Started the bob

[orangecherokee]

Started hacking at the back of the Heep last weekend. Here's a few pics if i can them to work.

http://rebelrockrunners.org/gallery/d/16956-1/DSC01254.JPG
http://rebelrockrunners.org/gallery/d/16960-1/DSC01252.JPG
http://rebelrockrunners.org/gallery/d/16966-1/DSC01255.JPG

a couple more can be found on my gallery page at http://rebelrockrunners.org/gallery/v/buildups/nick/album/

if that link doesn't work go to my gallery under "Chop". I'll hopefully have more updates after this weekend. My goal is to have at least one side finished. I also have to build 200' of fence (continuation from last weekend) so we'll see how it goes.

[bmaley79]

I like how you made the rear bumper. I might try somthing like that when I hack mine this winter.

[RicoBlaster]

You cut a perfectly good "Accel" sticker! Two of them!

[orangecherokee]

yeah i have to finish that this weekend. I should be close to "sponserless" after this is all said and done.

[rockjeep44]

This is news to me. Sweet!

[orangecherokee]

yeah we won't be making it this weekend. sorry :( i have to finish up a project i started at my folks. if i get it done i'll try and work on the Heep some.

[youngjeeper]

looking good nick..now get it done and come on out to Moab

[orangecherokee]

man do i ever want to. my wife was telling me the other day that her and my mom were planning a trip to Italy one day for some kind of food tour. I wasn't even mentioned in the picture so I told her to have fun and that I was going to Moab for a week a run the Lion's Back. She's knows this trail and it freaks her out that I said I'd go up it. The other trails don't bother her but that one does. :eek:

[cjud4x4]

My wife freaks out the very mention of Lions Back. Ever since she saw the video of the Blazer that lost its brakes on the way down. The people lived, but that doesn't give her too much of a comfort level.

[BRUTUS]

when is this going down OC?

[77wagondeer]

hey orange how much are you figurin that you took off of er? I'm seriously considering bobbing the wag and havn't seen many to date. So trying to get the gumption up to hack away I don't mind the fenders but the back half is kind of scary. Any problems yet of major importance and what are you running for fuel storage if stock what to do with the filler neck?

[orangecherokee]

well, i took off roughly 10 inches in the rear. i'm not finished yet though. after it's all finished it'll be around a 10 inch loss. as for the fuel filler neck and side marker lights. you'll have to either A) relocate the both or B) ditch them like i think i might do. I haven't made my mind up about it yet.

What's crappy on mine is that the rear body mounts on my Cherokee are toast and have been for years. If anyone has seen my rig they know this. It's the worst cancer spot on my entire rig and this is also why I'm cutting it out. I might need to fab new mounts so that they bushings will have a place to rest but more on that later.

The pass side will be the hardest to do. Mainly, because after the roll it totally deformed the skin. It could be pretty a s s-y in the end. I think the driver side will come together nicely though.

[mudslider]

its looking awesome so far. keep the pics coming.

[BRUTUS]

What is your plan for taillights? I see in your picture that you have two tapelines... are you re-attaching the tail section to the cutout to retain the taillights? I LOVE the look of those tailights and think it would be a shame to NOT use them.

[Brad W.]

mine is very rusty back there as well. My plan is to replace the channel support and bushing mounts under there and remove the lower 1/4 panels that hang down. The sheet metal is looking like swiss cheese under there. I'm going to chop the 1/4's, weld a plate on the bottom (with a drain plug), and have it all line-X sprayed to seal it from the inside. All interior panels will be line-X coated diamond plate as well.

your chop is looking good, nice job Nick.

[orangecherokee]

What is your plan for taillights? I see in your picture that you have two tapelines... are you re-attaching the tail section to the cutout to retain the taillights? I LOVE the look of those tailights and think it would be a shame to NOT use them.

yup, that's the plan. I want it to retain the look but shorter. I got another panel coming soon. for now i'm gonna have to work on the driver side. I'll take plenty of pics so people can see how i did it.

[BRUTUS]

MMMMMM I can't wait to see how this looks when done... The huge c-pillar always looks odd (or maybe the word is "out of place") to me on the Cheros. I am really interested in how it will look with a small c-pillar!

