Turning my Wrangler into a Buggy

[kitan]

I have a 1994 wrangler I drove up from Oklahoma. Its in real need of some work but hoping to turn it into my buggy for next year. I had a 3inch body lift put on it with 33inch mudding tires but some dope head broke into where they were being stored and ripped them off. Now I want to put on a 2-5 inch body lift with 34-36 mudders depending on how much tilt. My last one had 12inch wide tread with the tred being 5-8inches deep(can't remember) What is the opinion on this?

[peterbilt]

sound like a good idea to me, but i wouldnt use it as a daily driver. also upgrade ur axles and trans for off roading.

[kitan]

I haven't daily drove her in well over a year. I take her out on the back roads when it strikes me. It has sat in Saskatchewan for a year to be 'fixed' up but that isn't happening. I was putting my energy and cash into my dogs but after a heavy loss last week resulting in over $15,000 worth of pups being killed I am thinking my jeep may be a safer place to invest my cash.

Back to this tranny and what have you, I want to switch the engine out. I have heard I have to do major modifcations. Its only a four banger and not sure if a 4 banger will give me the power I need to really dig in to the mud. I missed this years lovely mudding season b/c the beast wasn't here so hopng next year I can fix that.

I am concerned about the noise when I turn to the left and up hill at same time. It makes a really weird grinding noise from the gear box. I was told it was the tranny burning as my old ford truck does the same noise at the same time too.

I am also concerned about making sure my body is not rusting out. At the end of September I want to gut her out completely. What is the best way to treat the interior and exterior from rust wear? I have only smal amount of rust now caused by a rock dent and would love to keep it that way. I have a huge sound system in there and want to keep that but remove the back seat completely

[75K30]

How much do you wish to modify? What are you overall expectations of the vehicle? What are your mechanical abilities? How much of the work can you do yourself?
I bet I can help you with any ideas you need to build this right. I love to build these vehicles.

[kitan]

I have some mechanical skills but very limited. I have acess to almost every tool known to man and I bet with some direction I can do almost anything. I have help when needed. I really don't want to modify too much of the looks. I am having a hard time even changing her colour. I will run out now and take some pictures of her. She is a beat up old thing but I LOVE HER TO PEICES. She has always been pretty good for me. The 33inches rubbed on the fenders. I got a U-haul just for them so I wouldn't screw'em up. Some crack head in Edmonton thought they needed them more and stole them out of the shop they were stored in.

[75K30]

I get pretty extreme with my creations. In the posted pics I attached you can see an example of a tube chassis buggy that will be used primarilly for rocks. Big Rocks.
We should first start with knowing what we are working with and driving style and types of off roading you are going to do.
We should first get it rolling again and decide on a suspension type, so the desired lift can be determined and then we can get into the drivetrain, like axles and then traction devices, and save the engine for last. If it works, it is still a driver so you can enjoy it, even though it may be limited on power. Little bit of power is better than no power sitting on the shop floor collecting dust. Too many projects never get finished because truck get taken apart and folks lose motivation or move onto another project.
We will stay focused by upgrading in steps so you can still drive the beloved Jeep, and then see how each and every upgrade changes the vehicles capabilities.
I would like to know what type of suspension it has now. I am sure it is a spring under leaf spring style system, so I may need to know what year this is.
Does it really have a body lift? That means that the body has spacers between it and the frame. We will be throwing that away, and concentrating on suspension modifications to improve ride and capabilities as well as overall traction.
Hope this does not too much to handle all at once?????

[kitan]

Pictures taken this morning of my girl aka the Beast which started out as kitan. She is messy but hard to clean the dirt off with no top so don't do it regular as I should. I want to clean the interior up. Safety seats and harness. I don't want to modify too much and want her street legal.

[75K30]

Lokks like a good solid Wrangler "YJ".
Quick and easy modification with stock springs is to do a spring over conversion. This would mount the leaf springs on top of the axle tube instead of the bottom. Very easy to do without super special tools. You will need access to a welder and a good grinder 4" angle type with some fiber cutoff wheels and a few flap wheels to do the finish work so it looks pretty.
The only real requirements here are going to be a new drop pitman arm so the steering returns to normal. This will lift the vehicle, and add a bunch of articulation. New shocks will be needed to accomodate this type of modification, but will be a good start.
I have some pics of a spring over that I have done if interested.

[kitan]

Yes, she is body lifted already. I was going to have the body lifted another 2 or 3inches so I had clearence with 35 but couldn't do under time frame. I was leaving for Canada two days following and needed her up and running.

I spend a lot of time on bush roads. When I say bush roads I mean just that. Not roads kept up or run by trail clubs. If you notice in the picture in the the back ground there is a one tone with launchers. I deliver explosives into the Alberta bush country and find roads that would blow your mind. I like going back with the jeep and making the stops or trun offs I didn't get to see the first time around and want to get slapped in the back of the head with mud with little or no skidding or hydro planing on water. I had that trouble with the last set of tires. It has to be street legal enough to get me from my house to the road with no trailering. I don't want too much power b/c I have no gas tank to speak of getting about 250miles or almost 500km per tank on a non-windy day, all downhill. I can barely keep the speed limit. I HAVE received a ticket from the police on the Oklahoma intersate hiway for not maintaning min. speed. Laugh if you want to. On the other side of the coin, I got caught doing 205km/hr in a friends stealth several years ago but don't favour speed. In my defense a car like that was begging to be driven that fast on the road I was on.

[75K30]

Lets clear something up. You keep saying "body lift." Is this a true staement. Are you aware of the differences between a body lift and suspension lift?
The body lift only adds clearance and does nothing for vehicle performance. It only offers body clearance for larger tires, but still leaves the drivetrain hanging very low.
Has the body been seperated from the frame?