Announcing Project No Hope

[Madbodhi]

The gauntlet has been tossed.EVERYONE gives me grief about the wreck of a Jeep Grand Wagoneer in my yard.No one shares my vision nor my confidence in my ability to ressurect her.The name Project No Hope came from my beautiful yet evil wife who say's that there is no hope of that heap ever being fixed.( I suspect she may be goading me for just this response but then again,she is evil.)Iv'e decided that the best way to shut them up with their shiny plastic 4 cylider econoboxes is to build a Jeep that not unlike myself,radiates BAD MOFO.I have my work cut out for me.
PROBLEMS
Broken windshield
Gaping hole in roof from removing sunroof
Bad Brakes
Bad Tranny
Rust,not a single body panel,roof or floor does not have some rust through
Driver side quarter was VERY poorly repaired at some point
Serious "jeep lean"
Very limited tools
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/083.jpg
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/006.jpg
A solid 2 inches of sculpted bondo
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/004.jpg
yes,the patch panel was placed behind the rust out and glued :confused:

I have aqcuired a windshield,tranny,and patch panel for the roof thanks to member trellis8 (nice meeting you & thanks again).
And so,it begins.

[Billygoat]

Yeap, that is a WI rig for sure.

What part of the state you in?

[Carleysjeep]

I love the name of your build. Whith a name like that, you can't be disappointed with the results.

[dlowrance]

holy shnikees....:eek:

step one - remove everything except the body panels

step two - scrap the body and find a donor

you're patience and body repair skills must be exponentially higher than mine to take that project on....

[Madbodhi]

Yeah,finding one in better condition would be the wisest move however where others see challenge I see opportunity.I am free to cut,shape and modify as I wish.I can do things I would never do to a rig in better condition.It will be awesome.And i'm going to do it with a cheap Harbor freight grinder,a splatterweld special flux welder and absolutely no experience working on 4 wheel drives :p . Billygoat,i'm in in southeast WI.

[brubakes]

I say more power to you! Congrats on the build. Don't lose faith and thanks or saving the old girl.

[joe]

Hang in there..it's only money, besides the cook always goes down with ship. :)

[Gambler68]

yeah but..you can't weld rust. That white interior looks cool though, I'd part it and look for something a little more solid.

[aallison]

OK, so that might be a two weekend project.

I have an 86 grand waggie you could get most of the body panels off of fairly cheep if you lived anywhere near florida.

[Madbodhi]

Progress Report
Well,I gutted the entire interior,repaired the hole in the roof from the sunroof.The wheelwells are cut out and i'm in the process of reinforcing and closing up the gap.I left the inner fender long on the front of the rear wheelwell and and hammered it over to add strength there.I'm putting in 3/4 in.square stock to fill the gap across the top of the rear fenderwell.Rockers were rusted out so they got cut out and I have some 2x3 rectangular stock about ready to put in there.Stronger and more ground clearance anyway :thumbsup: .Top was chopped sectioned and moved forward.I'm mocking up location so I retain small side windows and a proper rear seat.Yellow line is where the rear end is getting bobbed frame and all nearly up to the leafspring mounts.(Actually about 3 in. more to the rear from the line will be the cut)It will have to wait till my steel comes in so the new configuration can be renforced before cutting away the rear.After abit of digging I found that the tailgate from a Jeep Commanche is the perfect size to fit upright between the bed rails and I have one on it's way.I did manage to finally after years of beating on it,kill my Harbor Freight grinder.Luckily they happen to be on sale so I bought 2 more. Decided on Desert Tan Durabak and it arrived just today.What do you guys think??
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/CIMG2661.jpg
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/CIMG2660.jpg
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/CIMG2664.jpg
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/CIMG2662.jpg

[KyooMac]

I'm seeing some hope!!!

[Madbodhi]

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/050809_162400.jpg
The only one who has faith in me.

[benztechnc]

Man you have some skills so far! Can't wait to see more!

[Burn Victim]

[QUOTE=Madbodhi]The name Project No Hope came from my beautiful yet evil wife who say's that there is no hope of that heap ever being fixed.( I suspect she may be goading me for just this response but then again,she is evil.)

lol:D

[78J-10]

Love the name of the project for sure! its kinda like mine. My dad is the only one that see the light at the end of the tunel in my project. The girlfriend would rather me get rid of it and buy a "honda"

I also have very limited tools so i know your pain.

No air compressor
No welder
No fancy tools


Just a 263 pc tool set a few monkey wreches some BFH's and a hole lota elbow grease. if i get lucky my friend lets me use the electric impact for a day or so. And a grinder

Good luck to you sir!!!

