When I started my MJ build I was looking for a axle donor(70s ford bronco) I ended up with a 79 bronco with a GREAT running gear(cast mount d44 but the rig came with a 79 F250 D44 that even with the larger cast mount for the leaf spring, will still work for me down the road on a diffrent rig, but is not the best axle for us XJ'ers)
Anyways my 88 MJ had uniframe rot from trany xmember back to rear shackle hangers. So I hated the idea of scraping out a good Bronco just for the front and rear axles so I thought of just building a mini truck buggy thing using the bronco frame. I thought about it for a good month then decided that sleving/boxing what was left of the stock uni frame on the MJ was a much better way to go.
I went too heavy on my main frame with 4x4x.250 box(but it was free) cut to fit over the good uni frame, both side ran 5' back from the old stock LCAs then built a new box frame off that for the rear part of the frame. From the old stock LCA to the front bumper ears was plated with more free 1/4 L iron. I feel that with the exo-type cage(not a lot of room in a MJ cab for a 'real' cage) and a lot of gusets I will have a very sturdy 'frame' that will not twist off from the boddy and give me the ability to weld anything to it with little worrys.
So if you want to drop that XJ body on a truck frame then when you do it think of the xj body as a skin, try not to hang or mount anything to it like seats, cage, motor, steering, blablabla, you get the idea, and sink the 'body' over the frame not like what ever carbody on truck tars do.
andy(rambling)stock
