Author Topic: My Jeep Project  (Read 19761 times)

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Offline oldcoastie6468

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Re: My Jeep Project
« Reply #20 on: September 29, 2013, 10:01:58 PM »
Beware of puttting Rhino underneat or any other undercoating. They all will form pockets that trap water, and the result will be rusting not visible until the damage is done.
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Offline trapeze

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Re: My Jeep Project
« Reply #21 on: September 30, 2013, 12:56:46 AM »
Beware of puttting Rhino underneat or any other undercoating. They all will form pockets that trap water, and the result will be rusting not visible until the damage is done.

Yeah, I've been thinking about that. I'm going to coat the floorboard from the rear to the firewall no matter what and when I do I'm going to ask the Rhinolining guy about the underside treatment and see what he says. You see, I'm thinking that it's more or less like thick paint when it comes right down to it so I'm not so sure that there is as much of a hazard as it might be. That's a ways off, anyway.

Tomorrow morning it is scheduled to hit the body shop for dent removal and some paint prep. When they are done with it I get it back and start to dismantle the body. I'm going to send the body pieces back to the shop to be individually painted...better that way, I think.
In a doomsday scenario, hippies will be among the first casualties. So not everything about doomsday will be bad.

Offline trapeze

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Re: My Jeep Project
« Reply #22 on: October 11, 2013, 12:58:44 AM »
Okay, so the Jeep went into the body shop a week ago yesterday. I went by yesterday to have a look.

They have done a very nice job of getting rid of the holes that I didn't want. I had a large one (about the size of a silver dollar) where an antenna had been mounted on the passenger side and now it's gone. Also a set of holes where the tire carrier was attached to the rear are now gone. Going to have to come up with a new way to carry a spare. The dents, gone. I'm supposed to get it back sometime tomorrow. Then the real work begins.
In a doomsday scenario, hippies will be among the first casualties. So not everything about doomsday will be bad.

Offline trapeze

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Re: My Jeep Project
« Reply #23 on: October 21, 2013, 12:43:06 AM »
I moved the Jeep into my workshop this afternoon. Had to move a few things around to accommodate it but it's in now. My bodyshop does the lion's share of its work in the next few months and I have been asked to wait until mid to late February on bringing in the individual body components. That's okay. It gives me more time to do the other work without worrying about getting the body back together. Also more time to get the custom dashboard fabricated so that it can go in for paint with the other pieces.

So...this week I am pulling off everything other than the body tub. Windshield frame, hood, front fenders, grill and tail gate. There is a lot of stuff associated with removing the tub and one of the challenges for me will be finding proper (organized) storage for all of the pieces.

Pictures of the cleaned up body coming in a few days.
In a doomsday scenario, hippies will be among the first casualties. So not everything about doomsday will be bad.

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Re: My Jeep Project
« Reply #24 on: October 21, 2013, 07:01:37 AM »
One of the big benefits I see to this project is that there will not be a square inch of that beast you are not intimately aware of.  It literally will be your "baby"!

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Offline AlanS

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Re: My Jeep Project
« Reply #25 on: October 21, 2013, 09:20:35 AM »
...and one of the challenges for me will be finding proper (organized) storage for all of the pieces.

For bolts and small objects, quart size freezer ziplocks and a sharpie do wonders.
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Offline oldcoastie6468

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Re: My Jeep Project
« Reply #26 on: October 21, 2013, 11:46:50 AM »
...and one of the challenges for me will be finding proper (organized) storage for all of the pieces.

For bolts and small objects, quart size freezer ziplocks and a sharpie do wonders.

Gallon plastic milk bottles with the tops cut off are good, too.
U.S. Coast Guard veteran, 1964-1968

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I hate liberals. Liberalism is a disease that causes severe brain damage after it tries to suck knowledge and history out of yours.

Offline KittenClaws

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Re: My Jeep Project
« Reply #27 on: November 30, 2013, 04:58:33 PM »
I'm going to start with the "before" pictures. First, as it is at the very beginning...


And now, again, without the top...


So, what is this anyway?

