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Re: Jeep Grand Cherokee Truck Build

PostPosted: Sat Jan 22, 2022 8:35 pm
by '68 Coronet R/T
So much for a bolt in kit. :worthy:

Re: Jeep Grand Cherokee Truck Build

PostPosted: Sat Jan 22, 2022 11:33 pm
by DarrelK
Well, we did most of this to ourselves with our "minor" changes..... :splat: So you are working along and you think.... "Yeah, let's add this, or hey, this would be better if we moved it here, or what if water gets down in here?" Back in the good ol' days you had these drawings (looked like the scribblings of a 6 year old) of slot tab a. into slot b. and reuse the 18 body bolts you took out to mount the new body..... A whole kit body consisted of mono tub with a couple of doors, a hood, and rear deck lid....If you wanted it all to go together you didn't dare start hacking or moving anything or you were doomed..... :knockout:

Re: Jeep Grand Cherokee Truck Build

PostPosted: Wed Jan 26, 2022 11:14 pm
by DarrelK
So we are dividing and conquering for a short while now. I got in a full day with Riley today and will get in a full day with the Grandson on Saturday. So these side wing plates fit in and strengthen the roof area. Normally these things just slide in at the top and then it is just bolt, rivet, rivet to the door edge. But, no we have fill in that huge gap we created by making more interior space. Well, we weren't going to be using the large aluminum spare tire stiffener because we are running the spare so that became our extra hack surface for getting these two filler plates. About 40 nuts and bolts on each side and we got it all together.....

Re: Jeep Grand Cherokee Truck Build

PostPosted: Sat Jan 29, 2022 6:29 pm
by DarrelK
So my grandson and I got nearly 8 hours in today. Again, this was kind of an "upgrade" thing with making what would have been two solid riveted bed floor panels into a hinged access panel which will have dual handle/locks built into that panel. This involved installing a continuous piano hinge which is down facing and hidden. One thing we ran into was, well you couldn't just hinge the rear floor panel as is because it flares toward the back of the vehicle. This mean we had to square up cuts on each side to make triangular stationery side which THEN allowed that panel to operate.
And, after ironing out the floor there was the tailgate. When I was building my Charger kit the tailgate fitment, ahhh..... gave me fits! So this tailgate install.....maybe it is just our previous experience or better eyeballs but we intalled the central latching handle, hook rods to the outside mech.s, put in the upper catches in and lower pivot points in.... and adjusted everything in less than 2 hours! And, I mean this thing fits.... I've seen factory tailgates off more than this.....
Next get together will be all of us next Sunday. We seem to be right on track and I think this Jeep Ute should be rolling down the road somewhere between the middle or end of March.....

Re: Jeep Grand Cherokee Truck Build

PostPosted: Sat Jan 29, 2022 9:31 pm
by '68 Coronet R/T
You guys are too much. I would never have even thought about converting a Jeep Cherokee into a truck in the first place, let alone modifying the kit along the way.

Another fantastic project. Great work.

Re: Jeep Grand Cherokee Truck Build

PostPosted: Sat Jan 29, 2022 11:20 pm
by DarrelK
Thanks! We seem to be hitting our stride on this build. I think my Charger build is what gave us the incentive/confidence to start modding this thing. We were encouraged by the video series that Hesterman has out on Youtube for the Jeep build specifically. He has a tendancy to try to "improve" functional aspects and show you shortcuts as he builds each car. Even in the short time this kit was released he had come up with a lot of tips on getting a better finished product.
My grandson seemed especially excited today with our progress... 8)

Re: Jeep Grand Cherokee Truck Build

PostPosted: Sun Jan 30, 2022 8:23 am
by chopolds
Yeah, "custom guys" get a little overexcited, doing improvement, to improvements!

Re: Jeep Grand Cherokee Truck Build

PostPosted: Sun Jan 30, 2022 9:00 am
by DarrelK
It is easy to get carried away with the process.... to keep this in check I use a legal pad and by myself run over what we are doing and the order we are doing it BEFORE we all get together and work. When we come to something we might change or modify we balance that against the extra time we think it will take to do and if "what" we are thinking about doing is really going to be that much of an improvement.

Re: Jeep Grand Cherokee Truck Build

PostPosted: Fri Feb 04, 2022 6:10 pm
by DarrelK
Snowbound.... eh, not so much. Just an opportunity (yeah, that's what it is) to go ahead and get more taxes done. So while I've been doing that I just walk out in my shop now and then and begin the process of lengthening the fiberglass cab cover. We need just about 5 inches more of the side panels. I started with the old pink stuff foam and clamped pieces of it top and bottom. I'm using epoxy resin here along with epoxy compatible cloth and matt. This is just my project as it just takes some steps over a few days. I laid cloth down first tucking it under the edge of the foam. Later I will dissolve that foam and add a much broader piece of cloth tieing making that all about the same stiffness as the original panels. After I wetted out the cloth, then we added more of the matt wetted out. With the wetted out pic. there we are at 1 layer of cloth and 3 layers of matt. That should be about right allowing for a cream out with flex glazing on the surface. I think that last glaze will come after we panel bond the cab cover. The dissolving of the foam and the addition of the cloth on the inside will be done before we mount the cab cover.

Re: Jeep Grand Cherokee Truck Build

PostPosted: Sat Feb 05, 2022 10:32 pm
by DarrelK
Working a little more on this today..... So what happens to the foam on the inside? Well, we don't need it because will being layering up some on the inside for strength. I had several gallons of xylene left over from some projects over the last couple of years. I found that althouh acetone can quickly dissolve these foams that xylene is a little slower and dissolves down to a point that I can grab the clear plastic membrane which sets right on top of the foam and just peel the whole mess off in one piece and pitch it. Rough up the inner surface and we are good to go a layering again.....