NW99XJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Gresham, Or.
Thats amazing.
The center of balance on this thing is going to be incredible.
The center of balance on this thing is going to be incredible.
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The 4500 MJ Build
- Thread starter TORX
- Start date
FiveNdime
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Washington
Winton burned on the clips I made for the storage area so the stock cowl grill will slip in and stay put via dzus fittings
I cut a pocket on the other side as well so we can fit straps and winch extensions in.
A good idea of how far back the motor sits back
Not a great photo but the camera does not like blue rooms and small space. Here is the cab all primed with Omnix Epoxy Primer.
After the primer dried (2 hours min) we masked it off and I sprayed the firewall, inside and under side of the cab with a glossy dark silver hammerite finish. I am going to spray the top coat outside the cab soon but will leave ya hanging on the final color.
I cut a pocket on the other side as well so we can fit straps and winch extensions in.
A good idea of how far back the motor sits back
Not a great photo but the camera does not like blue rooms and small space. Here is the cab all primed with Omnix Epoxy Primer.
After the primer dried (2 hours min) we masked it off and I sprayed the firewall, inside and under side of the cab with a glossy dark silver hammerite finish. I am going to spray the top coat outside the cab soon but will leave ya hanging on the final color.
FiveNdime
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Washington
Got it sprayed. I have never painted color before but it turned out pretty good for a rookie. Its bright red as you can see. Should look really good outside in the sun. Hopefully tomorrow I will get a picture of it out in the sun.
- Location
- NE Texas
Great job, Joey!
Saturday means work day on the 4500.
Took a peak inside Joey's makeshift paint booth. Color turned out awesome. It's definitely going to give the other cars something to chase.
Don and Ted started the day by hacking into the frame rails prepping them for the custom frame to come.
After awhile, we had the frame prepped for the new rear frame section to be assembled. The rear frame section is composed of two 4x2's each with two radius bends inward, and one radius bend upward. This will give clearance for the coilovers, and useable "bedspace" for our fuel cell and other junk. All the cross bracing is temporary. It and the factory rails will soon be cut away.
With the frame rails mocked up, Winton TIG'd up the cuts made for the radius bends.
Meanwhile, while Ted, Don, and I worked on the frame, Winton, machined some aluminum pucks for the alignment bar for the front axle. With .0005" tolerance we got the alignment bar slid into position, which will keep the axle true while the truss is burned on.
Progress!
Took a peak inside Joey's makeshift paint booth. Color turned out awesome. It's definitely going to give the other cars something to chase.
Don and Ted started the day by hacking into the frame rails prepping them for the custom frame to come.
After awhile, we had the frame prepped for the new rear frame section to be assembled. The rear frame section is composed of two 4x2's each with two radius bends inward, and one radius bend upward. This will give clearance for the coilovers, and useable "bedspace" for our fuel cell and other junk. All the cross bracing is temporary. It and the factory rails will soon be cut away.
With the frame rails mocked up, Winton TIG'd up the cuts made for the radius bends.
Meanwhile, while Ted, Don, and I worked on the frame, Winton, machined some aluminum pucks for the alignment bar for the front axle. With .0005" tolerance we got the alignment bar slid into position, which will keep the axle true while the truss is burned on.
Progress!
bmikes
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- portland or
Alignment bar for the front axle, what is that? A round bar that slides in the axle to keep it from warping?
Avanteone
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Auburn, WA
Yes, fits tight in carrier bearing area to make sure everything is assembled properly and straight.
bmikes
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- portland or
Gotcha. That's pretty sweet. Keep up the good work guys!! I'd love to come check it out after the first of the year sometime if that'd be alright with you guys??
Icemans
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Ridgefield, Washington
Well today I went over and ground on the new rear section welds so we can install some fish plates over the bend to keep it strong. Sorry no pics. I also picked out all of our lighting, gauges, idiot lights, lowrance GPS, where we are getting the computer tuned, and our new engine wiring harness. I just have to run it by winton to make sure I'm on track then I get to spend some money.
I am doing all the wiring for the whole car. I will start as soon as the cab is finished mounted back to the unibody. Hopefully next week. We are going to start making some big progress because now everyone has a project to work on. We can work on them at the same time.
I am doing all the wiring for the whole car. I will start as soon as the cab is finished mounted back to the unibody. Hopefully next week. We are going to start making some big progress because now everyone has a project to work on. We can work on them at the same time.
Like John said, it's a machined solid bar that is used to keep the axle true while being welded on.
