Oppo, I Have a Dream, Who would help me.

"Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man" (jordaneer1)
06/02/2014 at 23:53 • Filed to: None

I have been contemplating !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and I have decided to (maybe, hopefully, maybe if my mother lets me.) make it happen, I have thought that because the answer is always Miata, I need a large part of it to be a Miata. I decided to buy a '92 Miata since that is the most jalop of all Miatas (according to me), take the chassis, and lengthen it. This would also take care of the manual transmission and RWD. Then buy a Buick Roadmaster, or other wagon. then take the body and put it on the lengthened Miata chassis. THen I would take some sort of diesel car, or engine (I'm open to suggestion because I don't have a very good idea as to where to start) and put it in the Roadmaster/Miata, (making modifications as necessary to make the engine fit. I only have 1 very minor problem (okay, well a major, major problem). I need I'm guessing around $40,000+ to make this happen, and as a student, Im about $39,700 short. (unfortunately no buried treasure in the backyard and no really rich dying relatives). I was just gauging interest, I know there are better ways to spend your guy's hard earned money, but I want to rid the world of the want of the most jalop car and make it happen.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Who is willing to help me?

TL:DR, I want to make the most jalop car ever, I just need $40,000+ to make it happen and was wondering if I should start a kickstarter or indiegogo or some other crowdfunding.

DISCUSSION (35)

Big Bubba Ray > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
06/02/2014 at 23:55

Kickstarter!

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > Big Bubba Ray
06/02/2014 at 23:56

I know, I forgot to add that in, so I edited the end.

CRider > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
06/03/2014 at 00:01

That kind of Frankencar will cost a lot more than $40k to build. Why not just fix up a Roadmaster, since it's already a rwd V8 wagon? Then you can invest in getting it to handle like a real car and not a motorized La-Z-Boy reclining sofa.

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > CRider
06/03/2014 at 00:03

because it still won't be a diesel, or a manual...

CRider > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
06/03/2014 at 00:12

Engine and tranny swaps are 1000x easier than chassis swaps, especially considering the massive wheelbase difference. Not to mention, a diesel will fit easier into a Roadmaster chassis than a Miata.

Squid > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
06/03/2014 at 00:14

Well one major issue is that the Miata has a unibody. So there really is no frame to lengthen so to speak. The drive train bolts together so you can have it act as a rolling "chassis" and the rear diff is tied to the tranny and engine via a powerplant frame brace. You have an ambitious idea, but you might be better off finding a tired ram with the cummins motor with the manual tranny and putting that into the roadmaster or the body of the roadmaster onto the truck frame.

Also you are looking at way more money than $4o,000.

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > Squid
06/03/2014 at 00:20

Well maybe i will put on like miata door handles, or some other small part, plus this is a major dream project, I doubt this will happen until i'm out of high school, out of college, and employed doing Electrical Engineering.

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > CRider
06/03/2014 at 00:23

I still think I need a small part of miata, just because...miata is always the answer. so maybe a miata steering wheel or something. Plus I have no idea on a diesel engine, plus money-wise, I'm going to either have to inherit a lot of money, or have a real job out of college.

CRider > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
06/03/2014 at 00:35

Well I guess you can Sawzall off the roof and have it be a convertible?

Aaron James > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
06/03/2014 at 00:37

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me, I'd kick in 5 or 10 grand.

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > Aaron James
06/03/2014 at 01:27

Ikr, most people have said it would cost way more than 40,000, and if i think of it, that does seem like a lot more work than i thought.

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > CRider
06/03/2014 at 01:28

I live in idaho, there is snow in idaho, hence, I need a roof in idaho.

CRider > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
06/03/2014 at 01:54

With that attitude...

Zibodiz > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
06/03/2014 at 01:54

Obviously others have said this already, but this is a bad idea. This is a chocolate-on-a-cheeseburger bad idea. Just because two things are awesome does not mean that they'd be awesome together. Miatas are awesome because of three things: roadster, cheap, and reliable/maintainable. Once you take away any of those things, it looses most of its potency. I do love Miatas, and am hoping to throw Miata wheels on my Escort Wagon (I still need to measure the brakes, but I see no reason it shouldn't work; same bolt pattern), but I would never mod a Miata into something that would dilute the essence of Miata. I've considered a diesel Miata project, and considered changing the trunk into a jumpseat, but I'd never do a mod that takes away from the core of what a Miata is all about.

