Just curious of what you guys would think of this. Im seriously considering doing this to my 86 sedan. I understand that cutting off a large section of the unibody will require me to add additional support which is not a problem. Has anybody else done this before? I think it would be nice to have a little bed to use. I dont want to buy a pick up though. I already have an eagle and never use the back seats and cutting is basically free. And if I ever did want to take more than one person to go two tracking or fishing with me I could always bolt some seats down.
(http://i1049.photobucket.com/albums/s385/JayNaga/eagleconversion.png)
This is my sedans current state
(http://i1049.photobucket.com/albums/s385/JayNaga/amc.jpg)
Take a look at where the back of the front seats are in relation to the door post before you consider it. I'm so cramped in my Comanche that I bought another (and I'm looking for a basket case for body parts) to make an extended cab out of it.
I considered doing the same thing to my '82 Spirit (2 dr) but the seats are still 1/2 past the B pillar.
That was one of the first things I thought about. The cab would obviously need to be extended slightly but I plan to leave it open in the back and only cover it with canvas during bad weather.
Quote from: carnuck on February 10, 2012, 12:44:16 AM
I'm so cramped in my Comanche that I bought another (and I'm looking for a basket case for body parts) to make an extended cab out of it.
I would love to have an extended cab Comanche. I have always thought that would be a great rig. I have always like car-based pickups. I have seen a few trucks made out of cars, and some were done really clean and logical. Then there are the hack jobs.
I have seen a number of renderings of a Jeep Pick up and I have always liked small, car
I made a pickup out of a '66 Pontiac Grande Parisienne years ago (tree fell on the back) that started as a hack job, then I did a wood lined box with wagon rear fenders, which pulled it all together nicely.
I've hacked a few cars in the past. Fun for a while but ultimately junked the cars resale value. The cars always flexed and never felt quite the same after chopping.
I recommend buying a trailer and leaving that sedan alone.
I have to agree with Gronk. I don't think you would get much benefit from it other than your own convience. Besides, the sedans are kind of more rare I think since I only see wagons and SX/4's at most meets.
Maybe you could find a nice El Camino in the yard? Would cost you as much as chopping the sedan to get it going again I bet.
What ever you decide, I am anxious to see how it turns out! Cheers!
The idea's been thrown around a few times on the site with a wagon.
A sedans's not a bad idea either.
Personally, because I don't really like sedans, I think it would be a huge improvement.
HOWEVER.. that said..make sure it's within your skill range, so like people said.. it won't end up a hack job and to for scrap.
Although it is a nice design, please keep this beauty original.
Im not really concerned with resale value. Up here in northern michigan we have enough people who wheel that I dont think I would ever have a problem selling it. We also already have one sedan and one wagon driving around our town daily. We don't have an eagle truck driving around town though. A friend of mine use to have a bronco and it was a blast to take the topper of the back to go wheeling or fishing with on a nice day. Which is kinda what Im looking for. I already have a Subaru Svx for driving on pavement. The Eagle is for playing in the woods and going fishing.
The SVX
(http://i1049.photobucket.com/albums/s385/JayNaga/002.jpg)
Somewhere on here there are pics of a sundancer (Chopped into a convertible) undercarriage, do a little search for it. That may give you a few ideas on what bracing may be required, I personally would add a cage as well. Sedan would be tought to get proportioned right, but with a little imagination, a few beers, the right tools (other than beer), and some skill, one could pull it off. The Pacer one looks killer, if you haven't seen it yet.
A full cage is something I do want to do in the future. But for starters I think I would using tubing to brace the bed and probably a simple roll bar too.
That would look sweet exo'ed >:D
The sundancer simply added a section of subframe to bridge the unsupported floor between the front and rear subframes. The piece they added was about equivalent to the frame rails on a stock CJ7. It doesn't have to be very big or thick.
I personally think its a terrible idea because you don't have a tailgate and because you are starting with a four door. I want to create my own convertible one day, but I will start with a two door sedan. The seats are behind the post on the four door, so you would have to make a very large targa bar or a second bar. I don't see how it can be done without being hideous. I also just don't see the point of a pickup bed without a tailgate.
