I've been spending the last six months trying to wrap up my Grand Wagoneer project for wheeling on some trails up at Big Bear this summer when the family went camping. It was ultimately a success, but our trip down Jacoby Canyon and an electric fan failure reinforced in me the need to off-road with a second rig as a "just in case" measure. I don't want to strand the family out in the boonies without a second rig nearby to haul us out and/or go for help.
But while the FSJ is a big, four door Jeep that fits the whole family (me, my wife, and three kids) and then some, I didn't want to build another of the same thing (or some cookie cutter XJ Cherokee or a Grand Cherokee that look too new and dime-a-dozen for me). Since this one will be the second rig for us, it can have a limited occupancy.
So here are my initial criteria for the build:
1. I like old rigs, and I wanted something that could go topless. A CJ of some kind is the answer, but I'm still not sure whether it'll be a CJ-2A, -2B, -3A, or -5 [I know it won't be a CJ-6, -7, or -8 since I'm going pre-smog in California (i.e., pre-1976) and more common than not]--hence the blog's title, "CJ-X," which looks better/cooler than CJ-?. I'm also expecting this thing to be some kind of hybridized Jeep, possibly with bits and pieces from more than one model (and, heaven forbid, non-Jeeps), so it may not be a true CJ-2A, for example, though it may be registered as one (I absolutely must buy a Jeep with a title because registering a FrankenJeep with the California DMV would be, um, problematic.)
2. Minimal lift with maximal tires. I want the CJ-X to ride on 32" BFG Mud Terrains to match the ones I'm running on my FSJ with a conversion to six lug. More matching between the two rigs = easier spare tire coverage and the like. I also want it to be only slightly lifted because I think tall, old CJ's look tip-over-friendly and a bit goofy, though a lifted CJ-7 or -8 can look badass. Not to mention between my wife, who is a perfect five feet tall, and the kiddies, I've got to haul around a lot of short that doesn't mix well with big rigs. (I had to add side steps for them on the FSJ.). Here's a CJ-2A on 32's, which I'm hoping to copy, at least in part. Mine will likely be a bit taller and uglier, though.
3. It will ideally (someday) run on modified (i.e., cut down on one side) FSJ Dana 44 axles to make half of the) axle shafts match between it and my big Jeep for simplicity of spares. Also, as I said, I want the wheels to have a 6 on 5.5" lug pattern. Who knows if custom axles will be a budget buster in the early days, so we'll just have to see; these might be upgrade options down the line. One suggestion I've received is to buy a crappy Grand Waggy, keep the axles, and part out the rest to help pay for what I've already got in it and then some. I'm keeping my eye out for this as an option.
4. Leaf springs. I like their simplicity. I'll have to watch out for U-bolt protection for the front axle that will be SUA. A flip kit or u-bolt skid plate will be in my future, I'm sure, since this Jeep will likely see more moderate wheeling than the big Jeep.
5. This one will be pieced together a bit at a time, rather than buying a running rig and then going about replacing nearly everything that was weak or unreliable, like I did with my big Jeep that was a basket case purchased from a DSPO. I'm hoping ach part can be rebuilt or restored myself, from the body to the frame to the axles to the suspension. I may buy a rig that has parts I don't want, which I'll then pick the best and part out the rest to help offset costs.
6. Notice that I haven't mention rebuilding an engine. Or wiring. That is not to be messed with by a shade-tree amateur like me. I had planned to source a '91-96 Jeep 4.0L to keep it in the Jeep family, but they are long engines and not necessarily the most cost efficient and effective swap. At times I've thought about a Ford V8 engine, which would be cool, but I'm not sure. The easiest might be a Buick V6 or a Chevy, perhaps a 327 or the ubiquitous and boring 350. Whatever I choose, it will eventually have fuel injection, and I might splice it into this rig with a mated-up automatic transmission like a Turbo 350 (which I will at some point rebuild with perhaps Monster Transmission's Monster in a Box kit and a shift kit), for power, efficiency, and reliability. That will be a bit farther down the line, though, after I do some more research. TH350's are a dime a dozen out here, so getting one won't be difficult or expensive. All told, I should get a tranny, rebuilding kit, and shift kit, for maybe $800. I've read that "slushboxes in flatties suck," but it's mine and I'll do what I like/want.
7. If the wheeling becomes more intense, i may put in aftermarket suspension seats front and rear with three point seat belts for all. I've also read that high back seats don't belong in flatties. Whatever. No whiplash for me, thanks. at minimum, three-point seatbelts front and rear.
8. A full, triangulated roll cage tied into the frame with poly bushings to dampen vibration.
9. Form follows function. Not worried about pretty with this one. Build it right, and it'll look cool by default.
10. I don't want to take a great restoration candidate and chop it up to fit my vision since that will tick off the purists and probably cost me money. A rust bucket it cannot be, but if I need to patch a few holes or hat channels, so be it. I want to master basic welding with this rig anyway. I see a boxed frame in my future (at least portions), as well as a steering box mount upgrade if it needs it.
