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Ok...... how NOT to build a Truggy.......

YELLAHEEP

NAXJA Forum User
Ok, so I went and looked at that "truggy" that had been posted up in the Best of Craigslist thread and was thoroughly disappointed in it's condition, turned it down initially. Owner called me back 10 min. later asking what I'd give for it. Told him some rediculous low amount, he declined.

This morning I had a text waiting saying to come get it - so I did. Trust me, I'm doing the State of Colorado and all of our trail systems a HUGE favor in taking this monstrosity out of commission.......

Remember the ad? "Wouldn't take much to get this beast out on the trails this summer!"......... :roflmao:

So, when I go see it the first time, I noticed that the front of the engine is taken all apart, the timing chain is exposed (which also leaves the front of the oil pan wide open). I ask about that........ get ready for the quote of the year......... "The timing was off an inch, so that's been corrected."

Yeah - off an inch. Oh Kay. He says it'll run just fine just as it sits, but I also notice that the bolt tab on the distributor is broken off and the distributor is loose. He said he had another distributor to replace it and "If you hold the distributor in place, it runs fine." With all the rain we'd had - I'm betting there's at least a 1/4" of standing water on top of whatever oil is in the pan........ It was facing uphill to the east with nothing across the front of it.

They were apparently going for a pre-runner kinda design..... the radiator is mounted in the back. They started running cooling tubes back to the radiator, using galvanized fence post and rubber elbows. The radiator is held in place with two nuts to a green highway marker post....... crudely welded to the tubing. Oh, and I dunno where they intended to run the exhaust...... 'cuz that's where they ran the cooling tubes......

The interior has been stripped of everything but the dash and seats. Seats are XJ 2dr seats....... barely welded to the floor. The XJ brackets cause the seats to be quite reclined. The driver's floor board is non-existent.

Track bar isn't bolted to the axle - but it IS zip-tied in place.......

No drive shafts. The one in the pile of parts in the back is a 2wd MJ shortened and welded....... dunno what it was supposed to fit as it had the t-case slip yoke on one end....... but it was only about 3.5' long. :dunno:

It advertised it as having the "rare AX-15"......... Nope - BA10.

No working brakes. Bald 31" tires. Unknown gear ratios - in either axle, could potentially be a mixed set as the front axle isn't the one it came with - it was a 2wd MJ originally.

Now onto the rear. Galvanized fence post and conduit and a pipe bender will build you some cool stuff........ or no. Not sure what they were welding with, but Flores would core out looking at these welds. I think the "bed" is actually a childs metal bed frame and head board....... or an old roof rack...... not sure. It sits 6" deep....... and has a custom made tail gate that opens....... 'cuz stuff can be hard to get out of a 6" deep home made bed..... :rolleyes: Gas tank is welded to an XJ gas skid which is welded to the "bed". The tool box is an old military box of some sort.

Since this is an '86 and the cross member location is a ways off from the location needed for the '89 drive train........ the crossmember is welded to the frame rails...... Yeah.

The shackles are the genius of the build. I'll let the pics do the talking.....

The good? Not much. Variable rate 4" lift coils of unknown brand, Rancho shocks that are fairly new, R.E. non-adj. dog-bone LCA that appear to be new, extended braided brake lines front and rear, and MJ leafs with a full length AAL. He also threw in 4 'crawler wheels.

But I digress...... on to the pics:

Actually kinda cool looking from 20 feet right?
huh.gif


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Flintstone floor:

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Cooling tubes, BA10 and new-ish RE dog bones...... and cut fuel supply & return lines..... yeah, it'll run :rolleyes:

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The majority of the welds look like this;

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Welded crossmember...... and cooling tubes where the exhaust goes:

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Shackle goodness. Bushings? We don't need no stinkin' bushings.....

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Now, for some comic relief........ :D

I show up about 11:15 am to meet the owner - he's storing the MJ at a buddy's house. Reason for selling is the City of Denver said it had to go. (parked in back yard behind 6' fence.... :dunno:)

The MJ is sitting in the corner of the back yard near the alley. There's a large 12' wide swing out gate, but it's about 8' north of the MJ. Lots of discussion on what's best to get it moved and out thru the gate.

I propose that since it's so muddy, we just use his buddy's XJ and a strap and pull the rear over and toward the gate, so it'll just roll out at an angle from where it sits....... simple enough right?

Out come really drunk grandpa and uncle. They're hollerin' at us stupid kids that we don't know what we're doing, shouting expletives and falling in the mud and grass. Buddy tells me sorry and to ignore them - this is all normal. Fair enough, back to MJ removal......

