Project Scrambled

[bbaCJ8]

See post #4

[VTJeepCJ84]

was this one attached to your bumper, cause i hate it when they do that ****

[bbaCJ8]

Originally Posted by VTJeepCJ84

was this one attached to your bumper, cause i hate it when they do that ****

[bbaCJ8]

The Jeep thing flared up again a while back and no matter how much I itched it wouldn't go away. But everybody has Jeeps now. I liked when I got my XJ cuz there were very few built up ones running around. Even my initial 3"/31s was uncommon when I started. That changed and I didn't like it. I love the whole Wrangler thing, open top, fun wheelin, etc, but those don't do a whole lot for me anymore cuz even cheerleaders are drivin around with YJs and TJs on 33s. Unlimiteds are cool but more than I'd like to spend on building up a rig since I'm not interested in building a DD. Brutes are fukking awesome, but the $9k kit on top of everything else just ain't happening. I love all the older Jeeps, but any of the FSJs wouldn't have fit my needs, J trucks are still closed cab and damn near impossible to find around here, but CJs are always a possibility. But they just don't stand out that much from the crowd. Hmmm, what to do then? I was randomly looking on craigslist and it came to me....Scrambler!!! It's got the coolness of an open top, the usefullness of an Unlimited and a pickup, the wheelbase I'd be going to anyway, and it's a classic Jeep.
So the search began. Turns out the right candidate is really fukkin hard to find. They're rare to begin with, plus I live in the rust belt. Anything I found was either a rusted out pile of sh1t, or restored and $12k. I don't need a full restoration, but I don't want a basket case either. I wanted something solid to work as a good platform for my plans. Scramblers have a big frame rust problem. I checked one out that had the inner C completely rusted out. Some are repaired, but usually half asssed. Not much better.
Anyway since only like 2 people will care to read this, after bouncing around a couple potentials the nearly perfect candidate came along. I'll just go straight to the pics, in no particular order:

[scudweiser]

thisll take care of tailgaters ese.

[VTJeepCJ84]

hell yeah Sean. I like it!!

[bbaCJ8]

So here's the rest of the info:
82 Scrambler
Original frame, rear 6' replaced very well with 1/8" or 3/16" steel, powdercoated
Fiberglass tub. Not my first choice, but it was either that, rust everywhere, or a ridiculous price. I'll add armor in the right spots and if it gets FUBARd it'll become a steel replacement body or a bunch of tube. For now it'll work perfect.
AMC401
TH400
Twin sticked D300
Widetrack D30 and Model 20, rebuilt with less than 500 miles and 4.10s. 1 Piece shafts out back
4" SUA lift
Front shackle reversal
A sh1t ton of parts
It's got lots of nice little details that I don't feel like listing out. Stuff like new brake lines front to rear, steel braided fuel and tranny cooler lines front to rear, etc. It's not wired but comes with a VERY nice harness, all labeled and everything. I'd rather this anyway since most wiring jobs I've seen have just been afterthoughts. I'd much rather do it myself and have it be clean....PhatYJ style.

It doesn't run, drive, stop, park, etc. It's a very imcomplete project.....exactly what I wanted. It had gotten very well done attention in the right places so I don't have to go back and fix other peoples' mistakes. The frame is extremely solid. I could do without the powdercoating since I'll end up grinding and welding various spots anyway, but at least that means it had to be properly cleaned and prepped, unlike most. The body I already explained. It's rust free, inexpensive, and will get the proper protection. It should last quite a while around here.
The axles will go bye bye. Them being in excellent shape should help the selling price for someone with a mild CJ. I don't expect to get a ton for em or anything, but every little bit helps.
The 4" springs should work perfectly for what I'm doing. If they're too tall I'll remove a leaf or two since I'll have front and rear traction bars anyway.
The shackle reversal is nice but I'll probably just sell the kit and build my own since I'll be outboarding the front.
I'm not a fan of the full hardtop. I'm hoping to find someone wanting to trade it for a cab hardtop. Truck style. In the summer it'll get a bikini or nothing.
Doors are rust free steel in perfect shape. Nice.

