And so it begins. As you can see from the picture on the right, I have lot's of room to improve. We are starting from a fairly blank sheet of white Jeep shaped paper and with the careful addition of the right parts and mods, we will see if we can roll this little YJ out onto the trail ready for action.
This YJ is typical of many Jeeps that can be had pretty cheaply. We paid $1500.00 for this 1989 4cyl with no motor but with all the other stock parts in place and a very straight body. We are keeping none of the drivetrain so the lack of a motor just meant less to remove to begin with. The concept for this build is 'Lower-Lighter-Leaner-Meaner' than the last rig we built, the project This Old Scout. Where Project TOS sat tall on full width 3/4 ton axles and was built for pretty burly trails, Poject Blue Oval YJ will focus on increased highway capability while still making the harder trails possible.
The Blue Oval part? Well, we are using lot's of Ford parts on this one. Yes, i know that the small block Chevy swap is almost a sacrament to those who are changing motors in Jeeps. At C4x4.com we dare to be different. So, with that in mind...
