Well after learning and seeing how fun Rock crawling/off roading machines can be, i've set my mind, and wallet, into building one. after seeing Gotlift01's machine, i've decided to model mine after it... Im looking for a later 80's erily 90's Jeep Cherokee to hack with...Im gonna cut from the be post bac making a bed leaving the lift gate on the jeep unless its a hatch, then im buying a gator net for it... Im making sure its auto just to be easy on me..NOW, wat engine should i look for? How should i fab the role cage and exo cage? Should i try to make my own suspention parts, or buy them all? Is weight good or bad? I was planning on building mounts for high lifts and a chain saw, and then a section for Cribbing for thoes just in case times.... TEACH ME!!! Im not sure how fast this can all happen, when i get a job it will be much better....


Thanx Mike

 

Cheby 350 is popular swap. cheap to maintain, tough, upgradeable.
The cage and suspension will depend on your skill level. I would start with a basic roll over protection (bolted to the frame). from there, you can look at rock sliders, and other armor later.
If you dont have the skills, equipment, or desire to learn, I would stick with an aftermarket suspension upgrade. If you start with a SFA, you will be ahead on lifting and upgrades.

 

SFA? Now there are some decent welders out my way, so what tube steel's should i use to fab a roll cage?

 

Straight front axle.
as opposed to IFS, Independant Front Suspension

Cage should be a DOM tubing in 2" to 3" diameter with 3/8" or better wall thickness for the main hoops, you can go smaller and lighter for cross bracing and non-criticle (no passenger protection) areas.

 

k..now, is the 4.0 I6 in the cherokee anygood, or is that a swap right away thing?

 

There are some really good upgrades for the 4.0. but they can be costly.
being an inline six, its got good low end torque. Add an aftermarket head, fuel injection, and a good exhaust system and it will do what you need.
the 4.0 also has the advantage of being lighter than a V-8 swap.. if you dont need an extreme top end, lower the gears get the torque thru the roof.

 

Yeah..I was thinking of keeping the 4.0 I6 b/c of the TQ factor, and im poor...

 

You might hit some of the Jeep forums and see what kind of upgrades and issues are available for the 4.0.
The 350 just has soo much available for it, afterall, the motor was used in vehicle production for some 40 years.
The 4.0 has been out for a good 20 plus years tho.

 

Mike, If you were at Carlisle then you saw me on the passenger side of a Cherokee on the rock pile.

We broke the rear driveshaft straps on Sunday.

I could on and on about how to hop one up. Or you can pay a visit to my buddy's shop one day, and learn a ton of information.

He does fab work as well as another friend that I go wheeling with. Tons of info and all it'll cost you is a few beers.

It's not far from where we had the Meet -n- Greet at Petro's.

I think he has pics on Pirate 4x4.

It would definitely be worth the drive.

Tony

 

tony, I added you to my AIM buddylist...will chat with u about crawling there...

 

Isn't it relatively common to mount hydraulics/ pneumatics onto IFS, so you can lower each tire individually?

Or is that cost-prohibitive for entry level rock crawling?

 

Go over to pirate4x4.com and start reading. There's some excellent info there for DIY buggy builders like proper cage design, how to build links, rebuilding axles, hydro assist and just tons of great info. They can be harsh at times, but the info is priceless.

If you're going to do the work yourself, you need some basic metal working tools; a welder (lincoln 110 wire feed from Home Depot is a good entry level welder), a 4" angle grinder (buy a good one), a sawzall and a chop saw. You can buy a protools bender with one die for $650 or so (it's been awhile since I've priced them). A tube bender is a very cool tool. If you can get these tools, the only limit is your imagination. Once you've been building for a while you can get a bigger, better welder, a torch or plasma cutter, band saw or a cold metal chop saw.

A couple tips: put in 1 ton axles right off the bat. Don't mess around spending tons of money upgrading 1/2 ton junk...you'll wish later you'd just built 60's. Buy the best tools you can afford. You can by 3 cheap tools or one.

 

Good advice above. I would also recommend keeping the 4 litre. The Aisin Warner AW4 automatic they were coupled with is probably the most trouble-free auto that I've ever seen. I personally know of several 4.0/AW4 equipped Cherokees with over 300K miles on them, so I'd guess they would be a decent platform to build a rock crawler with.

 

Yes, Im keeping the 4.0 and the auto...i might beef up the tranny as i beef up the motor...Now is weight good, and is touqe good?

 

Swap in 60s as said above. Chop up everything. Atlas, 39.5" Iroks, staun internal beadlocks and some armor and your on your way. Check out pirate as already mentioned.