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Kreb (Forum Supporter)
Kreb (Forum Supporter) PowerDork
11/8/24 5:57 p.m.

 Let's say that you had a budget of $5k and wanted to buy something fairly robust and stick it under a vintage body to create a fun vehicle with offroad capability that one doesn't see everyday. What would be a good candidate? 

GameboyRMH
GameboyRMH MegaDork
11/8/24 6:05 p.m.

Nissan D40s are technically pretty good, just address cooling issues and weak tie rods. At least one Halo Warthog prop vehicle was made this way.

I'm not sure what else might be under $5k these days...

Sonic
Sonic UberDork
11/8/24 6:18 p.m.

A lot depends on dimensions.  There's a world of difference between a Sidekick and a GMT400 for a cheap base in size. 

Kreb (Forum Supporter)
Kreb (Forum Supporter) PowerDork
11/8/24 6:21 p.m.

In reply to Sonic :

Indeed. I'm thinking small-to-midsize. 

Motojunky
Motojunky Reader
11/8/24 8:02 p.m.

I have a 1984 full size Bronco w/a 302 and a 4 speed. The chassis is solid but the body is pretty shot. I occasionally spend a few minutes comparing wheelbase and width of random potential donor bodies. I'm certain I'll never act on the idea. 
 

Maybe. 

NOHOME
NOHOME MegaDork
11/8/24 9:40 p.m.

 MG Midget on Suzuki Samurai chassis? They do share a wheelbase and the short overhang would be good for off road approach angles.

I'm sure you could do a better job than the pic of you wanted to.

buzzboy
buzzboy UltraDork
11/8/24 10:53 p.m.

Jeep JK. Great suspension and axles and fantastic aftermarket. Find one with a blown 3.8 and you're set to build whatever you want.

Kreb (Forum Supporter)
Kreb (Forum Supporter) PowerDork
11/9/24 10:11 a.m.

In reply to buzzboy :

 

A 401 CJ
A 401 CJ UltraDork
11/9/24 12:12 p.m.
buzzboy said:

Jeep JK. Great suspension and axles and fantastic aftermarket. Find one with a blown 3.8 and you're set to build whatever you want.

He said undervalued.  You immediately pointed to overvalued.  smiley

Jesse Ransom
Jesse Ransom MegaDork
11/9/24 12:30 p.m.

Range/Land Rovers?

Seems like they're often available at "please get this off my property" pricing.

 Probably for a reason, but I wonder how many of the problems, especially electrical, you could remove during the body swap.

A 401 CJ
A 401 CJ UltraDork
11/9/24 3:49 p.m.

I'm not sure why but Nissan rarely gets any love.  Their 5.6 V8 is as good as any.

Somebeach (Forum Supporter)
Somebeach (Forum Supporter) Dork
11/9/24 4:07 p.m.

I had the idea of a Nissan xterra ( look for off road or pro 4xpackage) and an older body swapped on top. For what I saw the Terra was a good mix of off road ability and on road manners. 

MadScientistMatt
MadScientistMatt UltimaDork
11/9/24 5:22 p.m.

Not much out there for $5k now - maybe a Ford Ranger with the 2.3?

octavious
octavious Dork
11/9/24 7:43 p.m.

Crown Vic + Ford F100.  

STM317
STM317 PowerDork
11/9/24 8:29 p.m.

Older Explorers are dirt cheap, and came in 2 different wheelbases

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter)
AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) MegaDork
11/9/24 9:04 p.m.

S10

93gsxturbo
93gsxturbo UberDork
11/10/24 8:41 a.m.

Cars on truck/SUV frames rarely look right because the frame sticks so low below the body.  I say up your fab skillz and DIY a frame with straight axles under your preferred body.  

buzzboy
buzzboy UltraDork
11/10/24 9:22 a.m.
A 401 CJ said:

He said undervalued.  You immediately pointed to overvalued.  smiley

I've not seen much value in the 3.8 Jeeps. Around these parts they are pretty well unloved.

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
11/10/24 4:42 p.m.

Do we want solid axles, or is an independent front ok?

Antihero
Antihero PowerDork
11/10/24 4:54 p.m.

Bronco II, no one likes them but they are very robust and full of proven pieces 

Jesse Ransom
Jesse Ransom MegaDork
11/10/24 9:58 p.m.
93gsxturbo said:

Cars on truck/SUV frames rarely look right because the frame sticks so low below the body.  I say up your fab skillz and DIY a frame with straight axles under your preferred body.  

It hadn't occurred to me that it would be anything other than a vintage body-on-frame vehicle, like an old truck.

I think you're right, though; most car-on-a-truck contraptions look pretty ungainly, though I bet some combinations are better suited than others.

I wonder, if you're working from a unibody, whether you could cut up a chassis and more or less make subframes out of it? More or less keep it as brackets for the bouncy bits?

DarkMonohue
DarkMonohue SuperDork
11/10/24 10:40 p.m.
NOHOME said:

 MG Midget on Suzuki Samurai chassis? They do share a wheelbase and the short overhang would be good for off road approach angles.

I'm sure you could do a better job than the pic of you wanted to.

A late friend of mine did a better job of Suzukifying a Midget, though he built his own frame. And his own fender flares. And his own just about everything, given the opportunity. 

Since Kreb is on the rust-free west coast, I'm voting Jeep XJ or ZJ running gear with a simple tube frame integrated into the host body. Both are elderly now, but common enough to make parts easy. It wouldn't be less elegant than a bulky OEM frame hanging below a body that wasn't made to conceal it...

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
11/10/24 11:38 p.m.

Making your own subframe for a unibody car is labor intensive beyond most of our fabrication skills. The Mad Maxxis Off-Road Runner challenged even a master fab guy like Dave Chappelle. But the results were stunning.

Fueled by Caffeine
Fueled by Caffeine MegaDork
11/11/24 7:15 a.m.

Jeep kj liberty.  Terribly unloved. Cheap. Relatively reliable. 

maschinenbau
maschinenbau PowerDork
11/11/24 9:44 a.m.

FYI the Sidekick/Tracker and Samurai are both body-on-frame. Very tiny frame.

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