Build Thread 79 CJ5 Restoration/Modification as I go

JeeperChris · Feb 24, 2019

My build thread.

Here's what I'm starting with: a '79 CJ5 that has used in the UP (Upper Peninsula of Michigan) for trail driving with occasional street time by the last owner. Don't know how many owners it's had but hopefully it'll be with me for a good while.

https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca8...eep2_by_christophersacry_dcwtkwh-fullview.jpg

It's at my mechanics right now for a complete check-up and a few little things. I used to be a mechanic but that was a long time ago so I only do smaller stuff nowdays like electrical and interior. Don't have the big tools for the bigger jobs anymore. He's going to do a complete grease job on it and make me a list of what works and what doesn't and I'll start working off the list as I go - want to drive it while working on it!

Here is an image gallery I put together of the first shots underneath it. The wheels were off so I checked out the frame and body mounts first. The body itself is a gonner but it will also be the last thing I replace. I don't want to be wrenching over a new paint job. I'll get all the mods done, then strip the body off and fully restore the frame and such, then put a new painted body onto it.

Jeep by Christopher Sacry | Photobucket

And we're off.....

JeeperChris · Mar 10, 2019

Outlining the Plan:

The 258 I6 stays. The only motor I would upgrade this for is a Chevy 427 (the original big block, not the newer small block version) or a 426 Hemi -just because.... I would like to do the Clifford Dual 38 Weber engine build to this. That's about $5000-ish so that might be at the end of this year or into next year. Currently a new 4-row aluminum radiator is going in and a Weber 32/36 carb going on. Should be drivable soon.

A T176/Dana300 have been purchased and are on the way to replace the 3-speed. Those look nice and clean on the outside and are said to be working well but they will both be rebuilt before going into the Jeep. Should be this summer. Twin sticks on the D300 as well.

The dash panel will be replaced with a stainless steel panel with no radio spot and with tach and clock holes added.

I want to lift it, just like so many Jeepers out there. Still going back and forth on a SOA or a SUA lift. Currently looking for CJ Wide Track axles. One of the guys on the forum here and I have been chatting, he has a front Dana 44 (which I really like) that was narrowed to the Wide Track dimensions but I can't find a rear 44 to match it. If I go with Dana 44's I will most likely go SUA for the lift. I'm searching through some Jeep shops out west for the Dana 30 and AMC20 Wide Tracks which I would use for SOA lift if I find them. So this debate will be ongoing until I find a matched set of axles.

One piece rear axles and rear disc brake kit will come after I settle on the axles, and I have located a front disc upgrade to 2-piston calipers from SSBC. The stock disc/drums on it (non-power) feel really good so there's no rush on these upgrades but they will happen.

Anything rubber will be getting replaced this spring and a new soft top will go on around Autumn so I can drive it through next winter.

A new body tub and paint are planned for absolute last, hoping before winter 2020. Color will be GM Code 29, a Midnight Blue with no flake. Interior and underside will be given the full rubber coating treatment ... Rino or whatever it is, and full carpet / floor coverings on the inside.

A later addition will be dual batteries and winch. I think a brushed stainless steel grill would look good on it too but I don't think anyone makes one.

JeeperChris · Mar 10, 2019

These are two pictures I have been using as my inspiration for what I want in my final build:

https://www.rocky-road.com/media/cj5_soa1.JPG

https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca8...0.mMdy7Zg4vjJ2GPP2pFtxx1gnLzmh8bpPiIJVkOWUUqc

Belizean · Mar 10, 2019

The inspirational jeeps look really nice. Something to build towards for sure.

JeeperChris · Mar 25, 2019

Quick update:

Found both rear shackle mounts are broken.

Think I've finally settled on a spring lift instead of the SOA. Maybe I'll buy another one to try the SOA lift later. I'll be doing the YJ conversion on the springs and using a BDS 6" spring lift. That's the idea for now.

Still waiting for my T176 and D300 to get shipped here. I'm hoping I didn't get shafted by the ebay seller. I told him there was no immediate rush and it's been three weeks over the original ship date so we'll see.