[newtojeeps]

Cool, time and money. Keep at her:thumbsup:

[Headhoncho]

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/050809_162400.jpg
The only one who has faith in me.

With a picture like this you have to get it done now. You've made some great progress. Good job.


JR

[grand_wag_85]

Looking good!

[lkmarsh]

I think you chose wisely, Grasshopper. A rig in that shape is fair game for anything you throw at it. Nice start with the roof sectioning. Let the infidels scoff, I see Art in the making.

[vintagetrks]

Looks like theres hope for it after all. LOL It's looking really good please keep the updates and pics comming. It looks like she'll turn out to be a really cool rig. :thumbsup:

[suzq044]

The new name - Jeepalanche!

[Billygoat]

Durabak - interior or exterior? - smooth or rough?

Did in on my CJ if you roll on the rough it is really rough and all the dimples hold the dirt like you would not believe. Spray it on with an undercoat gun helps smooth it out. I top coated my rough with smooth, then even with the UV stabilized version it faded out in a year so I top coated that with Kyrol Fushion paint (for plastic) stuck to the durabak great after I cleaned it with SOS pads.

That said it is a very durable great product for the money, does not hold up as well as the profesional spray-ons, but way cheaper. When I get to a backwoods beater project I was thinking about doing a camo job with durabak.

Great progress so far!

[Fiodh. Argus]

Rockin! Gonna be a blast!

[thechier86]

keep goin, man! that thing's gonna be SWEET when you get closer to being done! you should do a soa and shackle flip with some 4" springs, one ton axles and some 40's! there is no limit to how cool it can be if you have time and money to work on it! WOOT!:thumbsup:

[Carleysjeep]

Looks good, nice progress!! :cool:

[Madbodhi]

I'll probably spray the Durabak on,i've heard afew people mention covering the rough with the smooth.I'll run the rough and see how it goes.Like I mentioned I really have no experience working on 4x4's so im not sure i'm comfortable with doing an SOA. I do have an 80 3/4 ton Suburban that i'm trying to sell and if it don't i'll cut it up so maybe down the road I will but for now i'll probably go with a 4 in.lift.I have a Mopar 383 thats coming out of my 67 Newport convertible and i'm going to build it as a stroker and drop it into to the Jeep next year sometime.I should probably mention that currently my only ride is my convertible that has a bad top.I either have to get the Jeep close enough to done to drive or get a beater before the weather turns.I hate to buy cars that I don't really want but may have to.Then again,there is a nifty AMC Hornet for sale nearby.I could tub it,put the 360 from the Jeep into it ........:D

My wife is going to kill me.

[thechier86]

you know, if that suburban is 4x4, the front axle i think is a direct swap in, and is already sprung over, but it you can do all that body work, and weld that sheet metal to look ok, the soa and shackle flip will be a snap! after seeing what you've done with the body so far, i don't think you'll have any trouble with anything on your waggy. there is a ton of info on here, and a ton of guys here that could tell you how to do anything you need to do. i have a nice subaru i'll sell ya for $800 har har har... it's ugly, but i know it'll make it to wisconsin from tn...:cool:

[Madbodhi]

The Suburban is 4x4.350 with a SM456 manual tranny,NP205 transfercase,10 bolt front and 14 bolt FF rear.I know the 8 lug stuff from the 10 bolt will bolt right on to a front Chevy Dana 44 and I know a guy who has one.The stars seem to be in alignment but we'll see.I just don't think I want that kind of height.I would like a wider stance and abit beefier axles so I may try and find some J-20 axles.I want this more as a pre-runner/expedition type vehicle rather than bogger or rockcrawler.Gotta be able to throw in the guns and scoot to escape zombies :D .

[Madbodhi]

More pics.
Sunroof patch.Was going to use body panel adhesive for a clean repair but it's very pricey when you add the cost of the gun.My $150 flux core welder had no hope of welding this thin of material so in keeping with my budget,lack of tools and the fact that the Durabak should cover up a few sins :) .The patch was glued in with construction adhesive and lots of rivets and the seams treated to some Rust Bullet.I had intentionally cut the patch oversize to include the roof rack holes and used them to align the patch before cutting to size as well as giving me material to back the patch.
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/CIMG2694.jpg
The inner and outer fender gap was taken care of by some3/4 in. square tube,bolted through.On the back the bolt was partially ground down and when it was red hot,peened with a hammer (who said I couldn't use blacksmithing skills on a modern vehicle ;) ).
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/CIMG2688.jpg

