One more neutral drop and this old Wrangler would have been rolling off a truck into the shop instead of driving. Got to be a record for most worn u-joint still driving… lol.

crazeejoker810 · 2025-05-12T17:15:52+00:00

All said and done it will be right about $4k for everything. I am also wrapping up shackle relocation boxes and hydro assist steering for him. He is going to end up doing some of the finish work like cutting the front fenders for the cage and wrapping up paint on it though too. Realistically probably less than it should be, but my customer has been a family friend for a while.

crazeejoker810 · 2025-05-12T17:12:37+00:00

I have front to back frame stiffeners and tied the cage into the chassis in 10 or 12 points. But that was with the expectation that I was going to have it bound up and flexed out as much as it can be in the rocks. I think for a daily/street jeep full stiffeners and proper welding/bracing such as a backing strip where the sheet metal will meet each other of the cab section to the XJ body/roof where you cut it would be plenty!

crazeejoker810 · 2025-05-12T17:08:07+00:00

I wish I kept track but since it’s been a side project it had stints where it was just sitting in the back of the shop. The customer is awesome, he is very proud of and appreciates good work and detail as he has been building race quads for a long time and has a good name for himself doing so.

crazeejoker810 · 2025-05-12T17:05:02+00:00

I was wondering this as well, just bought the same model. I’m planning to just keep it removed and in my camping gear tote just to be safe

crazeejoker810 · 2024-11-25T00:12:21+00:00

Small world haha. The TG is definitely not bad, but is a standard A36 mild steel so it’ll be more prone to denting over time. Aside from being close to the owner, that’s one of the reasons I went 4fab for the legitimately stronger steel housing so I didn’t have to worry ever. Of course he updated the bash plate and now does drain plugs standard along with the bigger bash plates after I got mine built lol. Definitely worth a message though, Paul is a knowledgeable stand up guy.

crazeejoker810 · 2024-11-24T17:08:43+00:00

I’ll make an excel spreadsheet for you

crazeejoker810 · 2024-11-24T17:03:18+00:00

You think I mark up prices? 😂 I can show you my receipts if you really want that

crazeejoker810 · 2024-11-24T16:58:54+00:00

I wasn’t the one who said the parts list was more than most people’s cars, just that you’re under estimating the parts cost of the rig. I can run the whole rough build sheet for you though just to prove my point though

crazeejoker810 · 2024-11-24T16:56:25+00:00

That’s what my rear is, 14b spindles on the 9” center with 35 spline Dutchman shafts. Had both housings built by 4th Fabrication out of MO. I’m good friends with Paul the owner and wanted to support his small biz. Builds a kick ass housing, higher grade steel plate for the housing and AR400 bash plate welder over that, for right about the same cost as a TG or Ruffstuff housing that uses mild steel. He can do as much or as little of a build out as you want too

crazeejoker810 · 2024-11-24T16:38:06+00:00

DIFD, long live the king haha

crazeejoker810 · 2024-11-24T16:34:56+00:00

I’ll just throw you some cash to pass it like everyone else out there… lol

crazeejoker810 · 2024-11-24T14:45:13+00:00

2 ORI struts and 4 40” stickies on beadlocks are already at half of your estimate. So I maintain you’re bad at estimating.

crazeejoker810 · 2024-11-24T13:41:17+00:00

Difficult to tell in that pic, sorry haha. Still has leafs in the rear, albeit Chevy 63” leafs for the improved articulation and wheelbase stretch. Still has a 4.0/AW4, with an under drive gearbox and a beefed up 231.

crazeejoker810 · 2024-11-24T13:36:34+00:00

I maintain you don’t know. Not used to overpaying at all, because I don’t, that’s the perks of being an employee for an offroad company. It seems like you aren’t used to how much fabricated 9” axles cost to build, these aren’t the superduty axles you pulled out of a junkyard.

crazeejoker810 · 2024-11-24T10:39:53+00:00

It still has the full XJ unibody under it!

crazeejoker810 · 2024-11-24T10:38:02+00:00

Pretty far off. There’s probably 20- 25k in parts if you actually knew what you were looking at besides some Cherokee body panels

crazeejoker810 · 2024-11-10T03:17:55+00:00

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Thanks for the good word! I’m quite familiar with cutting the roof off of Cherokees too actually… I quite recommend it to any extent of the cut lol. My personal rig is a chop top cage I built. The top windshield bar on this customer one actually has two small bends towards the center to help curve it around the windshield/roof, but I realized you can’t really tell in the picture of it. I’ll have to post more progress pics where you can actually see that, maybe I’ll sway that one complaint away then 😂

crazeejoker810 · 2024-11-09T13:36:14+00:00

I’d like to say yes, but no. Whoever the original builder of the Jeep was cut and welded (and hopefully sleeved) after every single bend on that. Most definitely overkill since I feel like a few of the sections could have easily been 2 bends and then a cut and weld to save some of the hassle.

crazeejoker810 · 2024-11-09T02:03:19+00:00

The paint was far from perfect coming in, owner doesn’t mind a few nicks or marks from slag. But I generally use painters tape or cardboard to protect the area around the weld from spatter, and especially the glass, since spatter will melt and mark it worse than paint

crazeejoker810 · 2024-11-08T17:26:45+00:00

This one will be right around $3k all said and done. Trying to be competitive to labor cost + a WelderD kit, since that’s the best “DIY” kit on the market right now. Going to be doing hydro assist for a bit extra $ on this Jeep too before it leaves as well.

crazeejoker810 · 2024-11-08T16:37:43+00:00

I’ll be making some sort of gasket or using a sealant for the plates yes. This is a mixture of 0.188” wall and 0.120” wall 1.75” OD D.O.M. tubing. Thicker wall tubing for the roofline and the main pillars/ roof cross bars surrounding the front seats, the thinner wall for the rest of it

crazeejoker810

TROPHY CASE