cutting down the mj

dellstopjeep · Oct 20, 2006

so after purchasing my long bed and hearing the stories i searched for about long beds on the trails i am convinced its time to cut it down. i see no point in bobbing it because your not cutting enough off but if i cut it as close to the shackle as possible and do some sort of an led light setup i think it will work out better. GOOD thing this truck was 300 bucks!!! anyways i was wondering if there was any good write-ups or input from anyone or even better pictures that someone would have of kinda what im lookin at doin. I want to keep the bed because i use it frequently. thanks for the help!

Lawn Cher' · Oct 20, 2006

I wheel a longbed MJ... if you have a stout bumper then the rear overhang is not a problem. I've done much more damage to the sides of the bed.

Starboard M · Oct 20, 2006

Look on pirate in the toy section. A lot of the toy truck people do it. I helped a friend do it, and its not really that hard. Just make sure you cut in strait lines. That was the hardest part.

87manche · Oct 20, 2006

Lawn Cher' said:
I wheel a longbed MJ... if you have a stout bumper then the rear overhang is not a problem. I've done much more damage to the sides of the bed.

I drag the bumper all the time. It's kinda like a skid plat for me

XJ_ranger · Oct 20, 2006

this is a good place to start -

good bed solution image -

after a little more...

then cut a little off the sides maybe?

iluv83vettes · Oct 20, 2006

where did it go?:eyes::confused1

Root Moose · Oct 21, 2006

XJ_ranger said:

Cool, the first Jeep "Targa"?

It kinda looks like a Samurai like that.

Rust free and you bastids go and cut it up. Damn you.

We can only dream of sheetmetal that vintage and that good a condition up here.

Littlewhitexj · Oct 21, 2006

Root Moose said:
Cool, the first Jeep "Targa"?

It kinda looks like a Samurai like that.

Rust free and you bastids go and cut it up. Damn you.

We can only dream of sheetmetal that vintage and that good a condition up here.

I agree.

rocklandxjer · Oct 21, 2006

x100000

if i found a comanche in that shape up here, it would run me a grand at least

for 300 bucks up here, it either has to be dead, dying, or full-o-holes

Root Moose · Oct 21, 2006

So who in SoCal / Az wants to find me a rust free MJ so I can fly down and drive it back?

I'm joking, maybe...

rocklandxjer · Oct 21, 2006

i would do it,
hell if i could get a rust free MJ for 300 i would gladly pay the 300 more for gas!!

barillms · Oct 22, 2006

I'm in the exact same boat, I bough an 88 MJ longbed 2 weeks ago and am trying to figure out what to do in the back. I think I'm going to switch over to stock XJ rear leaf packs, spring over, and move the spring hangers forward about 10 inches. Then chop the back frame and mod the bed to match.

dellstopjeep · Oct 23, 2006

can you just throw cherokee axles on the long beds or does that not work? what has to be done in the rear for just that simple swap.
first thing im doin is buckets because the bench seat gives me no flippin room!

Starboard M · Oct 23, 2006

XJ_ranger said:
this is a good place to start -

good bed solution image -

after a little more...

then cut a little off the sides maybe?

That would have been mine:rattle:

If only I had been able to get down to SoCal sooner. Dangit.:firedevil

xjaddiction · Oct 23, 2006

I have a long bed, chopped in the rear about a foot, with the lower rockers cut off. IMO I like having the bed over a flat bed. I still wanted it to look like an MJ, not a buggy. A friend of mine did all the chop work, and I really like the way it turned out.

Here are some pics;

The bed tire carrier is bolted in, so I can remove it if I want to use the bed. I have rocker guards now, and will add more protection on the chopped bed sides. I also have some LED's now for the tail-lights.

I may be getting another long bed for free very soon. I think I might do a regular chop and graft the rear original type tail-lights and tail-gate back on. I will use LED's and steel boxes for lights if I do.

All the dents on the bed sides are from the previous owner. I've managed to keep from hitting the sides on some pretty tight trails. The long wheel base (about 121"es) and wide stance makes this rig very stable, a big difference over my 103" WB XJ.

dellstopjeep · Oct 24, 2006

that is awesome lookin and exactly what i want to do, do you have a pic of the inside of the bed so i can see what the back side looks like? what is the lift on that?

xjaddiction · Oct 24, 2006

I'll get some pictures. He just cut the back off as far as he could go without getting into the shackles. He welded a piece of 1" tube on the angle, Then a support that goes accross where the tailgate should be. Then held a piece of scrap sheet metal up to it. Traced along the backside, leaving a bit of a lip to mold around the tube. Then welded it together.

The lift is about 10"es. The axles are Dana 44's from a Grand wag. The front is converted to leaf springs. The MJ flexes very well. I've got about $4500 bucks in it including the purchase price of the MJ, and the brand new 38" SS SX's and monster wheels with 2"es of BS.

I've gotten some crap from the West coast guys about the MJ ( with 120,00 miles, AW-4, and working A/C), but she has held up very well in the year that I've had it set-up like this. This thing is basically point and shoot around here. It's been an excellent budget build.

cutting down the mj

dellstopjeep

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Lawn Cher'

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Starboard M

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