Slow 1/10th scale aluminum ZJ body build.

[Full Throttle Rob]

I bought my SCX-10 Power Wagon in November '14 and I have destroyed the cab rear and bed of the Power Wagon lid, mangled a modified King Hauler hard body, and ripped the body mount holes out of an Axial JK Unlimited lid.... so I'm in need of another body.



Being a huge Jeep fan and owning an XJ, a YJ, and 3 ZJs, I was on the lookout for some form of Jeep lid aside from a JK(nothing against JKs but everybody and their brother has a Jeep JK body).



But....

What I have really been wanting for years is a ZJ body and no one has introduced one yet.

I want to have a 1:10 scale crawler that's identical to my 1:1 scale crawler.



Being overly creative and not one to let my mind and hands become idle, I have decided to do something about that.

I'm going to build a ZJ body out of aluminum coil stock.
I think it's 0.050" thick.
I'm gluing it together with Shoe Goo.

I started this afternoon with the rear cargo area floor, and I'll work my way forward and then upward.

I'm not going into anally meticulous scale detail like raised floorboard structure lines and inner door stamping details, but I am planning to stay true to the exterior body lines and dimensions.

I want to make the doors, hatch, and hood open.
Windows and lenses I plan to make from 0.040" lexan.
I'll probably add working lights, my front rooftop light rack and my rear light rack complete with a functioning swing-down HiLift jack mount like the one I built for my 1:1 ZJ.



A friend 3d printed me a V8 radio box I plan to put under the hood.



I converted my measurements by dividing inches by 10:
176.7 inches long = 17.67" or 17 5/8" long
69.2 inches wide = 6.92" or 6 7/8" wide
66 inch long floor boards = 6.6" or 6 5/8" long
etc...

I made graph paper patterns and traced them out on the coil stock, scored a few times with a utility knife, fold, and tear along the score marks.





After some final trimming and mapping out where my folds need to be, I was ready(....or so I thought) to do some bending on the brake.





With way too many bends in one small piece, this cargo floor was not going as I thought it would, so I scrapped the original and minimized the part and the number of bends it has.
I also cut out a piece to transition down from the cargo deck to the floorboard(this would be behind the rear seat cushions).
I'll put them on the brake tomorrow and bend them up.



I just went outside to take some more 1:1 measurements and I'll start cutting out the floorboard and firewall pieces later tonight!!

Aside from being able to use a bending brake I know NOTHING about shaping metal.

So subscribe if you like, and stay tuned as I learn to shape metal and hopefully it will resemble my ZJ!!!

[Full Throttle Rob]

So I got the floor boards, firewall, and made a couple of backers to help stiffen the floor/firewall.


Gluing cargo area floor to the piece to go down to the floor boards.



Floor pan and firewall.



A lot of my bends are easy, since I have access to a bending brake.



Most bends made and rear floor section ready.



Final bend made and I taped it together to check measurements.



Waiting for the Shoe Goo to dry.



I cut some braces to help keep the shape of everything.



Glued and clamped.



More updates later today!!!

[Full Throttle Rob]

Thanks!
It is easy to an extent.
But the right tools always make any job easier.
More complicated things are yet to come....
Stay tuned!!

[Kaler]

Looking good so far rob!! I'll be watching this one!!

[Full Throttle Rob]

So, last night I found some body structure diagrams and printed & enlarged them to the scale I need.





I printed them out on graph paper.



Then I traced them out onto another piece of graph paper, and then on to the metal.



Then I cut a bunch of little tabs in the corners and proceeded to bend over all the tabs.
This one part alone took about 2 hours from start to finish.



And finally glued it on to the floor and firewall.





So what you are seeing was done over a span of 4 days or so.
I'm engineering on the fly, so buckle up folks, the ride could get very interesting...

[Full Throttle Rob]

Originally Posted by Kaler

Looking good so far rob!! I'll be watching this one!!

Watching?
You're going to be helping, brothah!!




Thanks to you Kaler for the idea of using a clod bed for forming body lines!!
It's gonna work just fine with some practice!!!

Some trial and error stuff.

[MAC FAB]

Just noticed your thread- very cool. If you are using a clod bed to form the ribs, you are more like .020. If you want a thicker shell, get some .040 3003 type "O", ( for less complex forming use 3003 H14) which is soft like what you are working with now. You can get some hardwood and make the forms ( a set of dies) for your bed if you want it thicker. Make a male and a female set (or a positive and negative) attached to some thick mdf or equal and press them in your vise. If you have a decent metal working setup, metal is better.You can also make a series of wooden bucks for your body pieces, allowing you to get most everything formed/stamped without having to notch it or relieve it much if at all. You will have to tap the finished pieces with a mallet to work harden them (type "O" material). Google metal shaping to see what I'm talking about and that may help you get the desired finished product while making your job easier at the same time.
Keep it rolling, I'm anxious to see the progress.

[Full Throttle Rob]

So, I dubbed around a little bit here and there today and got my rear door opening frames built and installed, despite my wife's best efforts to keep me busy all day.

I also tried to change the angle of the floor to cargo floor piece....
I overcame the bonding power of the shoe goo, so I have to glue it back on.







