not quite as it seems is either appealing, or as at least one friend proclaimed, stupid!
I’ve had this ’79 CJ-7 since 2001. I picked it up for the cost of a new gas tank (~$80) after the owner’s wife threatened to call the kidney foundation to pick up the “eyesore” in her driveway. I freed the stuck clutch, patched the floor pans, slapped in the new gas tank and drove the bone stock Jeep around for a while.
Soon after, I decided to sell off my TJ and transform the little stock CJ into a trail rig. 15 odd years and 2 motors, 2 transmissions, 2 t-cases, 3 sets of axles, 2 frames, 3 cages, and 3 tubs later, this is where I was at:
Specs were 104” wheelbase, 40” MT/R’s on Trailready’s, 5.0L Mustang motor, T-18, Atlas, full hydro, and leaf sprung D60/14bolt combo. Simple and worked relatively well, but was not without limitations. Regardless, I had the itch to rip into it yet again.
Plans went from just linking the front to linking front and rear, while retaining some portion of the YJ frame I had been running since around 2010. Figured that would keep a good chunk of the Jeep intact and speed the build along, but at the end of the day thoughts of a full tube chassis won out over the relatively simple, but compromised plan.
My goals became:
• Tubular chassis with structural integration of the cage, but still retaining a removable body tub
• 4 link with coilovers front and rear
• 110” wheelbase while retaining a balanced look in the front and without comp cutting the tub
With that decided, I got in a couple last runs in September of ’16 and started the teardown: