[jscherb]

Originally Posted by Varnish

You may have addressed this, but have you considered a XJ 4.0/aw4 setup? I know the auto doesn't have that old-school appeal but an early 90s 4.0 HO is a great drivetrain and not too hard to swap over as a single unit. Best mod I ever did to my '88 YJ. Probably a lot easier to find and cheaper than a YJ donor.

Yes, I considered putting an XJ engine/trans in the current CJ-based Gaucho frame, but then I decided that it would be far simpler to just find a complete YJ, lengthen the YJ frame and put the Gaucho body and bed on the lengthened frame. Lengthening a frame is very easy, I already have the necessary lengths of frame rail to weld in, and I wouldn't even have to remove the engine/trans/transfer case from the YJ frame . All I'd need to do is to remove the YJ tub and front sheet metal, lengthen the frame, and put the Gaucho tub/bed/sheet metal on the YJ frame (a few tweaks to the bed and grill mounts would be required, but nothing serious).

I do agree the AW4 is an excellent transmission and would be a nice choice for the Gaucho (I wouldn't mind an auto in the Gaucho, but I'm just not interested in doing the mechanical work to do the engine swap - I'm capable of it, but just not interested. My interest is in doing the custom body design and fabrication, as long as it has an engine and trans that propels it down the road, I'm happy. That's how I arrived that the "put the Gaucho body on a lengthened YJ frame and running gear" plan, it's the easiest way to make the Gaucho a driver.

At the moment I'm sort of casually looking for a YJ for the Gaucho project, but most of my attention is focused on getting the Safari Cab hardtop project done right now - when the Safari Cab is wrapped up then I'll get serious about the Gaucho again (and maybe with a new Safari half-cab on it too... ).

[Varnish]

Oh I see now, thought you were going to swap the drivetrain over but you want to go the opposite direction.

Your projects are very inspiring. While the AEV Brute kit makes me drool like when I was 12 looking at a Lamborghini poster, I have to accept its price + TJ is out of my range and my YJ (with CJ front end) would make a more realistic donor for a pickup project. I find myself researching a combo of the old chevy truck bed + gr8 tops halftop + some sort of custom solution for enclosing the cab. Seems like it could be done in the 5k ballpark with my less valuable YJ rather than the 10k ballpark + chopping my nice or another nice TJ in half and using the Brute kit.

[jscherb]

Originally Posted by Varnish

Oh I see now, thought you were going to swap the drivetrain over but you want to go the opposite direction.

Your projects are very inspiring. While the AEV Brute kit makes me drool like when I was 12 looking at a Lamborghini poster, I have to accept its price + TJ is out of my range and my YJ (with CJ front end) would make a more realistic donor for a pickup project. I find myself researching a combo of the old chevy truck bed + gr8 tops halftop + some sort of custom solution for enclosing the cab. Seems like it could be done in the 5k ballpark with my less valuable YJ rather than the 10k ballpark + chopping my nice or another nice TJ in half and using the Brute kit.

If you go back the the beginning of this thread you can see how I shortened a $100 CJ hardtop to make the half-cab; how I modified a beat-up old 70's Chevy bed and fenders I got for $50 into the proper size to fit this truck, and how I closed in the back of the tub with about $100 of aftermarket replacement tub corners and some sheet metal. I've tried to post enough details in this thread so it could be a "how to" for others wanting to build their own similar project. You don't have to spend a fortune to build something pretty interesting, you just need to spend enough time designing and planning what you're going to do and put enough effort into building it right.

[jscherb]

I got an interesting email today on the history of the original Gaucho, most of this we had already learned through magazine articles of the period and a few other sources, but there is some new info here, I'll share it with you:

The Gaucho was the idea of my friend, Brian Chuchua. Brian was Jeep dealer from the 1950's until the early 1990's when he sold to Don A Vee Jeep.
The Guacho was built on a CJ 6 frame, I cannot remember if it was 101 or 104".
The cab was custom built from one o fthe first CJ fiberglass cabs. The bed was an aftermarket stepside bed kit for the Chevy Luv, with, if I recall correctly, fiberglass fenders. Brian planned to sell them as a kit. There was a great deal of interest, but Brian sold the concept to AMC and the Guacho became the CJ8 Scrambler, so I do not remember if any kits were sold, I only remember the one prototype. So the Guacho became the Scrambler. Brian was also the sole source for all Jeep Factory racing efforts, so he had a strong influence at AMC in the days before Chrysler.

[jscherb]

My son got his driver's license last month and now is putting pressure on me to finish the Gaucho. I'm thinking about doing that as soon as I finish my current Safari Cab project, so it's time for input from you guys. Here's how the Gaucho looks today:



I don't have an engine, transmission or transfer case or interior:



The bodywork is done, and the frame is a fully restored, lengthened and strengthened Scrambler frame (113.5" wheelbase now). The axles are stock CJ WT axles with 2.73 gears; these would need to have all seals and brakes replaced but otherwise are probably usable (if I'm willing to accept the crummy 2.73 gearing).