It's starting to look like something aside from some flat metal now!!

[rocpede]

I'm really going to be watching this build.. I wish a company would make a Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ body.. I'd like to build RC version of my old ZJ.. Now I own a second ZJ ..


Sent from my 2500HD

[SAL45]

Nice job! This is going to be fun to watch!

[meatmonkey]

That's pretty neat. Looking pretty true to scale so far.

I think the only way it could get better is if you made it uni-body by incorporating pseudo frame rails.

Is there many public places to wheel in Maine? Just curious, cause there ain't much other than class 4 roads in VT.

[Full Throttle Rob]

Originally Posted by meatmonkey

That's pretty neat. Looking pretty true to scale so far.

I think the only way it could get better is if you made it uni-body by incorporating pseudo frame rails.

Is there many public places to wheel in Maine? Just curious, cause there ain't much other than class 4 roads in VT.

Thanks meatmonkey!!!
True to scale is what I'm aiming for!!
I would love to do "frame rails" and make it even more true to scale, but the control arms would be so short to stay in scale that there would be near zero flex(unless I make it look like it has a 7" long arm lift kit).

Wheeling is pretty much non-existent in Maine, since 2 of the 3 off-road parks in the state have been shut down within the last year....
No one wants anyone wheeling on their property, since most people around here don't understand the concept of "Tread Lightly"....
A classic case of one bad apple spoiling the bunch...
Not to mention that the Maine D.E.P. fully opposes any type of off road travel in anything bigger than a 4 wheeler....
....You might drip some oil or power steering fluid on the pristine Maine woods and that will make the whole universe will fall apart, ya know.....

PLUS.....since 9/11, wheeling a full size rig on the power lines in Maine has become a federal offense, classified as "Tampering with a public utility".
Central Maine Power has the power to confiscate your vehicle and press federal charges, if they feel the need...

So, basically, there's almost no wheeling spots left in the lower third of the state.

At 10mpg in town and 6 or 7mpg on the highway there's no way I can afford the gas to drive 8 hours(one way) to go wheeling up north and gas to crawl around all day in 4LO.


Anyway...

Thanks to all who have taken the time to check out my build thread, and thanks for all of the compliments!!!

I hope you are enjoying watching my progress as much as I am enjoying sharing it with all of you!!!

[Full Throttle Rob]

Originally Posted by MAC FAB

Just noticed your thread- very cool. If you are using a clod bed to form the ribs, you are more like .020. If you want a thicker shell, get some .040 3003 type "O", ( for less complex forming use 3003 H14) which is soft like what you are working with now. You can get some hardwood and make the forms ( a set of dies) for your bed if you want it thicker. Make a male and a female set (or a positive and negative) attached to some thick mdf or equal and press them in your vise. If you have a decent metal working setup, metal is better.You can also make a series of wooden bucks for your body pieces, allowing you to get most everything formed/stamped without having to notch it or relieve it much if at all. You will have to tap the finished pieces with a mallet to work harden them (type "O" material). Google metal shaping to see what I'm talking about and that may help you get the desired finished product while making your job easier at the same time.
Keep it rolling, I'm anxious to see the progress.

Thanks MAC FAB!!

I was thinking about making wooden forms for some of the more intricate bits, but wood and I never seem to see eye to eye....
I try like hell, but it just never works out as planned....

[klampykixx]

Keen to see this "unfold"( pun well intended)

Subscribed

[ecd02]

Very good start. Would love to find a zj hard body. Keep up the good work.

[Full Throttle Rob]

From the get-go I thought I would have to keep an eye on the weight of this body.
12 pieces and the glue to hold them together = 3.55 ounces.
Not too bad in my book, but I still have a long way to go.



Out of curiosity I weighed each of the previous lids.

The lightest of the bunch was the Axial JKU lid, at 12.96 ounces.



Followed by the King Hauler lid("The Turd"), at 17.67 ounces.



Last, and definitely MOST was the Power Wagon at 22.89 ounces with all the accessories.




I'm thinking I'll end up somewhere close to the weight(probably slightly more, but hopefully not) of the Power Wagon lid.
I should be fine as long as I go straight up or straight down. LOL

I guess I'll need to get some really stiff foams for the Rock Beasts and max out the shock pre-load!

[DaddyJeep]

I love an outside the box scratch build. Keep up the good work.

It sucks there is no 1:1 wheeling left in your area. Can't you find a farmer that owns land and throw some hay bales in return for some occasional use of his land?

[JBcustoms]

Loving the uni-body like construction on this one, just like the real thing!

[BadWagon]

This is a really cool build. I had a 93 ZJ back in the day. Good luck


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[Full Throttle Rob]

So, I've made a little progress in the last couple of days.

I made a couple of back sides for the "B" pillar.
I just need to glue them in.





Then I set it on the chassis and figured out the height I need to provide clearance at full flex.



I took a series of measurements and mapped out a piece that would mount the front of the body.



Cut, bent, and ready for gluing.



WOW!!!
It's amazing how much more it is starting to look like something by just mounting it to the chassis!!!!
Plus I think I hit the wheelbase right on the money!!!!!



Stay tuned, I'm planning on working on the rear quarter and wheel well areas.