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For several months now I have been working towards a special surprise for my wife and mines 30th wedding anniversary. So my CJ7 rebuild came to a complete halt. I currently have a complete rolling chassis minus brake and fuel lines.

That build can be found here:
During this time I been able to squirrel away some extra money for my Jeep build. My mind is always turning and I have been seriously considering a big change in my CJ7 Build.

My idea is to build a CJ that is more truck than it is a CJ7. My inspiration came from Jeff Scherb's CJ Gaucho project. "Gaucho" CJ stepside pickup build - JeepForum.com I love driving a pickup truck and have many daily uses for one. My off-road driving will be mainly Jeep trails, sea shore sand, and some ranch land here...

I am of the opinion that putting seats in a CJ of any other variety than what it came with is a major big PITA.

Seats from another vehicle most likely will need some sort of re engineered mount and will more than likely take up more of the room that was meant for you than is comfortable. They may look good but be of a material that may not be the best choice for an open vehicle and will sun fade and rot before you know it. If you do have the occasion to do some serious off road driving you may not find them capable of having your but dropped in them with considerable force and still having springs or passing. Worse yet you may find they do not cushion and support your favorite back side in a way that will allow you to walk normally for a day or two. Having a seat that will hold you in the proper position with out sliding around on off camber is a plus too.

I found some comfortable aftermarket seats in the master craft Nomad. coincidentally the least expensive seat Mastercraft...

I finally upgraded my ignition. Actually I did it a week ago. I decided to go with the TeamRush upgrade. I'm glad I did. It consists of upgrading the distributor cap and spark plug wires. This upgrade makes sure the spark energy goes where it is intended, to the spark plugs. With the smaller OEM distributor it is possible to get cross fire in the distributor where a spark goes to the wrong cylinder or a spark going down to a ground. Once the distributor was upgraded I installed a MSD series 6 ignition module. DO NOT install a high performance ignition module without upgrading the distributor. The OEM distributor has a hard enough time getting the spark to the correct spark plug.

Coil
Replacing the coil is optional. The TeamRush upgrade allows you to either keep the stock coil or replace it with an after-market. I already have a MSD Blaster High Vibration coil. My last...

When you're not satisfied with the steering in your Jeep, these are the steps you need to take to find & correct the problem(s).

Step 1 - find and correct any worn or damaged parts.

Begin with the rear suspension. Rear suspension issues can cause nearly as many steering problems as front suspension issues, although they're not usually as dramatic as front suspension issues.

Closely examine all four rear spring bushings and both sets of rear spring shackles for wear or looseness. If you have two-leaf shackles instead of single-u-bolt shackles, be sure the shackles don't lean to either side. If they lean, they're too loose; when you're steering, they'll lean from side to side, allowing your Jeep to fishtail, sway, crabwalk, and oversteer. Correct any worn or loose bushings or shackles.

While you're under the rear, it's a good idea to inspect your rear shock mounts, too.

We can put the rear suspension fully out of our minds now and concentrate fully on the front...

My 81 had a dash panel in it that was totally garfed up by one of the previous owners. For whatever reason, someone chose to cut part of the speakers out instead of removing them. Then, if that wasn't enough, they decided all those protective slots cut into the dash were really cutting down on their music volume or something, so they grabbed their snips, chisel, or chainsaw and deftly removed them as well.



When I decided to replace the dash, I chose a stainless version (even though I was planning on painting it) with all the cutouts and holes included.



When it arrived, I carefully plotted (or so I thought) a couple of locations for new mechanical oil pressure and temp gauges I already had on hand. Going though all the rights steps to make sure I didn't smoke my hole saw, I carved two new holes. I was happy with the result! I was so smug about it that I went ahead and...

What have I done? Bought another Cj of course. Gotta stay off marketplace. Anyway about two years ago my daughter got into Jeeps and we ended up grabbing her a lifted Cherokee. Now she wants to learn to drive a manual. Strangely enough I havent had a manual since I rolled the Virginia Farm find about 4 years ago.

Ive been driving a Honda CRV to work and dont take Vader out in the Winter at all anymore. Lets just say its a pretty boring commute to work. Except for the two times Ive slid off the road in the snow. All this adds up to time for another Jeep. Looking through Facebook Marketplace I saw this picture and a price of $2500.

I knew I wanted it right away but didnt have the cash. Luckily I never shy away from OT at work when I put my mind to something. More on this later after the thread is approved.

I bought this 1979 CJ7 last year around this time. It kind of ran and kind of drove, not very well and the old factory 304 was very tired. It came with an orignal Hardtop, the old style hard doors, original softtop w/soft doors and all mounting hardware. The fenders were shot, holes in the floorboards, body mounts rotted, fuel tank leaking and of course the rockers were swiss cheese. Seats were out of some sort of pontiac sedan, dash and guages all intact and seemed to work initially. The previous owner was good enough to install a T-18 4 speed w/granny low at some point which was a bonus! As for the frame... the previous owners had applied so much undercoating over the years that it is pristine front to back, it is going to be a big job removing it all but I am not complaining. I chose this chasis as it seemed like it had not seen excessive abuse over the years and time iteself was its only enemy.

