I thought I would start a build thread here and I would love input from all of you as I go along. I am no stranger to building/restoring cars and that sometimes gets me in trouble as I have seen complete basket cases become show winning street rods. I tend to see automobiles and say to myself "I can fix that".
It would be much easier to start with something a little nicer but what fun would that be, right?
The budget for this build will be $8000, including some of the onboard equipment I plan to buy. That being said, I will need to buy a lot of my parts used and look for deals throughout my build.
Completion time is 1 year from today.
I will be driving and wheeling/camping in this vehicle during most of the build so I need to plan each project (with exeption of body and paint work) so that I will be road worthy the next morning. Your prayers are appreciated.
The purpose:
I would like to say I was heading to Baja or South America but most likely this rig will be used exploring the Rockies and some of the SW united States. We'll see what happens after the kids are grown. I have 3 daughters and the youngest is 9, She thinks MJ stands for "Man Jeep".
The Inspiration: Ooh Baby!
The foundation:
1987 Jeep Comanche 4x4, 4.0, disco d30, d35 in the rear, AX-15, no a/c, bastard lift netting around 2'', manual windows and locks, dents on all four corners but it runs great. I would not hesitate to jump in and drive to the coast right now. Here it is 3 weeks ago when I brought it home.
The plans:
Body:
97+ front clip and doors
Line-x the bed
KJ Renegade light bar
Painted back to Colorado Red with Charcoal or Black flares and rockers
Drive train:
Keeping current motor until I see a need to change it
Adding a/c, this is the only part I am nervous about but I think I can pull it off
Replace with non disco d30, 4:10, arb locker
New 8.25 rear, 4:10, arb locker
Suspension
Mild short arm 3-3.5" lift probably assembled from parts
New rear springs that can deal with the camper shell a bit better
Wheels and tires
Rubicons with 245/75/16Installed currently but I will probably try to find at least 2 new wheels without rash and definately new tires.
Interior
Lots of map lighting
Single din Nav unit with DVD player and satellite radio
Handheld GPS and a Spot connect for redundancy
CB, maybe HAM unit (not currently licensed but interested)
Swapping the tan for gray, 97 manual door panels and gray tweed for the upholstery. Like this
Armor
Factory Gas tank skid (hard to find from what I hear), t-case skid, sliders, probably some sort of rocker sheet metal protection
Bumpers
I'm partial to the ARB front bumper for this truck, looking for a used one.
Homemade rear bumper with 2 swingouts, (one for the tire and one for gas and jack most likely)
Recovery
Winch up front.
D-rings and receiver hitch out back.
Adventure Accessories;
Wildernest Camper or Flippac Camper
Dual batteries
Fridge on a slideout.
Field kitchen
Storage bins and drawers for gear and spares
Onboard air
Onboard water heater and tank
Some sort of awning attached to the shell
I'll update this post with the tally every month or so:
Dollars spent as of July 7, 2011
1987 MJ, $1000.00
Tailgate, $100.00
Tail light, $14.00
Vacuum canister, $5.00
Wildernest Camper $450.00
Aluminum and Hardware $32.00
Total to date $1601.00
It would be much easier to start with something a little nicer but what fun would that be, right?
The budget for this build will be $8000, including some of the onboard equipment I plan to buy. That being said, I will need to buy a lot of my parts used and look for deals throughout my build.
Completion time is 1 year from today.
I will be driving and wheeling/camping in this vehicle during most of the build so I need to plan each project (with exeption of body and paint work) so that I will be road worthy the next morning. Your prayers are appreciated.
The purpose:
I would like to say I was heading to Baja or South America but most likely this rig will be used exploring the Rockies and some of the SW united States. We'll see what happens after the kids are grown. I have 3 daughters and the youngest is 9, She thinks MJ stands for "Man Jeep".
The Inspiration: Ooh Baby!
The foundation:
1987 Jeep Comanche 4x4, 4.0, disco d30, d35 in the rear, AX-15, no a/c, bastard lift netting around 2'', manual windows and locks, dents on all four corners but it runs great. I would not hesitate to jump in and drive to the coast right now. Here it is 3 weeks ago when I brought it home.
The plans:
Body:
97+ front clip and doors
Line-x the bed
KJ Renegade light bar
Painted back to Colorado Red with Charcoal or Black flares and rockers
Drive train:
Keeping current motor until I see a need to change it
Adding a/c, this is the only part I am nervous about but I think I can pull it off
Replace with non disco d30, 4:10, arb locker
New 8.25 rear, 4:10, arb locker
Suspension
Mild short arm 3-3.5" lift probably assembled from parts
New rear springs that can deal with the camper shell a bit better
Wheels and tires
Rubicons with 245/75/16Installed currently but I will probably try to find at least 2 new wheels without rash and definately new tires.
Interior
Lots of map lighting
Single din Nav unit with DVD player and satellite radio
Handheld GPS and a Spot connect for redundancy
CB, maybe HAM unit (not currently licensed but interested)
Swapping the tan for gray, 97 manual door panels and gray tweed for the upholstery. Like this
Armor
Factory Gas tank skid (hard to find from what I hear), t-case skid, sliders, probably some sort of rocker sheet metal protection
Bumpers
I'm partial to the ARB front bumper for this truck, looking for a used one.
Homemade rear bumper with 2 swingouts, (one for the tire and one for gas and jack most likely)
Recovery
Winch up front.
D-rings and receiver hitch out back.
Adventure Accessories;
Wildernest Camper or Flippac Camper
Dual batteries
Fridge on a slideout.
Field kitchen
Storage bins and drawers for gear and spares
Onboard air
Onboard water heater and tank
Some sort of awning attached to the shell
I'll update this post with the tally every month or so:
Dollars spent as of July 7, 2011
1987 MJ, $1000.00
Tailgate, $100.00
Tail light, $14.00
Vacuum canister, $5.00
Wildernest Camper $450.00
Aluminum and Hardware $32.00
Total to date $1601.00
