WIP - Project "B"
Here's the lineup... these kits will became four different trucks, each with their own vibe.
This CJ-7 will be converted into an early 80's CJ-8 Scrambler. This will match the real life production truck for the most part, and should hopefully be a pretty straightforward conversion (yeah right)
The CJ-8 will retain the AMC 304 V8 from the CJ-7 kit, which would not true to life, but... V8...
It will receive some performance mods to keep up with the rest of the pack.
It will receive some performance mods to keep up with the rest of the pack.
Something like this
Next, in order of ascending model year, will be a conversion of this Wrangler into what I'm calling the YJ-8... basically a "what if" build to show what Jeep may have built as a continuation of Scrambler line into the 90's. I'll be using parts from the hard top and soft top versions, because I'd like to do a removable top and removable doors for this one. It'll be a "Limited" trim, as well.
The straight six plant from the YJ kit will be replaced by this 5.2 L V8 from a Grand Cherokee kit (reasons for that beyond V8s being cool... different project). Leaving it stock to keep with the factory-spec theme.
I've only ever seen one example online of someone who I think did this conversion properly in 1:1
Continuing to the next decade, I'll be turning this TJ Rubicon into a real life specialty conversion vehicle known as the "Brute". Slightly different style here, the integral truck bed concept will be traded for a more pickup-like truck bed. And yes, it will be called the TJ-8.
Yes, it will get a V8 as well. I'll be using this SRT8-spec 6.1 L Hemi from a partially built Challenger kit I picked up at a swap meet. People have gotten them to fit, at least in 1:1... we'll see how it goes.
This is what I'm shooting for - really feeling the black and gunmetal look here.
And finally, this (rather exquisite, I might add) JK Rubicon kit from Meng will get the conversion treatment as well. I'll be making a JK-based version of Jeep's recent J6 concept (which was actually based on the next generation JL) Obviously, I'll be naming it the JK-8.
A more modern power plant will follow suit. This 6.4 L Hemi resin kit from A&N Model Trucks can be converted to a 392 Hemi with a few minor changes.
The J6 at Moab - I'll try to match the electric blue as well as I can.
The engine parts from the Challenger kits were already painted when I bought it (and not very well). To preserve the fine details, I removed what I could with some paint stripper.
All of the engine parts, which were in varying states of cleanliness, were washed with soapy water.
Not too bad I'd say... hopefully the detail is preserved in the print.
AMC 304 ready for paint. Home printed rocker covers, and the intake manifold, exhaust headers, carb, and air cleaner are from VCG resins. We'll pretend there's an aftermarket camshaft in there too. The extra horsepower will be needed, where we're going!
Engine for the YJ-8 is ready for primer now too. Keeping this one stock, just added a few small details and cut up the serpentine belt so that I can use something a bit more in scale.
This might just fit!
I cut the RWD tail off of the NAG1 from the Challenger to replace it with the 4x4 tail
This NV-146 transfer case is used in the SRT8 version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, so I think it's a good fit for this Brute
6.1 Hemi is now ready for the next step. Belt drive was again cut up for further detailing. These aftermarket long tube headers will add a few horses to this souped up truck.
The 6.4 Hemi will need some fuel rail covers for a convincing conversion to the 392 model.
They kinda fit!
Using the 1:25 NAG1 from the Challenger as a reference (as well as photos of my own NAG1), I drew up and printed a slightly larger version to go behind the 6.4
I originally intended to use the headers from the 1:25 6.1, but next to the 6.4 block, they seemed too small. (I suspect the 6.4 is actually significantly larger than 1:24.) Home printed replacements seem to have turned out okay.
And that's all of the 6.4 parts ready now too... I see primer and paint in my near future!
Everything's mounted and ready to go!
Most parts got Tamiya gray primer, and the 3D printed parts received Alclad's microfiller primer, in hopes of achieving a more consistent surface finish
With just a few strokes of an airbrush, true to life parts start jumping out of the plastic! Always my favorite part!
Heat oxide is one of my favorite things to paint.
Making progress...
All engines done! (One of them is for another project, can you guess which?)
Side by side by side by side... The CJ and YJ tubs have a similar construction, with the floor integrated with the main body. The TJ's floor is molded separately, but the rest of the body is one piece. The JK has separately molded pieces for the floor pan, subframe, and left and right side of the body.
Let's jump right in I suppose...
Lopped off the back end of the body tub. A longer tub/truck bed with an integrated rear wall for the cab will be installed in its place. As a real life production vehicle, the new wheelbase was easy enough to find.