There is potential if you make a softop over a full length roll cage. I'm imagining a softtop station wagon, and that would be all sorts of awesome.
I'm enthusiastic about making one of these out of a Kammback. I'm sure that will be a knife in the side of the purists, but the kammback I'm starting with has no front subframe left. Most people would have scrapped it already. I'll be making a new subframe and continuing it the length of the car. The original lights and plate in the rear will be modified to hinge downward. An XJ fuel tank is the exact same size as the smaller SX4 or Kammback fuel tank, except that it has the fuel inlet on the drivers side instead of the center. My kammback will have an XJ fuel inlet on the side and a XJ fuel tank. That tank doesn't fit into a four door sedan without modifiying your spare tire recess. I will continue the bottom of the window rearward and remove the roof behind the pillar while keeping the slope of the rear tailight area. Here's a picture of my other Kammback to imagine that with.
I suggest making one out of a two door Cherokee. I love those when they're done right. The Commanche tailgate really ties it together and makes it practical as well.
(http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x427/captspillane/2012%20Eagle%20Web/DSCF0899.jpg)
Hey capt. You can relocate the filler on the chero tank. Utilizing the xj's spout, cut a couple holes, weld up originals, then weld the filler spout in the correct place, and your good to go.
I dont have a Cherokee but I do have an Eagle. A soft top was something that I planned on doing. I thought that I could have a small one that just went right behind the front seats and the another one that would wrap all the way from the roof, over the roll bar, and back to the tail gate. I also would be creating a tail gate as well. I will try to reuse the tail section of the eagle and the original lights but if not possible I would have to find some other lights that would work better.
I don't want to relocate it. I was looking at the XJ tank as a weld free solution to making a Kammback into a short pickup body. He could also use the XJ tank too for his sedan if he adds a tailgate.
I need a side filler to make the Kammback rear panel into tailgate. There is a natural seam in the rear that I want to take advantage of. I want the center part, including the tailights, to flip down as a tailgate. To make that happen the center fill behind the license plate has to be eliminated. I would cut off the rear window and roof even with the back of the pillar and horizontally rearward from the bottom of the rear window.
(http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x427/captspillane/2012%20Eagle%20Web/DSCF0897.jpg)
Put the fuel fill where the bulls eye is on the rear 1/4
It'd be cool to do a kammback bronco style, but that would take a lot more work than just cutting and smoothing.
If you can figure out a clean professional looking tailgate I'd love to see it. I've posted the Kammback photos for your benefit if you do follow through with these ideas. I'm assuming your custom tailgate on the sedan will slope forward like the Kammback does.
The Sedan taillights are about four inches thick and the metal plate they bolt to is heavily recessed from the bumper. The original taillights also have a bend in them where the outside half of the light is angled outward. Likewise your rear bumper and the rear filler piece is curved. I think you would need to use an Eagle front bumper or SX4 rear bumper if you make a custom tailgate that is flat. I think CJ7 tailights would look retarded, but intergrating lights similar to an XJ into your quarter panel has potential.
The top of the rear quarter panel also slopes downward on either side of the trunk. The only way I can see to make something that works visually is to mimic the shape of the Kammback. You could even go as far as to find a heavily rotted Gremlin and splice the last few inches of quarter panel to your sedan.
You can see the distressed white sedan next to my Kammback begging for a chop as well. I'm not a fan of sedans either. I was also thinking of combining it with a Spirit to make a VAM Lerma style four door long wheelbase SX4. That would look awesome with a spoiler and Eagle trim.
(http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x427/captspillane/VAM%20Vehicles/VAMLermaBlue.jpg)
I think Im pretty set on actually following through with this sedan chop. I have seen the el eaglemino post and saw that others were considering it but has anybody followed thorugh with it? I just found out a friend of mine is doing a pick up chop on his 240sx which is good because I can help him out with his chop before I do mine and see what problems we run into. But does anybody know of someone who actually did a chop like this?
I think it would be cool. Done right it would be an attention grabber for sure. Heck half the sedans you find are already half way there in alot of cases due to rust, my 86 was well on its way to being a four door sundancer.
