Jeep Wagoneer / Spartan Build [7 Seater Gladiator]

[Fireman 848]

Definitely waiting to see any new progress pics. Awesome project.

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[Krag]

Hey Guys, It has been a while, but now that we have had some time, I was able to really get to work this last month and am almost done with the body work, and will start interior work soon.


For the OEM top I decided to cut it as close to the window as possible for the opening to the rear of the truck, and then came in a little more at the base to allow me more points to bolt the top down to the truck as well as give the roof a little more rigidity

Here it is on the truck, I will clean up the edges later, and add some gasket tape to make them look more finished. .

Then I went about cutting up the JLU top I ordered from Mopar. I know I could have just done a topper, but I don't like the look of the toppers now and decided to try to make this look as OEM as possible.

I ordered the non painted version so that I would not have to sand off the texture when the time came to color match the body, I was surprised that it came looking the way it did with a lot of post production sanding on it, that was actually from the factory QC team smoothing it out. I would have expected a final primer coat to make it look new, but I really am OK with the odd look for now.

Then I measured twice and cut a million times...

I am using teh OEM window shape on teh back from the JLU 4 door, but extending it so the corners and shapes are all accurate to the Jeep brand design language.

Also I removed the rain gutters from the top There wasn't a good way to tie them into the gutters in teh front, so I decided not having them would look better than having 2 sets. The ones over teh front cab area will stay, but the back half of the truck doesn't need them.

here it is taped in place to measure and see if it will all fit well.

Started by transitioning the roof so that it can all be removed. For now there will be a double roof layer, but in the future I plan on making the front 2 rows have the ability to have a "T" top configuration.

I used a foam base to shape the surface I wanted then fiber glassed and used body filler to make all the transitions on the front section. I used floral foam, and it was really great to sand and shape, but terrible stuff to clean off, and would get in my eyes and sting like crazy. I would NOT recommend using that foam. There are better polyurethane foams I have used that I would recommend, but sometimes they can be hard to find.

 

[kwiklot]

this is pretty wild, but amazing to see the progress, watching this thread.

 

[Mac Attack]

Hey Guys, It has been a while, but now that we have had some time, I was able to really get to work this last month and am almost done with the body work, and will start interior work soon.


For the OEM top I decided to cut it as close to the window as possible for the opening to the rear of the truck, and then came in a little more at the base to allow me more points to bolt the top down to the truck as well as give the roof a little more rigidity

Here it is on the truck, I will clean up the edges later, and add some gasket tape to make them look more finished. .

Then I went about cutting up the JLU top I ordered from Mopar. I know I could have just done a topper, but I don't like the look of the toppers now and decided to try to make this look as OEM as possible.

I ordered the non painted version so that I would not have to sand off the texture when the time came to color match the body, I was surprised that it came looking the way it did with a lot of post production sanding on it, that was actually from the factory QC team smoothing it out. I would have expected a final primer coat to make it look new, but I really am OK with the odd look for now.

Then I measured twice and cut a million times...

I am using teh OEM window shape on teh back from the JLU 4 door, but extending it so the corners and shapes are all accurate to the Jeep brand design language.

Also I removed the rain gutters from the top There wasn't a good way to tie them into the gutters in teh front, so I decided not having them would look better than having 2 sets. The ones over teh front cab area will stay, but the back half of the truck doesn't need them.

here it is taped in place to measure and see if it will all fit well.

Started by transitioning the roof so that it can all be removed. For now there will be a double roof layer, but in the future I plan on making the front 2 rows have the ability to have a "T" top configuration.

I used a foam base to shape the surface I wanted then fiber glassed and used body filler to make all the transitions on the front section. I used floral foam, and it was really great to sand and shape, but terrible stuff to clean off, and would get in my eyes and sting like crazy. I would NOT recommend using that foam. There are better polyurethane foams I have used that I would recommend, but sometimes they can be hard to find.

Admire you for the tough challenges you are facing. Keep it up; you're an inspiration for the rest of us.

 

[bgenlvtex]

Ambitious, Good luck.


I can tell you that the frame flex is enough to let my ARE shell kiss the cab with about an inch of normal gap.

I would say that significant frame stiffening will be required if you have any hopes of it being remotely water tight.

Also, and not to rain on your parade you might want to figure out what it is going to take to insure a home built 7 passenger vehicle.

 

[Krag]

Ambitious, Good luck.


I can tell you that the frame flex is enough to let my ARE shell kiss the cab with about an inch of normal gap.

I would say that significant frame stiffening will be required if you have any hopes of it being remotely water tight.

Also, and not to rain on your parade you might want to figure out what it is going to take to insure a home built 7 passenger vehicle.

Thank you for the comment. I actually tested the flex before starting the build and with the additional roll cage installed it’s very minimal. I have done several crawling activities as well as moved some heavy loads of wood and tested flex fully loaded have had a good experience so far. Also in order to accommodate for that flex I am keeping the rubber seals between all of the roof panels and hope that that will be enough to accommodate what little flex is still in the chassis. I think that washboard roads at speed will be more of a concern for me then crawling in the flex that is there. Even before making any modifications I have always felt that the solid front axle has a hard time soaking up those bumps unless I air down.