This is my 1976 Jeep CJ7. It's pretty much a bucket of bolts at this point. I've done a few improvements to it which I will mention below but for the most part this is where I'm starting from.

The CJ7 was introduced in 1976 so you are looking at one of the originals. The CJ7 was a modified CJ5. The main difference was stretching the length of the vehicle by 10 inches to give it some more stability. But let's face it...these things are very top heavy and even with the longer wheel base it is still prone to tipping over when going around corners at high speed. That's not what they are for, though. A CJ is for going slow up and down hill along trails that are difficult for most other vehicles to traverse.

This version of the CJ7 is equipped with an AMC 258 cubic inch (4.2L) inline six cylinder engine with horsepower probably somewhere in the 110 - 120 range and about 195 ft. lbs. of torque. It is probably a "Renegade" version but when it fell into my hands there was no visible indication (decals) that it was.

The History To Date

Since I have had my hands on it I have done a few upgrades:

- Complete engine rebuild
- New heavy duty clutch
- New aluminum, water heated intake manifold from Clifford Performance
- New competition cam from Clifford Performance
- New six into one exhaust header from Clifford Performance
- New Holley four barrel carb
- New Flowkooler water pump
- New three core radiator
- New Mean Green starter
- New Bestop seats
- New seat brackets (driver and passenger) that both fold forward for rear seat access
- New rear bench seat
- New high capacity (20 gal.) fuel tank

The engine upgrades have definitely increased the available horsepower but without putting it on a dyno I would be guessing as to what that number is. So, here's my guess: I think I am probably close to 150 hp. I can spin the wheels in first and second gear, no problem.

The Body

But with all of the above upgrades it still looks like crap and I am sort of at the limit of what I can do without cleaning up the body and giving it a new paint job. That is what is on the schedule for this month or next. The time is more dependent on my local body shop than on me. When they are ready for it I'll bring it in and let them get to it. They will correct any body issues (the dents are minor and the rust is mostly superficial) with the body mounted to the frame. Then I get it back for a week or two or three. While it's in my hands again I will remove the body pieces and take them back in for paint. The advantage to this plan is that I end up with the entire body painted...no difficult to get to areas will be missed because the frame/engine/drive train is in the way. It will take longer but it will be worth it...especially when it comes to the body underside. I know that there are some rust issues on the underside of the body that will get properly addressed if and only if the body is off of the frame. Oh, and I do have the hard doors (not pictured) and they will get painted, as well.

While the body is off of the frame I am going to correct a mistake made earlier and paint the engine. I am also going to hit the entire frame with a wire wheel to remove rust, treat the frame for rust and then paint it.

After the body goes back on (I'm shooting for sometime before the end of this year) the real fun will start. There are going to be a LOT of upgrades.

The Project Going Forward

I know that it will never look or drive like a late model Jeep...that isn't the point. What I'm aiming for is a classy looking trail machine that is powerful enough to get over all of the trails that Colorado has to offer and do it safely. I am not going to go into the upgrades until they happen (more interesting that way) but there will be lots of pictures along the way with an emphasis on "before" and "after."

So,why are you concerned about spinning the tires in first and second gear?

A jeep is not made for speed, it's made for torque.

"I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever." - Thomas Jefferson

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“... sad moral of all human tales; ’Tis but the same rehearsal of the past; First freedom, and then glory—when that fails, Wealth, vice, corruption, barbarism at last.” – Roman Historian, Tacitus

Offline John Florida

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Re: My Jeep Project
« Reply #28 on: November 30, 2013, 06:52:16 PM »
I'm going to start with the "before" pictures. First, as it is at the very beginning...


And now, again, without the top...


So, what is this anyway?

This is my 1976 Jeep CJ7. It's pretty much a bucket of bolts at this point. I've done a few improvements to it which I will mention below but for the most part this is where I'm starting from.