Here she is fresh off the trailer when I bought it home. And yes that winch works...

So a few months back I installed a push button and remote start system in my '84 CJ7. Since then I have wanted to get rid of the ignition lock on the column since it was no longer used. In addition, my column was starting to sound scratchy (bearings inside I'm sure) and I also wanted tilt. My column also had an area on the top where someone in years past before I got it seems to have tried to steal it by cracking and chipping away some of the plastic in the collar to get inside the column. So damage, no tilt, audible signs of wear, and a useless ignition lock all made me want a new column.

I searched high and low for the right replacement (Ididit, Flaming River, etc) with no success. Their options were either generic replacements (bottom output shaft was different, not the same length, different mounting requiring adaptors, etc) and quite pricey to boot. I finally stumbled across a place in NY called Columns Galore. I contacted them and they offered to rebuild an original CJ tilt...

My rig has the original AMC 20 rear end in it. When I first got it, I was told the e-brake cable needed adjusting as it was loose and didn't apply the brakes at all. But when I first got in there doing brakes, I found that the e-brake lever inside the brake drum (attaches to the rear shoe) was gone and the cable wasn't attached to anything. I also discovered some other missing brake parts (equalizer bar and spring) as well. So I became suspicious about why someone would remove and leave out such brake parts. Oh well - new 1-piece axle shafts, re-geared it, new bearings and seals, and all new brake parts (spring kit, drums, shoes, and other missing hardware). Well after only a few thousand miles, the bearing blew apart (literally broke apart) on the side where I previously discovered the missing parts, and ruined a new axle shaft in the process. So another new shaft and new bearing and seals. Now about 10K miles later, outer seal on the other side is leaking, with bearing grease...

Greetings, I have just planted the first seed of my new off road build. The last one was a Toyota 4Runner on tons but now I'm moving back to the Jeep side of the equation. I needed a place to document the build so here I am.

******************** WARNING! ***********************
If you cringe when sheet metal gets cut up, frames get stretched, engines swapped or generally nothing kept stock in a Jeep then be warned this thread is not for you! There will be carnage, parts will fly, but in the end it will be beautiful.
********************* END WARNING ********************

The Plan for this build...
My last off-road rig build was a purpose built rock crawler truggy with full custom tube work based on a 2002 Toyota 4Runner. First time I had ever gone that extreme with a build. The only thing I regretted with the build is not making it streetable.
This time I want a super...

A quick little add-on for my ride. After all these years owning a couple of CJs (4 over 30 years), finally had a flat tire and had to change it on the side of the road. Now I've always had a Hi-Lift jack, but never used one to change a tire. What a pain. With 35" tires and a 4" lift, had to start with the jack about 1/2 way up, and then ended up near the top before the suspension flexed all the way out and the tire actually came off the ground. Not safe at all. Guess I just never really thought about it that much until it happened. Decided I needed a scissor or bottle jack I could site right under the axle or spring mount when needing to change a tire. But where/how to mount it? I visited my local salvage yard and found a 3K pound scissor jack with handles (hard to find in junk cars) and brought it home for $20.

Now for a mounting location. Decided to mount it just inside the driver door opening on the floor where two holes already exist (not sure why, but they're on both sides)...

I've had an OBA setup in my truck since the first year I bought it (2015) and always wanted the same in my CJ. I finally got around to it this weekend. I've been pleased with the system I got for the truck, so I bought the same setup again. Now my use for this is airing up tires, small and short term air tool use, and airing up mattresses on camping trips and the tube when boating. I do not have air lockers in the Jeep or an air horn either. The truck has a 3-gallon tank with the air compressor and that seems to meet my needs quite fine. The system I got is a Vixen VXO8330. This includes the compressor rated for a max pressure of 200 lbs, an air inlet filter, a 3-gallon tank, air gauge, 20" hose, drain valve, over pressure relief valve, check valve, and a few brass plugs. There's also an included pressure switch that cuts the compressor off at 200 lbs and cycles back on at 170 lbs. The tank itself has 7 ports on it, plus two mounting brackets already welded on. It also included a...

A literal barn find CJ7 I recently purchased from my Father. Has been sitting in storage since 1998. 80,000 miles and all original, except a re-paint job back in the 90s.
My plan is to clean/repair/replace every "system" in order to get it back up and running.

Systems worked on thus far since April...
-Cooling: New water pump, t-stat & housing. All new hoses and fittings for the heater hoses at the intake manifold. Radiator taken to shop for cleanout and rehab (still waiting on it). New radiator hoses and cap.
-Fuel: Dropped fuel tank to clean out/flush. New rubber hoses at top of tank. New filler & vent hose at tank. Tore off the Carter BBD carb (what a train-wreck that thing is!!). Beginning the install of Howell TBI system. Replacing all vac lines.
-Oil: Oil change and filter change. Replacing valve cover with new Aluminum unit and new Felpro silicone gasket (still waiting on correct Gasket).

I'm selling take-off items as I go, such as...
-Hard top
-Hard doors...