The plans:
Front Chevy or Dodge SRW D60, 5.13s, locked, hi-steer with hydro assist.
Rear shaved 14bolt, 5.13s, Detroit.
Probably gonna use the 4" springs and traction bars at both ends.
Already got beefy asss rocker protection/steps tied into body mounts. Rear corners will get armor, front fenders will be tubers.
I'm thinking 41x14.5 IROK radials since it'll see as much street time as trail. I was gonna stick with 38s, but these cost the same as the ones I wanted and weight 4 lbs less. I'm ok with that.
Gonna build a nice cage for it. Planning on a cab only cage so I can run the cab hardtop, but tied into the rear cage doing some cool sh1t. Don't feel like explaining right now, but it'll be sweet.
Custom dash/console with full gauges, decent stereo, storage, etc. I'll build in the B&M ratchet shifter that's already on its way.
Bed will get a couple tie down points and bedliner. It's already plated with 1/8" steel for protection.
I think that covers it for now. They're just plans at this point, but I've been thinking long and hard to get where I am now and will continue to do so. It'll be beefy. Nothing too innovative or crazy since I'm on a budget. This will take easily 6 months to do, especially since I have to make money and collect parts as I go. I'm not gonna make this thing my life, but it'll get plenty of attention. I'm keeping it relatively simple for now. I plan to convert to coils and fuel injection in a couple years when my automotive ADD kicks in. For now the first order of business is to get it running. That alone will take some work. After that it should take minimal work to get it driving. If it's more than I picture I'll just wait to drive it till the upgrades. No point in spending the money twice. I'll drive it a lot on road since I just love to, and wheel it when I can. Not a whole lot of places around here, but I'll make it work.

Anyway, yeah I have a Jeep again.....and a pretty fukkin cool one if you ask me. This thread will become a build thread once I get movin on it. Just don't expect results too fast. Since every project needs a name here ya go: Project Scrambled

[nblehm]

wow the start of this thread is really gay



but nice find



edit* I vote no on SOA and 4" springs

[bbaCJ8]

Originally Posted by nblehm

edit* I vote no on SOA and 4" springs

Why?

They do have quite a bit of arch, but like I said, I could always remove leafs since wrap won't be an issue. From what I've seen 2" leafs wouldn't be quite enough. I might run Waggy's up front to bump the axle forward for more clearance, but the fenders I'll build will help with that too. The rear I'll trim some, either run TJ flares or none at all, but I'm not gonna hack it up......yet

[6DoF]

HELL YEAH!

[DisturbedJeep]

Sweeeet. I sent you a PM.
JB

[Blaine B.]

I'd eat off of the underside.

[Krazy]

very nice starting point, and in on the first page biatches

[WagoneerXJ]

Very nice, gypsy!

[GPSflyer]

Very cool jeep, I love AMC motors, they rip when done right. Im excited to see where this build goes!

[6DoF]

as nice of a find as that is, and i can't wait to see the outcome.... i just can't see you pimpin any sort of CJ/YJ/TJ.

[zeede]

Originally Posted by DisturbedJeep

Sweeeet. I sent you a PM.
JB

X2.

Minus the PM part.

Not the same initials either.

Really just the "Sweeeet" is what I meant.

I guess I should have just written "Sweeeet" instead of the quote and the X2. I would have been quicker than all that. Oh well, at least I'm in on page 1.

[bbaCJ8]

Originally Posted by Blaine B.

I'd eat off of the underside.

Yeah it'll be weird to be underneath wrenching and not have dirt and rust chunks hitting me in the face. I won't be complaining though.....

Originally Posted by GPSflyer

Very cool jeep, I love AMC motors, they rip when done right. Im excited to see where this build goes!

Hell yeah. Provided it's still in good shape inside it'll stay pretty mild for now....but in 2-3 years once I get a little bored it'll get pulled for a fresh rebuild and some power upgrades.

Originally Posted by jeepnski

as nice of a find as that is, and i can't wait to see the outcome.... i just can't see you pimpin any sort of CJ/YJ/TJ.

Why's that? Is it just cuz I was "the XJ guy" for so long and now you're used to the blingmobile? I've always loved the Wranglers and stuff, I just couldn't justify DDing one. I always had a blast in yours, Mike's, Chris's, Trevors, my mom's TJ and LJ, etc, etc. They're just awesome rigs to be in, whether you're wheeling or just cruising around.

[bbaCJ8]

Another thing I forgot to mention, even though it's gonna be one of the last steps, is color. All armor, brackets, hinges, etc are gonna be hammered black. For paint I'm not sure.....I'm stuck between silver(the darker silve like on XJs), gunmetal, burnt orange, and the bright blue on the new Dodges. I'm liking the dark silver or burnt orange the best at this point but there's plenty of time for that to change.

[Blaine B.]

Originally Posted by bbaXJ

Yeah it'll be weird to be underneath wrenching and not have dirt and rust chunks hitting me in the face. I won't be complaining though.....

x2, tiny rust chunks or dirt in the eyes is great.

[4Lo]

Originally Posted by bbaXJ

pretty mild for now

No 401 is mild compared to my 4 banger Nice find though That thing looks like a lot of fun to build up!

