Slapping a clean, straight body tub on our junky hot rod would have made as much sense as a boob job on an 80-year-old woman. So we put the telekinetic online search powers of staffer Trasborg to work. In no time he found us a $100 CJ-3A tub that came complete with a bunch of other worthless junk we had to give away. He even paid for it and picked it up for us! Then we pilfered our MB grille, CJ-3A tailgate, and a few other parts from a long-since-dead yard Jeep. After adding a few of Hazel's Willys truck remnants, we had a driver.inline_mediumwraptextright27903622/projectbuild/154_1003_project_sloppy_seconds_part_3154_1003_01+jeep_cj3a_body_swap+grille.jpgTrue

We've all had our hands in a project that never seemed to get done. It doesn't matter if it is a complete frame-off restoration or the engine swap that never ends, we've all been there. Whether it was our own or a friend's, we have all felt the pain. It seems misery really does love company, or we all like seeing other Jeepers triumph. Whatever the reasoning, last time we ran a reader's rebuild story, the response was tremendous. So, we've been collecting Jeep Shots submissions that show the before, during, and finished product of your projects and we've finally got enough to run a full story. So without further ado, enjoy the triumphs of your fellow readers over the black hole that a Jeep project can become.inline_mediumwraptextright32139123/projectbuild/154_1003_readers_project_jeeps154_1003_31+readers_jeep_build_ups+project.jpgTrue

Yeah, it sure would be cool to have a rip-snortin' blown big-block or maybe even a vintage flathead V-8 in our hot rod Jeep. But the truth of the matter is people don't just give these away and we weren't willing to spend much money. Actually, we weren't willing to spend any money. So we had to settle for pretty much the used-toilet equivalent of the hot rod engine world: a GM inline-six. And this six is not even a powerful or larger cube version that enjoys aftermarket support. Besides, the flatrod had to live up to the Sloppy Seconds name Hazel dubbed it, even though I'm still unsure if he was referring to all the second-hand parts, or to the fact that it will likely be the slowest vehicle to ever hit the 1/4-mile raceway once it's done. Needless to say, Hazel stole the corner of our garage with a greasy pathetic '60s-era 194. At some point the block had a crack in it, so there is evidence of a butch arc welding repair near the oil pan and bellhousing. Yeah, it leaks a little oil, but not enough to spin wrenches. Overall the engine looks kinda cool and vintage, and the inline-six should sound awesome with an open pipe exhaust. With the chassis basics pretty much laid out in the last issue, we went to slapping the inline-six into the flatrod. Keep an eye out for the next issue, where we'll install the body, run the cooling system, build a cool fuel tank, and more.inline_mediumwraptextright27105022/projectbuild/154_0911_sloppy_seconds_part_2_drivetrain154_0911_01+installing_a_inline_6_engine_jeep_rod+frame.jpgTrue

We were likely less than 100 miles away from catastrophic failure.inline_mediumwraptextright31073817/projectbuild/154_0911_55k_mile_jeep_wrangler_jk_rubicon154_0911_01_z+55k_mile_Rubicon_jk_modifications+side_shot.jpgTrue

It really started about three years ago when we saw an artist's rendering of a flatfender Jeep hot rod on jalopyjournal.com. It seemed like a cool way to build an original-looking hot rod for a lot less money than working with a traditional Model A Ford. So we started collecting parts in the corner of the garage and yard that for the most part sat untouched for several years. We didn't want to spend any money, so these were the kind of parts that off-road Jeep enthusiasts simply throw away or recycle because they are deemed too weak for heavy off-road use. Ultimately we wanted a rat rod assembled with Jeep parts that was built the way a Jeep guy would do it. Since beginning the garbage collection, we had seen several real versions of flatfender hot rods done in different ways. While some had cool ideas and interesting lines, none of 'em looked like what we wanted. And that's kind of the point of building your own hot rod in the first place. Eventually we realized that we nearly had a complete hot rod Jeep in the form of a pile-o-parts. So we went to work assembling our flatrod with recycled Jeep junk. Keep an eye out for the next issue, where we'll slap the hand-me-down powertrain into our Sloppy Seconds project.

Swapping a V-8 into a Jeep just isn't that difficult anymore. Heck, you could basically do it in an office building parking garage with no more than basic hand tools. Thanks to aftermarket support for Jeep vehicles fabricating motor mounts and scrounging junkyards for the radiator with correct outlets and enough capacity to cool the new engine that still fits your Jeep is a thing of the past. Even fuel-injected swaps are easier than ever with numerous companies offering engine-specific, plug-in harnesses.

Last installment we told this grand story of how Trasborg was going to take a Jeepster that hadn't run in five years, get it running,make it safe, and then wheel it for a week in Moab for the Easter Jeep Safari.

Lemme explain the method that is my madness. I originally purchased this '68 J2000 from a reader a few years ago after my F-250 tow rig died on La Cienega Blvd. in Los Angeles. I sent the Ford to take a dirt nap and planned to use the J2000 to haul engines, greasy parts, and other junk. And I did just that (for a couple days). But then I discovered the kingpin bearings were bad in the front axle. So rather than rebuild it, I started researching front axle swap options. Then, the bearing noise in the stock 232 engine started getting louder. Then, I started using a hand-held GPS to see how fast I was really able to travel on the road with the truck's 4.27 gears and 31-inch tires. I got tired of the brick-truck ride and spooky handling, so I added a lift, some 33s, a new engine, and an overdrive tranny to the wish list. And so on.

For some perverse reason, we keep buying these piles of parts and justifying thepurchases by calling them Jeeps. While it usually translates into great stories, it never gets easier for us. Most people learn from their mistakes. Except, apparently, for Jp magazine editors. Year after year, and time after time, we go and buy long-neglected Jeeps and try to get them ready to not only drive, but wheel, some big event; often with time tables that seem OK to us at the time, but once we are honest with ourselves afterwards, weren't anywhere near attainable.

