Woody's '98 ZJ 5.9L Desert Racer Project

[Number7 86]

Wow! that is nice. Can't wait to see in person. George:cool:

[crgeorge 1]

Beautiful! Chad.

[ob1jeeper 484]

ob1; know of any jeep engineers that could help get my "project" started?

*I think I may have met one of their old fart retirees the other day at the coffee shop...

 

As Woody alluded to, getting the proper support added to a unibody vehicle to not only withstand the forces generated by "spirited" off-road running, but laid out so it will work properly, takes some level of experience/expertise, and with rare exceptions, a ton of custom fab-work, resulting in spending some significant man-hours, materials, and buckets full of ca$h.

[Scramblin_Jim 1]

Su Mae is looking for a Jeep. Ya wanta trade my Scrambler for it?

 

Very nice Woody. I can't wait to be a passenger when you go fast OVER the desert. Is there a waiting list?

[ZJ Woody 1]

Su Mae is looking for a Jeep. Ya wanta trade my Scrambler for it?

 

Very nice Woody. I can't wait to be a passenger when you go fast OVER the desert. Is there a waiting list?

 

Jim:

Your second in line right behind Dick Grover but you gotta sign a liability waiver in triplicate!

 

Like Steve (ob1jeeper) said, a project like this requires a lot of help, time, and money but when your done you pretty well have something a bit different than everyone else.

Now when I get to test it some more I will find out if that is a good thing or not.

Woody

[theksmith 3,833]

looks extremely well done! nice!

[theksmith 3,833]

who made the rear bumper?

[ZJ Woody 1]

who made the rear bumper?

 

Kris:

I got my rear bumper from Kevins OffRoad but it was made by Protofab.

The rear swing gate for the spare tire is about the strongest one made that I have ever seen.

The closing cam latch mechanism with safety pin is definitely the best around.

Here is a link to Protofab: http://www.protofab4x4.com/

.

Just for the record, my front bumper is a Hanson.

I got that one strictly because I liked the looks of it.

.

The set up for mounting 2 fuel cans onto the rear swing gate instead of the tire, was fabricated in my shop.

I wanted to be able to see out the back window without putting the weight of the tire up on the roof, so I mounted the tire inside on cross bars that stiffened the internal roll cage and kept it 10" off the deck. That way I could get my legs and sleeping bag under it in the back for sleeping without carrying a ton of camping gear.

 

Woody

 

Here is a picture of the rear bumper from the opposite angle:

[Russell84 1]

I gotta say, man, that is a SICK looking rig. I've been thinking of trying to tie in the sliders and front and rear bumpers (when I actually get them). Your's is almost exactly the style I've been envisioning. I was thinking maybe welding flanges on the fender tubes so they can bolt onto the bumpers rather than weld on so you could remove either bumper or the sliders as separate pieces if need be.

[ZJ Woody 1]

I gotta say, man, that is a SICK looking rig. I've been thinking of trying to tie in the sliders and front and rear bumpers (when I actually get them). Your's is almost exactly the style I've been envisioning. I was thinking maybe welding flanges on the fender tubes so they can bolt onto the bumpers rather than weld on so you could remove either bumper or the sliders as separate pieces if need be.

 

Rusty:

What doesn't show in the pictures is the joint near each bumper in the 1-5/8" OD tubing.

They used a male/female internal connection that is secured with an allen head bolt that allows for the front or rear bumper to be removed but does not show.