High school 4x4 Club Jeep Build HELP !

[94ToyBear]

Hi all! Long story short: I am 1 of 3 high school automotive teachers for Denver Public Schools (DPS) at Career Education Center middle collage of Denver (CEC).
I was thinking about making a 4X4 Club here at the school and have the perfect little Jeep for the job! It’s a 1995 Grand Cherokee 4x4 Auto with a 318.
(Another long story short!) This Jeep/ Student shop car was broken in to damaged and vandalized. For some reason someone felt the need to bust out the stock AM FM radio, ripped the steering column and ignition, yanked the new battery out, and neatly took the catalytic converter too. This jeep is now pretty much useless to the students with out spending a bunch of money to get it back where it needs to be for teaching purposes. As I said earlier I work for DPS…. DPS will not pay for the parts to fix it! This leaves it to either go to the scarper OR turn it in to a low low budget mild trail rig! My guess is you want it to go the Scarper right??? haha just joking !
This will be a student build with me watching over and helping them out. I was thinking a rig with 32’s or even 33’s would a good tire size. Something for off road only and will most likely be a trailer queen due to insurance reasons. Also students will be building this for them self to drive! So they don’t need anything to big.
Us being a Non-Profit organization and it being a “ low low budget build” the student and my self will be looking for “Low low” price parts and even donated parts ( tax deductible).
Any advice, hint, tips, or words will be much appreciated!
Thanks
Adam Florez
:wrench::wrench::thumb::thumb:

[Hypoid]

Sorry about the vandalism. I'll cross post this on another board, pics of the damage might help.

[Zukrider]

its a great idea! but, im afraid you wont be able to let them drive it offroad for insurance purposes! not legally anyway. think, dumb kids doing dumb stuff. someone gets hurt, they will come after you!

but i support the idea, my class was the last year we had auto shop in district 50, they got rid of it for storage! bastards!

good luck!

[Hypoid]

its a great idea! but, im afraid you wont be able to let them drive it offroad for insurance purposes! not legally anyway. think, dumb kids doing dumb stuff. someone gets hurt, they will come after you!I want to agree and disagree. Kids need opportunities to learn. Why not structure the opportunity to reinforce appropriate behavior?
Liability is an issue to deal with, but I would be reluctant to give up without making inquiries.

BTW, I've passed a background check within the past few years. I'll keep an open mind to mentoring on a planned event.

[mattzj98]

Well... I got parts... And ideas :)

[mattzj98]

I would love to help out with this build! Hell, I'm already excited! Oh yeah, and I took a class there before =P

[CodeXJ]

that sounds like an awesomne idea!! You can turn it into pretty decent offroading vehicle just by putting some tires on it. If you scavenge the junkyard you can prolly find A LOT of parts to lift the vehicle. you can get battery from a junkyard for like $25.. if you can get some lift springs for the front or a 2" spacer and swap the front springs to rear you can lift it. Need some shocks. I think ford shocks are long enough for the jeep with 2" lift... you will have to check. The biggest thing is the junkyard. You can usually find some good used tires around. or a V8 thunderbird hard to find can work for front springs. I can think of a lot more things for an XJ, but that's a start. will get you a lift and tires for pretty cheap, and a battery. ignition is a lil different. :frown:lil bit pricier. Matt gots quite a few stock parts for it as well. :lmao:

[mattzj98]

stock and aftermarket. springs shocks spacers trackbars axles shafts sway bars.. lights.. loads of stuff. front to rear swap on springs will get you 3.5 inch lift. with some minor trimming to the bumper and fender wells in the rear you can run 32s or even 33 (more trimming) just fine. i might have teraflex front coils 4 inch i dont remember if i gave those away or not but i have a few diff. sets. its cloggin up my garage lol :smokin:

[94ToyBear]

Sorry about the vandalism. I'll cross post this on another board, pics of the damage might help

Thank you very much.! fyi all together the damage to all the cars(about 10 cars) was 15 grand !

[94ToyBear]

wont be able to let them drive it offroad for insurance purposes! not legally anyway. think, dumb kids doing dumb stuff. someone gets hurt, they will come after you
as long as the have a drivers llicense and writen concent from guardians i belive we can do this ill f=look in to it more.

[94ToyBear]

I would love to help out with this build! Hell, I'm already excited! Oh yeah, and I took a class there before =P
THANK YOU ! I got to run it by the kids this will be there build ! what do you got ? allso what class did you take ?

[94ToyBear]

thank you VERY MUCH !
ill keep it all in mind and this was the way i was thinking it would be built. noting to fancy just FUN !

[94ToyBear]

its cloggin up my garage
well we got the garage with space ! thank you ! ill have to get you you sometime soon !

[94ToyBear]

pics of the damage might help.
you mean post the pic of the damage of the jeep ? ill be happy to !! ill try n get it on here monday

[mattzj98]

I took emergency dispatch cert. There with Stacy Hervey

[94ToyBear]

I took emergency dispatch cert. There with Stacy Hervey
ohhh nice ! she there still ! what year did you go? i to went to cec for 3 years in auto.