The YJ conversion will be done in almost exactly the same way. The wheelbase of the short versions of both models are about the same, and I'm targeting the wheelbase and length of the extended versions to be the same as well.
Working on the body for the TJ now. Doors and hood were removed with a panel line scriber and micro saw.
The tub is made up of two separate pieces in this kit. The cut line happened in about the same location as the CJ and YJ, but the parts that will replace the back half will look a bit different.
While I'm at it, I might as well separate the panels in the interior door cards
And that's the last cut. The JK tub is also made from multiple parts. Some of the interior trim will need to be modified after the replacement tub is printed.
First look at the longer tub!
A few blemishes... still deciding if I'll repair and fill and sand, or try reprinting.
More supports! File is ready in case I choose to go that route.
Moving on to the replacement tub for the YJ. I'll reprint the tailgate in the same style as the kit part, but with an integrated hinge to make it posable. The truck bed as also been divided up into segments that will be painted with a woodgrain texture, since will be the "Limited" trim.
After much moving the printer upstairs and trying a few new settings, I'm back to getting usable parts again!
Ugh, failed right near the end.... we'll get there, eventually.
Time to start building up the bodies with the modified parts. The TJ and JK will get shortened cabs, ending just behind the front seats, like a traditional pickup truck.
Manual transmission from the TJ kit will have its place taken by the automatic NAG1 I finished a while ago. Slot for the gearshift on the floorpan was opened up to accept the gear select module fro
While I'm at it, I'll widen the engine bay on the TJ for the Hemi. The wheel wells are quite thick, so there's plenty to shave down.
Cabs are starting to take shape - lots of filling and sanding
The real AEV Brute comes as a kit, to be installed on an existing TJ. This back wall graft is similar to what the owner of a 1:1 Brute would have to do during the conversion.
Finished(ish) Brute cab with the freshly printed truck bed.
JK cab also finished for now, shown with its more production-y looking truck bed.
Both cabs will get primer next, and I'll correct scratches, sinks, steps, and flaws as needed.
The bed and the hardtop still need quite a bit of finishing, but here's the Brute mocked up.
Parts for the YJ-8 Scrambler are starting to take shape as well.
The CJ-8 Scrambler will look similar, once assembled.
Filling, sanding, and repairing as necessary, to prepare to join the front halves of the Scrambler tubs with the newly printed back halves.
I think I've found my solution for removable doors and hartops... one thousand 1x2mm magnets!
Ready for primer.... and to see what spots I missed
Last body assembled!
First coat of primer, and as expected, there's much more blending and sanding to come.
I've found that store brand blinker fluid gets me the best bang-for-the-buck when it comes to stripping chrome plating.
Tiny magnets will (hopefully) hold the doors in position for photos/displays. I can sink the ones for the roof into the back wall, but I don't have the thickness to do the same in the door sills. Hoping they'll be fairly inconspicuous hiding behind the seat mounts here.
Easier to hide on the JK's tub
Time to start extending the frames to match the modified bodies
Need to confirm how much the wheel base actually changed by
Most of the frames will be cut in two places, ahead of and behind the "bump" for the rear axle
The CJ and YJ will be a little easier to mock up - the front of the truck bed doesn't hit the bump in the chassis for the rear axle, unlike the TJ and JK
All frames cut, time to start splicing!
Each frame was checked against its respective body once the extension sections were cemented in.
Everything seems to be in order...
The CJ-8 frame has a ~10 mm extension ahead of the rear axle location, plus extensions on the rear of the frame to push out the rear bumper. The fuel tank stays in place behind the rear axle.
Same story for the YJ-8 frame. Additional crossmember had to be added behind the fuel tank, so the rear section of the frame has something to mount to.
For the TJ-8 the mid-section extensions are a bit longer, and the rear extension/bumper assembly is one 3D printed piece.
Finally, the JK-8 frame was extented in two places. Being a more modern design, the extensions were a little more involved. The crossmembers holding the small skid plate moved with the rear "hump", and the rear bumper/body mounting points were separated and moved further back to the end of the truck bed.
The 5.2 is fitting pretty well in the YJ after moving the engine mounts
The 6.1 is another story... the tunnel isn't deep enough, so something will have to give. The top of the transmission won't be visible, so I'll probably sand that down unti it fits. The headers will also need to be adjusted.
The 392 will fit in the JK if I move the front underslung crossmember. The headers will probably need to be deleted unfortunately. They probably wouldn't be visible from any angle anyway.
