How dangerous to make a 4dr topless?

[crazyoffroader]

I decided to buy a previously mentioned truck( '87 4.0l d44) but the roof looks something like this:
http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Stu/krbaker/Jeep1.jpg
No damage to the front on mine, but everything above the hood is toast.
I'm thinking buggy, or topless with cage, or....
Ideas anyone?

[David Taylor]

you could always do something like this.
http://www.funtigo.com/go/i25215032?i=i25215032_11070.jpg

[Kaczman]

David- I can't believe you let that Sinclair guy influence you. He has no credibility. :)

-Jon

[Goatman]

David- I can't believe you let that Sinclair guy influence you. He has no credibility. :)

-Jon

It's not just Paul, I think Dave liked more about you than just your cooking.

Hey Jon, done any wheeling lately? :)

Damn, it's getting harder and harder to convince myself to keep the sheetmetal........what I have left, anyway.

[Kaczman]

It's not just Paul, I think Dave liked more about you than just your cooking.
He's only human.

Hey Jon, done any wheeling lately? :)
Yup, I have the blisters on my fingers and the worn out keyboard to prove it.

Damn, it's getting harder and harder to convince myself to keep the sheetmetal........what I have left, anyway.
Fight the good fight, my man. XJ buggies are lame.


I'm going on vacation this week, and plan to do some actual wheeling in the next couple of weeks. I won't bore you with more lame excuses for not making it to AZ. You'll just have to accept the fact that I reside in CO. :)


-Jon

[Jes]

you could always do something like this.
http://www.funtigo.com/go/i25215032?i=i25215032_11070.jpg

Wow, what is that green stuff I see? Don't see that too much in Johnson Valley.

[JeepFreak21]

I decided to buy a previously mentioned truck( '87 4.0l d44) but the roof looks something like this:
http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Stu/krbaker/Jeep1.jpg
No damage to the front on mine, but everything above the hood is toast.
I'm thinking buggy, or topless with cage, or....
Ideas anyone?

Wow, are XJ's rare in Washington???
Billy

[crazyoffroader]

Wow, are XJ's rare in Washington???
Billy
No, but it's $100, comes with a second, complete(not crushed) parts truck, and has the 4.0l, AW4, NP242, D44 drive train.
Plus I got flamed when I asked wether I should buy it or not.

[David Taylor]

David- I can't believe you let that Sinclair guy influence you. He has no credibility. :)

-Jon
I'm just weak minded and easily corrupted.

I would not recommend anyone cut up there XJ. It's just no fun wheeling
a light rig with no sheet metal. :wave:

[JeepFreak21]

No, but it's $100, comes with a second, complete(not crushed) parts truck, and has the 4.0l, AW4, NP242, D44 drive train.


Oh, sounds like a deal then.
Billy

[pabloconrad]

A roll cage would be nice. You'd get a little bit better gas mileage loosing all that weight.

[Hickey]

I would build a tube chassis or buy one and throw the drivetrain into it.

[old_man]

Slicing off the top without adding a well designed cage to strengthen the now non-existent unibody would be asking for the thing to fold in the middle on the first bump.

[OT]

Slicing off the top without adding a well designed cage to strengthen the now non-existent unibody would be asking for the thing to fold in the middle on the first bump.
When this happens, your Jeep is said to have nachoed.

[biscuitboy87]

off road only with a good cage...price seems right...why not. isn't the goal off road fun? use whatever you can for the off road adventure we enjoy!
bst of luck to ya.
N

[shimmy]

When this happens, your Jeep is said to have nachoed.

i thought it was tacoed... lol

[Rev Den]

Lets put this one to rest....

IT CANNOT BE DONE!!!!

Anyone who says they have done it are lying, any pictures are photochops, I have never seen one in person.....someone bring one to Winterfest and prove me wrong.

Rev

[OT]

Lets put this one to rest....

IT CANNOT BE DONE!!!!

Anyone who says they have done it are lying, any pictures are photochops, I have never seen one in person.....someone bring one to Winterfest and prove me wrong.

Rev
Right.

Why would anyone purposfully subject themselves to death wobble?

Maybe someone WILL bring one to Winterfeast. I'm with you, Rev, Show me and and I'll believe it. IIRC they mentioned one in the Bible, didn't they?

[JEEPZZ]

Insert redneck joke here

http://home.earthlink.net/~jeepzz/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/xjconvertible.jpg

[Big Red]

No, but it's $100, comes with a second, complete(not crushed) parts truck, and has the 4.0l, AW4, NP242, D44 drive train.
Plus I got flamed when I asked wether I should buy it or not.


I remember U know. Glad U jumped on that deal. Many people were willing to give up a nut to be in your shoes. The 44 is worth at least $300 or more by itself :laugh3:

I'd part out the stuff, keep the xj 44 rear axle, and get a nice clean xj to start with. This 1 has way to many issues and XJs are a dime a dozen and cheap.

[xtrememtbiker85]

i'm sorry but IMHO when you make such extensive mods to an xj like the two in tha tpic its not an xj any mroe. its a 4x4 with soem xj parts. i know it may be awesome on teh trail but why would you want somethign like that. esp that white one with no cage or top?