[94ToyBear]

dose anyone have any ideas how to fund raise for this !?? i got a few but 2 or more minds are better then one ! Thanks !

[mattzj98]

my sister works for DPS administration. Tell her to cut funds for other schools and direct them towards the jeep :thumb:

[Chris]

I suggest you get donations from local shops for a raffle truck. When the students have built it with the donated goodies you raffle it off. If every HS kid that wanted a built Jeep bought a ticket I think you'd find yourselves pretty well funded going forward. Everyone likes to be able to say they helped HS kids.

[mattzj98]

id buy a few. I wanna see that ZJ wheeling!

[94ToyBear]

One question I have about raising funds is that I'm not sure abput your comment that you're a non-profit. To the best of my knowlege DPS is not a non-profit.

An incorporated organization which exists for educational or charitable reasons, and from which its shareholders or trustees do not benefit financially. Any money earned must be retained by the organization, and used for its own expenses, operations, and programs. Many non-profit organizations also seek tax exempt status, and may also be exempt from local taxes including sales taxes or property taxes. Well-known non-profit organizations include Habitat for Humanity, the Red Cross, and United Way. also called not-for-profit organization.


Read more: http://www.investorwords.com/3331/non_profit_organization.html#ixzz1WNDXjR4z

pretty much wraps it up.

[94ToyBear]

When the students have built it with the donated goodies you raffle it off.

im not sure the kids would like that. it would be a project that would stay with the kids for the kids. i would buy on too !! haha
thanks tho !

[94ToyBear]

my sister works for DPS administration. Tell her to cut funds for other schools and direct them towards the jeep
there we go problem solved ! ! haha nice
where dose she work ? what year are you ?

[mattzj98]

there we go problem solved ! ! haha nice
where dose she work ? what year are you ?

she works at 900 grant st in the main administration bldg. something to do with funds and budgets..

i graduated in i think 09?

[94ToyBear]

ahh i have been there a few times ! HOOK UPSS!! haha JK
900 grant

[Chris]

im not sure the kids would like that.

Since when does that matter? It could also serve as a good lesson. ;)

[mattzj98]

haha i dont know what she is or isnt able to do unfortunetely. i know she got her parking spot though (that i take when im downtown lmao)

[94ToyBear]

It could also serve as a good lesson

what kinda lesson is that ?

[Chris]

what kinda lesson is that ?

That they're kids and what they want to do in school doesn't matter. What would happen when it's done, they want to keep it? Drive it? Share ownership? Call it a lesson in public service, doing something for others, building a truck, making money for the program.

[94ToyBear]

That they're kids and what they want to do in school doesn't matter. What would happen when it's done, they want to keep it? Drive it? Share ownership? Call it a lesson in public service, doing something for others, building a truck, making money for the program.
That they're kids and what they want to do in school doesn't matter. What would happen when it's done, they want to keep it? Drive it? Share ownership? Call it a lesson in public service, doing something for others, building a truck, making money for the program.



the program is not meant to be about money. In fact that the last thing I want it to be about. The club will be built around Education, experience, hard work.
Yes they are kids but not every kid is going to be involved, the ones involved are be going to be spending 2-3 hours after school 1 day a week on their own time.
They do not keep it, they pass it on to the next class.
They will drive it, so they can see their hard work pay off.
They will not own it, NO one dose.
The public service is already being done by me. I am doing this on my own time NO pay.
Hopefully by my leadership, and example they too will fall in love with what you and I both enjoy (4X4).

I see myself in these kids, I used to be in the back yard fixing go karts, mini bike , bike, what ever had wheels ! with very little help from my dad brothers or anyone.
I only wished for help from my dad and others! I believe its my turn to pass on what I have been blessed with, my hand and my mind.
I built thing out of NOTHING most of the time and I would be flying down the street pretty much every time I built something ! Good times!
Most of these kids don’t even know where to start. Lucky my dad did help me out with that at a very young age, and I ran with it!

I have stared a Jiu jitsu club as well. I know am coach of 3 young boys and an 8th grade girl. All compete in tournaments and cant wait for the club to start back up this year!
I also hired a graduating senior to work with me over the summer, he now has a full time job at the shop !

My point is the kids are not doing this for me, I simply lead them on a path I have been on and they too are running with it!
Gives me the chills when I think about where they would be if I didn’t show them !! 

[Chris]

Nice to hear the details of the program and what you're doing for the kids, very cool! What you do is invaluable and I praise you for doing it. I spent many years working with dads trying to stay in the lives of their kids so I understand the need you're filling.

You want to raise money and IMHO a new project for the next kids would be more educational than a finished one. These kids will move on and away don't they? I was suggesting a way to let them benefit from their work and set it up for the next kids. Making money is something that has its own motivation too. Just an idea, I've seen quite a few sucessful raffle 4x4's.

[glacierpaul]

If the vehicles were vandalized on DPS property, then insurance should cover the vehicles, especially 10 of them at around $15,000. Taking all the radios and cat. converters? Going after precious metals, sounds like.

