Converting a Grand Cherokee into a Convertible?

[Legendkiller]

I own a 1993 Grand Cherokee Limited with like 120 K miles on it. I was wondering, what are the possibilities of making it into an actual convertible. Has anyone ever tried this before? Is this at all even possible? My tentative plan was to use a chainsaw to take the top off, and then install a rollbar since obviously the car would be weakened structurally. Please give me some feedback as I only plan on doing this if I dont ruin(make the car fall apart or w/e) the car itself. I know this may sound insane or extremely ridiculous.

[pyr0maniac]

As far as the feasability of this plan, I have no idea; but if it turns out to be possible I am behind you 110%. Coolest Grand Cherokee ever.

[Legendkiller]

lol, ya it would be one of a kind. Does what I plan on doing make sense(taking the top off, reinforcing it withrollbars for stability, put a manual top on)? How would you change it?

[G-man422]

It would take some work and $ but its VERY possible. as long as its securely stablised, there should be no problem. Is the car to itself going to be custom made? i cant think of any tops that would fit the jeep.

[porscheguy9999]

Haha dude, if you pull this off, you can/will be a god among men. I wouldnt use a chainsaw unless your Jeep is made out of wood, I would suggest a reciprocating saw instead. And you will have to add a third brake light because you are taking away the one at the top of the tailgate. But this project is definatly feasable. Good luck and post pics if you succeed.

[Legendkiller]

No the car will not be custom made. I do not know about the top, material wise. About how much money if you had to take a guess would it cost to undertake this project? As well, would doing this increase the value of my cherokee?

[G-man422]

^ if anything, it would decrease it if its not proffesionally done.

[Legendkiller]

well yeah, it would be done(at least mostly) by me in my advanced automotives class as a fun little project. The car itself isnt worth much to begin with though.

[G-man422]

Sounds like fun. where do you go to school at?

[Maui_Dave]

Dude you have to do this!

And when you're done I want pictures and how you did it. Where the hell did you come up with this idea? Let me guess, all night drinking binge with your buds!

I've restored mustangs before and one of my pet projects still on the shelf is to take a 68 convertable or fast-back(soon to have t -tops) and make it factory cherry on the outside with an all new state-of-the-art interior. Then you'd have the best of both worlds, strong classic lines with the creature comforts you'd love to have had back then.

Oh and as far as worrying about value... I restored a 64 1/2 Mustang to factory, damn near replaced everything. It was a thing of beauty, up until 28 days later when some kid racing to get his dad to the airport totalled my Mustang! With a godforsaken beat up Renualt at that. What irony! Morale of the story is the insurance company didn't have the same view I shared about the value of my car. Bummer. So just do it.

Whatever the reason, it would be the coolest GC out there. Good Luck!

[Legendkiller]

lol ironically i also have a 67 mustang(all factory and original). I came up with this idea because i watch a show called top gear(british show on BBC) that makes fun of cars and they tried ot figure out how ot turn a MPV(Renault ironically) into a convertible. Its a hilarious show(making a car waterproof, buying a porsche for under a grand, caravan trip, just some of the many hilartious escapades the hsow has gone on.

[Maui_Dave]

I'm not a big fan of the BBC but I'll have to try and catch that show. Sounds hilarious.

[Legendkiller]

lol honestly its the best show on TV right now. Its season finsihed 2 weeks ago and its back in october, but i believe they do reruns

[porscheguy9999]

Youtube and BBC.com (I think) have all the TopGear you can handle.

[JeepForever]

I heard a great story about when Lee Iacocca was in charge of Chrysler and he asked his staff how long it would take to make a prototype of a convertible version of a particular car. The engineers started verbally estimating how many weeks it would take for the design, then how many weeks to modify the fabrication equipment, etc... He cut them off and said, "I want it by 2:00 this afternoon". They stole your idea, took a saw & cut off the top, put some duct tape around the edges near the saw cuts, and he had his prototype in a matter of hours.

You'll want to see how the windshield is supported, and of course decide if you want the side windows to be usable (since this will determine if you can completely remove the upper door/window frame). If you start small (by just removing the back half), you'll get a feel for how much of the top you can remove without sacrificing the strength of the windshield frame. You certainly don't want the windshield to land in your lap when you're going down the highway. It's difficult to see the road through the windshield when the windshield is on top of you and your butt is crammed against the gas pedal. You could also lose grip of the steering wheel when you're on the floor. Also, this makes the air bag virtually useless, except that it might push the windshield out of the way when you hit a tree, but if that happens, you'll have other issues to deal with - mostly emotional, because all your hard work will be out the window (or, out the window that's sitting back at your shop).

As with most remodeling projects, it's always easier to remove more, than it is to put it back.

Good luck, and tell us how it goes!