Metcalf
Expedition Leader
Neat little video that gives a good primer on using a tablet with 'tasker' for auto power control.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01bKbIagIj8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01bKbIagIj8
Long Jeep.....chasing unicorns
- Thread starter Metcalf
- Start date
en480c4
Observer
This may seem a little outside the box, but since you definitely have the fab skills...
Any thought of modifying a TJ windshield frame to utilize an early-CJ style top-mounted wiper? A low profile motor with linkage either inside the frame itself or inside the cab could work... Or two separate motors. Drawbacks are limited coverage and motor noise inside the cab. Benefits are no removing the wipers to fold down the windshield (if that's your thing) if a TJ-style wiper location is utilized, and IMO they look cool as hell.
Just figured it was worth throwing out there since it was the first thing that came to mind. I loved the setup on my Early CJ-5, though the linkage wasn't there since the passenger had a hand-cranked wiper. And I definitely love readying the discussions here and your flatty build thread.
Metcalf
Expedition Leader
CJ wipers might be able to work. I don't know if there is room in the bottom of the TJ windshield frame though. Looking at a few pics the area below the glass is very short.
There have been people that have modified a CJ/YJ windshield frame to take a TJ top header....and I think you have to lean the windshield back slighty too.
I don't think the aftermarket wiper motor install will be that bad. Basically all I have to do is drill a hole in the right spot and I think weld in a pin for the motor to act against. The only thing that kinda bugs me about the aftermarket wiper motor thing is that the left and right wiper are not synced. I don't think this is a huge deal as long as they can't get tangled up in each other over the strokes. On the delay setting I think they would be pretty close most of the time because they coast to part after each wipe.
I'm not a big fold the windshield down person. I like having the doors off and not having most of the top on. I do like having a windshield and a bikini top on 99.9% of the time. I spent a few too many years baking out in the sun so I try and at least have some shade.
There have been people that have modified a CJ/YJ windshield frame to take a TJ top header....and I think you have to lean the windshield back slighty too.
I don't think the aftermarket wiper motor install will be that bad. Basically all I have to do is drill a hole in the right spot and I think weld in a pin for the motor to act against. The only thing that kinda bugs me about the aftermarket wiper motor thing is that the left and right wiper are not synced. I don't think this is a huge deal as long as they can't get tangled up in each other over the strokes. On the delay setting I think they would be pretty close most of the time because they coast to part after each wipe.
I'm not a big fold the windshield down person. I like having the doors off and not having most of the top on. I do like having a windshield and a bikini top on 99.9% of the time. I spent a few too many years baking out in the sun so I try and at least have some shade.
Metcalf
Expedition Leader
On all the CJ/YJ stuff everything is in the windshield frame and its easy. The factory TJ stuff is all outside the body under the cowl. The Aqualu tub is constructed like a YJ/CJ cowl, but just has the shape of the TJ windshield and firewall to use those parts. I don't think Aqualu makes too many TJ replacement tubs other than custom stuff like this....
Metcalf
Expedition Leader
Today, more little stuff. I am working through some stuff on the top I want to use...
Basically I think I will end up using one of the frameless soft tops for the LJ tub. There are a few on the market....
http://www.quadratec.com/products/11119_1235_07.htm
The Rampage Products version. This is the least expensive version I think but you need to buy a special windshield channel and provide a set of factory soft door surrounds.
http://www.quadratec.com/products/11116_4335_07.htm
The Bestop Trektop NX. Much more expensive but I think it comes with a lot of other stuff including some other door options, surrounds, and the header.
Edit: Another option...
http://www.softopper.com/jeep-wranger-lj01-canvas-soft-top-details.aspx
Cost looks good. They offer a few colors and you can get CLEAR windows!
I need to add up the cost of each total and see about finding some reviews....
Using one of these tops will require the roll bar to have a factory shape at least. Using a factory take out might be an option but I would rather bend up my own out of better material and joints. I will also have a kinda hybrid front cage section with a custom CJ-esk dash. I would like to run a full A-pillar to the floor.
One thing to note about the Aqualu tub is that it doesn't have the retaining rails that the TJ does. You have to use YJ rails that bolt on the top. They are available in the aftermarket easy enough but it does add cost to the program. The LJ length will require more than one side rail since it is longer.
http://www.quadratec.com/products/11002_9002.htm
Sides
http://www.quadratec.com/products/11002_9005.htm
Corners
Just trying to get more ducks in a row.....