We always have the same thought before undertaking any major drivetrain change. "How hard can it be?" This was especially true with our 4.0L swap in this '68 J2000. And while actually bolting in the 4.0L, NV3550, and NP208 went down without drama, we got complacent and some of the little stuff bit us in the ass.

Last month we covered the installation of a Rubicon Express 2.5-inch uspension system on our '89 YJ. We actually got over 4 inches of lift in the front and over 3 inches in the rear thanks to the Jeep's light weight and the longer 5-inch Rubicon Express shackles (stock is 4 inches).

It's hard to beat the advantages of an FSJ. They're not quite a real fullsize truck and not quite a mini truck so they fit on most trails, yet are big enough to be comfortable. Many FSJs have 1/2-ton truck drivetrain or better including V-8s, stout axles, and truck transmissions. They really don't need much work to be solid trail rigs. For us, the J-truck pickups have several advantages over a typical utility vehicle. The most obvious is more storage space in the form of a bed. Last issue we covered the lift, tires and wheels, and fender trimming of our recycled truck. This issue we we'll cover all the doodads that make our truck a reliable, convenient and capable off-road rig.

We like to call it "tough love." Like any member of the Jp family, Red has been abused, used, and pushed to its limits more times than we can count. As of this writing, we have had our '01 Wrangler in the fleet for seven years and seven months and racked up almost 150,000 miles for just under 20,000 miles per year. Like any other Jeep that was lifted early on in its life, Red has seen a lot of trails, and taken us all over the southwest.

We've been told the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and overagain and expecting different results. So in our minds this isn't insanity or rocket science. We're simply applying readily available parts (some of which are used) and ideas from the past that produce good results. At this point it's pretty well known that we like FSJ pickups, even more so if they have short beds, manual transmissions, are smog-exempt, and are ours. But realistically many of these tips and hack tricks can be applied to all FSJs or any Jeep for that matter.

In the last installment of Mileage Master, our '98 XJ, we added armor, skidplates, and recovery points front and rear so we could take it wheeling without killing vital components ("Project Mileage Master", Part II, October '08). Unfortunately, with the added weight we paid the piper in average mileage over a 5,000-mile test period.

If you read Jp every month (and you should, dammit) you probably remember how I nabbed a perfectly good YJ for $500 from some chick who didn't know the only reason the clutch stopped working was because the clutch master cylinder was out of fluid. I filled and bled the master, threw a battery in it, and fired it up. Avid readers may also remember how I sold the extra set of Bestop sliding window door uppers that came with the Jeep for $200, bringing my total costs to a mere $300.

We swear, our ongoing 4.0L, NV3550, and NP208 conversion into our '68 J2000 pickup is so close to completion we can taste it. As you'll see in this issue, the wiring and fuel system is sorted and we're just waiting on a couple odds and ends to arrive before we'll be driving our (hopefully) powerful and efficient J-truck down the road.

It's been a long time coming, but with the engine management and wiring harness sorted out, we could finally justify turning our running, driving J2000 into a driveway ornament for a week or two while we yanked the stock 232, T-14, and Dana 20 drivetrain in favor of some more modern components.

So a couple years ago I bought a '97 TJ from a dude who totally neglected it. He never put the top up, it had a blown rear end, the interior looked like the bottom of a pond that's been drained of all its water, and it needed a ton of work to pass smog. I paid him his asking price, which was something like $3,000 and called it "Project Steal-J". People lost their minds. I got called every name in the book for "taking" this poor chump with a plush computer job that paid probably three times more than I make a year. Whatever people; it's a fact of life that the strong will eat the weak and that good deals will go to smart buyers while dumb sellers will get fleeced.

In Part V of this buildup series we clued you in on our list of drivetrain component we'll be installing in our '68 J2000 pickup. To recap, we obtained a complete '92 4.0L engine, computer, and wiring harness out of a '92 XJ Cherokee from Scotty's Jeep, Truck, & 4x4 in Fontana, California. Also in that issue, we showed you the NV3550 five-speed transmission we got from Advance Adapters and the '84 Dodge NP208 transfer case that M.I.T. Drivetrain Specialists in El Cajon, California, rebuilt for us. However, while it's easy to select a modern fuel injected engine, it's quite another thing to get it wired and fired in the chassis.

When Cappa and I came up with the title to this story, I had only sold off about $80 worth of parts, but I suppose I should start at the beginning.

It wasn't supposed to happen this way. It was originally gonna be a throwaway vehicle. You know:something you hammer together quickly,have some yucks with, and then sell at a ridiculousloss to the next guy. But then somethinghorrible happened. We started to like The EvilTruck. Damn! We hate it when that happensto a vehicle ya love to hate.

Hello, and welcome to another installment of our continuing saga to turn a rattle-clap '68 J2000 we purchased for $800 into a safe, economical, and comfortable highway cruiser, as well as a capable camping rig and weekend hauler.

In the first part of this six-speed swap story, we showed you how we bolted an '06 NSG370 six-speed transmission and NV241OR transfer case into our '89 Comanche. The actual bolting in of the transmission and getting the truck running again went fairly easily.

What?! No Dana 60 or Rockwell axles? Are you guys nuts? Nope. We just don't expect to do much more than light towing, street driving, and mild expeditionary-style wheeling with our '68 J2000 pickup. As we stated from the beginning, this truck is all about moderation. While budget isn't our primary concern in building this truck, we are keeping an eye on the bottom line. And for our 33-inch all-terrains and sub-300hp power level, we just don't need more than a pair of Dana 44s.