That having been said, you could definitely get into a project that's affordable, and very jalop. Like, for instance, swapping a diesel drivetrain from an '88 F-250 into a Jeep Cherokee (start with one that has the 2.5L 5-speed, and you won't have too much to modify), or have a machine shop build you a custom plate to mate a VW TDI up to the tranny that's already in a Volvo wagon: http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/rwd-manual-tur…

Or just give up on the diesel part, and drive the Volvo wagon as it is. Because some of us have owned, repaired, and learned to hate diesel. Gimme a Japanese 4-banger over a diesel any day.

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > Zibodiz
06/03/2014 at 02:01

I as a car need something that can haul stuff because I do a lot of yard work, but also gets decent mpg, so either a diesel truck, or a chevy s10/ford ranger.

Zibodiz > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
06/03/2014 at 02:14

Can you haul your equipment on a trailer? If so, any Japanese car will cut it. Heck, get a Subie, if nothing else. Any Japanese car is going to get you twice the fuel mileage of anything with a bed, unless you're looking to get a brand new ecoboost or something. Throw a trailer hitch on it, and you can tow a couple of yard tractors around like nobody's business. A small car can easily haul 600lbs of machinery on a flatbed or box trailer and hardly realize it's there. Mine recently got me 32mpg on the highway with about 300lbs behind it.

A diesel truck, on the other hand, will be lucky to get better than 20mpg on the highway with no load. I've owned them; they're torquey, but they don't really get any better fuel mileage than their gasoline counterparts, and the maintenance is a real killer. Just a new set a battery cables for a diesel pickup will set you back $250.

The other thing to bear in mind about the gas vs. diesel issue is the cost of the fuel. If you have a gasoline vehicle that gets 35mpg, and a diesel that gets 42mpg, you will actually spend the same amount of money per mile. (prices change constantly, but when I did the math about 6 months ago, that was where it broke even). You need to get more than 4% better fuel economy from a diesel for the fuel cost to even out. And that doesn't take the extra maintenance into account (don't forget, timing belt replacement on diesel is expensive, and has to be done on schedule; it's also harder to do than on the average gasoline 4-banger. And that's just one of many things that make diesels more expensive).

As I mentioned, I'm not a fan of diesels. But they can be good if you like to get your hands dirty and aren't afraid to relearn a few things, since they're definitely different from a gasoline engine. But buying them for efficiency or cost savings is not as clear cut as some would make you believe.

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > Zibodiz
06/03/2014 at 02:22

Something with a bed would be nice, I live with my mother (I'm still in high school), the car in the article is a total dream car, which won't happen till im out of college which is at least 6 years from now, (1 year of high school, often takes 5 years at the college im going to for electrical engineering, at which point i will still most likely be living at home). I live on a cul-de-sac, and the people in the house next to us have a lot of cars, there is only one guy who actually lives there, and he drives a purple pt cruiser, but he always has people over, and with a one car garage and only room for one car on the driveway, space is at a premium, so something that i can actually haul stuff in is what i most likely have to do, and since I'm a poor high school student, a new car will not be happening for quite a long long time.

Zibodiz > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
06/03/2014 at 02:27

I should point out that when I was 16-19 I had an '88 F-250 with the 7.3L IH Diesel V8. I loved that truck, but it was a horrible money pit. I bought it because I did a lot of yard maintenance, and had to haul a large yard tractor & a bunch of tools around, and at the time it seemed like the best idea. Looking back, a car with a trailer would have worked better (it would have been a lot easier to load the tractor into a tilt-bed trailer than into the back of the truck), and I wouldn't have been left high & dry when my truck broke, since I could have just hitched up the trailer to my mom's Suburban.

No regrets, but I would have done it differently had I known then what I know now.

Zibodiz > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
06/03/2014 at 02:36

Have you considered an older Toyota or Nissan pickup? I've never owned either, but I've always heard good things about them. You'd be getting a RWD Manual with a bed & decent fuel mileage. Plus the bed height is a lot lower to the ground vs. an American truck, which is really helpful if you load heavy things often.

I've only had a few American light trucks, but they tend to be a bit less reliable than the average car, from what I've experienced. I DD a Dakota a while back, until the engine went out. It was a lot of fun to drive, but even with a 2wd manual with the smallest engine (2.5L), it still only got me about 24mpg on the highway, and it was a pain to work on. The S-10 is even worse. I've never owned a ranger, although I've heard a lot of good things about the Explorer, and I believe they shared engines, so they might be something to consider. You still probably won't see more than 20-22 on the highway, though, if they're anything like my wife's Escape.

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > Zibodiz
06/03/2014 at 02:41

my mother has a 05 escape, and its dreadfully boring to drive, also quite bad on gas, gets around 20 mpg average, and 24 was the best she has ever gotten (at least while she measured.