JeeperChris · May 22, 2019

22 May 2019:

Four Ion Style 71 aluminum wheels (15x8) are in with five Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac tires (tires will be in at the end of the week). The fifth wheel will be the OEM wheel that is on the back of the jeep.
https://www.quadratec.com/p/ion/style-71-wheel-jeep-cj

The Weber carb, aluminum radiator, new shackle mounts with bushings are being worked on.

Picked up the Team Rush distributor upgrade parts today along with a MSD 6AL and Blaster 2 coil. I will do those when I get the jeep back from the mechanic in a couple weeks.

ablaz812 · Jun 21, 2019

cool build

JeeperChris · Jul 21, 2019

Got my Jeep back. She's been at the mechanic shop since the end of December and she's finally back in my garage. Now I have to fix everything....

My mechanic is a great guy and knows a ton of stuff but I am waaaay under impressed with the little bit of work that was done. The aluminum radiator is installed and that I can forgive him for as it just didn't fit as the manufacturer said it would, and it's a monster 4-row so it took some doing, but he got it done. Now the Weber carb I'm not very impressed with, mostly the running of the fuel line. The 258 has a header from the PO. The carb guy made a great hard line that ran along the side of the head to the back of the motor and looped around the back side to the carb side. Great job there, then the metal fuel filter was attached. It's the one we all talk about with the overflow line on the 'out' side. Well, that wasn't orientated correctly- simple fix but really it should have been done right. Now the filter itself was zip tied to the heavy metal rail of the header flange. That's a no-no in my book. The rubber line from there to the carb was also zipped to that header flange. Wouldn't the zip ties melt??? I don't want my fuel being heated up like that so I have some radiator hose and large fuel line I will be cutting up and using as insulators against the heat. But, I shouldn't have to be doing anything like this at all.

The next no-no was the electric choke. It's hot wired to the coil. I learned in my first year of auto-shop in high school that you don't take electricity from the ignition circuit, period. I have the MSD to install too so I've found an unused connector coming out of the main wiring look on the firewall that is hot when the key is on with 12V so I will be plugging into that for now. For the long term I have an oil pressure switch that I will be using for the choke so it will only be hot when the engine is running instead of with the key. This will let me listen to some tunes while gazing at the stars on the top of a hill and not be burning up the choke.

I have two weeks off next month to tackle stuff.

I replaced the throttle return springs today while looking everything over and making the game plan. They used two stock springs of the same size. I went Quadrajet style and used an inner and outer spring which works much better.

When they put on the new Weber carb, the guy that did it left the stock (and I really think it was from 1979) air filter on there. I wasn't going to take off the air filter today but thought, what the heck, there's plenty of room but a little more is always better.... and that's how I saw that old caked up grungy non-breathing filter. I was truly shocked they would do that. So that got replaced today.

So I have the MSD to install (the Team Rush is done), fuel line to insulate/re-run, choke switch to run, then over my vacation I'd like to try to do the u-joints.

HackFabrication · Jul 22, 2019

JeeperChris said:
... but I am waaaay under impressed with the little bit of work that was done....

No one (or only a rare few) will do the quality of work on your junk like you will.

Many bad experiences to draw from in my CJ rebuild process.

Project86 · Jul 22, 2019

Quit being bashful and post up some pix.

JeeperChris · Jul 23, 2019

HackFabrication · Jul 24, 2019

Rust? That isn't Michigan rust. Mine was a SE Michigan CJ. Now thar's some rust.....

gert · Jul 24, 2019

sweet dude fun project, throw some jb weld on the clutch linkage lol

JeeperChris · Jul 24, 2019

HackFabrication said:
Rust? That isn't Michigan rust. Mine was a SE Michigan CJ. Now thar's some rust.....

Yeah, all my rust is hidden under the bondo and paint. I swear the whole fender wells are nothing but bondo.

JeeperChris · Jul 24, 2019

gert said:
sweet dude fun project, throw some jb weld on the clutch linkage lol

I think I've already spent about $5000 in my head on ways to fix that linkage.... and JB Weld was in there.

JeeperChris · Jul 24, 2019

Today I added a splitter block where the oil pressure is tapped so I could put in an oil pressure switch to use for the electric choke. Now the choke will only be active when the engine is running.

https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca8...Q.yTo-uRNvpigRd8h42rRkkwPrvKcysUsyoMsPV7UqUpo

JeeperChris · Nov 10, 2019

Ok, guess I should keep this updated a bit, it's really nice but it only works if I keep putting the updated info into this thread.

