Frame Off Estimates

But at the and it is worth it. But I still don't know where the end is, But really like to do it in parts. I always kept it running. For 10 years now. Last month I did the transmission. And now the spider gears of the rear. . But this jeep is my best jeep ever. And this forum is a great help. Here are some guys that really have the knowledge

 

I took a really rough 1971 Renegade II and brought it back to life. Frame off rebuild. Now I went way overboard on the body and paint job. I replaced most every part if it was available. The cost to do this was way on the high side.

Tons of rust, however the frame was in excellent shape.

 

I am 'finishing' up on a frame off that I started over a year ago.
I have done most of the work myself other than the sandblasting and engine rebuild and probably have $8K in it.
I have had more than a few 'while I am at it...' additional changes along the way. Moved the gas tank to the rear, added floating rear for towing, parking brake to deal w/ the floating rear axle.
This is where I think it can get out of hand both in $$$ and time.

The great thing is that this forum is an excellent source of information and you can see what others have done. I've nick-named mine the "Plagiarism Project" as virtually everything I've done has come from information on this forum!

Replacing the rusted out floor and body work took way longer than I ever imagined.

As for time estimates and actual results, I've found the following formula to work well.

If you estimate: 1 day
- Take the number and double it.
- Move the 'units' (day in this case) to the next 'unit' (hour, day, week, month, year)
Resulting in: 2 weeks

 

AMEN

 

Just couldn't under stand the need for a rotisserie. I just laid the body on the sides, top or back. That's all I did when I did my frame off.

I also didn't keep track of how much I spent. I didn't want to know. Just work on it a little at a time. It will eventually get done. I've been working on it for 25 years.

My before pic.


As it sits now.

 

I have a $5-8k parts list for a trail only rig. Doesn’t seem real but all those small things add up fast. This includes every nut, bolt, and washer/consumables.

 

I'm at about $7500 on my 71. I had a solid body and straight frame.
From this...


Too this...

 

I quit counting at 8K on my 3A redo.

 

Man, that jeep is beautiful..

 

Some things to consider:
What level restoration are you wanting to achieve? Concours, 100% period correct? Show car? Nice daily driver/part time off road? off road only? What is the condition of the vehicle you are starting with? Are you planning a complete overhaul of every component in the Jeep?. How complete is the Jeep to begin with? How much of the work can you perform yourself? Will you be satisfied with your results? How rare are any replacement parts that are needed? Cost of wanted improvements? Availability of equipment required to accomplish your goal? How good are you at scrounging, trading, searching for parts, or help for things you can't do? Do you have a sufficiently large area to work on this project, and store parts that have been rebuilt or waiting to be rebuilt? Do you have any prices for the parts you wish to use? How much time and help do you have? Do you have a final plan for what this Jeep will be?
I am not trying to discourage you from taking on this project, I collected parts for nearly 10 years, I knew beforehand what I wanted, knew what equipment and resources were available to me, time and funds available. I committed to building my CJ6 the way I envisioned, without touching the family budget. It can be done, if you have the time, patience and know how. Having friends with common interests is essential. trading skill sets with others can be very beneficial in a project like this, along the way, you may pick up a new skill set. All of this should be considered honestly before committing to a project such as this. We have all seen "projects" for sale due to lost interest, lack of funds, lost storage space, divorce etc. Good luck!

 

I did the same with jeep and a hot rod project . put the papers in folder and didn't look at them again