The CJ7 was introduced in 1976 so you are looking at one of the originals. The CJ7 was a modified CJ5. The main difference was stretching the length of the vehicle by 10 inches to give it some more stability. But let's face it...these things are very top heavy and even with the longer wheel base it is still prone to tipping over when going around corners at high speed. That's not what they are for, though. A CJ is for going slow up and down hill along trails that are difficult for most other vehicles to traverse.

This version of the CJ7 is equipped with an AMC 258 cubic inch (4.2L) inline six cylinder engine with horsepower probably somewhere in the 110 - 120 range and about 195 ft. lbs. of torque. It is probably a "Renegade" version but when it fell into my hands there was no visible indication (decals) that it was.

The History To Date

Since I have had my hands on it I have done a few upgrades:

- Complete engine rebuild
- New heavy duty clutch
- New aluminum, water heated intake manifold from Clifford Performance
- New competition cam from Clifford Performance
- New six into one exhaust header from Clifford Performance
- New Holley four barrel carb
- New Flowkooler water pump
- New three core radiator
- New Mean Green starter
- New Bestop seats
- New seat brackets (driver and passenger) that both fold forward for rear seat access
- New rear bench seat
- New high capacity (20 gal.) fuel tank

The engine upgrades have definitely increased the available horsepower but without putting it on a dyno I would be guessing as to what that number is. So, here's my guess: I think I am probably close to 150 hp. I can spin the wheels in first and second gear, no problem.

The Body

But with all of the above upgrades it still looks like crap and I am sort of at the limit of what I can do without cleaning up the body and giving it a new paint job. That is what is on the schedule for this month or next. The time is more dependent on my local body shop than on me. When they are ready for it I'll bring it in and let them get to it. They will correct any body issues (the dents are minor and the rust is mostly superficial) with the body mounted to the frame. Then I get it back for a week or two or three. While it's in my hands again I will remove the body pieces and take them back in for paint. The advantage to this plan is that I end up with the entire body painted...no difficult to get to areas will be missed because the frame/engine/drive train is in the way. It will take longer but it will be worth it...especially when it comes to the body underside. I know that there are some rust issues on the underside of the body that will get properly addressed if and only if the body is off of the frame. Oh, and I do have the hard doors (not pictured) and they will get painted, as well.

While the body is off of the frame I am going to correct a mistake made earlier and paint the engine. I am also going to hit the entire frame with a wire wheel to remove rust, treat the frame for rust and then paint it.

After the body goes back on (I'm shooting for sometime before the end of this year) the real fun will start. There are going to be a LOT of upgrades.

The Project Going Forward

I know that it will never look or drive like a late model Jeep...that isn't the point. What I'm aiming for is a classy looking trail machine that is powerful enough to get over all of the trails that Colorado has to offer and do it safely. I am not going to go into the upgrades until they happen (more interesting that way) but there will be lots of pictures along the way with an emphasis on "before" and "after."

So,why are you concerned about spinning the tires in first and second gear?

A jeep is not made for speed, it's made for torque.


  You're right but it's trque that spins the tires,spinning tires has nothing to do with speed.
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Offline Alphabet Soup

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Re: My Jeep Project
« Reply #29 on: November 30, 2013, 06:56:33 PM »
Quote
So,why are you concerned about spinning the tires in first and second gear?

For me it means that you have enough power to break the tires loose if you wanted to. I doubt that he burns them off regularly (or maybe he does!).

Offline KittenClaws

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Re: My Jeep Project
« Reply #30 on: November 30, 2013, 07:29:57 PM »
Quote
So,why are you concerned about spinning the tires in first and second gear?

For me it means that you have enough power to break the tires loose if you wanted to. I doubt that he burns them off regularly (or maybe he does!).

My husband and I are big time rock crawlers. Breaking the tires loose does not compute.  Breaking them lose from what?

Now, if you're talking about mudding, that's different.

"I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever." - Thomas Jefferson

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Offline Alphabet Soup

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Re: My Jeep Project
« Reply #31 on: November 30, 2013, 08:47:29 PM »
Mudding - and especially mud drags is the only kinda jeepin I've ever done. Mostly I build street rods and (occasional) burnouts are part of the deal.