First pull goes as planned, but the MJ has no brakes....... and thusly rolls back into the 8' section of fence breaking the 4x4 upright. Uncle goes berzerk.

We push it forward, block the front tires and pull again - success, it rolls out of the gate opening, but the front tires were turned too much and the rear tire mashes into the gate's lower hinge splintering wood. Uncle is now one pissed off drunk and goes over to the buddy - his nephew - and gets in his face. Nephew promptly tells drunk uncle to STFU and pushes him backwards onto the pass. rear tire of the MJ where he nearly chokes on his cigarette....

Pissed off uncle gets up, calls nephew a bunch of girl-part names and the fist fight is on! FAWK YEAH! WWF sponsored by Southern Comfort and Keystone in the back yard! :yelclap: :D

MJ owner and I get busy freeing the stuck MJ and get it lined up in the alley to load onto the trailer. Drunk uncle gets his keester handed to him by his sober and much younger nephew and retreats into the house...... all the while, drunk grandpa is still shouting directions and expletives.........

I hastilly get the MJ loaded, finish the transaction and get the fawk outta there. Only to have to pull over a block later as taking the first right at the end of the block leaves the header panel, a fender and driveshaft clanging all over the road........ :D
 
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HOLY FREAKIN CRAP.................................. YOU bought that pile of dung..................:roflmao:

There seems to be nothing of value there.......well........... ok, maybe a few things.....:dunno:
 
I think the comic relief was worth the cost of admission.
 
I'm at a loss for words.

Please tell us you did NOT spend more then $100 for that thing!
 
I'm at a loss for words.

Please tell us you did NOT spend more then $100 for that thing!
Normally, I'd say that somebody ought to be paying Troy to take it. Making sure it doesn't see trails in that condition is a public service.
 
I thought it had a 35 :dunno:

saw it in person. It's awesome. I was slightly hesitant to stand too closeto it as I was afraid it would implode
 
LOL... good times. :doh::laugh2:
 
i'd pull whatever i could off that thing and then crush it. cab shell (minus floor), tool box, axle, then try and get whatever you spent on it back. hope you didnt spend more then a bill

and kudos for taking it out of play. dont want some kid buying it and then gettin in an accident
 
1 - Is that the deck of the trailer visible through the floorboards, or is that 2x4 booty-fab?

2 - I've never seen tires worn so completely, and evenly...The work of a pro.

3 - Me thinks I detect the lines of a pipe rack in the bedwork.

4 - The twist-o-flex shackles speak for themselves. No spring over conversion? I'm surprised

5 - How is that cooling tube supposed to move?...Does it flex with the axle?

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Is that rubber that's visible the end of a rad hose?

6 - Gunna have 'er ready for COFest?

Thank you for removing that from (potentially) the road. The Jerry Springer aquisition was the best. Thanks for an awesome Monday morning starter!
 
Good lord, WTF?

Shackles shipped to 01605? :eyes::jester:
 
Jesus Kill that thing! :puke:
 
1 - Is that the deck of the trailer visible through the floorboards, or is that 2x4 booty-fab?

Yep, that's the trailer deck.

2 - I've never seen tires worn so completely, and evenly...The work of a pro.

Indeed. Smooth and level across the tires - certainly not from this rig.

3 - Me thinks I detect the lines of a pipe rack in the bedwork.

Dunno what it's made of, but it wasn't built FOR the truck...... musta been a "hey, that'd fit on the MJ" kinda thing.

4 - The twist-o-flex shackles speak for themselves. No spring over conversion? I'm surprised

Indeed - amatures. If they'd have just gone and snagged a D35 from an XJ, the rear wouldn't be too bad.

5 - How is that cooling tube supposed to move?...Does it flex with the axle?

Is that rubber that's visible the end of a rad hose?

It's sitting on the axle because the hose is loose from the water pump. I imagine it was intended to sit up against the oil pan, but when they removed the timing cover, they dropped the hose for access. I'm still trying to figure out if the stock pump would have enough flow to move that much coolant from the engine all the way back to the radiator as intended.

6 - Gunna have 'er ready for COFest?

Easily. It'll be rendered and crushed LONG before COFest......... :D

Thank you for removing that from (potentially) the road. The Jerry Springer aquisition was the best. Thanks for an awesome Monday morning starter!

Yeah, because of that dadgum oath I took 18 years ago, I struggled with how long I should let the bitch-slap fest continue..... but it was so dadgum phunnay! That drunk uncle was like a weeble-wobble...... knock him down, he'd spring right back up, punch the air several times in the general direction of the nephew and the nephew would knock him on his keester with one smack.... :laugh3: Only lasted a couple minutes in reality.....
 
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