So, been driving it for a couple months now, the electric choke works great off the oil pressure switch.

Got the new soft top on in about six hours... not fun.

Still need to do a better job on the fuel filter but it works for now so I'm going to wait till spring when I put the new carb and manifold onto it.

At this moment it's sitting at the mechanics for a few things I don't have the tools for:
1. New intake and exhaust manifolds (OEM) to get rid of the header and exhaust system. I have a complete new system with cat all the way out the back. Went with a 1983 layout so the intake is aluminum. After the mechanic gets those on there it'll be towed to the muffler shop for them to put the rest of it together. I'm hoping that will get done on Tuesday the 19th, just over a week from now.
2. New master cylinder so the brake pedal doesn't slip anymore...
3. The new one-piece axles and new rear brake parts (still drums for now).

I'll try to update this next week or when it gets all done.

The futur plans: Spring time will bring the new intake and carb- planning on an Offenhauser manifold and either a Holley 390 cfm carb or a Barry Grant Demon Road Jr VS 525 cfm carb. I have the Holley in hand and the Demon is on the way. I'll purchase the manifold when spring gets here.
Also, thanks to one of the guys looking into a hydraulic clutch I looked into one too and I would absolutely love to do that so it's on the list for Spring time. Novak Adapters has the slave unit and an OEM master cylinder should be perfect.

When I get the jeep back in a week-ish that should be all for the winter, I hope. Don't want to be doing much in this stupid cold weather, I'm just a desert kinda guy stuck in a white winter wonderland. Oh, well.

JeeperChris · Apr 18, 2024

So, the latest updates with some tips.

I got a set of Yukon one piece rear axles installed and they're fantastic. The shafts have a step-up in the middle and the diameter at the bearing is 1.387 (remember this because it comes in later in the story). That's been a few years now.
Last Fall I got a new Tom Woods Customer Drive Shaft with the double cardan joint which is totally awesome and new leaf springs for it. I went with a set of Rough Country +2 inch leafs and Rock Jock shackles with tow pin. This past week had a rear disc kit from SSBC installed by my mechanic and I'm glad I didn't try to do this myself. My mechanic and I looked it over and we both thought.. "two or three days tops and it'll be good to go". A month later I got it back. Reading through the instructions it doesn't say that you have to remove and replace the wheel bearings until half way through. And it says if you are using shims to disregard them, you won't need them. The passenger side actually went together and everything worked (which it should not have). The drivers side ate three bearings and races and we couldn't figure out why. I couldn't find which axles I had purchased so I had to do some really deep digging and this is where I found that I had used Yukons and their shaft diameter at the bearing is 1.387 which is larger than stock, hence the bearings giving out (and this is why the passenger side should not have gone together and worked, but it did). It all finally went together with two shims on each side and it's a beautiful ride (remember SSBC said you don't need shims so just get rid of them.... they were way wrong).

So it stops very smooth and so much better than the little oblong hop it had with the drums that I could never get rid of. So now I'm moving on to get a new Master Cylinder and Prop valve, I'm talking with The Jeep Guy for those parts, so that's next. There is a little air still in the line, I can feel it, and need to get the front rotors turned but it's a great feel to have discs on all four corners.

Today I did a headlight hack. My adjustment has been slipping which means those little plastic pieces that the screw goes into are done and stripped. One light has that old replacement kit that no longer exists but it's dried out too. So, I used a twist-tie from a loaf of bread and it works great! See atached photos. The twist tie is perfect for getting the screw to grip again. We'll see how it does with all the vibration early tomorrow morning.....

TSB8C · Apr 18, 2024

Yep, as long as the plastic isn't cracked and spreading open, the zip tie trick works great for the set screw to grip again. The disc brake conversion is great. I finally put discs on the back of mine and love the feel of disc brakes all around. For a master cylinder and prop valve, I used a SW Performance Parts #MC1321H M/C and MBM # PV2 valve. Great work on your rig. Keep it coming.

Build Thread 79 CJ5 Restoration/Modification as I go

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