EDIT: You will definately achieve your "not like any other" (that we discussed a few months ago when you were debating a cage that WOULDN'T look like whitefoot's) look with a short C-pillar.... Are you going to keep the tailgate in the end too?

[orangecherokee]

i'm up in the air about it. i'm going to cut the skins off of the doors and keep them. I plan on mounting them the cage somewhere so they can still be part of the rig. The tailgate just adds a ton of weight and the window never really worked anyhow. I think some cage work will be in order back there. I talked to Andrew today about some ideas. I already have the front mocked up but i need more for the B-C section.

[Slim]

looks great man , cant wait to see it with the stock taillights put back on .... one idea Im sorry I never did

if it helps with ideas ...here is a recent pic of my rear and bar set up

http://img8.picsplace.to/img8/20/89028.jpg (http://picsplace.to/)

[shredby4]

Orange,
Gald to see you are making the best of the rollover. I'd love to see it when it's done. I'd like to do the same thing...without the rollover first. :p By the way, my rear body mounts were badly rusted too...As matter of fact, they are pretty much GONE. So I know what you're saying.

Slim,
That looks cool. Bumper looks stout...:D

[shadowjeep]

im gonna be watching this close. your a few months ahead of me with the bob. looks good so far. i cant wait to see how it turns out.

[orangecherokee]

got the drivers side done this weekend. my camera is at home and hopfully i can post up some pics tonight. it came out a lot better than i realized. the body lines match and everything. there arew a few details to note but i'll wait till i post the pics.

[orangecherokee]

new pics are in the gallery. explanation later :thumbsup:

[Stuka]

Nice job, I love the bobbed look, one day I may just be able to do mine :)

[BRUTUS]

That is looking awesome! I think that is the RIGHT way to bob a chero. Sorry slim... I just love the original tailights. Keep going.. I want to see the finished product. :D

[Brad W.]

lookin good!

[fulsizjeep]

Bob who?

[shadowjeep]

lookin good, cant wait to see what you do with the bumper.

[scotty]

bad *ss OC. i dig it :cool:

cant wait to see how it all comes out!

[orangecherokee]

Now it's time for the comments from me. First off let me say this. If you roll your pig down a hill, stop to count your fingers so you can give your friends a proper high "5". Next step is to think about how you can get it out of the situation and back to your house. Well, I did both of these and found myself thinking about upgrades even before all 4 were back on the rocks. Anyway, the plan is a cage and some other improvements. One is the bob I started here. Here's how i did it. This is no way a professional job and most of this stuff was thought up on the fly. Here goes:

First I decided to cut back to where the back of the fender well flatened out. I figured I could safely cut to this point and maintain a good look to it all. To tell the truth I eyeballed the whole thing. I dropped a roll of electrical tape down like a plumb bob and then layed it against the body. The second line was done the same way but the line I chose was outside the roof, if that makes sense. Where the C pillar comes down in the back and meets the body is where the line is. You guys can see this in the pics.

I took a sawzall and did the dirty work on the first line (closest to the fender). At this point I could care less about the point and will need to give it a touch later. Once the panel the piece is cut you should have the back section you need to work with. I took a jigsaw at this point and cut the other line out. It's neater and quicker and less damaging to the metal.

I measured the chunk I took out and it was approximately 10 3/8" give or take an 1/8". Now you have the rear piece with the taillights in it. Make sure not to cut the wires! Anyway, you should notice at this point that you have part of the inner fender which is used in the tailgate mechanism. Sadly, I don't think the tailgate will make it back unless I have a stroke of genius and can use it.... I just thought of something. More on that later.

At this point there's no good way to cut this section out so i used a torch. Barbaric? yes. Effective? yes. So this is what I did and you can see this in some of the pics. I guess you could cut some of the inner body panels and weld it in if you wanted a sleeker look but this thing is a wheeler so i could care less.

If you look down the body you can see how close the body lines match up. I was really surprised and was pumped about how well it fit. Next, I just stitch welded the peice in to place. The piece still wasn't fitting exactly right so I just cut a small section out of the floor approximately 2" across. You can also reference this in the picture. This made the panel fit right in against the floor.