[94ToyBear]

If the vehicles were vandalized on DPS property, then insurance should cover the vehicles, especially 10 of them at around $15,000. Taking all the radios and cat. converters? Going after precious metals, sounds like.

ill sent some pix of our parking lot. they did not want to cover us due to are parking lot not being secure enough. your gona flip !! you cars are locked up, behind an enclosed gace with no see through mesh.

[94ToyBear]

I spent many years working with dads trying to stay in the lives of their kids
NICE man !
thanks !

[94ToyBear]

stock and aftermarket. springs shocks spacers trackbars axles shafts sway bars.. lights.. loads of stuff. front to rear swap on springs will get you 3.5 inch lift. with some minor trimming to the bumper and fender wells in the rear you can run 32s or even 33 (more trimming) just fine. i might have teraflex front coils 4 inch i dont remember if i gave those away or not but i have a few diff. sets. its cloggin up my garage lol

we need to get in contact man ! call or text me if you can ! 720 626 7695 ! anytime

[Cr33p3r]

my class was the last year we had auto shop in district 50, they got rid of it for storage! bastards!

Joe what school did you go to, I was at the CEP District 50 and they did the same thing right after I graduated.

Sorry for the :hijack:.

What Chris said about hitting up the local shops in the neighborhood, I had a car club I was president of do that for door prizes and trophies for a car show we put on to raise money for the youth center in Commerce City a few years back. We just explained to them what we was doing and why and the doors opened 90% of the time, you could even ask the 4x4 shops to help you guys out, once they see the cause and that you will be teaching the younger generation to wheel respectfully they might be more than happy to contribute.

[Zukrider]

i went to westy. were talking about the same thing.

[94ToyBear]

Well there might be a BIG problem.
I talked to the other shop teachers about the jeep, what I did not know was it most likely has a bad transmission. I will keep an update on it. If the Cherokee dose not look like its going to work out I will be looking for a new rig.
Also if the Cherokee dose not work out and some one need parts off of it let me know.

[mattzj98]

why do you think the transmission might be shot? its got the 42RE in it.. prretty good tranny

[glacierpaul]

ill sent some pix of our parking lot. they did not want to cover us due to are parking lot not being secure enough. your gona flip !! you cars are locked up, behind an enclosed gace with no see through mesh.

Wanting to and having to are totally different. Damn insurance, of course they don't "want" to cover anything. The insurance coverage needs to be looked at for sure, 10 vehicles? Was there a lock cut or did they climb the gate/fence?
And x2 what Chris said as well!, good on you for making a difference in the lives of any kids!!

[Java]

call the news stations, like Call 4 for Help and such, let them know that your vehicles were damaged and now the kids are being victimized again by the insurance company. I bet as soon as the news contacts them your vehicles will be covered.

[glacierpaul]

Tom Martino "The troubleshooter" 630 KHOW am radio at 9am

[Hypoid]

why do you think the transmission might be shot? its got the 42RE in it.. prretty good tranny
There are plenty of nice looking ZJs in the junkyard with just over 200k miles on them. No damage, no apparant reason for them to be there.

Last winter, I helped a bud find a good tranny for his wife's '96. We lucked out, found one that looked rebuilt. The rest had a lot of debris in the tranny pan.

BTW, his wife's ZJ had just over 200K on the odometer. I'm thinking this is a trend.

[Colin]

call the news stations, like Call 4 for Help and such, let them know that your vehicles were damaged and now the kids are being victimized again by the insurance company. I bet as soon as the news contacts them your vehicles will be covered.
Good idea!

[94ToyBear]

why do you think the transmission might be shot? its got the 42RE in it.. prretty good tranny

i was now told it was sliping :( BUT i think i got a new and better ride to work with ill have pix up soon

[94ToyBear]

thoughts on fundraising


all great ideas ! thnak you

[94ToyBear]

call the news stations, like Call 4 for Help and such, let them know that your vehicles were damaged and now the kids are being victimized again by the insurance company. I bet as soon as the news contacts them your vehicles will be covered.

good idea ! ill talk it over with the other teachers !

[94ToyBear]

1997 wranger ! the bad ! its a 2.5 , 4 cyl ! :( but its ok for kids just wanted to get some hands on 4x4 stuff !

is the 4 cyl good for anything ? maybe some 32's

[Aaron]

I know a guy who had 35s with the 2.5. It was no rocketship but with 5.88 gears, it worked.

[Java]

even better, IMO. it says 4.0 on the side...

[mattzj98]

My white ZJ had 254.000 miles and the last 54k were pretty hard, wheeling with 35s. Never failed. Tranny slipped when I ran low on fluid. Always had a bottle with me hehe

[94ToyBear]

even better, IMO. it says 4.0 on the side...
hahahahahahaha it sure dose ! did not even notice that !
good eye !

[94ToyBear]

My white ZJ had 254.000 miles and the last 54k were pretty hard, wheeling with 35s. Never failed. Tranny slipped when I ran low on fluid. Always had a bottle with me hehe

well i might be going with the wrangler,, if you are looking for parts off the grand let me know

[mattzj98]

well i might be going with the wrangler,, if you are looking for parts off the grand let me know

I would love to, however, i don't believe I have a single part thats still stock on my ZJ :( maybe body parts?