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[Green Jeep]

We had a little time spare over the Christmas break and lost a bit of the back...





Main reason is to make it better in the lanes, of course less glass and bodywork to get through, plus once you've got half way along the drivers door you can start turning, rather than half way down the vehicle... also much better access to recovery gear... and the fact that on steep inclines the recovery gear cannot smack us in the back of the head... plus added bonus, lovely redneck feel to it.

Took a day to make into a crew cab, still some tidying to do, works real well, wanted a little room behind the seats for maps, lunch etc.

Also fitted 4.5" lift and 31" Maxxis mudders.

[Bubba]

i like that

[Bishops Finger]

Me too...Is the silver tape a West Country thing??

[Green Jeep]

Thanks guys, I'll get some better pics... as you walk up to it, it's even madder...

Silver tape, haha, do they not have it north of Exeter? Builder by trade so there is always duct tape around somewhere... try and stretch out the rear light life span as much as poss...

Just fitting box in the back for recovery & chopping kit... plus hoping to get two spares... waffles and hi lift also properly mounted... this must be a first...

[isle of man]

Man - that's so foooooked up it's ace,

keep us posted!!

[JamesH]

 

[Mike Pavelin]

What about the lost strength from removing the roof?

[Panic mechanic!]

  think someone tried that in the states and the first time they took it off road if folded so be very careful, I would have thought you at least need a roll over bar/ brace taken to the rear end of the chassis after the axle to keep things together......

[Bishops Finger]

Hmm

[Dave69]

What about the lost strength from removing the roof?

you need to plate the chassis rails as the roof strength will have been dercreased alot due to the rear quarter pillers being taken out.

[greggmo]

pony racer phill did a cool roof job on an xj.

[scotty]

that looks nice!! sure you can brace it easy enough,put a halo round the pick up bit.

scotty

[Panic mechanic!]

it will be interesting when you tell the insurance your mod, some 17 yr old will be scratching their heads for hours over that.

[JamesH]

pony racer phill did a cool roof job on an xj.

Yep, with a full cage and support along the 'chassis' rails.

I actually thought the first picture was a joke scrap vehicle you'd chopped for fun - it definitely needs support, a cherokee is very different from a  separate chassis vehicle. I think it probably qualifies for an IVA test rather than MOT now because of alterations to the monocoque - worth checking out.

[Panic mechanic!]

fecking IVA's are expensive they are probably more dosh than the value of the jeep, but I am sure it will escape that but you may need a engineers report or take the vehicle for inspection at VOSA and that will open up a whole can of £'s.Since that idiot in the Landrover Vosa are keeping an eye out for home modified veicles.

[scrw]

What mods did the Comanche have to run open back? Personally I wouldn't drive it unless it was caged out, Mk1 XJ's aren't that rigid with the roof on

[scrw]

I think it probably qualifies for an IVA test rather than MOT now because of alterations to the monocoque - worth checking out.

Think you are right there, certainly the case if you mod a chassis anyway, so expect the same with this

[Panic mechanic!]

AMC's Jeep engineering staff designed a subframe that connected to the modified Cherokee unibody structure to support the cargo box. Two such subframes were designed; one for the long-bed model, which appeared first, and a second, shorter version for the short-bed, which debuted for 1987.

IVA's are only really need to get a vehicle reigistered they are the follow on from sva's but a little more in depth, as the jeep is already registered it won't technically need one, how ever the police can stop you and get vosa in , then you may have to take one to get it to pass, they will want to see, engineers reports, reports on how the structure was modified to take the load stresses etc. all cost loadsa dosh. If you had cut it behind the rear door pillar, you would not have changed the integrity  so it would escape that part.
At the moment the vehicle will be looked on as a cut and shut by police if you get pulled by a pedantic copper you could be waving goodbye to your licence.