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > Zibodiz
06/03/2014 at 02:43

interesting, how did that do on gas mileage? doesn't sound like it would do terribly well for an 80's truck with a 7 liter engine.

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > Zibodiz
06/03/2014 at 02:54

I have, I've searched on craigslist on and off for a while, and toyota/nissan trucks tend to be more expensive than american trucks, which makes sense, since Japanese cars tend to last so much longer and are far more reliable (for the most part),which is a problem because I don't make a whole lot, my work is quite sporadic, this time of year tends to be a lot better since lawns grow the most in the spring, I often have no income at all in November-January/Febuary except a couple shoveling gigs, which snow where I live is very weird, it will snow like for a week straight, then all melt and won't snow again for 3 weeks. 7 or 8 years ago we had 8 snow days in school, 4 in one week. 2 years later, it snowed a couple inches 3 times between December-mid-march, when it usually stops snowing.

Zibodiz > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
06/03/2014 at 02:57

At the time I didn't care a whole lot about fuel mileage, so I didn't keep track like I do now, but when I checked it after a long highway drive, the best I ever got was 24, if I remember correctly. It usually ranged in the high teens. That was, of course, better than the 460 (the gasoline engine available in large Fords at the time), which only gets about 16 on the highway. I've had 3 of those; they're fantastic workhorses that'll run forever, but man do they like gasoline lol. My current truck is a '99 F-250 with the 5.4L V8 Gas, and it'll get 22 on the highway, empty. It's also rated for a few more horsepower than the 7.3L diesel was.

What trucks have you driven? The reason I ask is because my wife's '03 Escape is more fun to drive than pretty much any truck I've ever owned lol. Other than the '98 Dakota. The Dakota had awesome handling for off-road fun.

Zibodiz > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
06/03/2014 at 03:01

I can definitely relate to that. Thanks to my finances, my first vehicle was a $285 'farm truck' with no shocks and a 3-speed manual tranny. It was awesome, and terrifying. And totally worth it.

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > Zibodiz
06/03/2014 at 03:07

none, but it's a 4 speed automatic, and the ride, strangly for a car as big as it is rather harsh, (its the 3 liter duratec, i think). the main requirements I have are a truck is

1) it drives decently, doesn't have to be perfect. just relatively decent

2) cheap running costs, not expensive to insure, not terrible on gas, and decent on maintenence

3) IT MUST BE A REAL MANUAL WITH 3 PEDALS.

a side effect of it being a manual is that it seems that most cars on craigslist that are manuals tend to be cheaper than automatics.

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > Zibodiz
06/03/2014 at 03:17

if gas was $1.50 a gallon, like i remember it being april 2009 (I think if im not getting my years mixed up), i wouldn't give a rats ass about gas mileage under about 5 mpg, and would go for a giant truck like a .f-350, or something, but at the prices its been for the past 3-4 years, I am forced to watch money, and need a truck that is cheap to maintain.

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > Zibodiz
06/03/2014 at 03:19

here is something that i found, that kind of looks about what i want, but its 2 hours from me. http://kpr.craigslist.org/cto/4476337076…

Zibodiz > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
06/03/2014 at 04:14

That looks like a pretty cool truck... good for a DD project that you can fix up while you drive.

The bigger trucks only come in automatics anymore (after the early '90s), and even the smaller ones usually only have the manual option with the smaller engines. It's a shame, really. But in my experience, if you want a truck that drives like a car, go Japanese. If you want a truck that drives like a house, get a full-sized Ford/Dodge/Chevy. If you want something fun off road, that doesn't handle like a barge, get an American light truck. Another American option that I'd highly recommend would be a Comanche with the 4.0 V6 like this: http://eastoregon.craigslist.org/cto/4422765502…

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > Zibodiz
06/03/2014 at 04:21

I always forget that jeep makes trucks (or at least they did) now they make, (strangely to me) FWD Jeeps (I know, I know, its AOL, but I was a product of the 90's as well), but I love down at the bottom, will trade for a lifted suzuki samurai, a car that likes to roll over going around a corner faster than 40 mph, and he wants one that is lifted, which will only give it a higher center of gravity, thereby making it even more dangerous.

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > CRider
06/03/2014 at 04:31

who said a sofa couldn't be road legal?