[6DoF]

Originally Posted by bbaXJ

Another thing I forgot to mention, even though it's gonna be one of the last steps, is color. All armor, brackets, hinges, etc are gonna be hammered black. For paint I'm not sure.....I'm stuck between silver(the darker silve like on XJs), gunmetal, burnt orange, and the bright blue on the new Dodges. I'm liking the dark silver or burnt orange the best at this point but there's plenty of time for that to change.

silver/gray - no
orange - no
my reason

blue - no
my next reason

so you get to stick to white

[FitchVA]

looks like it's gonna be a sweet rig!!!

[bbaCJ8]

Originally Posted by jeepnski

silver/gray - no
orange - no
my reason

blue - no
my next reason

so you get to stick to white

White is the second to last color I'd ever have it....followed by pink. I really wish Kyle's Jeep weren't orange, but oh well. It wouldn't be quite as original, but every color has been done by someone. Funny part is, the person who suggested it to me has never even seen his Jeep. It would look fukkin sweet combined with black. The blue is probably the least likely of what I listed, but any of em would look good. I dunno...I've got a long time to decide.
Here's a similar blue one to what I have in mind:

[Timmay]

Wow dude. Solid find. Looks unbelievably clean.

That strapping setup on the trailer is uh, interesting.

How'd the vagtruck tow?

[bbaCJ8]

Originally Posted by Timmay

Wow dude. Solid find. Looks unbelievably clean.

That strapping setup on the trailer is uh, interesting.

How'd the vagtruck tow?

Yeah the U-Haul didn't leave many options for hookup points. It came with the tire straps, then I had the rest. Threw one over the rear pig to keep it from going forward and one over the frame to squat the suspension and minimize rocking. The rest is just extra strap run across so they weren't flapping around, dragging, etc. The front just had the tire straps and there was only one point to hook up another, right in the center. I ran the strap the only place that wasn't sharp or pinching off lines. Basically just wanted to cover all bases since I dunno how well the trailer was maintained....I had the straps, so I used them. Don't want this happening to me:


The "Vag truck" towed great actually. I was really surprised how well it did for a tall, relatively SWB, slightly underpowered 1/2 ton truck on 35s. Turned OD off and cruised all day at 75mph(~3100 RPM) and could hardly tell the trailer was there. I was really impressed with it. Only annoying part was the noise since my exhaust is pretty loud, but that's not surprising.

[Timmay]

Nice dude. If I could tow with OD off and still maintain 60mph it'd make a huge difference. Unfortunatly the motor is pretty much tached at that point, so OD it is. That just means I can hold 75 at 2200 rpm and be fine, right in the powerband.

When that TC unlocks however, it's a whole different story. I was more concerned about the height and SWB factor, but that's cool that it worked out for you.

[erslll]

I would also vote no on SOA on 4" springs. Way to tall.......unless you raise your spring mounts up on the frame. I went from SUA with 2-3" lift springs and 35s to 4.5" XJ springs SOA with 39.5s and only gained about 6" of overall lift.

I still don't understand your eastern (or maybe I should say non-west coast) guys reasoning for running big radial tires. That big of a tire is going to have fairly bad road manners whether it is a radial or a bias. Why not run the one that you won't rip the sidewalls out on?

Looks like a great starting point! I vote for white.

[bbaCJ8]

Originally Posted by erslll

I still don't understand your eastern (or maybe I should say non-west coast) guys reasoning for running big radial tires. That big of a tire is going to have fairly bad road manners whether it is a radial or a bias. Why not run the one that you won't rip the sidewalls out on?

Looks like a great starting point! I vote for white.

I have nothing against bias at all. My sole reason for radials is wear.....there are no decent bias in that size that will last long enough to make it worth it. I'll be putting every bit as much street time as trail time on this thing(probably more in all honesty), so I need something that won't be cashed in 10-15k miles. I love driving with TSLs and Boggers on the street, but they'd be toasted in no time. I could always go with some big XMLs or something, but the weight and stiffness turn me off to them, and I hate how skinny they look. I hate pizza cutters.
The radial weakness shouldn't be an issue around here. We don't have much for rocks and what we do have isn't very sharp. I wish we did, but we don't. I'll do some travelling with it to rockier areas, but not enough to negate the need for tires that'll last reasonably long.

[XsteveJ]

good find on that one. I look forward to seeing that thing built. I just now got started on mine

[97XJ_95YJ]

Sweet find. Gotta love the vintage Jeeps. Have fun with it.

[Hoofmann]

Nice find, son! Get on it!

[bbaCJ8]

Old meets new:


The doggah approves:

[xj_man_646]

nice. i'd say more, but am too pissed at the as$hat that broke my window and stole my drill.

[Gabe Watt]

looks awesome, in on one, cant wait to see it finished