jenny craig build

as some of you know I have/had a topheavy exo caged fullwidth explorer..


well..

after putting the sterling and the HD44 under it 2 years ago..it became so heavy that my 460 towrig had problems with it (ok..not problems..but wasnt as fast towin it)...

so I chopped the top..n bikini'd the doors..


that helped alot...wheeled it this way for a year...but wasnt happy...too wide...

so I decided to ditch most of the exo...run the front tubes inside the fenders and just start building the internal cage...
plans

actual to this point (blue tape is where I need another tube and all the way down to the slider..and the tape on the fenders is the cutline..)

then I decided it would be a good time (since I dont have the funding for the diesel buggy I want to build) to modd this some more..

swap out the A4LD and doubler/t-case for a C4/D20 thats twinsticked..do some motorwork..push the motor down and back about a foot each..(move the CG of the truck)

wheres waldo!


cut the front framehorns to suck the bumper in and reduce overhang..




finnished location about 6in further inboard.

skin the bodypanels and do a dirt-track style and hang the skins from the cage to save weight...

cut the floor out so I can doghouse for the motor move and throw expanded grating down for several reasons..
1.makes it easier to clean out (we mudbog with it too)
2.make it even lighter
3.mount the seats to the cage rather than whats left of the body.
4.so I can monitor the driveline and see tire placement thru the holes. (thanks Billavista for the idea from your truck!)

ditch the back bench..throw in 2 spare buckets I've got..and 4point harness all the seats...

oh..and beadlocks..(new tires too..maybe 38's) and then I can ditch the spare tire...(that saves about 80lbs!!)


all in all I am looking to dump about 600lbs over what it was with just the top off..

I've ditched my OBA setup infavor of a powertank (THANKS CHUBBY@ 4wheelparts!!)

just what I've taken off sofar is around 400..gotta lot of floor to cut out..but about half the weight will go back in with the crosstubes for the seats and the grating..

once I get the body gutted into just hanging panels it should be really close to what I want to weigh...

got the motor out and resting...



now time for the plasma...hope it gets home today...been gone getting repaired...UPS says it'll be here today!!

Damn that's a hell of a build.

KELLY88 said:

Damn that's a hell of a build.

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shoulda seen the SAS build...spent winter 06 hiding from the wife in the garage..

build thread

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=174275

Wanderer said:

shoulda seen the SAS build...spent winter 06 hiding from the wife in the garage..

build thread

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=174275

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tony you talk like that was the only reason you were hiding........


86






just kidding, better keep that brand spanking new jeep off the trails!

86ford said:

tony you talk like that was the only reason you were hiding........


86






just kidding, better keep that brand spanking new jeep off the trails!

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you were there the ONLY time its ever been on the trails...I think it scared my widdle jeep...

Wanderer said:

you were there the ONLY time its ever been on the trails...I think it scared my widdle jeep...

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its OK my junk has been out 3 or 4 times all year. swapping axles, trans, lift, going up to 33s, other BS stuff has taken up every bit of my wheeling cash.

86

this weekends adventures...


well..aside from having to stop twice on saturday..(to pick up a sidejob..and then to get food later..and many people stopping by to hang out and/or needing something..)...I think I got alot done...was out till 2am cuttin and triming...at 1am the dogs gave up and went to bed....(slackers!!)

at the CRACK of NOON!! (wife and kid took off with my SIL for the day..so I slept in...sue me!!)


back doors skinned


tailgate skinned..(dam there was bout 60lbs right there!!)


trunk?



and heres the point after all the stops and people swingin by..
(notice its suddenly now dark...)




after this point the camera batteries died..I got some crappy cellpix..but heres the finnishd product as of yesterday..still have the firewall to do..but need to get the floor in the rest to keep it aligned till some of the wall comes out...




skins on real quick..not sure how much Im gonna hack out of the front doors yet..so theyre unmolested..(for now..)



MOST (not all) of the pile....easy 300lbs...EASY (per my back)...

welp havnt gotten SQUAT done the last week...theres a truck in that bay of the garage and I've been runnin crazy...

the C4 converter (orileys fm118) fits the A4LD flywheel



A4LD converter


Im guessin SB flywheel..compared to a4ld flywheel..


sb flywheel compared to c4 bolt holes.



stock fuel drop in...thinking about using this..but will probably just disconnect the pump from the assembly and put it in the tank.

Took scrap in saturday....410lbs of stuff out of the sploder!!...hows THAT for a weigh in???

well got a LITTLE work done yesterday...

rear floor in...back seat support in..gottem tacked in for now..(gotta get bolts today)

and an extra upright I wanted for support..:brow:

got the bell mounted on the trans..and grabbed stuff to get the cooler lines plumbed in..and vents plumbed...

back seats in and flooring in..

mocked the motor in...lotsa choppin...but as it sits now..14in back from stock and 6 down..gonna pick it up about 2 more to help the belly...

driveshafts are 37 front and 40 rear.,..did good there...

gotta figure out gaspedal...motor/tranny mounts..and get some headder wrap and some heat shrouds on that sucker!!

Wow, this is getting pretty serious lol. You're making good progress. I'm curious to see the final product.

ive never seen some one chop the top of an explorer, i like it!

KCBFord1 said:

ive never seen some one chop the top of an explorer, i like it!

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hell...I did that last year...check my photobucket link for other pix...