[scrw]

Know of a few people who have abandoned shortened chassis projects as vosa wanted an inspection & re registration due to chassis mods, they class it as a new vehcile, registered or not. (talking a 110 & GV here too)

[Panic mechanic!]

anything where you shorten the chassis , will be classed as new build, to retain the identity it has to be un-modified (as you are effectively creating a new chassis )and you are modifying a major component and by cutting a chassis to shorten it you are ( in their mind) possibly weakening it.( funny how this doesn't seem to count on shortened beetle chassis's for beachbuggy's)
A lot modified Lardies are known for being a bit dodgy( its  considered by Vosa that a lot of off roaders are stolen vehicles, where identifiying marks have been removed to stop them being identified so they are trying to control it all), I guess thats the problem with a bolt together car  now.
One of the things I deal with now with the Limo's are IVA's etc, we also have COIFS ( if they ask you to get it coifed then just bin it) to coif a vehicle is £18k+ vat
Recently one of he stretched Range Rovers running round birmingham,  that was built over here was discovered to be a stolen vehicle,from London.So Vosa have had it crushed so they guy who brought it lost over £50k and ended up in court.

[Panic mechanic!]

Quote from DVLA

Vehicles that have been rebuilt using a mix of new or used parts
In order to retain the original registration mark:

cars and car-derived vans must use:
The original unmodified chassis or unaltered bodyshell (i.e. body and chassis as one unit - monocoque); or a new chassis or monocoque bodyshell of the same specification as the original supported by evidence from the dealer or manufacturer (e.g. receipt).

And two other major components from the original vehicle - ie suspension (front & back); steering assembly; axles (both); transmission or engine.

If a second-hand chassis or monocoque bodyshell is used a car must pass an Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) and light goods vans must have a enhanced single vehicle approval (ESVA) or single vehicle approval (SVA) test after which a "Q" prefix registration number will be allocated.

[Dave69]

since the back quarter has been removed nothing in regards to drivetrain layout or the origional lower chassis has been altered, so it doesn't require a reinspection. you might get pulled by a VOSA inspector at a roadside check point mainly for curiosity. If the mod isn't doen roughly and looks the part (can't see actual detail from the photo's) then you shouldn't have a problem. Might be worth adding some strengthening to the chassis rails anyway to improve the strength or replace the cills with box section and add a roll hoop. At least by doing this you have proven you have understood the nature of the mdification and that you have taken steps to replace the lost strehgth in the shell.

the inspectorate have more power over your vehicle than the police, and the police are there just to keep the peace.

one of the places i worked at had a vehicle pulled for excess smoke and got a severe bollocking even for displaying an orange hazard plaque when he wasn't carrying anything. the driver then had to arrange to get the vehicle recovered as it was then impounded for the excess smoke (it was a petrol ldv van)

[Panic mechanic!]

VOSA  can be very pedantic, when i took the hummer for its first MOT  they were going to fail it because it had a seatbelt left in the front o/s passenger area, the fact that the seat wasn't there but a secure vehicle  box ( all bolted in) didn't matter, the examiner was more concerned thats as the seat belt was there it should have a buckle for it to fit into!
and its a lot more than the rear quarter dave, you sure that laser eye surgery is ok? lol the welding to the centre of the rear door is not strong enough to take the load put through it.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=838457

take a look at this for how it should be done and this was only chopped from the'c' pillar back

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=557715 or this one seems as you have removed the 'C' pillar it is bascially the same even tho this is a full convertible.

[normalbloke]

The O/P has gone quiet!

[Dave69]

i am fully aware of what happens when you chop a roof hence the reason why i keep mentioning replacing the cills with box section ( rock rails) and bracing the chasiss rails, idealy with full length pieces of metal in a channel formation. this will give more bracing than it would with the roof intact. now the roof has gone the only real strength in the cab is given from the front windscreen but any twisting of the body could result in a broken screen. we all know how much an xj will twist. Cross bracing with a roll cage at the back of the driver seat and tied into the back of the jeep is advised mainly to increase the strength of the cab section and occupant safety. pirate 4x4 and naxja have lots of threads on these. GreenJeep has done a great job in the short time he had to do the modification.


any additional views GreeenJeep