Bobbed V8 Rescue Green 86 MJ

I sold the xj (rusty midwest jeep) and got a 1987 long bed mj for free. The build is getting closer to being "done" so I figured Id throw up a build thread. I have been daily driving this for roughly a year now and just took it apart to finish the motor and do the body work.

Axles

Front HP 44 with warn lockouts 5.13 gears TnT customs truss and stock shafts with 760 u-joints for now

SF 14 bolt with full case Detroit locker 5.13s trussed

Suspension

Looking for a low center of gravity and I am hoping to end up around 5 inches of lift.

T&T customs y-link front

SOA with stock springs and Jks shackles

Drivetrain

383 Stroker all forged bottom end nastyish cam aluminum vortec heads victor jr aluminum intake and holley tbi

Built 700r4

C231

Griffin aluminum radiator with Dirtbound offroad triple 10 fan kit

Interior

Autometer Gauges

everything else stock for now

Body

A good start with ZERO rust

going to bed rescue green

bobbed the bed about 9 inches

Newer style mirrors

Hella housings with IPF fatboys and arb headlight harness

Steering

One ton steering joints with true high steer

Wheels and Tires

Plain jane steel wheels

37in MTRS

Bumpers

Tnt front housing a warn 9500ti with synthetic rope

Aluminum fairlead

Custom built rear with in bed tire carrier

What I started with

Motor and Trans donor

The truck had a bad fuel pump so the bed got removed and another tank strapped into place so it could be test driven.

After test driving the trucks front clip was torn off so the motor could be pulled.

The best surprise of the day.

Got the engine bay all cleaned up and the motor mounts installed. This thing is cleaner that I thought it was. The bottom of the body is in near showroom condition.

How I drove it for roughly the past year or so.

Shot of the dash

Taking the bed off to start the bob

Before the first cut

After cut

Tacked together

Bedsides trimmed

New inner bedsides

Flipped it back over. I used 1/4 inch rod to give me something to not only weld the inners to but it adds alot of strength to the whole side. It also gives a finished look to the bed.

New LED tail lights

Got it in the first coat of primer. Now to sand with 180 then reprime then sand with 320 then seal and color.

Forged H beam Eagle rods and Keith Black Icon forged pistons

I trimmed the rear part of the frame off and got the new cross member remade. Enough typing onto what you really came in here for.

Moved the rear most bed mount

Got busy with a cutoff wheel

New rear crossmember

A little exta bracing

Mount rewelded in

First shot of the bed on

Shot from the rear

Got the bed tailgate and gas door all sprayed today. I also learned my lesson on using cheap paint. I had a brand new gallon of paint that had a bad toner in it and ended up have to buy a new gallon through another paint rep. Hopefully monday I can get my money back on the garbage gallon. It was a 600 dollar lesson today.

There is alot more work to be done. Mostly motor work to make it drivable again. I am looking to doing the 97 up front clip and then I am also hoping to do the interior swap as well.

:thumbsup:

Wow, looking nice.

did you do the TNT truss yourself? I have a set of Waggy 44s and was looking at the truss. when (if) you got the truss did you order all the mounts already on? or did you have to make your own mounts? I ask because a lot of sites that sell them have the price (base price?) but show the picture of a fully loaded one and it got me confused.

Well I kinda did the one under my jeep myself with supervision from Mike @ TnT. I was lucky enough when I was at school to basically intern there. I have done maybe 5 of them after I move back to Il. I put one under a buddies xj with waggy axles about a month or so ago. If you are looking for bolt in you need the mounts. What suspension are you running or going to run?

Well I kinda did the one under my jeep myself with supervision from Mike @ TnT. I was lucky enough when I was at school to basically intern there. I have done maybe 5 of them after I move back to Il. I put one under a buddies xj with waggy axles about a month or so ago. If you are looking for bolt in you need the mounts. What suspension are you running or going to run?

I have a rough country 6 inch lift, I will probably swap out the short arms for rough country long arms soon though. when they sell the truss, it is just the bare truss right? and you add all the mounts? cause on their site I got confused as to weather you add mounts to the bare truss or if the options are upgraded mounts. I am pretty sure that its bare then you add mounts but nobody that did a wright up online mentioned exactly what options they ordered.

I am looking to doing the 97 up front clip and then I am also hoping to do the interior swap as well.

Nah, don't do that. I won't look good at all, especially in rescue green :nuts:

Awesome

Awesome

X2 - especially like the gauges.

Thanks the gauges were in exchange for building a jeep for a buddy over the past winter. There is about 800 bucks into them. They are all LED back lit. Here is a picture of his xj.

Not trying to copy the rescue green new interior thing I have been debating the color and swap sense I got this jeep about 2 years or so ago.

well you got this thing set up exactly how I want to set up mine (minus all the chevy motor/tranny parts ;) ) Definitely will be watching this build to get ideas, Nice work!!! :cheers:

Maybe getting some alcans for the rear. I have a buddy taking them off of his ranger and they might be close enough to fit. The best part is they are almost new and I would get them for under 200 bucks.

Wow, very similar to what I'm doing right now. LWB shortening to SWB, with a short bed that I'm going to bob about a foot out of. 44/9" with a 4.7L stroker, 97+ front end swap, and Grabber Blue paint.

Digging the rig, keep it up!

Nice work!

Nothing new and exciting to post. Got some more work done on the motor. Sometimes it seems like I am chasing my tail with this project.

Finished building the motor and started to tear into the trans for the shift kit and corvette servo. I also just got a 2000 xj to start swapping parts over to mine from. Its a limited can you say heated leather.

:thumbsup: awesome!

Got the motor in last night and started redoing some wiring that was a mess. Hoping to test fire it maybe monday then it goes to the tuner on the 9th.