Boatsides

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

Due to how high I cut my door, it is impossible to get a new window into a door. So, I ended up cutting a slit in the bottom of my door, and slid the window in from the bottom. I duct taped a piece of metal over the hole, and hopefully thats that.

So, did you come up with a way to roll this window up and down all the way? I'm REALLY interested in these details! Jeff

 

[Starboard M]

So, did you come up with a way to roll this window up and down all the way? I'm REALLY interested in these details! Jeff

I think I will be shaving the bottom of the window, to get it to go down about 3/16'' which should get it damn close to closing all the way.

You can see the bit of the window below the metal part with the stud in it in this picture. I have no idea how much strength that takes away, but I cant imagine that little bit causeing that much of an issue.

 

[freerider15]

Gheyest build i've seen on yet

Done yet!?

 

[Starboard M]

On projects like this it is all about the little details. Notice how he used back duct tape here, blends right in... :laugh2:

Alright, so this winter break has been composed of tearing shit out, tearing more shit out and fixing all the small things that have been put off due to time and effort.

The kustom black duct tape being one of the main issues.


I went on a Sierra Chapter snow run, and having huge holes in my floor was not going to work, expecially with the location of the fuse box on the drivers footwell right above one of those big holes the duct tape was fixing.

I read on the internet once that snow is a colder, more solid version of water, and I know that electronics and water dont mix well. So, I patched those holes up both drivers and passenger side.

Also "patched" the rear holes over the shackle boxes, but I dont have any finished pictures for that either, so use your imagination.

Went wheeling and had a blast

I let Nickandgus drive, told him to drive through some powder and he got buried. Me pulling strap.

Bling Bling!

And finally, my funky looking Jeep sitting pretty like in the snow

Next up, fixing dash.


My heater hasnt worked for the last three years, and that was never really an issue since I never wheeled in the winter, and the Jeep sat in the garage for 95% of the year never really being driven. Fast forward to November for the Hollister trip, and I really wanted heat. My CD player also didnt work and I wanted to fix that as well. I also wanted to tie the external A pillars of the cage together for added strength.

What does this mean to me? Tear out the stock dash!

I did this during my Thanksgiving break and then left, and never had a chance to fix much before going wheeling in the snow. Thanks to Letterman for the awesome picture of my zip tie dash.

I was able to fix my heater before going snow wheeling(plug on the side had apparently managed to work itself loose) but unable to fix the CD player. Wheeling with no music sucks

 

[Starboard M]

Since I have a little ADD when it comes to my Jeep I then decided to do a little spring cleaning.

Removal of the HVAC system

Since I no longer had the HVAC or stock dash I felt the need to remove a lot of the wires under my dash. Wires on the left were cut out, wires on the right will be kept.

http://naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1020229

Next I removed the little vacuum canister and all the vacuum lines from the HVAC and the rest of the random lines for the long gone front vacuum disconnect Dana 30.

http://naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1020228

I still have not been able to fix my CD player and an seriously considering buying an amp and some speakers that go on wakeboard boats from a vendor on Pirate. $$$, time and seeing if I can get my old stereo to work right will be the deciding factor on that.



Now its time for that bar that ties the A pillars together and a new dash.

I wanted to tie the pillars together with a tube going through the cowl but Jeep engineers decided to put all sorts of body parts in the way, so it had to come inside. Next Jeep engineers decided to put all sorts of stuff in the way of having the bar as high as possible, so we went with a bar rather low. Didnt add as much strength to the cage as I wanted, but it was the best alternative I could come up with.

The dash started to give us some trouble as we had some many ideas but a lot of limitations including size, seats, steering column, and placement of gauges and such.

Some ideas for XJ dashes

Here is my photobucket link to the 50+ dash pictures I have saved, most being out of buggies, but the have some damn good ideas. I think I have unlocked the album, but let me know if it doesnt work.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v483/StarboardM/Dash/

I wanted to have a two angle dash down the center of the Jeep like this, but unfortunatly wasnt able to get it to lay out right.

We decided to do something more like this one. Have the dash be one angle all the way across, and then another angle down to the tranny shifter, and then finally flat to a center concol.

