Apples to Apples?
Ian,
I have to say that I watch the "powerblock" shows as often as possible. I watch them to pick out any useful info that I can use. I feel that if I watch someone else doing something, that I can usually end up doing it as well.
Anyway, I have owned and have been building my Scrambler since 1998. It has gone through many stages of being built based on my needs or funds at any given time, and I learned as I went along. Before I bought it, I had no mechanical experience just some mechanical aptitude and alot of desire. Most of my work was done with less than the criteria stated on your show.
Storytime:
In the beginning, I swapped a fiberglass body onto my jeep and got it running during the middle of a northeastern winter in one of those carport tents you get from Costco. I was only working with the most garbage hand tools you can think of. So I was able to do the body swap in a much smaller space than a 2 car garage with crappy tools, walking uphill both ways, barefoot in snow!
Next, not long after the body swap, I was trying to work on the brakes and clutch in a freezing wintry rain storm with a big blue tarp (20x40) over the entire vehicle as cover. Well, when I went to test out the work, I must have forgotton to hook something up and , and I ended up running into my friends car ( I was in his driveway). After crashing it all around a bit with the granny low T-18, whiteknuckled and wide-eyed, I finally got my head together enough to shut off the motor. Lesson learned. Scrambler -1, Nissan Stanza -0. ( Again projects being done, no hi-lux 2 car garage, no high dollar tools.)
Eventually I blew up the I6 and ended up storing the jeep from one backyard to the next. It was then that I decided to start buying parts for another phase in my jeep rebuild. I saved up and got a 350 Vortec (this was a hot swap in '00-'01), a 4L60e and Passenger drop NP241C for $2800 delivered (with winring PCM, etc.) from California to Massachusetts from a place called Rancho-Chevy Recycling. As I saved up more, I bought some 1-ton axles from Boyce Equipment. These were $5500 total delivered. It was D60 limited slip front and disc brake'd 14 bolt detroit rear with 4.56's all around. I looked at buying them used and having a shop build them in my area, but it was about the same price and required tons of extra time and labor on my part. SO, instead of doing all the legwork, I put that time into working more hours at my job so I could just buy a complete new package at a fractional difference in cost (Kind of like Ian's reasoning with the aluminum body). I also ended up buying a frame from Matkin's because mine was shot and I couldnt fathom making one at the time. But shortly thereafter, my buddy Demian (the one with the STanza, the driveway, and the backyard that I used and abused mentioned above, Thanks bro!) and I bought a welder and I immediatly regretted having bought the frame. Once I started welding, forget it, I felt like I could make anything. And I always did it in a driveway, or a backyard, or in some crappy type weather. It was only later that I was able to finish the project in a garage that still does not even compare to the 2 car garage like what is being debated here!
Anyways, said and done, with all the nickle and diming, I have in mine at least what Ian is putting into his "made-for-TV" scrambler project,
and it was built in less than a 2 car garage with low buck tools. I love my jeep and am constantly tinkering with it using the info made available from forums, magazines and shows like Ian's. THe difference between mine and Ian;s build is that by the time I'm done, (done?!?! silly me) I will have far surpassed Ian's proposed "budget", and my project will will have been done over a lot longer "not-made-for-TV" schedule. I, like Ian, feel that my project is unique, and am probably the only person living in NYC now with a modded jeep scrambler. Thats one in millions (like 8 million I think). And it was worth it.
So Ian, I have these things to say:
One, I, like many others, think it's cool that you came to this forum to discuss this project.
Two, unfortunatly, your situation is a typical one where people are going "hate". Every show, every magazine, etc sets themselves up for alot of ridicule when they start throwing around words like "budget-build," as budget is a VERY relative term. Any time this discussion comes up, I always hear the same type of sarcasm, "And here we are using "insert high-dollar part here" ,
that we had lying aroung the shop." Cost to budget = $0. (MONSTER GARAGE anyone?) And honestly, when that happens in a build, I have agree with the sarcasm.
Lastly, I like your your show. I hope you keep going on with it. But, I have one question for you: Seeing as I always thought a CJ-7 hardtop looked lame on a full length scrambler body, I can't help but wonder, and am getting a little antsy to see how in the world you are going to make that look good?

Please post some pictures already!
Sincerely,
Matt
P.S. here is an older picture of my junk with the backyard swapped in 350.