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A real new 4 wheeler bigginer. I'm gone need some help.

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elboriqua

Johnny T.
Location
Peosta IA.
Hello everyone, I'm Johnny. I'm an old school gear head. I have done a few car in my time and I have build some chopper to. My problem is this during all this year's of me building what ever I wanted my wife has been on the back ground and supported me. But never got involved. Well just the other day we see someone pulling a very nice off road jeep and she said why haven't you build one. Now that is something I would love to do. I'm like really after 30 years you telling me this now. So now she's pushing me to build one. And luck would have it is that I have a 2002 jeep grand Cherokee with a 4.7 that I'm rebuilding. Imy just wondering if this would be a good jeep to build. I'm very positive that I can do this build even do I have never done this. I just want to tell you of what I can do because of what I do for a living. I'm a seterfide structural welder and many oder weld procedure in three diferent states. I'm a machines as well. And I have access to all kind of machining equipment. I just may need a little guidance. Thank in advance for any input that I get from you guys and gals.
 
ricsrx

ricsrx

Well-Known Member
Welcome to RME, i would love to help with your project but i am a Toyota guy and don't know the the jeeps that well.
 
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elboriqua

Johnny T.
Location
Peosta IA.
Thanks guys, I'm not sure where I'm going with it. I just want it to build it in a safe manner. I'm sure that my wife want it to go on rough trail she loves the outdoors.
 
Jay5.9L

Jay5.9L

...I just filled the cup.
Location
Riverton
Welcome. As with any project figure out what you want and your budget. Google what builds or videos and see what you want to build. WJ have a lot going for it: v8, solid axles etc. down side is that it's a unibody which can be difficult but there are work arounds ( braces, sub frames). If you stay reasonable in tire size and do a quality lift your will have a safe and fairly capable weekend trail jeep
 
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elboriqua

Johnny T.
Location
Peosta IA.
Thanks Jay5.9L, this is why I am here. I always say you can learn something knew every day. I didn't realized that it's a unibody. gone need to look in to that. i just started looking around the web ill keep at it, check you tube out. and as for my budget, i think i can keep it relatively inexpensive sense i can fabricate lots of the parts that i need. and i can get all my steel and DOM tubing, like pennys on the dollars were i work. they throw away lots of good material and we can by as scrap metal.This is the equipment that I have at my disposal. Cant complain The company that I work for lets me do all the work that i want to do in the shop.20161005_221609.jpg 20161005_221618.jpg This is the iron horse I can do some nice bend or tube notching punch hols you name it. 20161005_221628.jpg 20161005_221650.jpg plenty of welder mig, stick, tig, its there. 20161005_221847.jpg 20161005_221903.jpg Lathe and mill. 20161005_221854_001.jpg and this huge drill press. There is more but this is enough for now.
 
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TurboMinivan

TurboMinivan

Still plays with cars
Location
Lehi, UT
First: welcome to RME! You have definitely found the right place to ask these sorts of questions.

Now, let's talk about your situation. Your skills and abilities combined with the machinery at your disposal mean the sky is the effective limit. Given enough time, a competent welder/fabricator can create just about anything (and, as someone who cannot weld, I am very jealous).

But even with all that, you need to start at the beginning. What do you want to be able to do, exactly? What kind of off-pavement driving appeals to you? If you want to know the best way to get to your destination, you must first know exactly where that destination is. (As others have said, the WJ is a unibody vehicle and that fact does present some downsides for some situations... but I won't elaborate on that without knowing what your end goal is.)

So, what do you want to do?
 
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elboriqua

Johnny T.
Location
Peosta IA.
Hello TurboMinivan, That is one hell of a question that i'm steel asking my self. Im like honey what WTF are you getting me in to. I have been searching the web, man there is allot to learn, lots research to do. But i'm always up for a challenge. I'm building this puppy for my wife couse she really would like us to go out there and check out the trails. She has always been supportive of me building anything that i have in the past so I'm gone do this one for her. Even do i don't think shes gone drive it, it would be me. Why? because she cant drive. Don't tell her i said that. Any way I'm almost positive that i would get in to some difficult trails. specially out west like Arizona. I want to build a very stout Jeep. I would like it to go in to most pleases.

This is not going to be a daily driver but it will be licence for it. i want to drive it to most location here in the mid west as in WI,IA, and IL. I would like to have large wheels 38" maybe 40" if i can accommodate them. I'm sure that I will be trimming some of the wheel area. As of now this is what i have done is remove the motor out it has been machine and prept. all the lower end has been balance. I usually do this to every engine that I build. But now that I'm going in to a different direction with the jeep. I'm going to re do the heads and intake. I'm going to port match and polish everything. And I'm going to turbo charge this motor unless some one tell me I should't. I can keep going with this but Ill stop here I think you get the point. Or i could just have said It needs to be aggressive and strong Jeep. LOL i got to get back to work. Later guys AND THANK.
 
Jay5.9L

Jay5.9L

...I just filled the cup.
Location
Riverton
elboriqua said:
Hello TurboMinivan, That is one hell of a question that i'm steel asking my self. Im like honey what WTF are you getting me in to. I have been searching the web, man there is allot to learn, lots research to do. But i'm always up for a challenge. I'm building this puppy for my wife couse she really would like us to go out there and check out the trails. She has always been supportive of me building anything that i have in the past so I'm gone do this one for her. Even do i don't think shes gone drive it, it would be me. Why? because she cant drive. Don't tell her i said that. Any way I'm almost positive that i would get in to some difficult trails. specially out west like Arizona. I want to build a very stout Jeep. I would like it to go in to most pleases.

This is not going to be a daily driver but it will be licence for it. i want to drive it to most location here in the mid west as in WI,IA, and IL. I would like to have large wheels 38" maybe 40" if i can accommodate them. I'm sure that I will be trimming some of the wheel area. As of now this is what i have done is remove the motor out it has been machine and prept. all the lower end has been balance. I usually do this to every engine that I build. But now that I'm going in to a different direction with the jeep. I'm going to re do the heads and intake. I'm going to port match and polish everything. And I'm going to turbo charge this motor unless some one tell me I should't. I can keep going with this but Ill stop here I think you get the point. Or i could just have said It needs to be aggressive and strong Jeep. LOL i got to get back to work. Later guys AND THANK.
Click to expand...

Sounds like quite a project and it also sounds like you got some skills to make it happen. With 38 or 40"s your going to have to have a serious lift, cut fenders, new axles, etc etc, Unlike Wranglers, Grand Cherokees need a lot of work to run such large tires. Its doable so keep researching :) If you wanted a smaller tire like a 33" do a long arm lift, bumpers, maybe gears, a locker, and done!
 
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elboriqua

Johnny T.
Location
Peosta IA.
I do have some skills, but on this one i don't have the knowledge. Just the ambition. This is why I'm here, i mention the size tire that i would like witch are 38" or 40" I figure they would have a dissent foot print. But on the other hand how high of a lift i should go and stay in the safe zone. meaning not rolling it. I understand the bigger you go the better axle I'm gone need. And i have been doing my research. I learn that i can purchase some axle at the junk yard i can cut, splice and weld and get a heavy axle build. Plus i have found some useful tread hear. Like some one doing his front axle and welding his own spindle mount. that was pretty interesting to see.
 
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