Offline trapeze

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Re: My Jeep Project
« Reply #32 on: December 29, 2013, 02:49:23 AM »
Okay, so I never bothered to take pictures of the completed body work. Sorry about that. I've been busy for quite a few weeks and the Jeep has sat pretty much untouched in my shop during that time.

About a week ago I started to remove the body pieces and I only have the front fenders and tub left to disassemble. Soon.

There are some things I'm pulling off that aren't going back on. They will instead be replaced with new parts. Hinges. Stuff like that. I am probably going to go back with stainless steel fittings in their place. Steering column will be replaced. And I'm going to get a new and improved heater box. These items will be purchased in January through March.

The body parts will go in for paint some time in April or May and I will need to have the bulk of my mechanical mods done by then so that everything can start going back on shortly thereafter. Right now the only two new mods I have on hand are the new electronic ignition (a DUI distributor) and new wiring harness.

Getting the body tub off is going to take a while since there are so many things that go through the firewall that must all be removed first...brakes, steering column, clutch, etc. Have to clear some room in the shop to store all this stuff (and label things).

Still haven't decided on a color to paint the thing. I was leaning toward yellow or orange but lately I have seen a lot of Jeeps that are painted up like that and now I am thinking that would not make it very distinctive. Not that that is the goal...purple would be very distinctive but very ugly. At this point I may just make it blue again. Just don't know.

The other thing I have to work out and make a final decision on is the dashboard layout. How many gauges and how to arrange them. The dash will need to be completed at or around the same time that the paint is done so that everything will be ready to reassemble.

But right now I am just spending an hour here and there as those times are available to pull one thing after another off of and out of the thing. Probably another six to eight hours and I will be ready to unbolt the tub from the frame and get it onto the trailer for its trip to the paint shop in April/May. Then I can get to work on painting the frame & the engine, doing the front brake conversion...stuff like that.

And no, I am not concerned with "spinning" the tires. I just want as much power as possible to be available to send to the business end of the axles. If I wanted a drag racer I would have replaced the engine and the transmission with something appropriate for that purpose. I kept the original engine because it is, in essence, a tractor engine...something with a lot of torque. That said, though, there is nothing wrong with a Jeep that has a little bit of get up and go in traffic situations.
In a doomsday scenario, hippies will be among the first casualties. So not everything about doomsday will be bad.

Offline AlanS

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Re: My Jeep Project
« Reply #33 on: December 29, 2013, 10:59:13 AM »
I would think where you live, the color "desert camo" would work well.
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Offline trapeze

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Re: My Jeep Project
« Reply #34 on: December 30, 2013, 01:14:15 AM »
Pulled out the heater box and the steering column today.

New steering column (that tilts) is around $375. Gotta get that before paint so that it can be painted to match the body. It won't have the ignition switch that my old one has...new ignition switch will be mounted on the dash instead.

Since this heater box is not available (on the parts market) I am going to try and rebuild the existing heater box. It will be cleaned up and any worn out parts will be replaced. This will probably involve fabricating new pieces where necessary. The tricky part will be locating a replacement blower motor that fits and is more powerful than the stock one. The stuff that attaches to the heater box is mostly available as  aftermarket parts...duct connectors and molded fittings for air intake and defrost outlets. That leaves controls which should be mostly the same except for the blower motor switch (if I can find that new motor it will probably need a new switch). I will certainly buy a new heater core because if I am going to go to the trouble of rebuilding this thing it just doesn't make any sense to keep the old core. Old Jeep heaters have a horrible reputation for not being able to keep up with even average winter conditions so I am hoping that cleaning this one up, getting a new and stronger motor on it with a new core will result in something better than stock.

I am going to measure the air volume output of the existing heater box and then compare that with the output of the rebuilt box. If it isn't significantly better than stock then I am going to have to come up with a Plan B...that would be either a completely different (aftermarket)  heater box and duct system or a different stock unit that is designed for a later model Jeep. There is a well documented blower upgrade for the later model heater boxes but that would mean having to find one from a junk yard.