Will kind of look like this one too

 

[Starboard M]

And this is what we have so far. Im using 1'', 1/8'' wall HREW since my friend has a 1'' tube bender die.

Ideas for this will include:
-Cup holders!
-Reusing the stock gauges until I can afford some Auto Meter ones
-Switch panel for accessories
-Speakers mounted under dash
-Reusing the stock center concol lid
-Hopefully reusing the stock auto tranny shifter boot
-Some sort of "Oh shit!" handle
-Storage space
-Built in CD and CB player
-Fire extinguisher mounting
-And hopefully a place to mount my 3 tcase shifters when I finally get around to doing a 231/300 doubler

Ambitious yes, possible, who knows. Tomorrow I will be working on it some more unless it rains like it is supposed to. I go back to Colorado for school on Friday, so I have 3 days left to work on it. Im hoping Ill be able to finish the structure of the dash before I go back, but weather and motivation will determine that.

 

[Letterman]

Remember to put the cup holders in a place you can reach with your seat belt on!

Don't ask . . .

 

[XJ_ranger]

I'd try and add a glove box or some storage to that.

I really miss having a spot to thorw small things, like flashlights, vehicle registration, and WAG Bags...

I like the cup holders.

 

[asp]

cupholders are a sweet idea haha.

this is just thinking ahead... what happens when you roll/tip and land on the a-pillar brace thereby buckling the long horizontal 1" tube that is currently serving as the top of the dash?

 

[freerider15]

Damn, you're just going all out now huh!?

 

[jeepcomj]

very nice!


plans to keep the heater core in?

 

[Starboard M]

I'd try and add a glove box or some storage to that.

I really miss having a spot to thorw small things, like flashlights, vehicle registration, and WAG Bags...

I like the cup holders.

We were actually talking about a glove box as well. Since time is something I dont have, things will be held up with zip ties still, but at a latter date I hope to make something work.

this is just thinking ahead... what happens when you roll/tip and land on the a-pillar brace thereby buckling the long horizontal 1" tube that is currently serving as the top of the dash?

It will bend? I figure if I roll hard enough to bend that I will have bigger issues than a tweaked dash. I can always remake it/remove it all together at a later date if I need to. Just knock on wood I never roll it. :gee:

Damn, you're just going all out now huh!?

I sit in school for 70% of the year and think of what I can do to my Jeep while I am home. Since I am way to smart for school I daydream and come up with these awesome ideas you see here in this thread. That, and I just really like making things.

 

[Starboard M]

Tonights updates.

Got the entire upper part of the dash done, some of the second dash part and the bottom part of the bars that go from under the dash to the backsides of the seats.

Pictures speak for themselves, but this is where I am at.

Took me and my friends almost 4 hours to make those two stupid little bars that go from the upper part of the dash to the lower bars. Between having to redo them twice due to bad notches and knee interference it was a pita.

The center console lid will be raised up 4-8''.



At this point its looking like I will get the basic frame work done, but nothing else until possibly spring break.

 

[5spd_xj]

Looks great so far

 

[whitneyj]

Man, I'm not going to lie, I have to stop reading your thread. It's making cut my body up more and more with this new cage I'm building. . .

 

[asp]

It will bend? I figure if I roll hard enough to bend that I will have bigger issues than a tweaked dash. I can always remake it/remove it all together at a later date if I need to. Just knock on wood I never roll it. :gee:

fair enough

 

[jeepcomj]

what are you doing with the heater core?

 

[DeftwillP]

This is no longer about boatsides....

 

[Starboard M]

what are you doing with the heater core?

I ordered a smaller heater core/fan from Summit racing but it was on backorder and most likely wont get here until I go back to school. For now the stock core will just sit and allow me to not mess with all the heater lines and such.

This is no longer about boatsides....

I know, but I figure its the same project along with the cage/boatsides so it works? :looney:

 

[freerider15]

Wow...I won't lie...you pretty much are doing almost exactly what I had planned in my head for the interior once I get everything else done and as a future project, looks killer!

I hear ya about the daydreaming thing...I think that's why my GPA isn't above a 3.0