Basically I think I will end up using one of the frameless soft tops for the LJ tub. There are a few on the market....
http://www.quadratec.com/products/11119_1235_07.htm
The Rampage Products version. This is the least expensive version I think but you need to buy a special windshield channel and provide a set of factory soft door surrounds.
http://www.quadratec.com/products/11116_4335_07.htm
The Bestop Trektop NX. Much more expensive but I think it comes with a lot of other stuff including some other door options, surrounds, and the header.
Edit: Another option...
http://www.softopper.com/jeep-wranger-lj01-canvas-soft-top-details.aspx
Cost looks good. They offer a few colors and you can get CLEAR windows!
I need to add up the cost of each total and see about finding some reviews....
Using one of these tops will require the roll bar to have a factory shape at least. Using a factory take out might be an option but I would rather bend up my own out of better material and joints. I will also have a kinda hybrid front cage section with a custom CJ-esk dash. I would like to run a full A-pillar to the floor.
One thing to note about the Aqualu tub is that it doesn't have the retaining rails that the TJ does. You have to use YJ rails that bolt on the top. They are available in the aftermarket easy enough but it does add cost to the program. The LJ length will require more than one side rail since it is longer.
http://www.quadratec.com/products/11002_9002.htm
Sides
http://www.quadratec.com/products/11002_9005.htm
Corners
Just trying to get more ducks in a row.....
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EricTyrrell
Expo God
So you want an off-roader with room and HD drivetrain. It's not that hard. Upgrade their axles and many Rovers fit that definition.
Any 110" Defender/Series
LWB RRC
101 FC
You could even swap your favorite diesel (or LR diesel to make it easier).
See these:
http://medford.craigslist.org/cto/3853430124.html
http://medford.craigslist.org/cto/3897133435.html
Any 110" Defender/Series
LWB RRC
101 FC
You could even swap your favorite diesel (or LR diesel to make it easier).
See these:
http://medford.craigslist.org/cto/3853430124.html
http://medford.craigslist.org/cto/3897133435.html
Metcalf
Expedition Leader
You do realize I want an easy to find vehicle in the USA with common affordable parts in the USA that is well made right?
There are not that many 110s around, let alone ones that are cheap and ready to be cut up.
Being in the jeep section I can say that I just don't get the rover thing.....the bodies are thin, the frames are thin, the parts are expensive, etc.
EricTyrrell
Expo God
Nothing against Jeeps, Toyota, etc. Just throwing ideas out there with what I'm most familiar with. Cheap rovers (RRC, D1, D2) are all over the place and ready to be hacked up. The bodies are marine grade aluminum, I'd say 60-100 thou depending on area. Frames are very heavy. There's a reason they weigh and tow more than Jeeps, and it's definitely not all the aluminum. I have no problem finding cheap parts. Just a matter of using good vendors. Any issues are well known and all have fixes.
But if not that, then why not an older Unlimited with upgraded HD drivetrain?
But if not that, then why not an older Unlimited with upgraded HD drivetrain?
Metcalf
Expedition Leader
I mentioned it a few posts back, but I agree that this concept could be built in a lot of other chassis.
All the 90-110 rover stuff I have seen has been pretty much trash. The frames, though boxed, where pretty dang thin material. The same goes for the bodies. That is just my hands on observation.
The range rover and defender stuff just isn't my thing. I would end up hacking and chopping those up so far to get the vehicle as low as I want on the larger tires I want to run.
On the unlimited. It is an option, I have talked about it before. They aren't really giving those things away just yet. I'm not sure if your talking about a JKU or an LJ. Decent units in my area are going for $12-15K. On the LJ really wasn't a ton of them made in the short production run and they are pretty desired as vehicles. For what I want in the end I would end up pretty much gutting the vehicle and having to redo a lot of it. I like fabbing as much as the next guy, probably a little more, but making heavy duty modifications to modern sheetmetal sucks. Most of that stuff is around 18-22 gauge and welding in things like a larger tunnel or larger rear wheel tubs just flat sucks. You might be able to sell off a lot of the stock parts, but you also have to remove them, package them, sell them, and ship them to recover any of the money. Also, in some ways registering a scratch built vehicle might be easier than trying to register just an OEM tub that already has a VIN tag....especially if the tag is salvaged or you don't have the title.
