This will be my first Cherokee (a 2000 4dr sport). A pretty solid body and freshly gone through 4.0 will eventually be set up for some low-impact, open air wheeling for this 6'6" big boy. The idea is to cut out the roof from the top of windshield to about 2/3rds of the way back through the rear doors. At this time, I intend to keep the doors but, they will likely be made removable. The B-pillar will be trimmed down just above the hinges to the rear door.

I hope to add 2 roll hoops to protect the passenger compartment. One up the front of the front door and A-pillar extending about 6" above the standard roofline and another hoop reaching to the same height just inside the rear door roughly even with the back of the opening portion of the side-window. I am still trying to work out how I will tie-in the two hoops over the gap but, this will eventually get a custom-made canvas roof. The rear compartment will be left largely stock save for being stripped.

A 3" inch lift and 31" tires should keep me comfortably above what I plan to be traveling over. Bed-lining and a pair of weather resistant bucket seats (no rear bench) should make-up most of the interior but, I'd hope to keep the middle of it free for some sort of camping bed set-up with the hatch open down the road. I am leaning toward Ryan's Fab's bumpers front and rear.

 

I like te idea!!! My father was 6"10 he would have been proud!! Lol

 

 

I like the idea, the CAD work is great. But I would think the body will be twisting like a pretzel on the trail. Anyways, good luck to you and Welcome from Wisconsin.

 

When will you be starting this project? I'm anxious to see it!

 

Welcome

 

That's just a photochop done in Paint on a profile view of an older cherokee to visualize it a little bit.

Trail use won't be too extreme but, I am leaning toward tying-in the hoops into custom rocksliders below. They will be there more to tye-in to and as a step than to actually absorb repeated scrapes. I am looking more to replace the integrity of the body lost by the removal of that section of the roof than rockcrawling toughness. Balanacing cross-bracing and interior openness still need to worked out in detail.

Thank you for the welcome and luck.

 

It sort of has. I am buying it from a trusted shop who was going to rehab it to sell. It needed bumpers, tires and headwork plus the usual freshening up. We have worked out a deal to turn some repairs needed for registration into upgrades and interior cleaning into stripping. That is being done now.

When I take delivery, I should be starting with a base that is lifted 3" on 31s, off-road bumpers (likely Ryan's Fab), a new head and cooling system, and semi-gutted interior.

I forgot to take pics the last two times I was there but, I will definitely take some when I get it as a baseline and try to update this thread as it progresses.

(On a side note, "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" has begun to creep into my head as inspiration for a pseudo zombie hunter/steampunk look. I may need to ignore "the Voices" sometimes.)

 

Sounds good, keep everyone posted.

 

Welcome to the site

 

welcome

 

Thanks for the latest warm welcomes.

 

welcome!