Franken yj

[bignasty1987yj]

Well, i drove the jeep this week and wow what a beast. It runs really good and drives good as well. I haven't quite finished it all the way but only some minor things to get done. Here are some new pictures of the jeep as it was on 03-10-2012. I should have the windshield in this weekend and have all of the small issues worked out by then.

 

[superj]

Are you going to see how it does in the 1/8 or 1/4 mile? I think those videos of wranglers killing sports cars light to light, or on the strip are hilarious (in a good way) because I can picture the sports car driver's face as the wrangler is leaving him behind, ha ha ha

 

[bignasty1987yj]

Well, i will tell you this superj, i dont think it is worthy of a drag race with some cars i have seen but i drove it yesterday and at a quarter throttle it feels like it is going to flip over backwards, lol. It feels like it is going to be very fun to drive. This is my first jeep and i already think it is about the most fun vehicle i have ever owned. I see the facination with jeeps now.

 

[absolutemoon]

It's an addiction that's for sure. Welcome to the club.

 

[Buck hour]

Well, i will tell you this superj, i dont think it is worthy of a drag race with some cars i have seen but i drove it yesterday and at a quarter throttle it feels like it is going to flip over backwards, lol. It feels like it is going to be very fun to drive. This is my first jeep and i already think it is about the most fun vehicle i have ever owned. I see the facination with jeeps now.

Hahaha joining the club at 10.4 1/4? I think that's a first for this bunch. Welcome to the club brother! Look like A LOT of fun!

 

[Lee3333]

Is your hood from the Florida company? I was tossed between the cowl induction like yours and the scoop in the front. But now I with I had gotten the flat one so I could put my own 6 pack scoop on.

 

[bignasty1987yj]

Is your hood from the Florida company? I was tossed between the cowl induction like yours and the scoop in the front. But now I with I had gotten the flat one so I could put my own 6 pack scoop on.

yes it is and dont ever buy a hood from those folks, they absolutely suck in quality and in customer service. i called to voice my displeasure and they basically told me to f*^& off.

 

[bignasty1987yj]

Franken yj lives:

Well, this is the finished product. It has been about a year since i started this project and about 6 months of that time was spent in the disassembly, research and parts buying process.

Overall it was a very fun project that me and my 13 year old son worked on. We have been driving the jeep over the last week working the bugs out of the new build and i think it is finally ready for the road.

I am glad that i tackled the ford 5.0 build instead of the usual chevy v-8 swap. It is different than anything around here that i know of.

I started this build and forum to get ideas and input from jeep guys and girls but there was not much input from the users here. All in all, i would have to say that had i waited on info and input, my build would have took about ten years longer, lol. I do appreciate the input and encouragement that i got, especially from (superj). I hope that you get your jeep fixed the way you want it. All it takes is lots of time and tons of money. I literally sold every toy i had to finance this jeep build.

If anyone needs any advice or needs to know how i converted anything please feel free to message me and i will tell you anything you need to know about my particular swap.

Here are a few pics of the finished jeep. Until next time, i will be jeeping around

 

[superj]

sweet!!! man, i am trying to talk the wife into letting me get a 5.0, trans, and t-case from a buddy for 500. the guy is an older guy who is a retired aviation mechanic and rebuilt all this stuff about 3 years ago. we went over and did some little things on it because his eyes aren't good enough to see the fine stuff anymore and he asked if i wanted it all for 500.

the wife said what you spend on the jeep, i get to spend on what ever i want. and she wants it at the same time. so far, its not looking good.


i am glad your came out great though. it definitely looks great

 

[Lee3333]

I understand your frustration with forum feedback. I am registered on several Jeep forums, and some are more active than others. Same with the 2 HHR forums I am on for my daily driver. I was particularly annoyed when I entered my HHR in each of their 'Car of the Month' contests and lost miserably on both of them to stock cars, one of which did not even have custom wheels. (My HHR is highly modified). And don't get me started on forum feedback on subwoofers. I designed and built a box that fits up against the back seat and does not block any of the 3 storage bins under the floor. No comments. Instead, everybody goes wild when somebody buys a giant sub box and places in the back, destroying the entire cargo area and making the car totally impractical for shopping.

As for my Jeep, I took a radical and unusual approach making it into a drag/street car. Again, some of the Jeep forums gave me a lot of support, while others kind of ignored my build.

I think yours came out great. I would like to see more photos of the finished interior, engine compartment, and the underside, especially your exhaust system.

 

[superj]

You made a wrangler into a street strip car? I want to see pics

 

[Lee3333]

yes it is and dont ever buy a hood from those folks, they absolutely suck in quality and in customer service. i called to voice my displeasure and they basically told me to f*^& off.

