Different kind of YJ

Worse than a brick-a parachute. I want to use sheet-metal and fiberglass to close in the front of the fenders a little.

Shouldnt need NOS with the new heads, carb, and cam. Edelbrock says it will be good for a true 430 HP which should push my times into the low 11's which is fast enough (for now at least).
 
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Just saw your story and pictures... looks cool. Tend to agree with you, having something a little different is a plus. That motor looks functional sitting in the engine bay!

Nice job, call that a "one-off", right?
 
And wait till you see the new top I am designing. It will be based on the Rampage bikini combo top. But I am having an extension sewn to the back part which will use conventional snaps to attach it to the back and sides so it will be totally sealed. It will use the roll cage as the supports. Simple to put up. Now I can sell my Supertop (less than 3 months old)
 
hey was looking to get somework done where in hicksville is bobby's shop and what is it called it looks like he did a aswome job on your jeep would like to call for a quote for my CJ.
 

hey was looking to get somework done where in hicksville is bobby's shop and what is it called it looks like he did a aswome job on your jeep would like to call for a quote for my CJ.

The guy is amazing. The full name of his shop is Gardner Specialty Auto and it is near the Sears on 106/107. The phone number is (516) 934-0206. Tell Bobby that Lee sent you. Please keep me updated.

I still can not figure out why more people don't build Jeeps like mine. It is much more fun to drive then some typical muscle car with a roof (tight and hot interior). It gets much more attention at car shows and cruise nights then seeing yet another Mustang or Nova. Last week it won it's third trophy. And it is quick-even with my engine which was not built for speed, it ran a 13.0 at 101 mph which is faster than most street cars. Once I get the new heads and matching cam it should be in the 11's.
 
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Very cool bro!!!! I bought a Jeep, because I wanted to build something different than street /strip cars, and now I see I made a great choice!!! I'm doing something similar to what you are with the small block Chevy, but I'm retaining the 4wd and adding a six speed manual and a severely modified tuned port injection system ... Again very cool!!!
 

I thought about keeping the 4WD but wanted to keep things simple and make the Jeep as light as possible. It is a blast to drive. Much cooler (literally) than any muscle car with a hard top. People have even called it a dune buggy. As she sits now, even without the engine work I am planning, it feels very quick. Passengers have told me that when I step on the gas it feels like they are on a roller coaster going down the first hill. And when I come off the transbrake it makes my head spin.
 
i didnt read through the whole post so this may have bin said.. Have you thought about a shackle reversal?(i think thats wut u call it) its supos to have sum pros n cons i do not run this but i herd its better 4 more street use then off-road witch looks like u aint goin off-roadin just sayin if u havent heard of it check it out.. google
 

That is definitely on my list of future plans. So far, the car seems pretty stable on the street and highway, and when I raced it at the track, even at 101 mph it felt good. Remember that it has been lowered a few inches. But I like the idea of the reverse shackle, and I also think it will look better than having the shackle in the front.
I just finished having a top custom made (actually it was a Rampage top that was highly modified). I designed it so it uses Lift-the-Dot snaps to secure it around the back, with velcro straps to keep it in place around bars I made behind and above the door. The shop made really nice fabric surrounds that are part of the top, so they come off when the roof is off. Best of all, the whole top goes up or down in under 10 minutes, and can be stowed in a hatch I made in the back so it is hidden from view.
Next step is the engine. Problems with the head and the cam is not matched right. I am putting on a complete Edelbrock top end kit with an MSD ignition and box. Then I can get to the other stuff, like suspension and paint.
 
I apologize for not keeping you updated, but I have not been spending much time posting things on the computer lately-not just on forums but not on Facebook or anything. Busy with the family, house projects, and, of course, my Jeep (and I would much rather spend time working on it, driving it, bringing it to shows, and racing it then writing about it). But a lot has been going on since I last posted.

Over the summer, I won a bunch of trophies at local car shows, and have done several appearance changes. Then, at the end of August, I took the car to my friends shop to install an Edelbrock Top End kit (Vortec aluminum heads, Air Gap intake manifold, Performer RPM roller cam with retrofit kit, double timing chain, new Melling oil pump, deep sump Moroso oil pan, an Edelbrock aluminum water pump, and a complete MSD ignition set up, with a new distributor and a 6ALN box. I also had to replace the 3/8 braided fuel line because it breaks down with the additives in modern pump gas, so we installed 1/2 inch stainless steel fuel line. When we removed the fenders to make access easier, I wanted to repair rust on the inside of the fender but was advised it would be less expensive to just get new fenders. When we removed the heater hoses, we discovered that the heater core was rusty so we pulled the dash apart to install a new Vintage air compact heater. When my Bobby, owner of the shop Gardner Specialty Auto, saw the tangled mess of wires I had under the dash, he was not pleased. If you recall, I wired the entire Jeep when I built it. And while I was proud that everything worked, and all of the visible wires were fairly neat, I did get a bit sloppy where the wires were hidden. It always bothered me, but I was too lazy to redo it all. But now, Bobby told me that 'there is no way your Jeep is leaving my shop like that. One of us is going to fix it, so take your choice'. So under his close supervision, I began the painstaking task of redoing it all. And he taught me the right way to do it! I was able to save over 10 pounds by cutting down wires, eliminating wires I did not need, and making my grounds shorter. Then I rewired the entire rear section, while Bobby rewired my engine compartment.

The paint is another story. He does not like getting involved painting cars, since it is very time consuming and not profitable. But he agreed to paint my fenders and redo the hood, which was now white with a black scoop. The paint was yellowing, and as to my original rat-rod motif, I was not very careful when I masked. Overspray was abundant. As a goof, I had put a bunch of stickers on the sides, for that race car look, and he teased me about it. SO, I pulled them off, and the paint came off with them. So, he kind of got sucked into painting the whole car. But he got me back, making me do all of the tedious sanding and prep. (He even made me repaint the frame.) The blue paint was left over from his race car (Bobby does stock car racing in Riverhead, Long Island)

Meanwhile, when we were working on the engine, we discovered that the motor was not what I thought it was. No 4 bolt mains, no 030 over Manly pistons, no polished connecting rods, no steel crank no Crower cam, just a stock bottom end with a big no-name cam that sounded great. Now, I will have to do the bottom end this spring.

Performance wise, I checked 0 - 60 times with a G-Tech timer. Before the rebuild, it did it in 4.5 seconds. After, times were down to 3.8 seconds. It weighed 2908 before, and should be under 2800 pounds now (will check when he gets his scale back). But based on this, I should be in the mid 11's in the quater mile.

And last, but not least, Bobby built a new exhaust system. He used all stainless steel 2 1/2 inch tubing, along with electric cut-outs. Lots and lots of fun.

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The way it was

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The way it is now

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MVI_7152openthenclosedexhaust.mp4 video by Lee3333 - Photobucket
This starts out with open exhaust, then I close it near the end. Windows were closed and the top was up, so you don't get the full sound impact. But when the top is down, there is a lot of wind noise.

Walkaround video by Lee3333 - Photobucket
 
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View attachment 1a Atco Jeep timeslips 102014 edited.jpg
I realized I had not updated for a while. Installed a Chris Alsten front end with rack and pinion steering. Stretched wheelbase 4 inches. Jeep ran 11.6 and should be in the 10's now. But now setting it up for autocross racing Weight distribution is 46/54 so should handle well. Just got 18 inch wheels-10 inch front and 12 inch rear.
Should be fun
 
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