With a winch, front light bar or fog lights, rear spot lights, onboard air, fancy sound system, large inverter, electric fans, or towing a trailer that needs power from your CJ, you may find that you need more power that won't leave you unable to crank the engine later. A dual battery is simple and easy and provides for those needs, and fits easily into your CJ with off-the-shelf parts. My main uses are camp sites with the front and rear spot lights, the inverter, sound system, and occasional winch use. I may have the lights and inverter and sound system going for hours in the evening, and I still need to crank the engine the next morning. So two batteries, kept isolated from each other, is the perfect solution. Simply hooking two batteries together can give you more power, but if one drains down or fails, it will take the other with it also, leaving you needing a jump to get started back up later. With them isolated, you can drain one and the other is still fully charged and ready...

Just installed a push button and remote start, with alarm, in my 84 CJ7. I have a newer truck with push button start that I am used to, and got tired of having to remember to pull the key out of my pocket before buckling the seat belt, or worse, parking somewhere with the top and doors off and jumping out and forgetting to grab the key from the ignition before walking away when driving the Jeep (did that too many times, but been lucky). So a keyless push button system with a fob was for me. I also wanted remote start for cold days so I could start it up from the house and let it warm up before heading out to drive. Now I have an automatic and fuel injection, so remote start is easy.

I purchased a Banvie system off Amazon for about $50. It has push button start, remote start and an alarm with a siren. Pretty basic install since I didn't use the remote trunk release or the door lock/unlock features. I also previously removed the steering wheel lock in my column for towing the Jeep...

That's right Rebel Scum , The Dark Lord is back. Ok so my new to me Cj actually has a name. With all the black I thought Vader was quite fitting after winning this little guy at work on May the 4th. Never really named any of my Cjs before but everyone at work thinks it's funny I have an Army man on the wiper motor of my '80. Found him left at a Campground and well ... No one gets left behind.

It took quite a bit of time for this deal to come together but I finally scored this somewhat '79 Cj-7. There's one steel fender and one fiberglass one. The grill and hood are also steel.



The tub, tailgate, sport bar and windshield are all donated from a '94 Yj. There's only a small amount of surface rust on the tailgate and a small spot on the windshield frame.

[ATTACH type="full" width="627px"...

I have found out the hard way buying a transmission that someone cobbled together..... there are differences in the NV4500 that makes somethings not interchangeable:

Early model GM 92-94 transmissions have a 6.34 first gear and a 6.34 reverse. The bolt pattern on the front is the same as a SM465, this bolt pattern is different than the 1995 and up. The Gear set will not be interchangeable with the latter case. The reason is in the reverse idler gear and counter shaft size necessitated a 2 3/8 long idler gear which changed the shape of the the case:

Early model Look at the protrusion behind the pto cover and compare it to below: (also notice early style cover/shifter style)



Late model 95 and up the protrusion is smaller to accommodate the shorter idler gear on the 5.61 reverse gear: (notice bolt on shifter like late model transmissions, the cover IS interchangeable between cases)

this is what the early counter shaft and idler gear looks like, the...

(Posted this on another forum, but wanted to add it here too)

I figured I'd start a thread on the MTS heater cables for the 76-77 CJ's. Those of you that own one of these 'Redheaded Stepchildren' know what I mean when it comes to finding parts in the after market. In particular the heater cables have been up till now, unavailable. Although two of the later model CJ cables can be modified and used, the Temp cable, which is a LONG cable wasn't available until MTS brought them to market.

Although I had gathered up a number of so-so used cables, I wanted something new for my 76 CJ5 resto. When these came on the market, I picked up a set. Here's a picture of the 'business end' of one:

Being that I wanted to use billet knobs, I was debating destroying a $40 part, but figured I'd destroy other parts that cost a heck of a lot more, in order for them to fit. Here what has to be done:

Cut the rubber cover off the knob end:


Notice where the grove is...

If you have not done the blower motor upgrade, DO IT!

I found that out after I did it, the old motor was putting out the same amount of heat as the new one puts out on low.

Here are several part numbers for the motor:
NAPA 655-1039
Advanced Auto/Orielly's 35587
Siemens PM 102
Autozone PM 102


Just thought I would share these & this.

It started many years ago with a dark green jeep with a bad paint job hiding bad rust repair work a inline 6 that got to the point that it took an MSD 6 box to make it idle, a T4 4 speed, an AMC 20 rear (2 piece axles of course) and a D30 front

I had to rebuild the rear axle after I took a road trip to Hot Springs AR listening to the pinion bearing howling. I drove in the fast lane the whole way home so I could hear it really well. I scared someone who was sleeping in the passenger seat of an Explorer since it was so loud

When I got home I thought it was the output bearing of the T4 so I traded it in on a reman T5. Woops, well after that didnt work I ordered new bearings and a Lockright and rebuilt the rear.i chiped a tooth on the ring gear and had to buy a used set to finish the rebuild which was a 3.54 so it didnt match the front axle anymore. So begins the long jurney it had as a 2 wheel drive. Not to long after that I started hearing the...