I have some time to figure the heater box problem out but sooner or later I am going to have to strap something to the firewall.

Next up is removing the front fenders and the radiator grill. That will leave the body tub as the last thing to get off of the frame. Then all body parts will be loaded onto the sixteen foot tandem trailer and tarped until the body shop is ready to take them off my hands. I am kind of hoping that I am able to get to that point by the end of this coming week. There will be pictures coming pretty soon.
« Last Edit: December 30, 2013, 01:25:18 AM by trapeze »
In a doomsday scenario, hippies will be among the first casualties. So not everything about doomsday will be bad.

Offline oldcoastie6468

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Re: My Jeep Project
« Reply #35 on: December 30, 2013, 01:22:02 AM »
U.S. Coast Guard veteran, 1964-1968

Will Rogers never met Barack Obama. He would not like Obama.

I hate liberals. Liberalism is a disease that causes severe brain damage after it tries to suck knowledge and history out of yours.

Offline trapeze

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Re: My Jeep Project
« Reply #36 on: December 30, 2013, 01:33:35 AM »
Anything for you on this site?

http://www.cjjeepparts.com/cooling-heater.html

Unfortunately, no.

The exploded parts diagram is from a 1977 and later CJ heater box. You can tell because the blower motor is on the back side and actually protrudes through the firewall below where the battery mount is located in the engine compartment. That heater box isn't available for purchase as a new part anymore than mine (1976) is. So...if I decide to go that route I have to locate and buy a used one, clean it up, purchase the better motor and then cut a 3.25" hole in my firewall. I would prefer to NOT add a new hole to the firewall unless I have to so I am holding out hope that I can rebuild my 1976 heater box and find a stronger motor for it.

There are parts on that page that I will be purchasing, though, like the duct outlets, hoses and control cables.

Believe me when I say that I have spent countless hours researching this project and a lot of them have been burned up recently trying to plot a strategy to improve the CJ heater box situation. There are a lot of problems finding parts for a Jeep that is this old. I have already come to terms with the fact that I am going to have to utilize used and fabricated parts to complete the project. One thing that has crossed my mind is abandoning the glove box. The glove box is right in front of the heater box and by getting rid of it I will free up some space for a modified heater box solution. I can purchase an aftermarket center console to substitute for the glove box.

One thing that I have learned is that there is one authorized manufacturer for Jeep parts and that is Omix-ADA. A lot of the Jeep parts that you see everywhere else (parts distributors) come from those guys. They produce the only authorized Jeep body tubs, for instance. Everyone sells them but they make them. Same thing with Jeep (trademark labeled) gauges, too, I think.
« Last Edit: December 30, 2013, 01:51:26 AM by trapeze »
In a doomsday scenario, hippies will be among the first casualties. So not everything about doomsday will be bad.

Offline AlanS

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Re: My Jeep Project
« Reply #37 on: December 30, 2013, 05:55:43 AM »
Just
Empty
Each
Pocket

 ::hysterical::

Looking forward to the pics.

I don't have a Jeep, but I do have a

Break
Out
Another
Thousand
"Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem."

Thomas Jefferson

Offline oldcoastie6468

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Re: My Jeep Project
« Reply #38 on: December 30, 2013, 10:02:43 AM »
I just searched for "1976 Jeep Heater Box," and several places came up. I posted the above one since it did list them in a logical fashion.
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Will Rogers never met Barack Obama. He would not like Obama.

I hate liberals. Liberalism is a disease that causes severe brain damage after it tries to suck knowledge and history out of yours.

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Re: My Jeep Project
« Reply #39 on: December 30, 2013, 02:10:51 PM »
Just
Empty
Each
Pocket

 ::hysterical::

Looking forward to the pics.

I don't have a Jeep, but I do have a

Break
Out
Another
Thousand

 ::hysterical::

As long as you still have your sense of humor!

Wait?  What can you come up with for AUDI?   ;D

Not so may repairs for me now on my A4 (I doubled my purchase price when I got it!) but I did just get new tires and front brakes.  ;D
We are now where The Founders were when they faced despotism.