[theGiantPanda]

So... i have this big pile of great parts that i took off my 06 Rubicon Unlimited when i got bit by the HEMI bug and fell sick with the 40s virus which led to full width 60s treatment to handle the illness.

what to do.. sell the stuff at heavy losses to get it out of the way OR... find something else to put them on.. of course i went with the latter.

i began my search a few weeks ago for a unlimited frame.. i figured start there seeing that the cheapest unlimited i could find was in the area of 10K and by the time i was done with it i would only have kept the frame tub and interior. i found one on friday july 9th. called-still had it, fire damage good frame.

i loaded up the trailer and took off 200 miles east. i found the jeep to be nicer than i expected. one thing with JYs though.. every piece has a value and every piece is listed separately

so after standing around while they pulled the hardtop, seats and roll cage.. expenses i couldnt justify.... i got the next jeep project loaded on the trailer, paid the guy and made the journey back home.

what i ended up with..
2005 jeep unlimited frame, tub, front clip, windshield frame with cracked glass, center console, shifter, melted dash panel, good interior steering column, fuel tank skid and fuel tank [no sending/pump unit] NVLP canister, some burnt carpet and a handful of nuts and bolts... oh and factory tail lights








so what are the plans as of right now....

[theGiantPanda]

well starting with the body......
new/used drivers fender. lights and flare
sand and prime the hood, front tub corner, engine compartment
replace grille with JY/ebay special
replace cowl with JYebay special
interior and engine harnesses from ebay or daveys depending on availabilty and pricing....
tailgate and hinges-internet or JY

interior.
replace melted dash, wiring and cluster-ebay estimated at $400
front seats-JY/ebay or aftermarket style?? maybe ill put corbeau in the rubicon and set the old ones in the this jeep
full roll cage, similar to genright/poison spyder with tubular front down thru dash supports, no side plates
5 point harnesses only

what i have lying around..
dana 44 front, arb, chromos 4.88s- i have ot replace the coil buckets on the axle-i cut them up for SB links
rear dana 60, arb, chromo 35spl, 4.88
tnt long arm dual triangulated rear setup
steering box, shaft, cross over high steer
tnt front truss
front and rear drive shafts.. hey deacon..i need that stupid roc trac back......darn it...
rear PSC bumper plate- ill bend up another rear stinger/tire carrier later on
install the rear corner armor from the Panda when i put on full corner armor for the rear stretch
Kilby air system

the color choices... hmmmm burnt orange sounds fitting



actual lift..... going to get 6" front and rear springs so i can run the 36s without issues as thats what i had before i tore my rig apart. im not going to put any moneys into tube fenders or full corner armor on this rig right now.

the drive train... well looks like its going to be another HEMI except this time, version5.7. i have the 5.7 manifolds and some other trinkets floating around. i have a line on another 5.7 and tranny. maybe after i get paid this week or i sell off one of my plow trucks... or seems i still have a really shiny diamond ring that has to be worth a dollar or too....

could you imagine that conversation in passing... so whatever did you do with my ring? hmmm, well i sold that piece of tin and bought another jeep and a handful of really un-necessary parts to feed my inner child. yeah try that....

the plan for the next few days.....
have the shop guys tear into the jeep starting tomorrow..
sand down pass fender, hood and other necessary burnt spots..
pull stock flares and side steps
pull and clean all salvagable interior pieces, clean tub floor of melted carpet etc.
look for necessary replacement parts

key objective... get the jeep rolling on its own wheels mso that it can be moved around.

[LuckRider]

Gunkel Style rebuild FTW. You have to use some cool non TJ color for this thing

[Hendrix]

Its never a good thing to start a new project before you finish the old one.

But hey good luck juggling two.

I believe that is a great find. I will be watching this one very close to. Now get back to the other project

[Recoil]

For paint check out what TNT did with a silver base and bronze clear. Looks amazing

[TheStigX]

Well since you got bit by the Hemi bug once...Drop in a 5.7 and paint it a classic MOPAR color like Vitamin C Orange, Plum Crazy Purple, or sassy green....should make it stand out

[97Carter02]

i say pepto bismol pink! i think that'd stand out pretty well

[ItsaFinRubicon]

Plum crazy purple... Sexy color... I was going to paint my dodge charger that color.

[zachbh]

Originally Posted by LuckRider

Gunkel Style rebuild FTW. You have to use some cool non TJ color for this thing

My thoughts exactly.

I like burnt orange though. I'll definitely be following this thread.

[Recoil]

That's the color I think you should do. Amazing

[theGiantPanda]

yeah that bronze over silver looks cool.... i like the imola orange color too...

the interior is going to get monster lined or something like that in a charcoal color-not black. going to just hit up the body shop for some new steel instead of trying to salvage some of the pieces.

today we got the fenders, grill, cowl, dash and all the melted carpets and plastic out. side steps are off. found a heater box assembly and ordered a new dash panel off ebay.

i started hitting areas of the firewall with the DA and some 400gr. i have a list of trinket stuff i need and looks like i will be making another run to GR for a box full of small stuff afte stopping at PPG for some satin black expoxy primer. the guys will pull the jeep out in the morning and scrub the firewall and interior.

nothing for the 6.1 rubi showed today so just i played with this one.

pics tomorrow when i get back to the shop.

its definately getting a 5.7..... debating whether to attempt to just work through the harness this time after finding the wiring diagrams then send off the computer to get flashed and turn off all the un-necessary junk.

[LuckRider]

3.3 Cummins Then you have an oil burner Rubi and a Hemi Beast (yep, that would now be a Hemi since that is where the parts came from).

[theGiantPanda]

the two projects really arent that bad. ive become quite acustom to doing it over the yeaars. in my business we are always juggling multiple projects at one time so i guess that doenst really bother me too much. helps when you have an extra set of hands working on grunt stuff when your not around too. i have to pay them too be there so they might as well work on something when wee are waiting on customers stuff/parts etc.

thanks.....

[DaleII]

I'll be watching this one!

[theGiantPanda]

3.3 ....really.... heck deisel is more than regular... just playing... i just cant do the deisel thing...