Aluminum spacers were machined for the ends of each tube, as well as on the inside of the third member. Between all four spacers there was less than .0005 tolerance.
Third member is a Mark Williams piece we're using just for mock up. Here you can see the truss is ready to be fitted and burned on.
Walked into the shop tonight to a big surprise. She's bright.
Tonight's progress consisted of prepping the factory rails to mate up with the new rear frame section. By the end of the night we had the new frame tacked into place, and the old frame sitting in the scrap pile. Big step forward.
I'll try and get some better side profile shots, but it's slick.
- Location
- Lafayette, CA
Dont suppose you guys have any pictures of the Unibody delete mod? Are the frame rails just held onto the body with some spot welds and the glue stuff Jeep used?
Will these be put into production for an off the shelf body lift?
Also curious how the body will be mated back to the frame. Welded on? Bolted on?
What are your plans for the cage?
Final thought, the seats look a little high, and you might have issues passing tech with your heads that close to the roof. Factor in a helmet and you are right on the roof. I seem to recall 2'' of space being required between the cage/roof and the helmet?
Will these be put into production for an off the shelf body lift?
Also curious how the body will be mated back to the frame. Welded on? Bolted on?
What are your plans for the cage?
Final thought, the seats look a little high, and you might have issues passing tech with your heads that close to the roof. Factor in a helmet and you are right on the roof. I seem to recall 2'' of space being required between the cage/roof and the helmet?
FiveNdime
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Washington
We didn’t actually delete the unibody. We welded up custom cut pieces to clad the sides top and bottom of the unibody. All pinch seams have been cut down and fully welded up.
No production parts or off the shelf stuff will be made as of now. Maybe in the future.
The cab will be welded across the whole frame rail length, across the back and front of the frame rails as well.
Cage will be designed after the frame is finished and suspension links, shock hoops and corresponding ideas are finished. I have been doing a bunch of studying on how Baja series truck cages are designed and built. They are the ideal style of cage for this build in my opinion. Once we get our components all set up we can put a cage together.
Seat height was merely a mock up. We do have room (Min 3") above our head with a helmet on as we have tested this. Passenger seat bracket will have to be modified due to the transfercase housing location. Drivers seat will not. We are striving to get our tallest driver at or better then the required distance from the helmet top to the top of the cage/roof. I can fit just fine
Good questions, Matt. :thumbup:
So the front truss was burned on. Speed holes were added.
Ted and Winton began planning for the front frame section. The axle is still 2" from being at full bump! The new frame section will have a bit more clearance, and will be similar to the rear.
Knuckle installed with Artec Hi-steer Arm. Full hydro steering is not allowed in the Mod Class, so we'll be using a traditional tie rod/drag link setup.
Side shot of the rear frame section.
Fish plates were added to strengthen the bends.
Hoping it won't fold like a taco. This will all get tied in with tube work for the cage eventually.
Ted got a full day in today, and made some great progress on the rear four link. Upper frame mounts in progress. We have a pretty good selection of Artec and Ballistic Fab brackets we'll be using for the suspension to cut down on fab time.
Cross bracing added to the boatsides.
All in all, it was a pretty productive day. I think we're past the point of the boring tear down stage. It's really getting fun and picking up speed.
Ted and Winton began planning for the front frame section. The axle is still 2" from being at full bump! The new frame section will have a bit more clearance, and will be similar to the rear.
Knuckle installed with Artec Hi-steer Arm. Full hydro steering is not allowed in the Mod Class, so we'll be using a traditional tie rod/drag link setup.
Side shot of the rear frame section.
Fish plates were added to strengthen the bends.
Hoping it won't fold like a taco. This will all get tied in with tube work for the cage eventually.
Ted got a full day in today, and made some great progress on the rear four link. Upper frame mounts in progress. We have a pretty good selection of Artec and Ballistic Fab brackets we'll be using for the suspension to cut down on fab time.
Cross bracing added to the boatsides.
All in all, it was a pretty productive day. I think we're past the point of the boring tear down stage. It's really getting fun and picking up speed.
Bronzewyrm
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Independence,or
O.K.
after 3 pages, I have to put this one on ignore until its done. my brain can handle all the doors this build is going to open:roll:
Props Fellas! cant wait to see the finished product.
Bronze.
after 3 pages, I have to put this one on ignore until its done. my brain can handle all the doors this build is going to open:roll:
Props Fellas! cant wait to see the finished product.
Bronze.
Icemans
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Ridgefield, Washington
Tonight Joey and I sat down to lay out the dash and get everything electrical on order.