A little mud and sand paper and this will look stock... from the outside. As for the outer panel and the inner panel bridge. I took a simple approach, pinch and weld. I just grabbed the metal (after sanding it down flat to match on both panels), pinched it together and layed a nice tack weld. I stitched it all the way down and hit it a few times with a hammer for good measure.

All that's left for this side is to grind down the welds and throw some bondo on there. She'll be good as new soon. What's left is to do the passenger side the same as the driver and to cut the small section of floor out and move the body mounts. Finally, I'll cut the frame and shorten it and modify my homemade bumper to fit.

[AlsChopShop]

great job! :thumbsup:

Al

[Slim]

That is looking awesome! I think that is the RIGHT way to bob a chero. Sorry slim... I just love the original tailights. Keep going.. I want to see the finished product. :D

np guy I do also ,,,but I didnt relieze how much I liked the stock ones ,,,tillI had already cut off and scrapped the tail section ....:eek:

I will know for the next project ...lol

[mudslider]

things looking good so far, got anymore pics?

[orangecherokee]

you'll have to wait. i'm going down to Chattanooga this weekend to help a club member. I'll get back on it after that.

[77wagondeer]

Man orange that looks awesome ok I think that I found the inspiration to hack it I sure hope It looks as good in the end. Thanks for the info!

[Poley]

love it, you rebels do great work

[orangecherokee]

got this finished guys. it came out pretty good too.

http://rebelrockrunners.org/gallery/d/17274-2/DSC01467.JPG
http://rebelrockrunners.org/gallery/d/17289-2/DSC01472.JPG

all that's left to do is slap some bondo on the welded areas and sand it down. i should be ready for paint by the end of next weekend. :thumbsup:

[WRMorrison]

Looks AWESOME to me! When I eventually roll mine (and I'm sure I will, I usually do, sooner or later...lol), I plan to do something very similar.

Besides, everything wheels better in orange...:D

-WRM

[orangecherokee]

Besides, everything wheels better in orange...:D

agreed:thumbsup:

[DanHS]

Awesome, I had a similar idea, in case I ever get to build a choptop, lol. Except I was thinking of relocating the tail lights further up and chopping a few more inches off, to try and get just behind the rear axle for a 90* departure angle. I think it looks really nice though, like factory almost. You should make a panel between the floor and the bumper, to make it a bit sleeker and sturdier.

[Bama Burden]

Looks great! I see you're going to 35 spline stubs. And I like the blue that you've added to the paint scheme. It reminds me that SEC football is near and WAR D@MN EAGLE:D

[mudslider]

man that things looking good.

[orangecherokee]

Looks great! I see you're going to 35 spline stubs. And I like the blue that you've added to the paint scheme. It reminds me that SEC football is near and WAR D@MN EAGLE:D

yes it is and this will be sweet for me. my wife is still a student @ UT and we're getting spouse passes! this means I get to go to every home game this year for only $100. not a bad deal considering most people pay around $40 a ticket for each game. GO VOLS!

[BRUTUS]

OC... that is lookin sick... do you have any sketchs of the roll cage yet?

[rockjeep44]

Yea, here's what we've got laid out so far

[Bama Burden]

http://www.caos4x4.com/cmbs/Smileys/default/laughabove.gif (javascript:void(0);)

[FSJeeper]

Yea, here's what we've got laid out so far

Nice work, must take hours to lay down such a precise layout.

ROTFLMFAO

[Sambo]

:lol:andrew...has plenty of triangulation:thumbsup:
nice :sawzall: nick

[BRUTUS]

Andrew... that is funny! :lol:

The stinger looks more like a poker than a stinger! :lol:

What does all that tubing do for your COG? :D That looks awful heavy! How do you get into that cage?

[orangecherokee]

someone linked that pic on another thread. that's hilarious looking on paper but you wait till you see it in person. it'll be ba-dass:thumbsup:

[BRUTUS]

someone linked that pic on another thread. that's hilarious looking on paper but you wait till you see it in person. it'll be ba-dass:thumbsup:

It was me... figured it was too funny to confine it to only one thread. Seriously though... have you sketched anything up for a roll cage?