On a lot of levels I think having a nice clean canvas will be VERY nice. I will still have to make a few mods to the Aqualu tub but it will be all on fresh clean thick metal without undercoating, paint, primer, e-coating, etc. In the end I will probably end up with a vehicle that is more spartan than a 2005+ OEM vehicle but I am ok with that. I'm coming off my Willys build and that thing is basically a go-cart.
For how in depth this build will be I don't see using a 'blank' aftermarket tub as a bad being a bad thing....same goes for the frame. If your going to build something this crazy why NOT start with just the bare minimum walls on the box. I have also very seriously considered building a vehicle completely from scratch. For me....that is like pandora's box as far as choices. By using an aluminum LJ tub I have a few limitations to work around but they seem to be just enough to keep me grounded and making progress with the design.
Metcalf
Expedition Leader
Some notes for the day.
A coworker brought in his Samsung Galazy tab 7 for me to check out. It's smaller than I thought. If it was mounted above the steering column it would probably be big enough. If it was mounted in the middle of the dash like I wanted I don't know if it would be large enough. The screen is slightly larger than most of your mordern vehicle nav screens, but not THAT much bigger. I think a 10-11" tablet would be a much better size if mounted in the middle of the dash....
Some links for the brake upgrades I plan on adding to the 2002 dodge 2500 axles.
Front...
http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...56k-t245515.html?&highlight=big+brake+upgrade
http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...002-t196855.html?&highlight=big+brake+upgrade
Rear...
http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/big-brake-upgrade-rear-t270292.html
This upgrade will give me much larger OEM brakes front and rear using bolt on parts. You end up with just about a 14" rotor front and rear with twin piston calipers. You get to keep the oem style rear disc brake system with the hat style drum parking brake on the rear axle. Basically, its like super huge TJ axles. The upgrade is pretty affordable all in all. I am pretty sure the factory Dodge 2500 master cylinder, which is 1 5/16 (vs 1" for a stock TJ ), will bolt up to a YJ/TJ booster.
Bigger brakes have been on my list for years when running larger tires. It always seems that braking systems gets marginal with a 37" or larger tire.
The above brake system upgrade clears the 17" 3rd gen dodge wheels I plan on using because that is where the parts come from! The 2001.5-2002 doge dana 60 axles where basically a crossover year between the change to the later AAM axles. If the AAM axles had lower gears offered I would probably just go that way, but they don't.
I did have a crazy thought about running a 4bt diesel with a set of 4.56 geared/electric locker powerwagon axles and 40" tires in this chassis some day. That would be a neat rig. The latest version of the AAM axles actually has a 1550 size axle u-joint and a factory 35 spline outer stub shaft. Maybe run a 6-speed manual G56 and a 3:1 atlas transfer case. Maybe a fully manual controlled 4l80e. That would be a super nice rig....out of my budget though. If anyone wants me to build them one let me know. :drool:
A coworker brought in his Samsung Galazy tab 7 for me to check out. It's smaller than I thought. If it was mounted above the steering column it would probably be big enough. If it was mounted in the middle of the dash like I wanted I don't know if it would be large enough. The screen is slightly larger than most of your mordern vehicle nav screens, but not THAT much bigger. I think a 10-11" tablet would be a much better size if mounted in the middle of the dash....
Some links for the brake upgrades I plan on adding to the 2002 dodge 2500 axles.
Front...
http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...56k-t245515.html?&highlight=big+brake+upgrade
http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...002-t196855.html?&highlight=big+brake+upgrade
Rear...
http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/big-brake-upgrade-rear-t270292.html
This upgrade will give me much larger OEM brakes front and rear using bolt on parts. You end up with just about a 14" rotor front and rear with twin piston calipers. You get to keep the oem style rear disc brake system with the hat style drum parking brake on the rear axle. Basically, its like super huge TJ axles. The upgrade is pretty affordable all in all. I am pretty sure the factory Dodge 2500 master cylinder, which is 1 5/16 (vs 1" for a stock TJ ), will bolt up to a YJ/TJ booster.
Bigger brakes have been on my list for years when running larger tires. It always seems that braking systems gets marginal with a 37" or larger tire.
