kj based travel trailer

jeremesh · **Posted:** Mon Nov 03, 2008 11:56 pm

so here is an idea I have been mulling over, tell me what you think.

What if you go to the junkyard and get a kj that has the front end destroyed. You cut the kj in half right in front of the rear doors, block off and frame up the opening, add a tounge and you got yourself a trailer.

the biggest, issue I see is the weight. what would the back half of a libby weigh? would the axle be positioned in a location that would not cre3e too much tounge weight? If you left the rear seats in would it be safe for passengers?

CrossBones · **Posted:** Tue Nov 04, 2008 12:10 am

If you left the rear seats in would it be safe for passengers?

NO.

Fulltimer · **Posted:** Tue Nov 04, 2008 12:13 am

CrossBones wrote:

If you left the rear seats in would it be safe for passengers?

NO.

X2....you can't legally do that anywhere.

Terry

jeremesh · **Posted:** Tue Nov 04, 2008 6:52 am

Fulltimer wrote:

CrossBones wrote:

If you left the rear seats in would it be safe for passengers?

NO.

X2....you can't legally do that anywhere.

Terry

OK, scratch the extra passenger idea but what about the weight distribution over the axle? Do you think it would be too tounge heavy?

TAHOE · **Posted:** Tue Nov 04, 2008 9:50 am

Not sure about doing a KJ, but here's a buddy who did the back half of an astro. This was the leftover van he cut up doing a mock up for his 502 big block swap in his 98 AWD safari. If I remember, he did have some issues with a heavy tongue, he countered his by building a drop box in the rear for tools and extra RV battery. you may have even more of an issue with a libby as it has even less weight over the back than the astros.

JJsTJ · **Posted:** Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:51 am

Seen it done a couple times w/ XJ bodies and owners report they work real well. One is in OZ and IIRC it gets used a lot on and off road. If there was a good way to dome the front of it, I think it would be kinda cool but if you can only make it flat in front it would look like stupid. (IMHO)

Blue KJ in PA · **Posted:** Tue Nov 04, 2008 12:12 pm

Would this work with the KJ being that it is a unibody and not a frame?

Disclaimer: I typically know enough to get me in trouble when it comes to automobile repair and fabrication...LOL

It would be really cool looking if it could be done though.

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Tue Nov 04, 2008 12:25 pm

To heck with the trailer - I want to see the 502 in an Astro???

TAHOE · **Posted:** Tue Nov 04, 2008 1:40 pm

ATXKJ wrote:

To heck with the trailer - I want to see the 502 in an Astro???

sorry, should have posted link before, I knew someone would want to see it....

http://astrosafarivans.org/bb2/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1015

Finished product....

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Tue Nov 04, 2008 2:21 pm

Thanks for the link - 13's on an Astro van running 31" AT's
Cool

JJsTJ · **Posted:** Tue Nov 04, 2008 3:09 pm

Blue KJ in PA wrote:

Would this work with the KJ being that it is a unibody and not a frame?

Disclaimer: I typically know enough to get me in trouble when it comes to automobile repair and fabrication...LOL

It would be really cool looking if it could be done though.

Yes, could work. Same has been done w/ unibody XJ's.

jeremesh · **Posted:** Tue Nov 04, 2008 4:10 pm

JJsKJ wrote:

Blue KJ in PA wrote:

Would this work with the KJ being that it is a unibody and not a frame?

Disclaimer: I typically know enough to get me in trouble when it comes to automobile repair and fabrication...LOL

It would be really cool looking if it could be done though.

Yes, could work. Same has been done w/ unibody XJ's.

OK, where is the photoshop guy... show us what this would look like pretty please!!!!!!

TAHOE · **Posted:** Tue Nov 04, 2008 7:28 pm

I think it would be kind of a short trailer, maybe use the front doors too and make front of trailer the firewall, pull windshield and close that in along with the door windows.

Tokyojoe · **Posted:** Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:40 pm

Somebody likes blue vehicles. I see three.

jeremesh · **Posted:** Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:20 pm

TAHOE wrote:

I think it would be kind of a short trailer, maybe use the front doors too and make front of trailer the firewall, pull windshield and close that in along with the door windows.

I agree that would be better space wise but then you are putting even more weight on the tounge and I think it would be too much. One of the keys of a trailer is even weight distribution over the axle.