Slow 1/10th scale aluminum ZJ body build.

[Full Throttle Rob]

I made a few minutes to tinker again.

After looking over the pics from my last post and seeing the Wraith sitting behind it I decided to take the V8 radio box out of the Wraith and install it in the ZJ's incomplete engine bay, so I can work around it and not crowd it's space too badly.



Then I stuck the AR-3 receiver to the underside of the intake manifold lid and stuck the antenna out through the hole from where I trimmed the back corners of the cylinder heads to clear the body post mounts on the shock towers.





EDIT:
I forgot to mention that the top flange of the front bracket is folded around the top lip of the firewall and glued as well as crimped onto that lip.

Plus the V-8 is tilted back at about a 4 degree angle, like the real thing. LOL

[mr.rick]

I'm not typically a big Jeep fan after owning a 1:1 JK... for obvious reasons.... But I think you are doing a kick ass job with this custom build and I'm watching now for sure. Sub'd. Keep up the awesome work.

[Full Throttle Rob]

So, I knocked the rig off my desk and onto the floor...
Luckily it landed on the rear end of the frame and not my door openings!!!!
Though the impact did break the mounts off the V-8, so I had to put it back in place with some metal under it for strength.

After that I decided it was time to put in the transmission and drive shafts so it won't roll off again.....
I traced around it and cut a hole in the floor to fit it in.
I should have mirrored my transmission, as I would have more room in the front.
I prefer more weight in the front for helping keep the nose on the ground on those really steep climbs.



If I am putting the battery in the front it will have to go way up front at a 45 degree angle.
This will keep me from being able to have a steering wheel that moves along with the wheels using a mini servo.

The battery barely fits in the body between the door openings, so I'll have to figure out something magical to keep the wires from interfering with the opening and closing of the door.



I really don't want the battery in the back, but there sure is a lot more room for it back there.

[Itali83]

A mini lipo pack would help out greatly with battery placement and they don't weigh much so not as important if you mount it out back. Awesome job on the metal work though!
Ben

[Full Throttle Rob]

Thanks Ben!
I'm not even considering switching over to lipo, to be honest with you.
I have horrible luck as it is, and I don't need to push it by owning batteries with a high potential for catastrophic failure.
I'll stick to the good-old heavy nickel batteries, just for the added peace of mind!!

[Full Throttle Rob]

So, I was able to sneak in a few minutes earlier so I could make an inner rear quarter panel and test fit it.
It was off a bit and I had to re-adjust a few bends to make it fit like I wanted.

Now I can take some measurements and make some wheel wells and finish the cargo bay floor.

[clarketian]

by the way, Would you consider moving the transmission to the front?

[Full Throttle Rob]

Originally Posted by clarketian

by the way, Would you consider moving the transmission to the front?

I had considered that but I do believe I'd have a lot more headache on my hands trying to go that route.

I'll leave the trans where it is, put the battery directly in front of it, and go without a moving steering wheel.
No big deal!


So, I made some inner wheel wells and a passenger's side inner rear quarter and proceeded to install them all.

I (poorly)folded the cargo area floor flanges back down and put the wheel wells in place, followed by their respective rear quarters.

It's slowly starting to resemble a vehicle now.

[SAL45]

Wow! Awesome build! It really is starting to look the part with it sitting on the chassie! Nice job

[clarketian]

I will recommend installing an internal rollcage, from what I have learnt this weekend......

[Full Throttle Rob]

I made some more progress!

[nigelpheron]

I can't believe this styrene work. Mind blown!

[Full Throttle Rob]

Originally Posted by nigelpheron

I can't believe this styrene work. Mind blown!

Thanks for the compliment but it's aluminum trim metal, not styrene .
Styrene wouldn't last 60 seconds with me behind the wheel....
The aluminum might last 90 seconds....

[Full Throttle Rob]

So, last night I spent 3 hours making the pattern for the cowl, inner fender tops, and radiator support top.

I traced a diagram of the hood opening structure onto graph paper, drew out tabs, and figured out my bends.

The diagram was mis-shaped so when I folded it in half and put it on the tracing table the two sides were not exact.

I split the difference of the two sides and had to recalculate the whole damn piece. LOL

I cut my pattern out with it folded in half, so it is identical on both sides.






This afternoon at work was kind of slow(meaning I put off actual work to tinker with my stuff) and I successfully made and bent up my part on the first try!!!
Kaler got to watch the process of my madness.










I got a little bit ahead of myself and made a headlight/turn signal/corner marker lens out of some 0.040" Lexan.



Kaler had to do some frame and cage straightening on his "Beater" after his latest "I got this!!!" episode, so I mocked it up like I'm running it over.
I can hear Jeff cringing about it now....

[Kaler]

Ya I've gotta stop having "i got this!!" moments. It's very cool to see the metal madness, it's a very unique project and im glad to see it first hand as it developes.

[Full Throttle Rob]

So, I made the last cargo area floor piece, the inner half of the radiator support, and the bottom of the radiator support.

The inner radiator support has 19 bends in it, and it actually worked out as I had planned!
I was shocked!!!









Planning out the front half of the radiator support with the grille opening and headlight/turn signal/corner marker buckets will probably be next on the agenda.

Stay tuned!

[Full Throttle Rob]

So, today I traced my door openings and plotted out my inner door skins.

These should be real interesting to bend up...



Then I got to looking at the lexan lens I had made a few days back and decided I needed to make a housing for it.







Then I did a little trimming to make it fit where I wanted it.



Then I had to make a matching one for the other side so it wouldn't look so stupid.

[Full Throttle Rob]

Last night and this morning I made the front half of the radiator support.

It didn't come out as well as I had anticipated, but it will serve it's purpose.
It's looking like I'll have to build a really thin grille out of thin styrene strips just to visually cover the front half.






I'm hoping to have some time to work on it some more tonight, but my spousal unit just informed me that we have a ton of X-mas gifts to wrap tonight........

[Full Throttle Rob]

So, I got(made) a chance to bend up the driver's door inner skin, and it fits pretty nicely!!

Although, I got a little confused and scored it along a bend line for about an inch....

Which means I'll probably decide to start this piece again.
Or reinforce the crap out of it instead....





I still need to cut and fold the window opening.

[Full Throttle Rob]

A few weeks back my wife went through all of her empty jewelry boxes she had been saving for a decade or two, and got rid of them.

Being crafty(cheap), I decided that the jewelry box hinges would work fine(minus their springs) for my ZJ doors and hatch, so I saved 4 hinges that were identical for the doors and a few others for the hatch and hood.



I rigged it up temporarily and it works pretty friggin' awesome!!
Door reinforcement, door outer skin, and a latch system are needed but you get the idea.