My last thought before I "put the Gaucho away" to work on the Safari Cab was that I'd try to find a 4.0 YJ Wrangler in decent shape, lengthen that frame to 113.5 WB, and just throw the Gaucho body parts on that running frame. But after casually looking for decent YJ's here for the past 6 months, anything in a price range I'd consider buying probably has a rust-damaged frame. So I'm now trying to decide on the best way to proceed with engine and drivetrain.

First, the expected usage: daily driver, no offroad use (ok, maybe I would try an easy-rated trail once, but that's it). Primary driver to be Alex, who so far is a careful driver.

Requirements/wants:

- Engine. Must be factory EFI. Don't care about OBDI or OBDII, either is fine, but I want an engine that came EFI from the factory. Don't really want to do a CJ 258 with aftermarket EFI.

- Transmission. I don't care whether it has a manual or automatic, although Alex says real Jeeps must have a manual.

- Transfer case. If keeping the current axles, then a CJ Dana 300 due to the passenger-side front driveshaft drop. If doing some other axles, another case would be ok.

- Axles. Don't really want to spend my life hacking brackets off donor axles and making them fit the CJ frame, also not interested in outboarding springs, etc. So it's either the CJ axles I've got, or do the complete YJ frame/running gear idea above.

Since this isn't a killer trail rig and won't see extreme duty, there's no need to do a big bucks killer build on this, all I need is basic daily driver reliability.

So here are some ideas I'm considering:

1. Keep looking for a 4.0 YJ to use as described above. Lengthen the YJ frame to 113.5 WB, and drop the Gaucho sheet metal on the complete YJ frame/running gear. Sell the current frame (perhaps to someone who needs a new Scrambler frame and would want to shorten this one. It is after all, a fully restored frame).

2. Keep the CJ axles, and find a Dana 300. Also get a 4.0 donor, perhaps an XJ (auto or manual), and use the XJ 4.0 and transmission with the Dana 300.

3. Keep the CJ axles, and find a Dana 300. Find Chevy S-10 with an EFI 4.3 V-6 and transmisison (either the S-10 version of the T-5 or an auto), and adaapt that to the Dana 300.

4. Do the YJ thing, but settle for a 4-cylinder instead. They're much more plentiful than the 4.0 YJ's so I could probably find one with a decent frame.

5. ??? Some other option you guys suggest...

6. Forget it, sell the Gaucho as is and get Alex some other vehicle.

Since this isn't a killer trail rig and won't see extreme duty, there's no need to do a big bucks killer build on this, all I need is basic daily driver reliability, so please keep your suggestions in that range.

What do you guys think? Thanks in advance for your input.

Jeff

[CopperCJ7]

Well, I think the obvious answer is... finish the Gaucho for your son. I mean, that's saying two things: He wants to be a Jeeper and he's honoring you by wanting to drive something you created. Think of how much pressure he'll have to deal with by not getting into a wreck with a one-of-a-kind vehicle that his dad created.

As for the tranny, I've had both in Jeeps and if Alex has to navigate any kind of traffic at all - on a daily basis - go auto. If not, go manual. Oh and I hope you paint her a bright Canary Yellow so you can see Alex in any part of the country - via neighbors, of course - or some high powered telescope, or even a GPS tracking device.

[jeepwhore]

Since it's not going to be an offroader, freshen up the stock WT axles and put in some 1 pc shafts for reliability(probably the easiest both $$$ and fittment wise). The 2.73 gears are a dog with anything bigger than a 31" tire so go with something mildly larger than stock tires and it'll be fine and get great mileage (for a jeep).

As for the powertrain, find a rusted out/crashed TJ, YJ or XJ and steal the engine and trans out of it. Find a D300 to mate it to and voila! Ideally a crashed TJ would be best as the D300 mates up to the NV3550 on its own (or you can use a clocking ring). Then you'd have a great medium duty transmission with O/D, a bullet proof transfer case and a good engine. None of which would require any adapters ($$$). Considering you need to purchase a donor vehicle either way, you might as well avoid the added cost of adapters if possible.

The last option is you adopt me (at 32 years old I'm well past the rebellious trouble making years and am a jack of all trades for all those odd jobs around the house) and I'll accept it as is and finish it myself!

[Loorider]

Great projects, you are certainly a great craftsman. I had some glances through this thread earlier when I was searching the net for CJ 8 overlander. Here in Europe the CJ8's with the world cab are more common. Many of them seem to be imported from the Swiss. At this moment I have three cj8 worldcabs complete with all doors. I am planning to built a cj8 overlander, based on a wheelbase of a Cherokee Chief, as I have one with a 6 cil Nissan diesel. In my opinion the longer wheelbase (150mm) looks better on the overlander as it has less overhang at the rear. I have two YJ tubs to be converted to one CJ 8 body. Now here's my question; how do you weld the flat panel parts in all your projects together? I plan on making a fold in one of the two plates so they overlap a little and then spotweld them together. I am not fan of bondo and rust is a always becoming a problem with this kind of welding after some years in Holland. Sorry if you mentioned this earlier in one of your threads, but they are too long to read completely. I hope you have some tips for me.

kind regards,
Gerrie

[CJ-10a]

Jeff,

Why not a diesel? Make this a true, one of a kind. Use the VM 2.8L out of the Liberty, or try the new 2.8L Cummins. The Liberty enging has bellhousings for both auto & manual. The Cummins has not been brought in to the US yet, so bellhousing options are unknown.