[Big Red]

Insert redneck joke here

Wow, that boy in the ugliest XJ I have ever seen things he's the shiznit. :laugh3: What ghetto fab here and what a death trap with no roll bar. This thing is way :wierd:

http://home.earthlink.net/~jeepzz/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/xjconvertible.jpg

[Gil BullyKatz]

Guess it doesn't matter how ugly his rig is...
he's outside wheelin it...
Could be worse...
It could be clean and chromed out and mall crawling...

:dunno:

[94XJ4x4]

Sounds like a fun project. check out my "hompage" it is my cardomain site. go all the way down to the bottom of the first page and look for an xj with a chopped roof like you are talking about. It looks awesome. i almost wish i would roll my xj just so i could make one like this... almost. ill give u this link just to save a couple seconds.

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/663326

[CW]

Thats C-roks rig and it's a 2door

Search xjdb.com
heres one I found real quick.
http://www.xjdb.com/albums/xjs/new_8394wvrtMv_ph250.sized.jpg
http://www.xjdb.com/albums/xjs/new_8419dkfVvU_ph251.sized.jpg

[jeepguy97]

http://home.earthlink.net/%7Epigie/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/catangleview.jpg

[liltothecapitalj]

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc199/sweatyhotsexpot/SDC10497.jpg

[liltothecapitalj]

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc199/sweatyhotsexpot/SDC10770.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc199/sweatyhotsexpot/SDC10712.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc199/sweatyhotsexpot/SDC10772.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc199/sweatyhotsexpot/SDC10825.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc199/sweatyhotsexpot/SDC10501.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc199/sweatyhotsexpot/SDC10717.jpg

[Begster]

Dude, come on.

Please look at the dates of threads you dig up before you post. You are posting in an almost 5 year old thread to show pictures of your Jeep that has a cage with almost no triangulation.

[xjnuttier]

I persoanlly dont think an XJ with "all the sheet metal remover above the doors, would be useless in not so much time. I couls see removing the rear section of roof, and re inforcing it, but honestly the unibody design or our XJ's, it so not the right platform for this mod. The other thing you can see from the pics is the extensive work done to try to make them structurally sound again via the use of the roll cage. So pl say you are losing weight, I doubt it, it is probally close to the same weight you are adding VS. removing. Don't get me wrong, I love the look, but you look at any of the convertible offroaderes,a nd they were all full frame vehicles, for that fact convertibles of today have a special frame structure in the center section for rigidity.

[Darky]

The cage does all the work of holding the XJ together if you build a good cage. You can cut the unibody away and not fall apart if you have a good structural cage. If you cut the roof off a full frame vehicle without reinforcing the body, it'll fall apart as well, and you'll be left with a solid frame and no body...as far as lighter weight, I'd say ask any of the guys who've done it on here about weight loss vs weight gain.

[xjnuttier]

The cage does all the work of holding the XJ together if you build a good cage. You can cut the unibody away and not fall apart if you have a good structural cage. If you cut the roof off a full frame vehicle without reinforcing the body, it'll fall apart as well, and you'll be left with a solid frame and no body...as far as lighter weight, I'd say ask any of the guys who've done it on here about weight loss vs weight gain.


But the Jeep does not have a full frame, so no, even with a good cage, the rigidity is not there, unless the frame is strengthened to meet the short comings of the body. to Adress weight, regardless, adding all that rollcage will for sure add weight back in, and not to mention all the bracing and plating you will be adding to get the frame area strong enough to support the cage in event of an actual rollover. I am not saying it can not be done, BUT to make it proper is not just slapping in a makeshift cage and think all is well, and your dome won't get crushed if you roll it... Even when you remove the doors and go flexing your Jeep, you are still in a much weaker shell than what you started. The whole idea of the UNIbody is that in fact it is one, acting as one.

[256offroad]

dude... its a fawkin cherokee... not a tj... yj.... jk..... cj.... LEAVE YOUR TOP ON!!!!!

[themangeraaad]

Yes, leave the top on, Wranglers are for cheerleaders, I dont mind seeing them topless.

Cherokees are for men, many of whome I would rather see them keep their tops on thank you very much.



But regarding cutting your roof off.. If you can upgrade it structurally (plate the frame, good cage, etc) go for it IF its what you want to do. Its a PROJECT, sometimes projects work, sometimes they dont.

If anyone gives you crap for it, just ignore them but at the same time you have to be able to distinguish between people giving you crap and giving real solid advice. Now, someone may say not to do it w/o any other advice other than their opinion.. well that's their opinion. Someone else may say "if you do it it will require you add more weight in plating and cage than you will be removing, so it's not worth it for weight loss".. well thats good advice. Yes you CAN make an XJ structurally solid w/o a top, You could also plate the entire thing in 1/4" steel. I have made posts about going balls to the walls and building a full box frame to stock XJ frame dimensions and then disasembling my XJ and moving all the body parts/suspension/everything onto the new home fab frame. Got some advice, wouldnt REALLY be worth it in the long run. But if I get bored over the winter and have enough $$ to buy a few lengths of steel box... ya know what, maybe I will start me a frame. Its a project and they are meant to be fun. Have fun with it if you decide to do it (and post a build)... just do it right so you dont endanger yourself or those around you.

I am also considering cutting my top off for the sole reason of welding a cage in so it will be as strong as possible... then the top will be added back on unless I can find a way to make it structural w/o the top and make the top a shell so it will be a hard top like a wrangler has :D. I would just be amused by doing that, thats the only reason why I would.