 

[Gren71]

Wow man! Ambitious!

 

[bgenlvtex]

Thank you for the comment. I actually tested the flex before starting the build and with the additional roll cage installed it’s very minimal. I have done several crawling activities as well as moved some heavy loads of wood and tested flex fully loaded have had a good experience so far. Also in order to accommodate for that flex I am keeping the rubber seals between all of the roof panels and hope that that will be enough to accommodate what little flex is still in the chassis. I think that washboard roads at speed will be more of a concern for me then crawling in the flex that is there. Even before making any modifications I have always felt that the solid front axle has a hard time soaking up those bumps unless I air down.

Mine was occurring in packed snow conditions mimicking the washboard road effect so I'd say your concern is valid. I've never had any contact under other circumstances. May be a harmonic thing.

Cool build, good luck,

 

[Krag]

Here is a shot with out the roof last fall. I was amazed how much stiffer the additional cage made the tuck. The steering seems a little tighter as well.

Here is a quick build on the 3rd row cage. Looking to keep the truck looking OEM I decided I wanted to go with as many stock parts as I could, so I started by checking with Jeep if I could buy the top cage of a Wrangler JL. I could part by part, but not as a full unit and it was going to be nearly impossible to get it all in any convenient amount of time. So I decided to look into the salvage rout and found a 2019 JLU that had front end damage and had been sold at auction to a scrap yard, and negotiated to have the top of the JLU cut off from the rear quarters up to the A pillar and half way down the B pillar for good measure in case I needed the door jam for any reason, and shipped from Michigan to Utah.

Then I started fitting and measured out where it could be tied in, and how to get as much strength in a roll over as possible.

I decided the B pillars would need to go, and that I would shorten the frame to just behind the C pillar of the Gladiator and then tie into the back and top of the existing frame so all the forces will transition into the existing frame if there is a roll over.

Test fitting and trimming.

Then made patterns to cut 1/8 inch steel braces to weld into the cage and tie it into the bed.

We decided to bold the brackets into the 2 sides and the bed and maximize the strength of the existing corner of the bed as it has the most material in it compared to the rest of the bed.

Then I went ahead and cut all the steel on a plasma table and used a press break to get some good looking edges with the thick steel.

Setting and confirming size and placement. Intentionally left extra off the front edge so I could trim it after welding it.

Parts all came together really well, and the old saying measure twice cut once was more like measure a million times, cut and weld once and the frame actually has about a 16th of an inch excess when fitting into the bed and almost was a press fit and was solid even before it was bolted down.

Then after a perfect fit test, Paint, the most rewarding part of any project.

and then all the plastics went back on.

And it went into the truck.

On a few rides where we had some good challenges unfortunately I am usually driving and have a lot of photos of there peoples Jeeps .. I will get more trail shots this summer.


Also in the middle of the Roll cage build I got some great wheels from Black Rhino and tires from Falken that have been amazing, I think these are my favorite tires I have had on Jeeps yet. I opted for the Wild Peak AT rather than the MT and have loved it. We don't get much mud here in Utah, but I have always liked the look of mud tires, and decided I didn't want the whine any more of the mud tires. These Wild Peaks work great and I never even think about them because they are so quiet and ride great.

Here is a before shot, huge difference tire size makes...

I did go 37" because I wanted a more convenient daily and long overland experience, but I think I may go 40" after these wear down and go for a little more departure angle.

 

[Krag]

I was able to score a JK Rubicon Recon front bumper on our local classifieds for $400 with endcaps and LEDs and took the risk to put it on the JT. Fortunately, the JK front bumper bolted right on. I was surprised that teh frame rails are teh same at the front and it made me wonder what other parts are adaptable from the JK to the JL/JT platforms.

Here it is on the truck, end caps removed.

 

[Sticksy]

Very cool, I had a similar idea with mine. They did make them back in the day though

 

[Krag]

Very cool, I had a similar idea with mine. They did make them back in the day though

These are super cool are any of them yours? I have thought about getting an old Wagoneer as well, but have never driven one. I would be interested how they feel and drive now that they have aged.

 

[Krag]

The top is built and ready for paint.

Paint went down great. Parts all fit well.

 

[Krag]

Time for the reveal, have had it on the trail all day!

We had the truck in the air a few times and it handled it like a champ. No squeaks, binding etc. I think I’ll add some taller springs for Baja driving in the future, we had a few harder landings, but in general it was like a Cadillac over the bumps.

Then went and tackled Hell’s revenge and the truck just cruised up and over everything. Some big climbs and flexed out the truck a few times with zero issues on the top or the extended roll cage.

 

[FitfulGoat]

Impressive and ambitious build! The end product is amazing. Any interior shots?

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