So we got the Lowrance Gps, Icom race radio, Com system, 4- 2 5/8 gauges, 12 switches, 3 idiot lights all crammed into this MJ dash. Its going to look great once we get all the components here. We are also going to do some Carbon fiber inlay.
We are also looking into building our own alternator bracket to get it down low and out of the way of the shock hoops.
I cant wait to get started wiring. That's my favorite thing to do on automotive builds.
So we got the Lowrance Gps, Icom race radio, Com system, 4- 2 5/8 gauges, 12 switches, 3 idiot lights all crammed into this MJ dash. Its going to look great once we get all the components here. We are also going to do some Carbon fiber inlay.
We are also looking into building our own alternator bracket to get it down low and out of the way of the shock hoops.
I cant wait to get started wiring. That's my favorite thing to do on automotive builds.
FiveNdime
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Washington
We made some more progress this weekend. Dustin, Don, Ted and Winton focused on squaring up the frame. After that Dustin cut some plating for gussets, Ted crunched some numbers and worked on the link system and Don kept working on the truss system for the rear axle. I went to work on the front grill now that we had a final width to go by. I don't have pics of the other work but I would thing someone else does. Here is the grill. I cut about 32 inches out of it.
After I got it cut I welded up the two metal trim strips. There will need to be some fiberglass work done to fill holes and strengthen it up.
There will be 2 Rigid Industries E2 driving lights stacked on top of each other in the vacant holes. One light will have a red lens and the other will be a clear.
After I got it cut I welded up the two metal trim strips. There will need to be some fiberglass work done to fill holes and strengthen it up.
There will be 2 Rigid Industries E2 driving lights stacked on top of each other in the vacant holes. One light will have a red lens and the other will be a clear.
The narrowed front clip turned out great, Joey!
Saturday we managed to make some pretty good headway on the MJ. Before really going any further with the frame we decided to check to make sure it's still semi-square.
First step is making sure both rails are level. Can't get any better than 0.0
Ted and I then marked a centerline down the frame, and measured two parallel lines off it on either side. We then chose a measuring spot on the corners to cross measure from. If your piece is square both measurements will be the same.
We found the new rear frame section to be within about 1/16", and the front to be about 1/2" out on one side. We decided to try and square it up. We cut the front cross member free, and by doing so the entire chassis sprung out. It's surprising how much tension is in steel.
To get everything back within spec we chose to place the chassis on the ground, and then work from one side to the next going off a few key dimensions. There was a bit of pulling, pushing, lifting, and a lot of head scratching, but in the end we got the chassis back to within an 1/8".
After a tasty lunch break, Joey began work on narrowing the front clip.
Don kept plugging away on the rear axle truss.
By days end we had the new front frame rails burned in. We'll add some plating to the sides to strengthen it a bit more, and of course plenty of tube to come. The lengths are still wild.
It may look like we're going backwards, but there's no sense in having the cab on or engine in when working on the link mounts or frame. The sooner we get the suspension done, the sooner we can move onto other stuff.
It's coming together nicely.
Saturday we managed to make some pretty good headway on the MJ. Before really going any further with the frame we decided to check to make sure it's still semi-square.
First step is making sure both rails are level. Can't get any better than 0.0
Ted and I then marked a centerline down the frame, and measured two parallel lines off it on either side. We then chose a measuring spot on the corners to cross measure from. If your piece is square both measurements will be the same.
We found the new rear frame section to be within about 1/16", and the front to be about 1/2" out on one side. We decided to try and square it up. We cut the front cross member free, and by doing so the entire chassis sprung out. It's surprising how much tension is in steel.
To get everything back within spec we chose to place the chassis on the ground, and then work from one side to the next going off a few key dimensions. There was a bit of pulling, pushing, lifting, and a lot of head scratching, but in the end we got the chassis back to within an 1/8".
After a tasty lunch break, Joey began work on narrowing the front clip.
Don kept plugging away on the rear axle truss.
By days end we had the new front frame rails burned in. We'll add some plating to the sides to strengthen it a bit more, and of course plenty of tube to come. The lengths are still wild.
It may look like we're going backwards, but there's no sense in having the cab on or engine in when working on the link mounts or frame. The sooner we get the suspension done, the sooner we can move onto other stuff.
It's coming together nicely.
Icemans
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Ridgefield, Washington
Looks good guys. Sorry I couldn't be there over the weekend. Its coming along nicely.
- Location
- San Diego
so which part of this is an MJ?
:roflmao:
looks great. can't wait to see where you go with suspension.
:roflmao:
looks great. can't wait to see where you go with suspension.