Quote from: shanebo on February 11, 2012, 01:42:33 AM
I think it would be cool. Done right it would be an attention grabber for sure. Heck half the sedans you find are already half way there in alot of cases due to rust, my 86 was well on its way to being a four door sundancer.
Usually it's the floor falling out and not the roof though!
Good luck on this project! I eagerly await to see how you figure out how to do this. It will definately be something that nobody else has. Done right, it will be a really neat project.
I've seen on some shows that they will run tape where they want to make the cuts and then look inside by drilling holes to see what is in there that might be in the way. Then you just draw a line using the tape as a guide and use a grinder or jig saw to get through it. I don't think you would want to go to the local fire department to have them cut it with the jaws of life! Although they would have fun with it!
Quote from: JayNaga on February 10, 2012, 07:44:24 PM
But does anybody know of someone who actually did a chop like this?
I did a '66 Nova wagon many years ago, and made an "ElNova":
(http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k13/rollguy/ElNova001.jpg)
(http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k13/rollguy/ElNova002.jpg)
It turned out pretty good, but I did have the advantage of using the stock wagon tailgate. In a way I wish I never did it to this car. I had no idea how rare a '66 Nova wagon would become!
Nice pictures Rollguy. I was actually more curious if anyone has done it to an eagle. I have seen tons of pictures of other cars chopped into trucks but I still havent seen a picture of a real eagle truck.
Did a couple more drawings
(http://i1049.photobucket.com/albums/s385/JayNaga/eaglechoptwo.png)
I know there has been a lot of discussion about creating an Eagle pickup in this thread and others. I received an email about Redneck car repair and I thought this picture might serve as an inspiration to anyone considering the conversion. Good luck!
(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/brilliantd/what_happens_when_you_repair_you_car_yourself_640_35.jpg)
that inspires nothing
Quote from: Regalwizard on February 17, 2012, 08:11:10 PM
I wouldn't quite say that - it inspires one in what NOT to do! :P
Yea maybe I should have posted that picture in the Don't Do this category
Yea i think that would have been a better place for it. haha
:rotfl: haha Thats what it looks like every time my carpeniter buddy picks up a werch!
then you should hide all his tools from him
hide them i took them! last time i went to help him was to put a stereo in his s-10 and insted of a mounting kit he had a table saw set up and was making one out of wood. What a nut! so I've been thinking Gronk said that the cars he did were never quite right. I'm guessing here but, i would say if you did a full frame like other members on here you would minimize any flexing problems. I hope you do this it will be awsome!
Personal opinion:
First, it belongs to you and I support your right to do as you please with it.
However, given the rarity of 2 door and 4 door sedans, and the fact that all Eagles are becoming more scarce all the time, I cringe when I see one being drastically modified except to save it from the crusher.
You apparently have the skills to pull this off. All too often those without the skills begin a project and end up destroying another Eagle.
Well don't cringe just yet Jim. I wont be chopping up the eagle anytime soon now. I recently just had a whole lot of things that demanded being repaired. First I lost rear brakes due too rusty lines. Then had a cv snap on me and then the neutral safety switch went out on me. Before getting a chance to fix any of those the sedans head gasket started to leak. So I figured instead of just doing the head gasket job I would do 4.0 HO head swap while I was in there. Yesterday I picked up a head, valve cover, headers etc off of a 98 Grand Cherokee. Also grabbed some brand new plug wires off of it. Oh and I paid a total of ten dollars for all this from the local u-pick. The guy who owns it has always given me awesome prices. Right now the head is sitting up in the garage and has some jb weld curing in the water jackets.
Quote from: JayNaga on February 11, 2012, 03:39:47 PM
Did a couple more drawings
(http://i1049.photobucket.com/albums/s385/JayNaga/eaglechoptwo.png)
It looks like a Subaru Brat!!!!!!!Cool!!
I had thought of doing a canvas top for my wagon, but where I live it rains about 300 days a year.
I may cringe when the time comes, but I still support your right to do with it as you please. Good luck with all those plans.