Tommy R
I wanna be Dave
Hey y'all,
After about a year and a half I got a little bored with my "Boring Toyota". I like it a lot, but Toyotas were already so common and then when RC4WD released the TF2 with an even more detailed Yota body.....well, it really let the wind out of my sails and I lost enthusiasm for that body. Time for something to change... so I decided to retire the body for now. Too much money/labor in it to sell it, really.
I'm a bit of a Jeep guy and thought it'd be great to make one for Class 1. But the Jeep JK is too big for the small C1 tires so it's out. The New Bright TJ is great, but has too short of a wheelbase. I could make another YJ, but prefer the open top of the New Bright Jeeps. Eventually, I decided to bite the bullet and build a custom Jeep LJ.
For those unfamiliar, the LJ is a longer wheelbase version of the Jeep TJ. It was only made from '04-'06. And it's just what I'm looking for to replace the Toyota! It would require a lot of custom body work with ABS, which will be a new challenge for me. But you only live once, right? :mrgreen:
I decided to re-use the chassis from the Toyota since it's well built and a proven performer. Not to mention the rear suspension setup should work well for the dropped bed/interior of the Jeep. The wheelbase should work well for the stretched Jeep, as well. The current transmission location will not work, though. I refuse to cut up the interior and let that spur gear show through. So it'll get a front mounted motor/transmission and a transfer case will go on the skidplate. I have a Felsenfest unit that I'll be using. Eventually, it may all get replaced with a Dinky R/C setup. Here's the chassis as it sits now...
But how to convert a TJ into an LJ? I've heard horror stories about the material that New Bright uses and how the typical styrene bonding agents are ineffective with it. Well, I did some research and picked up some chemicals that were recommended to me. Figured I'd give them all a try. But first I would need to do some cutting. I mulled this one over for weeks before I made the first cut. But here it is hacked in half and very roughly mocked up on the chassis....in "monster truck" mode. :lmao:
You'll notice I didn't cut straight across the body. I did this so that when the body is put back together it will not have an easy bending point for the body to flex. With a stepped cut, it should ultimately end up stronger. I'd picked up some styrene and began the task of rejoining the body parts. Once again, I spent a lot of time trying to decide the best method to do this. I wanted it strong and I wanted the body panels to line up properly. Ultimately, I think I settled on an effective plan. But what chemical to use to attach the styrene to the ABS?? I have Bondene, Pro-Weld, Tenax, and even picked up some MEK. I tried them all on some sample parts and the results were mediocre at best. Then last week I was at the hobby store and they had some orange labeled Pastruct Plastic Weld. What the heck, I'll get some. Turns out it's the stuff! It bonded the styrene to the ABS quite well!
Now that the bonding agent has been determined, it was time to put things back together last night. Here it is with the new side panels and showing off it's new, longer wheelbase.
Obviously, it has a long way to go. The interior needs to be sealed off and I'll add some metal for support so the new plastic weld isn't the only thing holding it together. But so far, I'm digging it! Here it is again mocked up on the chassis. It'll sit a bit higher than this, of course.
The body's wheelbase came out to ~11.25". It stretched about 1.5" from stock, if I recall. With the 1/4" stretch that's allowed in Class 1, it'll put me at 11.5" and it should mate up perfectly with the chassis. Since my Class 2 build is on hold for the time being, I hope to pass the time working on this thing. "thumbsup"
After about a year and a half I got a little bored with my "Boring Toyota". I like it a lot, but Toyotas were already so common and then when RC4WD released the TF2 with an even more detailed Yota body.....well, it really let the wind out of my sails and I lost enthusiasm for that body. Time for something to change... so I decided to retire the body for now. Too much money/labor in it to sell it, really.
I'm a bit of a Jeep guy and thought it'd be great to make one for Class 1. But the Jeep JK is too big for the small C1 tires so it's out. The New Bright TJ is great, but has too short of a wheelbase. I could make another YJ, but prefer the open top of the New Bright Jeeps. Eventually, I decided to bite the bullet and build a custom Jeep LJ.
For those unfamiliar, the LJ is a longer wheelbase version of the Jeep TJ. It was only made from '04-'06. And it's just what I'm looking for to replace the Toyota! It would require a lot of custom body work with ABS, which will be a new challenge for me. But you only live once, right? :mrgreen:
I decided to re-use the chassis from the Toyota since it's well built and a proven performer. Not to mention the rear suspension setup should work well for the dropped bed/interior of the Jeep. The wheelbase should work well for the stretched Jeep, as well. The current transmission location will not work, though. I refuse to cut up the interior and let that spur gear show through. So it'll get a front mounted motor/transmission and a transfer case will go on the skidplate. I have a Felsenfest unit that I'll be using. Eventually, it may all get replaced with a Dinky R/C setup. Here's the chassis as it sits now...
But how to convert a TJ into an LJ? I've heard horror stories about the material that New Bright uses and how the typical styrene bonding agents are ineffective with it. Well, I did some research and picked up some chemicals that were recommended to me. Figured I'd give them all a try. But first I would need to do some cutting. I mulled this one over for weeks before I made the first cut. But here it is hacked in half and very roughly mocked up on the chassis....in "monster truck" mode. :lmao:
You'll notice I didn't cut straight across the body. I did this so that when the body is put back together it will not have an easy bending point for the body to flex. With a stepped cut, it should ultimately end up stronger. I'd picked up some styrene and began the task of rejoining the body parts. Once again, I spent a lot of time trying to decide the best method to do this. I wanted it strong and I wanted the body panels to line up properly. Ultimately, I think I settled on an effective plan. But what chemical to use to attach the styrene to the ABS?? I have Bondene, Pro-Weld, Tenax, and even picked up some MEK. I tried them all on some sample parts and the results were mediocre at best. Then last week I was at the hobby store and they had some orange labeled Pastruct Plastic Weld. What the heck, I'll get some. Turns out it's the stuff! It bonded the styrene to the ABS quite well!
Now that the bonding agent has been determined, it was time to put things back together last night. Here it is with the new side panels and showing off it's new, longer wheelbase.
Obviously, it has a long way to go. The interior needs to be sealed off and I'll add some metal for support so the new plastic weld isn't the only thing holding it together. But so far, I'm digging it! Here it is again mocked up on the chassis. It'll sit a bit higher than this, of course.
The body's wheelbase came out to ~11.25". It stretched about 1.5" from stock, if I recall. With the 1/4" stretch that's allowed in Class 1, it'll put me at 11.5" and it should mate up perfectly with the chassis. Since my Class 2 build is on hold for the time being, I hope to pass the time working on this thing. "thumbsup"
