Since I want to run REALLY tough trails....

[non-stick]

After finally breaking on the trails at Crozet Sunday

And having been bitten HARD by the crawling bug, I picked up a caged '89 XJ chassis that used to run UROC competitions until a couple of years ago.

Now it needs a little work , but I plan on taking all winter to do it.

Current plans are:
F/R Dana 60's (still looking for a donor vehicle in my price reange)
Some sort of true high steer with hydro assist (already ordered the hydro pieces from surpluscenter.com)
If I can locate a Teralow 4:1 I can afford I'll do that too, failing that it'll be geared as deeply as possible to avoid smoking the AW4.

This is to be a trailered trail only rig, probably on 38's or better, for running high blacks and reds at Crozet and other places. After nearly flopping this past weekend in Gauntlet, I want full protection so I can take on tougher challenges.

So far it still needs to be made a roller so I can install a fuel tank and pump and get it running, install some form of braking and steering until the final designs are squared away. At least the cage in it has been tested and seems to be holding up well.

Wish me luck staying out of the poor house

 

[kf_chris]

might be able to get a drivetrain from an 80's dodge RC, they seem to hold up to beatings pretty well.

 

[53guy]

hmmm, Rich, I think it needs to be flipped over, but I might be wrong. Good start though. No one ever bats a thousand for very long! Hahahaha! Just kidding. Can't wait to see it on Saturday, looks like a fun new project. Is that windshield broken or do the pictures just make it look like that?

 

[steelmen]

how much did it cost?

 

[CJ4PLAY]

Good looking project. Good luck!

Rick

 

[non-stick]

Thanks for the replies folks.

kf_chris: from my research almost all Chevy and Dodge D60's are passenger side drop, so a complete 78/79 F250/350 is my current search objective.

53guy: Yeah, the looks we got coming thru Charlottesville wre quite priceless in the middle of the day. The windshield kind of broke as we slid it on the trailer :doh:. I've got a spare or two .

steelmen: I paid $600 for that pile. The good is it is an '89 with the 4.0/AW4/231 and I have plenty of parts to make it run, and th cage seems to have handled being flipped and dragged:woohoo: . The bad is NO running gear or suspension, but that could be a plus as I don't have to address someone else's design/install issues.

CJ4PLAY: Thanks. I may need more $ than luck, but I'm going to learn how to do this one on a much tighter budget. At least I have the time now.

I'll post up more info and pics as it progresses. First order of business is to make it a roller and get it in the correct orientation. I'll probably start a new thread in Mod Tech.

 

[kf_chris]

600 isn't a bad deal for what you got there. looks like the cage is plenty strong enough!

 

[non-stick]

I figured I'd have spent more than that just getting the cage started in my 2door. The fact that it's an '89 just kind of clinched it since I've had nothing but great experiences with my RENIX stuff.

 

[Ghost]

Nice find. I bet it would cost twice that to do that cage with steel prices high.

 

[gregmondro]

why bother modding it up like that and then just leaving in a 231 and adding a 4:1 kit to that? (if I understood correctly).

 

[non-stick]

Geared deep enough the 231 will hold up to what I need. Besides, I can run it and save for upgrades to what breaks down the line.

I don't have unlimited funds to throw at it, so I'll work with what's there and upgrade as money and breakage dictate.

Besides, I drive my current '89 on all the same trails with 33's on a d30/d44 combo and this is the first I've broken. The weather was wet and nasty and I was doing obstacle WELL beyond the theoretical ability of the vehicle, hence the breakage.

I'm open to ideas if anyone has them, but they need to be grounded in fact, experience, and reality, not myths, fables, heresay and conjecture (none of this "it'll fold like a taco if you wheel it that way" BS without evidence to support the statement). Nothing is set in stone on this build, except what is already there.