Ok, so heres the story, I have an 84 CJ7 that I have been working on for a few years and it is running great, has several excellent mods thanks to this board. I do not want to part with it. It is a very solid rig that I have spent a fair amount of time and money on but not it is not a serious crawler. I also have a wife and two small kids that like to go up in the Colorado mountains with the <nobr>jeep</nobr> as well. The problem as you all know is that a CJ7 does not have much room for anything but a few passengers. Now I do have a trailer, a jamboree rack and hitch rack but don't care to much for those. What I could use is a CJ8 just for the extra space behind the second seat. However, I do not want to buy a new project when mine is good.
So here is what I was wondering. Could you cut off the end of a CJ7 and extend the frame and body to the length of a CJ8. As mentioned in the title this is mostly a hypothetical question but I might consider it depending upon the answers. I know you guys are great thinkers so tell me what you think the issues, pitfalls, concerns, benefits etc. of this might be.
The goal would be to only extend the body and not touch the driveline at all. Cutting the body in the rear seam before the corner would sound like the place to start, extend the frame, relocate the cross-member, fab some body mounting points, add necessary supports and sheet metal, extend wiring, relocate gas tank filler from rear to a side fill position....What else. If you think this is a stupid idea remember this is not a planned project but a question to stimilate thought and discussion so flamers need not answer with 'Dude just buy a Scambler and be done with it!"
Thanks for your opinions.
So here is what I was wondering. Could you cut off the end of a CJ7 and extend the frame and body to the length of a CJ8. As mentioned in the title this is mostly a hypothetical question but I might consider it depending upon the answers. I know you guys are great thinkers so tell me what you think the issues, pitfalls, concerns, benefits etc. of this might be.
The goal would be to only extend the body and not touch the driveline at all. Cutting the body in the rear seam before the corner would sound like the place to start, extend the frame, relocate the cross-member, fab some body mounting points, add necessary supports and sheet metal, extend wiring, relocate gas tank filler from rear to a side fill position....What else. If you think this is a stupid idea remember this is not a planned project but a question to stimilate thought and discussion so flamers need not answer with 'Dude just buy a Scambler and be done with it!"
Thanks for your opinions.
