I didn't know this thread existed until earlier today... First, thanks for all the compliments!! I've really enjoyed this project I just wish I worked faster or had more time to devote to this so I could get it done. Work, school, and sleep kick my ass it feels like. I wish I had a way to roll the tubing for the b pillar gussets and the double rear tube to give it a wheel well look, but it's hard to get 70* bends on a big radius without an actual tubing roller. I love the roof and the rear roof line. Combination of a Jim's garage buggy and a few other bouncer style builds. It could use another tube going to to the bumper under the C pillar but it needs to work with the skins Andy's doing too. I'll make some and Andy can decide if he likes them or how they will be covered up. Gotta make some for the middle sections too where it's tied into the frame again. Keeping the leaf springs kinda put a damper on what you could do with the back of this thing. Got a YJ rear seat to put in and a fuel cell to mount but with the roof line at stock XJ height and the floor pan being the way it is, it doesn't fit without cutting the floor up and some more serious sheet metal work. I'm very happy with the boatsides, I wish mine had them like that but mine are already too tied in to change. Only downside will be getting in the thing when it's on 39's on a trail, they're high up there. The front tube work the only thing I would change would be the bottom fender tube. I think it should come out farther away from the body to go around the header panel back to the frame. Narrowing the front gets tricky. It's cut down like 6" on both sides I believe and reworking everything to fit with the header panel still having 5 even slots is no joke. Freerider did an awesome job, just took him 7 years lol.
I'd love to do axles on this thing, build a 3 link, and finish it out but the problem becomes how to pay me for it... I've got probably 60 hours in this thing from when it was given to me until now. I was going to keep track of my time but I knew I didn't want to see the results... Plenty of 8-10 hour days in my garage on my off days from work and then 3-5 hours a night before I went to work at midnight. We worked out a deal ahead of time for another project I had and a trade on a spare Krawler for my rig but it's time for it to go back home and get finished out by Andy. Was looking forward to finishing it and wheeling it before him. Cutting down this 05+ front axle is no joke... Passenger side is "easy" since there is no cast to deal with but there is a serious chunk of stuff to remove from the drivers side. I have probably 8+ hours in cleaning my front axle up to use. Building a new low profile 3 link, flat belly, and skid sounds fun and all but again is a lot of work. Andy has a lot to do to this thing before it's ready to ride but it's also came a long way in the time I've had it. Was over whelming at first when I was working with just the flat XJ lol.
Had a few more people message me for cage/ bumper/ fab work on FB and I welcome it all but a lot of people don't understand how much time and effort goes in to custom stuff. There has been a lot of time spent by everyone involved in this project so far, but I think everyone is glad they've done it. Makes me want to build another rig and start over but that's just more time and I wouldn't build another serious rig out of an XJ... With it being a flat floor pan it had at least 1" of sag in the frame as I set it on jackstands... Crazy how integral the body is on these things but I know the cage will help. Andy has a lot to do ahead of him so we should see it on the trail in 2018!!
I'd post pictures but Andy has posted all of the decent ones I've sent him.