I was not happy that the hole for the scoop had to be cut out (a very long and tedious job) then I had to reinforce the front of the hood because now it was very flimsy. They advertised a promotion where they would send you money (I believe $200) if you sent them photos of the painted hood after installation within 2 months. When I ordered from them, they told be it would take 2 months for delivery, so based on that time table I purchased it. They sent me the hood a month early, so the photos I sent were past their deadline. I explained that mine was a frame off rebuild and that I would not have ordered so soon had I known. They said to send the photos and they would see what they could do. Never heard from them again. The hood was pricey and I was counting on the rebate.

If I did it over again, I would just get a flat fiberglass hood and add my own scoop. Would have liked a bigger one, like a Chrysler 6 pack. With the high cowl on the Jeep, it would not have blocked our vision and would have looked more impressive.

 

[Lee3333]

http://www.jeepz.com/forum/jeep-builds/28489-different-kind-yj-4.html

 

[superj]

Wow, that's badass. 4.5 0-60 is amazing

 

[Lee3333]

Wow, that's badass. 4.5 0-60 is amazing

That was before the Edelbrock top end kit (heads, cam, etc). Now I do 0 - 60 in under 3.8 seconds. Next up-new short block. Should be around 400 CID with higher compression forged pistons. Will be even quicker after that.

At first, my 9 year old daughter used to beg me to nail it. She would squeal with delight, and said it felt like going down the first hill on a roller coaster. Now, she only wants partial throttle. Says it hurts her stomach too much when I accelerate too much. And coming off the trans brake makes my head spin a little. I could only imagine what it is like in these faster Jeeps (and any car in general) that is in the 10 second range. I know you get used to it after a while, but...

 

[superj]

Wow, that is sweet. I would have fun on weekends with the Honda crowd in a jeep like that. Shoot, hondas, stangs, camaros, vettes, or anything that lined up. You could probably embarrass some crotch rocket guys too

 

[Lee3333]

Wow, that is sweet. I would have fun on weekends with the Honda crowd in a jeep like that. Shoot, hondas, stangs, camaros, vettes, or anything that lined up. You could probably embarrass some crotch rocket guys too

It definitely does turn heads! Especially when I play with the electric cut-outs

 

[bignasty1987yj]

i was not happy that the hole for the scoop had to be cut out (a very long and tedious job) then i had to reinforce the front of the hood because now it was very flimsy. They advertised a promotion where they would send you money (i believe $200) if you sent them photos of the painted hood after installation within 2 months. When i ordered from them, they told be it would take 2 months for delivery, so based on that time table i purchased it. They sent me the hood a month early, so the photos i sent were past their deadline. I explained that mine was a frame off rebuild and that i would not have ordered so soon had i known. They said to send the photos and they would see what they could do. Never heard from them again. The hood was pricey and i was counting on the rebate.

If i did it over again, i would just get a flat fiberglass hood and add my own scoop. Would have liked a bigger one, like a chrysler 6 pack. With the high cowl on the jeep, it would not have blocked our vision and would have looked more impressive.

you are exactly right, there was a lot of work involved in getting the hood what i call, "ready to bolt on". It still doesn't fit right either. I just split the difference and i guess i will have to live with it until i can get my local fiberglass man to fix it. I was just hell bent on having a cowl induction hood. I will have it fixed later and while i'm in the process, i want to make the cowl opening a lot bigger. All in all i would have been better off cutting up my stock flat hood also.

 

[bignasty1987yj]

that was before the edelbrock top end kit (heads, cam, etc). Now i do 0 - 60 in under 3.8 seconds. Next up-new short block. Should be around 400 cid with higher compression forged pistons. Will be even quicker after that.

At first, my 9 year old daughter used to beg me to nail it. She would squeal with delight, and said it felt like going down the first hill on a roller coaster. Now, she only wants partial throttle. Says it hurts her stomach too much when i accelerate too much. And coming off the trans brake makes my head spin a little. I could only imagine what it is like in these faster jeeps (and any car in general) that is in the 10 second range. I know you get used to it after a while, but...

that is one crazy looking ride. I was wanting to gear my jeep in that direction but the wife wanted it to look more like a 4x4 jeep. As you all know when it comes to spending money, make the wife happy and she doesn't mind as much, lol. No seriously. My wife was a key player in my building this jeep and was 100% on board with the spending of all of the money it took to build this jeep. Although, if i would have had my way i would have made it 2wd, lowered it and stuck with the 302 with a roots blower and a world class t5 trans. As far as the other stuff it is like i wanted it for the most part. I will still put a holley 174 blower on it at a later date after we have driven the new off it. I know i shouldn't but it is on the top of my wish list on the summit racing web site

 

[superj]

i think it will be badass. i always wanted a two wheel drive street wrangler too. we have no off roading here so what is hte point, you know