Jeep too small

[TjMike]

Love my TJ but have too many kids and not enough seats. Need three seats in the back for the little ones and while they're still too young for all day trail rides, we would like to take the Jeep on short excursions or just out on the town. In the short term, I'm looking at getting a bench seat out of a full size bronco and. This will take some wheel well modifications but easy enough to do. The downside is it doesn't leave much room for anything else like a dog, cooler, etc.

My long-term goal is to stretch the TJ to at least LJ length or about 15inchs in the tub. I like this idea as I wont have to start from scratch building a rig if we go to something like a newer JL. The TJ already has one ton axles, custom four link suspension, body panels, etc. I'm not worried about the work, rather like it actually, and think the cost would be cheaper to stretch then sell and buy/build something else.

Question is, am I crazy for wanting to stretch the TJ or should we just bite the bullet and get a four door?

[xaza]

I think it depends on mentality. When I upgraded to my JL it was because my days of pushing the Jeep to it's limit are behind me and I just am looking to get out and see scenery and get to camping/climbing areas. That meant I did not have to build up another Jeep. You seem to still like the tougher trails and would likely be still building up. One potential thought is buy used that somebody has already paid for the steep initial depreciation of the vehicle and built up for a starting point. I was finding several Jeeps already lifted and on 37's...not 1 ton axles that I recall. It is always nice to have that unique Jeep you built yourself but it just depends where you are at in life.

[TjMike]

We're a mixed bag when comes to trails. We use it to get to camping spots/hiking/scenery but also hit the harder trails to rub rocks. Wife said I can do whatever I want with it as long as she can still drive it on the street.
I thought about buying an already built JK or JL though not sure what I would get for the TJ. I suspect not very much considering they aren't as popular as they once were. Buying an already built jeep also risks buying someone else's bag of worms not knowing it's issues or how it was built.

Will stretching to LJ length or a bit longer even be enough room for 2 adults, 3 kids, a dog or two, cooler, etc? Hate to put all the work into building the Jeep just to find it's still not enough.

[Ol Blue]

Is two Jeeps an option? Keep the TJ for the hard stuff and get a stock JL/JK for the kids to ride in on easier trails and camping.

[newracer]

It's going to be very hard to get enough width to fit three people (even kids) across the rear of a TJ, maybe if you have it above the wheel wells but then you loose a lot of head room. TJs still bring decent prices but you have to find the correct buyer.

You could always buy my JKUR I am selling.

[TjMike]

Ol Blue previously posted:

[newracer]

A four door TJ has been done so you're not crazy, or at least not the only crazy person.

My JKUR for sale.
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...icle/740013243

[Mountaineer01]

TjMike previously posted:

[TjMike]

newracer previously posted:

[TjMike]

ok this one is pretty cool.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Jeep/commen...ched_4door_tj/

[Jim]

Would you be extending the wheelbase or just extending the tub at the back end?

[TjMike]

Jim previously posted:

[Mountaineer01]

Another thing to consider, and I don't have a lot of experience since I don't do extreme terrain, does a longer wheelbase start limiting you in any way on the trails you want to do with it?

[TjMike]

Mountaineer01 previously posted:

[a1gemmel]

I think you would regret modifying the TJ. Maybe an LJ-length stretch would work for a few years, but I've noticed that kids tend to get bigger as they get older and in a few years they likely won't want to cram into the back of an LJ together any more. Plus, at that size you're definitely limited to day trips. I have friends with 2 kids and a dog, and they struggle to manage a weekend of camping in their 4runner. Stretch it to a 4 door and now you've definitely ruined it for any hard wheeling. It's just too much of a compromise. You also have to consider the time you'd spend completing the work, which is time you're not wheeling or taking your kids out.

If you see any camping or road trips in the future, consider looking at an older 3 row SUV (Expedition, Tahoe, Sequoia...). Lots more room for the future, most have aftermarket support at least for a lift kit and mild offroad mods.