[DanHS]

How about something like this?
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a22/DanHS/FSJ%20stuff/OrangeCherokeedanscageidea3.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a22/DanHS/FSJ%20stuff/OrangeCherokeedanscageidea4.jpg

[76waggy]

AAAH looks like another Whitefoot

[rockjeep44]

Nah, this rig is gonna be way pimper than Whitefoot.

[orangecherokee]

i've got a few ideas that i've drawn out. i'd like to keep it a surprise for now but it's going to be the tits for sure. I'm hung up on the rear of the vehicle right now. I'm just drawing a blank with the tailgate/bob/radiator/etc all in one place. We'll come up with something I'm sure.

[waggin'ear]

Nick,

It looks good.

Did you leave enough frame to extend your wheelbase by a few inches? With those 42's it looks like you could eak out a few more inches, improve your departure angle even more and drive straight up walls backwards.

andrew,

What's your WB? Although your COG looks a little lower than nicks.

Just random thoughts from a pure webwheeler.

[rockjeep44]

The wheel base on my buggy is 109". My Wagoneer was 111". I feel like 108-110" is perfect for 42" tires for the terrain that we do. Anything longer and you'll start to hurt your breakover angle too much. IIRC Nick's wheelbase is right at 109 or 110".

[BRUTUS]

i've got a few ideas that i've drawn out. i'd like to keep it a surprise for now but it's going to be the tits for sure. I'm hung up on the rear of the vehicle right now. I'm just drawing a blank with the tailgate/bob/radiator/etc all in one place. We'll come up with something I'm sure.

Secrets secrets are no fun... :banghead:

[orangecherokee]

mine sits at 109.5" :D

don't worry them secrets will be made public soon enough. give us 2 weeks. :fsj:

[Brad W.]

you're such a tease:p :D

[BRUTUS]

mine sits at 109.5" :D

don't worry them secrets will be made public soon enough. give us 2 weeks. :fsj:

How about now... is that "soon enough"?

[BRUTUS]

OK OC... it has been at least 12 weeks... I WANNA SEE SOME CAGE ACTION!

[orangecherokee]

yeah I know, I feel the same way but work has slammed me and UT Football was going on. Now the season is all but over and I'm getting to work! We've got a date set but it'll be another few weeks. Andrew, has got an appointment that he can't miss on the 18th and Turkey Day is the next weekend. So it'll be the first of December before start on it.

I've got an expert crew with me on this job. We should have roughly 5-6 people there hammering on it. So if all goes well without any hitches it should be built in a long weekend.

As for the other stuff the beadlocks are 2/3 finished. The pro-jection needs to be tuned and at some point I need to put a new clutch and pressure plate in. The clutch and PP will be done later but the rest will be ready by December.

[BRUTUS]

Can we at least see a "gameplan" sketch? You are killin' me with this stuff!

[orangecherokee]

the game plan is all in my head. i suck at Photoshop and I've been trying to draw it but I can't get it right. I'm still up in the air about the doors but the rest is gah-ravy :cool: i just hope it turns out as well as i imagine it.

[Tad]

the game plan is all in my head...
That's the way I plan things Nick, no big deal, works bettter for me anyway.
If I did it any other way, I might have to stick to the plan :)

[BRUTUS]

the game plan is all in my head. i suck at Photoshop and I've been trying to draw it but I can't get it right. I'm still up in the air about the doors but the rest is gah-ravy :cool: i just hope it turns out as well as i imagine it.

You know you can scan a napkin... even if it has beer stains on it! :thumbsup:

[Brad W.]

Don't even joke, we had a paving contractor fax us a concrete mix design on a bar napkin. Lets just say the engineer was a little pissed. Funniest thing i've ever seen at work.

[BRUTUS]

Don't even joke, we had a paving contractor fax us a concrete mix design on a bar napkin. Lets just say the engineer was a little pissed. Funniest thing i've ever seen at work.

I guess I am not a typical engineer... cause I would crack up if I was sent a plant layout or something on a napkin... I would of course call and confirm any dimensions that were unclear because they were beer-ridden! :lol:

[Brad W.]

It was funny once, but he screwed up so often that he got his priveledge to bid on highway contracts revoked. BANNED!