Zibodiz > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
06/03/2014 at 04:48

Samurai are actually pretty awesome Jeep alternatives, super reliable, and got a lot of bad press they don't deserve. They were about as easy to tip as the average full-sized truck, which would not be a problem, except that they drove like a car, which made people overconfident. That having been said, I definitely wouldn't be lifting one without a widening kit. In fact I wouldn't be wheeling one at all without a widening kit lol. I used to know a guy who bought a Samurai and wrapped it in a full exoskeleton, and specifically tried to roll every time he went 4-wheeling. He usually managed, too.

I used to 4-wheel about 10 hours a week in a Jeep Wagoneer. Absolutely amazing vehicle. The Cherokee was a step down in quality and 4-wheelability (especially the 2.8L engine), but thankfully the 4.0 kinda saved the day for Jeep. The Grand Cherokee was another step down, and they've really spiraled since then. I highly doubt Jeep will last much longer unless it steps up its game and makes another winner like the 4.0 XJ or the Wagoneer. I guess we'll see.

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > Zibodiz
06/03/2014 at 04:52

I've never really understood the difference between the Grand Cherokee and the just Cherokee, is there a difference. I've always thought a jeep wagoneer would be pretty epic, I just always forget about it. I love the story of trying to roll the exoskeloton samurai, so is that in essence like a roll cage, but only on the outside of the car?
P.S. I won't be responding till at least 11:00 AM PT becuase I have a final for school in the morning, then I have to go mow my grandparents yard, (its humongous, like an acre...with a just a push mower).

Zibodiz > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
06/03/2014 at 23:18

An acre with a push mower? Lucky you!

tl;dr: The Grand Cherokee was the larger, plush version of a Cherokee.

Kinja'd!!!

The SJ (Wagoneer) was really the vehicle that started it all; the first 4x4 that had an available automatic tranny, that was comfortable to drive, yet still epic on the trails. It was a body-on-frame vehicle with a V8 engine; basically a truck with a car body on its chassis. At the time, the 'Cherokee' was the two-door version.

Kinja'd!!!

The XJ was the second-gen Cherokee, and was available with 2 or 4 doors. It's the vehicle you think of when someone says 'Cherokee.' They also rebranded the Wagoneer to be a trim level of the Cherokee, and kept the design of the original Wagoneer around as the 'Grand Wagoneer' for another 11 years. When they finally decided the Grand Wagoneer had run its course (after all, it hadn't had any significant changes from 1963 'till they cancelled it in 1991), they replaced it with the ZJ (the Grand Cherokee).

Kinja'd!!!

The Grand Cherokee was supposed to be the big, fancy SUV, but in realty, it was a big, fancy car with 4WD. The Cherokee was unibody, but it was small enough that it was still trail-worthy; the Grand Cherokee took that same design and made it bigger and heavier, without really strengthening it at all. The net result was basically the first CUV. To add insult to injury, they originally came with some pretty unreliable engines. The only truly good engine Jeep has ever had was the 4.0 Inline 6, which just wasn't big enough to handle the weight of the Grand Cherokee. They did put it in the lower trim levels, but it felt sluggish at highway speeds and couldn't tow much. They were only widely available with automatic trannys, and I've never seen one that didn't have leather upholstery. Basically, they were trying to be a 4x4 Cadillac.

The Jeeps that followed (starting about the year '00) have mainly been low-end CUVs. The Liberty was the closest in performance to the XJ, but it didn't even compare. Now that they're not even being designed in the States, I really don't have much hope left for the brand. The brand used to stand for affordable, reliable off-road fun. Now they're just mallcrawlers and toys for rich parents to give their kids when they graduate; kind of like a slightly more middle-class version of what Hummer has become.

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > Zibodiz
06/03/2014 at 23:55

I'm not kidding, I once saw a jeep Cherokee (okay, I don't remember if it was a Cherokee or a Grand Cherokee), on craigslist with a factory manual tranny. This was around four months ago, and I have no idea what happened to it. Here's an article about a different one from our own Ferrari owning doug demuro http://playswithcars.com/?p=1055

Zibodiz > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
06/04/2014 at 00:49

The only engine they ever coupled with a manual tranny, to my knowledge, was the 2.5L. Those were in the Cherokees with the Pioneer trim level (the bottom-line model), and a few (like maybe a couple hundred, tops) Grand Cherokees. The 2.5 was a decent, but underpowered 4 banger. They were pretty reliable, but unfortunately, since they were underpowered, they tend to get run into the ground. Dodge used that engine & tranny in the Dakota as well.

If the comments on that article are to be believed, they actually had a 4.0 in that ZJ. That is pretty amazing, if true. They often couple a 4.0 with a 5-speed in the Wranglers, but never in the Cherokees. Definitely intriguing.