I'd like to use the Brembo brakes from the Challenger SRT8 kit for the TJ. The stock wheels will have to be opened up a bit on the back side in order for them to fit.
Modified wheels on the left, unmodified on the right
Test fitting the bodies to the frames with the suspension and wheel mocked up
Very satisfying to see this truck on its wheels finally!
I thought that the CJ's engine would just drop into place, being the original kit engine - but alas, the headers are an aftermarket mod, and of course they interfere!
Wheelbase seems to line up pretty well for the others too!
Shhh....
Engine mounts either modified or fabricated from styrene on each of the frames
Thinned out mounts on the CJ frame now no longer interfere with the long tube headers
TJ8 Brute mocked up
Here's the YJ frame with suspension and axles added (note the lengthened rear drive shaft - all four builds will obviously need this treatment). I think I can use the V8 exhaust from the ZJ with minimal modification
Happy with engine fitment at this point. Now to continue on with prepping all of the chassis/suspension parts for paint!
Part of that prep work includes installing all of the chassis plumbing... fuel lines, brake lines, electrical loom, and power steering (which I now realize will mean adding a pump to the engine)
Oh, and evap canister lines for the newer models
The suspension on this Meng kit is remarkably intricate
Finishing up plumbing for the last one
Working on the more custom exhaust systems now. Taking the lazy way out with some side exit exhaust for the CJ8
...ut don't worry, I'm be putting the effort into full custom rear exit exhaust for the TJ and JK... here's the TJ's exhaust mocked up with soft aluminum wire
...and now fleshed out in brass. A bit of adjustment still needed here.
Final mockup for the TJ... had to do away with the headers entirely, unfortunately
Similar design for the JK exhaust
And here's the last one mocked up
Each chassis painted gloss black
Here's those Brembo brakes in color
CJ8 from the front. Winch still needs a hook, but that's minor
And from the side... The back end is sitting higher that I think it should... investigation needed.
YJ8 front view - this chassis is almost entirely done
Exhaust still needs some adjustment to get it where I want it, but it's looking good otherwise.
TJ8 side view. Not quite done yet. I have some scale braided hose that I'll use to mimic some aftermarket stainless steel brake lines.
Exhaust needs... well, something. I was hoping the top side would be a bit more covered by the truck bed. More to come here.
And finally the JK8... didn't get this one quite over the line.
Multiple fitment issues to address on the rear bumper, exhaust, and both axles. Gonna take a step back from this one for a few days.
Remaining parts for the YJ8, washed and ready for sanding/modification
The roll bar will be cut up and modified to fit under the printed hardtop
I'll be building up a set of both the full doors and the half doors.
Inspecting the 3D printed parts, recently reprinted in a ABS-mimicking resin. The drip rail looks great on the passenger side...
...but is totally missing on the passenger side! Now, to reprint, or just fab up a replacement?
I've decided to keep the roll hoop internal, under the hardtop. The rear supports will be cut away
Roll bars modified and puttied
First round of paint done!
Tamiya Rattlecan over gray primer for all of the body component
Remaining interior and engine bay parts done by airbrush in parallel
So... much... masking....
Just about all of the detail painting done
Flocking and assembly next
Coming together...
Final plumbing and touchups
Comments
41 4 October 2022, 00:43
Brandon HWARNING!! This project will cover the following CONTROVERSIAL SUBJECT MATTER:
-Jeep Pickup Conversions
-Long Wheelbase Jeeps
-Jeeps with V8 Engines
-Jeeps built after 1987
I'm hoping we can PLEASE put all our disagreements aside and enjoy what will be a very ambitious and hopefully very fun series of builds!
4 October 2022, 01:12
Brandon HFirst of the 4 engines is ready for primer. Moving on to the 5.2 next...
26 October 2022, 11:26
Brandon HFinally, all of the sanding and prep is done! Paint this weekend, hopefully!
6 December 2022, 14:02
MonaInteresting a TJ pick-up ,watching 👀 .in order to move stuff around in my "82" CJ I had to remove both the passenger and rear seat .
6 December 2022, 14:06
Brandon HAnd the powertrains are done! Next stage will likely be the pickup conversions for the bodies... I figure it will be easier to match the chassis length to the modified body rather than vice versa.
16 December 2022, 12:26
Brandon HSome better photos of the engines before they're installed in each truck
17 December 2022, 21:38
Brandon HTime to start laying out the measurements for the new wheelbases and deciding on the cut lines.