[justjeeps]

I have to agree with jeepwhore. I'd keep the CJ frame and running gear and swap in a 4.0L and maybe a T176 mated to a D300. If you feel really ambitious you could put a 4.6L stroker motor in it. The Gaucho was originally made from a CJ and in my opinion should stay mostly CJ.

[jscherb]

Originally Posted by CJ-10a

Jeff,

Why not a diesel? Make this a true, one of a kind. Use the VM 2.8L out of the Liberty, or try the new 2.8L Cummins. The Liberty enging has bellhousings for both auto & manual. The Cummins has not been brought in to the US yet, so bellhousing options are unknown.

No thanks, gasoline engines are fine for me. There are already too many things in this world I still have to learn, and diesel mechanics and maintenance isn't on my list .

[jscherb]

Originally Posted by Loorider

Great projects, you are certainly a great craftsman. I had some glances through this thread earlier when I was searching the net for CJ 8 overlander. Here in Europe the CJ8's with the world cab are more common. Many of them seem to be imported from the Swiss. At this moment I have three cj8 worldcabs complete with all doors. I am planning to built a cj8 overlander, based on a wheelbase of a Cherokee Chief, as I have one with a 6 cil Nissan diesel. In my opinion the longer wheelbase (150mm) looks better on the overlander as it has less overhang at the rear. I have two YJ tubs to be converted to one CJ 8 body. Now here's my question; how do you weld the flat panel parts in all your projects together? I plan on making a fold in one of the two plates so they overlap a little and then spotweld them together. I am not fan of bondo and rust is a always becoming a problem with this kind of welding after some years in Holland. Sorry if you mentioned this earlier in one of your threads, but they are too long to read completely. I hope you have some tips for me.

kind regards,
Gerrie

Gerrie, I responded to you via PM since the question is off-topic for this thread.
Jeff

[jscherb]

Originally Posted by jeepwhore

Since it's not going to be an offroader, freshen up the stock WT axles and put in some 1 pc shafts for reliability(probably the easiest both $$$ and fittment wise). The 2.73 gears are a dog with anything bigger than a 31" tire so go with something mildly larger than stock tires and it'll be fine and get great mileage (for a jeep).

As for the powertrain, find a rusted out/crashed TJ, YJ or XJ and steal the engine and trans out of it. Find a D300 to mate it to and voila! Ideally a crashed TJ would be best as the D300 mates up to the NV3550 on its own (or you can use a clocking ring). Then you'd have a great medium duty transmission with O/D, a bullet proof transfer case and a good engine. None of which would require any adapters ($$$). Considering you need to purchase a donor vehicle either way, you might as well avoid the added cost of adapters if possible.

The last option is you adopt me (at 32 years old I'm well past the rebellious trouble making years and am a jack of all trades for all those odd jobs around the house) and I'll accept it as is and finish it myself!

Those are reasonable suggestions. Seems like XJ's are very easy to come by here, definitely easier than TJ's and YJ's. Most of them would probably have the AW4 automatic, which I hear is a decent unit. I'll have to look into AW4/D300 mating.

Not sure I'd need to bother with one-piece shafts for the DD usage I'd expect the Gaucho to get, and I'd like to only spend money where it would really make a difference for our intended usage.

I think 31's are the right size tire for the Gaucho, and with a 4.0, the 2.73's wouldn't be great but they wouldn't be terrible either, again, for my expected usage. 2.73's with my 258 were really bad, but the 4.0 has something like 50 more horsepower than the 258; ideally I'd have 3.54's or at worst 3.07's, but we could probably live with the 2.73's with a 4.0 and 31" max tires.

Thanks for the input.

[jscherb]

Originally Posted by CopperCJ7

...Oh and I hope you paint her a bright Canary Yellow so you can see Alex in any part of the country - via neighbors, of course - or some high powered telescope, or even a GPS tracking device.

Definitely a bright Gaucho yellow. In some original photos the yellow looks like "shool bus yellow" (a.k.a. Chrome Yellow), so I'm very tempted to go with that.

[jscherb]

Originally Posted by justjeeps

I have to agree with jeepwhore. I'd keep the CJ frame and running gear and swap in a 4.0L and maybe a T176 mated to a D300. If you feel really ambitious you could put a 4.6L stroker motor in it. The Gaucho was originally made from a CJ and in my opinion should stay mostly CJ.

I'm still a fan of the YJ idea, it's the quickest way to achieving a complete and running Gaucho, but unfortunately I haven't been able to find one around here with a level of rust that makes me comfortable. I still have some months on my current project before I can get back to the Gaucho, so maybe one will turn up.