Cut It Up
I just finished reading about your new J-20 (Trail Head Nov. '05). Here is an idea that I had for my '74 J-20 which will never happen, so maybe you'll dig it! Take a rust-free Grand Wagoneer and chop it behind the rear doors. Cut the back off of your J-20 and build a crew cab. Stretch the frame and you'll have a pickup that would satisfy guys with the smallest of manhoods! You would need to convert the 360 to an alcohol burner, though, because it will use lots and lots of gas (as if it doesn't already). Anyway, have fun with it!
Jeff Salem
Via e-mail
Ohh, I like that. Cut up two perfectly good FSJs (preferably a Super Wagoneer or at least a low-mileage Waggy) to make one super-ugly (and heavy) FSJ. That's kinda like those transformer things that link together to make one giant robot, only not as cool.
Cut It Up, Part II
Make that J-20 a heavy-duty tow rig! You guys are always dragging home the latest pile of junk, and wouldn't it be nice to haul a Jeep with a Jeep? I am thinking a Cummins turbo diesel conversion, ditch the damaged bed, and go with a utility box and dualie conversion. You guys could also get into some of the bigger-than-Dana-60 axles; I haven't seen much of that in the magazines.
It might even be cool to run a former bread truck GM bellhousing 4BT with some performance upgrades to showcase a junkyard diesel swap option.
Considering the increasing fuel costs, many readers may be interested in what it really takes to convert lighter vehicles to an oil burner -- I know that I am.
A.J. Duty
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
Whoa, a Cummins dualie J-truck? Hey, this thing needs to be a wheeler. Something I can drive to the trail, over it, and back. The cost of the Cummins swap would never pay for itself. Geez, I'll bet the engine alone would cost more than the truck's purchase price. Besides, it's too heavy for what I want to do with it. I've got an idea for my J-20, so keep your eyes peeled for future issues.
Cut It Up, Part III
Outstanding editorial (Trail Head, Nov. '05). I have been seeing the same price hike on all sorts of junk just because people see the age of a vehicle. People have been giving me crap for cutting up my Scrambler for years because "It's rare." No its not, it's a Jeep! And it wouldn't be of any use to me if I couldn't wheel it. I say cut up the J-20 and wheel the bearings out of it. Just leave enough to be able to identify it so those "It's rare" weenies can have a fit.
SSgt Le Page
Senior Maintenance Operations Controller
Deployed from Travis AFB, California
Less Winter Wear
Things are good with the world. Jp is giving me ideas on inexpensive things to do to improve my YJ -- like the "Real Heat" heater improvement in the November '05 issue and "No Lift TJ" in the March and April '05 issues, where you fit 35s without lifting your Jeep. Granted, it may not occur exactly as written, but it is a suggestion worth looking at. You have been putting a number of things in the mag that can be adapted to both my skills and budget. Things are tight right now, so reading about Rockwells is little more than entertainment, but the other stuff is going to be useful.
As for the chicks, they have Jeeps too. Put 'em together in an article or nine, and tell the guys whose wives make them write to you in protest to grow a pair. Porn? Bet they can't read the Sears catalog either. Bree? Oh yeah. My subscription renewal is on the way. Maybe you could get her to pose in something other than winter wear? Like maybe just strategically placed tools? Little ones?
David Williams
Raleigh, North Carolina