22 December 2022, 16:39
Brandon HThree out of four tubs cut up now! Once the last is done, I'll start drawing up the parts for the pickup conversions.
5 January 2023, 14:08
Brandon HLong hours working with my "favorite" modeling program are starting to pay off. Two of the four truck beds are taking shape!
23 January 2023, 23:10
Brandon HBack to making progress! Printer is feeling a bit more cooperative lately
20 February 2023, 23:51
Christian WThis is a huge project! I'd going nuts to build all of them parallel. I like picture #33 with your engine line up. Cool.
9 March 2023, 05:32
Brandon HThank you Christian! It's a lot to manage, juggling all of these builds at once... need to make sure I don't end up with '06 doors on a '81 body and whatnot....
9 March 2023, 12:27
Brandon HFinished blending the back walls onto the two pickup-style cabs. Next, I'll work on the two long-tub Scramblers.
14 March 2023, 11:04
Brandon HWelcome, gentlemen!
You'd be surprised how little sleep you need when you huff this much glue 😉
15 March 2023, 12:32
Brandon HGetting to the exciting part - now I'm able to start mocking up each truck with the new parts
18 March 2023, 17:58
Brandon HCJ8 body done for now. Once I finish blending the YJ8 tub, I'll hit everything with primer and look for any areas that need correcting
28 March 2023, 13:57
Brandon HPrimer is on! It's exciting to see these trucks suddenly looking more real now that they're in monotone.
7 April 2023, 17:54
DennisBlinker fluid? What is this stuff originaly good for? Never seen any of this here in germany 🤔
9 April 2023, 17:51
Brandon HWorking on making the final corrections to the blending on the bodies, and hiding some small magnets to hold the doors and hardtops in place. Hoping to move on to the chassis mods soon!
17 April 2023, 14:31
Brandon HTurning my attention to the frames now. Each will be be cut and extended to match its respective new wheelbase.
25 April 2023, 19:05
Brandon HProductive weekend - Most of the work for extending the frames is now complete
8 May 2023, 11:27
Brandon HWorking on some test fits for the powertrains now that the frames are completed. I've got some work to do...
12 May 2023, 12:00
Brandon HBack at it! Picking up where I left off, fitting the suspension and powertrain components to the modified frames
2 October 2023, 15:50
Brandon HThanks guys, hoping to have all four rolling chassis done and painted in the next few weeks.
14 November 2023, 12:21
Brandon HThanks Nigel, more to come soon. Hoping to have all four chassis assembled and photographed by the end of the weekend.
1 December 2023, 17:38
Brandon HWell my weekend wasn't as productive as I'd hoped, at least for this project. None of the chassis are all the way done yet, but some are in better shape than others. Here's what I still need to address:
CJ8 - Finish winch detail, fix height issue in rear, touch up any damaged paint
YJ8 - Fix exhaust hanger, also need a few spot touchups
TJ8 - Still needs brake lines fab'd, revisit exhaust placement, paint touchups
JK8 - Investigate rear axle fitment, address front axle/exhaust interference, resolve rear bumper/exhaust fitment, connect existing brake lines, paint touchups
Gonna take some time to get everything sorted out... but this is to be expected when a build involves so much custom work
4 December 2023, 15:58
Brandon HAnd apologies for the poor lighting on this side of my studio... I am pleased to report that I'm at least thrilled with how my color choices look in person (wheels etc.)
4 December 2023, 16:01
István SzücsThe YJ8 looks great with those rims! The others are also fantastic!
4 December 2023, 16:34
Brandon HThanks István! Very excited about how the YJ is coming along... more top-trim stuff to come. I think that one might end up being the best of the bunch.
4 December 2023, 18:46
Brandon HWith some other projects wrapped up, I'm back at it with the Jeeps. Two chassis all the way finished now (these only needed some minor adjustments). The other two will need some extensive exhaust rework yet.
9 February, 23:40
Brandon HThe plates often get the most thought out of anything no my builds haha
TJ and JK frames are done now too. Each truck now only needs the body and interior parts completed. Though I had wanted to do them all in series, I now think I'll have much better luck doing them one at a time.
19 February, 18:03
Brandon HMany irons in the fire... attention back on this one for now. Most parts just need clean up before paint; a few will get some minor modifications first.
6 March, 15:17
Brandon HOne down, three to go! I'll post a different album with more completed pictures for the YJ8
29 April, 17:12
Christian WThis looks pretty good. The color, rims and decor looking classic. Like it.
29 April, 19:35
