Project -XJ Evolution

[mucovich]

Looking awesome Dwayne - nice that that program can make notch templates - no matter how much i eyeballed them what a PITA to get a notch to fit on odd angles and on a bend, i spent alot of time with a grinder on some of them for that perfect fit. I'm diggin the lines of the XJ! I can't wait for spring fever.

 

[Dirk]

Coping work looks good. I like the lines, especially the rise over the rear passengers...

 

[Grumpy]

lookin good dude....and complicated.....lol

 

[dwcjwerfner]

Well when I finally got to actually building tonight I made my rear roof bars.

 

[dwcjwerfner]

Well not much accomplished since I didn't have power since Thursday until almost 3 Saturday. :banghead:
And I thought I was behind before.
So after finishing up the jobs I had started while the power was off like cutting up and splitting a downed tree and fixing the wheelbarrow it landed on I finished up the rear frame rail (which just leaves me 2' in the middle to finish) and helped my Dad with his Toyota 5.29 gear install I then made some rear inner fenders.

 

[Farm Boy]

Why 2 ground clamps?

 

[dwcjwerfner]

Why 2 ground clamps?

Plasma and Welder

 

[mucovich]

Nice Dwayne - 3 weeks to go, will she be skinned for SF?

Marek

 

[chunkytrunks]

Now your starting to make progress Dwayne. Looking really good. I like the roof lines.

 

[dwcjwerfner]

Coping work looks good. I like the lines, especially the rise over the rear passengers...

lookin good dude....and complicated.....lol

Holy crap, Dwayne, I wish I had half your patience. That tube is looking sharp.

Nice Dwayne - 3 weeks to go, will she be skinned for SF?

Marek

Now your starting to make progress Dwayne. Looking really good. I like the roof lines.

Thanks guys, appreciate it as this is seems to be moving as slow as molasses in May 2011 hahah.....need sleep. After a brutally slow week of doing things "right" and not cutting corners including finishing my frame plating ugggghhhhh.
I find it amazing that although my welding is getting better doing all this it is still not perfect yet you can see here especially on the right that I can weld right up at a 1/4" gap on guage steel on one side to 1/8 on edge in one pass and yet on new metal.....well now that I post this I realized that I just put too much weld on good metal .....I will try and work on that :lmao:

Anyway here is the inner rear fender tube partially done and yes Marek hopefully all skinned. But with time slipping away I can see some things not getting done, but not yet.

 

[Steve B]

Well if you don't actually get it running , you can still bring it up for the kids to use as some monkey bars, your such a homer

 

[dwcjwerfner]

Well actually I was saying to Adrian today that if I hadn't worked so hard to accomodate passengers that I would have been done this along time ago, making everything fit has been the biggest challenge but I am finally making headway even though it doesn't really seem like it looking at things but I know that I have finally hit a crest and alot of what needs to be finished is finally straightforward.
Here is a pic of the seats in place, I was just finishing up the mounting (more friggin around to make sure every thing is right and safe) but I got tired and am going to bed early

 

[Dirk]

Seat placement looks good. How about a pic with someone in the seat?

 

[dwcjwerfner]

I should have taken a pic with Adrian in it yesterday, he is 6' and felt it was good.

 

[mucovich]

she's lookin good!

 

[Steve B]

It looks awesome buddy, i only helped you one night with the cage and it just about sent me over the edge, i can't imagine all the hours and effort you have put into it, i like your rear sheet metal,,looking good

 

[dwcjwerfner]

Thanks Steve
Yeah I think I have went over edge hit the bottom, bounced back to the top ......repeat.....repeat

My rear seat brackets, I do not believe these suckers are going anywhere:

Rear seats bolted in:

More passenger compliance since the seats are fairly inboard I needed a place for the rear passenger to put there foot, the other side is different as if you seen my truck you know that the t-case is basically in the truck and therefore pushes the front seat over but this is needed to also match the drivers side which is already at this line.

Getting there, no really I am

 

[Farm Boy]

The back of that seat bracket is welded down and we just can't see it in the pic right?

Lookin good Dwayne, you've got a very understanding wife for all the hours you are putting in

 

[dwcjwerfner]

Well it doesn't look like I have done much since the last time but there was lots of finishing up welding, calculating and other little things that I am not taking pictures of that I got finished.
Since I felt I was doing so well I thought I would get creative again and make a super cool twisted tube in the middle of the truck for strength:

Alright all of you who are rolling your eyes stop, I can hear you do that you know. It is my exhaust and it was very exhausting :lmao: to make fit around everything and took me a whole night especially because bending 2" tube on a 7" die is much different than 1.75 on a 6" but I am quite happy with the result with good clearance and airflow the whole way.

Here is the centre console so far and some of the floor finding it's home:

But of course I never go forward without going backwards:

Yeah, yeah....it only took me 25 mins to take it out and it will make finishing the whole front part and crosser under the dash 3x easier.

 

[Impact]

Well at least the steering wheel is still "Jeep"!

You sure have your hands full!