The above brake system upgrade clears the 17" 3rd gen dodge wheels I plan on using because that is where the parts come from! The 2001.5-2002 doge dana 60 axles where basically a crossover year between the change to the later AAM axles. If the AAM axles had lower gears offered I would probably just go that way, but they don't.
I did have a crazy thought about running a 4bt diesel with a set of 4.56 geared/electric locker powerwagon axles and 40" tires in this chassis some day. That would be a neat rig. The latest version of the AAM axles actually has a 1550 size axle u-joint and a factory 35 spline outer stub shaft. Maybe run a 6-speed manual G56 and a 3:1 atlas transfer case. Maybe a fully manual controlled 4l80e. That would be a super nice rig....out of my budget though. If anyone wants me to build them one let me know. :drool:
Metcalf
Expedition Leader
Well it looks like parts gathering is going to begin....
A good friend of mine is coming to Colorado with a spare Ford NP205 for me! Yipee!
I need to dig out some of my notes on the old transfer cases. I will need to replace the input for a 32 spline unit ( short or long? ) from a TH400 version. I might as well give it a full rebuild with new bearings and seals. I will also need to modify the shift rails for independent control. I am sure there is a few other mods in my old notes....
The parts hunting list is long. I'm not rushing so I should be able to old out for some good deals...
A good friend of mine is coming to Colorado with a spare Ford NP205 for me! Yipee!
I need to dig out some of my notes on the old transfer cases. I will need to replace the input for a 32 spline unit ( short or long? ) from a TH400 version. I might as well give it a full rebuild with new bearings and seals. I will also need to modify the shift rails for independent control. I am sure there is a few other mods in my old notes....
The parts hunting list is long. I'm not rushing so I should be able to old out for some good deals...
Brennan,
For gauges I think your on the right track with less is more. With the 5.3 in my Jeepster I have used Torque for real time date and it is plenty fast enough updating for use. To be honest I just run the factory gauge cluster now. Fuel level, temp gauge, speedo, oil and amp idiot lights. I don't really find myself wishing for more and I like the simple nature and not having to worry about watching everything while driving.
I would find an interesting gauge cluster you like and use that. The CJ gauge is simple and easy to find senders for, definitely fits the less is more build. You could also maybe look at the older Willys trucks or wagons and just adapt the correct sending units to the motor. That is what I did to run the Jeepster gauges with the 5.3.
For gauges I think your on the right track with less is more. With the 5.3 in my Jeepster I have used Torque for real time date and it is plenty fast enough updating for use. To be honest I just run the factory gauge cluster now. Fuel level, temp gauge, speedo, oil and amp idiot lights. I don't really find myself wishing for more and I like the simple nature and not having to worry about watching everything while driving.
I would find an interesting gauge cluster you like and use that. The CJ gauge is simple and easy to find senders for, definitely fits the less is more build. You could also maybe look at the older Willys trucks or wagons and just adapt the correct sending units to the motor. That is what I did to run the Jeepster gauges with the 5.3.
Metcalf
Expedition Leader
Can a few people get me a measurement or two?
I need a measurement from the bottom of the rocker to the ground near the front flare AND a measurement from the corner of the grill shell over the frame rail where the little rubber bumper mounts to the ground?
I am trying to get a better idea of the amount of front frame kick I can design into the frame. I rastorized the line drawing above and scaled it to pull some measurements from. It looks like the factory frame used about 6.8" of kick in the front. I would like to try and figure out if I can add more by raising the frame rail up to the little pocket on the outside of the grill and install a much shorter rubber bumper.
Just one of those little things. If I can get a few sets of measurements from a few people that would be nice for a little better average.
Edit: This would be anyone with a Jeep TJ willing to help.
I need a measurement from the bottom of the rocker to the ground near the front flare AND a measurement from the corner of the grill shell over the frame rail where the little rubber bumper mounts to the ground?
I am trying to get a better idea of the amount of front frame kick I can design into the frame. I rastorized the line drawing above and scaled it to pull some measurements from. It looks like the factory frame used about 6.8" of kick in the front. I would like to try and figure out if I can add more by raising the frame rail up to the little pocket on the outside of the grill and install a much shorter rubber bumper.
Just one of those little things. If I can get a few sets of measurements from a few people that would be nice for a little better average.
Edit: This would be anyone with a Jeep TJ willing to help.
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