[Madbodhi]

Roof section bolted in and out with steel backing.
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/CIMG2687.jpg
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/CIMG2693.jpg

[Madbodhi]

Outside roof bolts were welded and ground flush.
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/CIMG2682.jpg
In process of attaching the lower portion of sectioned roof.I discovered that by using a long extension cord to drop the output and keeping the welding time short I could weld sheetmetal acceptably.
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/CIMG2681.jpg

[Madbodhi]

Notice how the the unmodified rear window part of the roof on the right tapers in.I didn't like it.So I cut a pie slice out (roughly the same as the sunlit section on the right post and bent it inward to achieve a more pleasing line as seen on the left modified pillar.
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/CIMG2692.jpg
Another pic http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/CIMG2689.jpg

[Madbodhi]

Since these pics were taken ive completely removed the back end and put the back seat in to check for fit (perfect fit,plus stowage room behind it.I'll get more pics as the saga continues.

[dadof3byz07]

Looks good!I know what you mean by limited tools!I don't even have a place to work half the time as I live in an apartment complex!

[coop923]

Inspirational project! Keep us updated!

[YellowJeep]

So, this project would explain the large section of roof missing from Trellis' GW in his front yard! Makes complete sense now! LOL! You are making some great progress. Where are you in WI anyway?

[Madbodhi]

About halfway between Madison and Milwaukee.Mayville to be precise.

[JPSwapMohn]

Lookin good. Looks like you need some bushwhacker fender flares and some stout wide axles on that thing!

Inspirational for those of us without body-work skills.

[mike12]

DO IT FOR THE KID HE WILL LOVE TO HELP YOU WITH IT:) ;) :p :rolleyes: :drivin: :fsj: AND WILL NEVER FORGET IT OR YOU .OLD BODY MAN MIKE 12/OVER AND OUT:)

[Madbodhi]

Updates.Got abit sidetracked but im back at her.
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/CIMG2766.jpg
Rear seat mocked up.Wanted to retain use of the full backseat.
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/CIMG2759.jpg
Starting to close in the back.Used a chunk of sheetmetal from an old freezer.:D .

[Madbodhi]

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/CIMG2765.jpg
Bed cut completed,new crossmember from some square stock left over from another project.
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/CIMG2764.jpg
Close up.I used a Chevy tranny mount for the body mount.

[SnowShoe]

Nice work...I like the design...some good ol yankee engineering...:)

[Madbodhi]

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/CIMG2767.jpg
The Commanche tailgate mocked up.
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/CIMG2769.jpg
Another view.

[Carleysjeep]

Looking good! :thumbsup: I like the idea of using the Comanche tailgate. ;)

[Madbodhi]

Finally back at her again and once again in the middle of winter in an unheated garage :banghead:.Sidetracked by the arrival of a daughter.My first girl.No more kids for me.4 is enough and at nearly 40 my daughter will be wiping the drool of my chin at her graduation.Added to that was the addition to the fleet of a 73 W100 Power Wagon which required some work to take over daily driver duties for the Suburban that was parted out.The wife was displeased with my choice of vehicle as it doesn't fit the family so she has been shooing me out to the garage to finish the Jeep.Unbeknown to her I did alittle back room bartering and got this.
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/WHEELS/006-3.jpg
An 84 W350 Dodge Crew Cab and a Cummins Diesel donor,both of which are in hiding at a friends house for the winter.So the race is on.The Jeep MUST be done by spring or my death is assured for getting yet another project while her Jeep still isn't done.Anyway on to the Jeep updates.

[Madbodhi]

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/WHEELS/005-2.jpg
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/WHEELS/009.jpg
Just about got the back squared away.Iv'e located a sliding rear window that I can adapt to the opening I have on order.
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/WHEELS/002-3.jpg
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/WHEELS/010.jpg
Picked up a few parts.
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/WHEELS/003-3.jpg
Broke down and got a good welder.I LOVE this thing,soooo much better than the Harbor Freight splattermaster.
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/WHEELS/002-1.jpg
Finished rebuilding my Horizontal/vertical vintage Wellsaw.Comes in very handy.
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w204/madbodhi/010-1.jpg
The wife and the instrument of my demise should I fail.A custom M14 built to my specs by Warbird.All TRW parts on a 7.62mm marked Springfield receiver,chrome lined 18" barrel,BM-59 rear sight in a shortened and heavily modified fiberglass G.I. stock I built myself.:eek:

[benztechnc]

Those old Quad cab trucks are a rare find!