Build Thread 1980 CJ7 "Love ya Blue"

[jdulmer]

Metallic maroon body, satin/flat black accent on the hood and windshield, original white wagon-wheels, black undercoat, black soft top, SS windshield hinges and CJ mirrors. Can't wait to see if it looks as good as I'm imagining it will. Thanks.....

Sounds great, I'm sure it'll look awesome!

 

[74G8R2]

Hauled all the big pieces off to my painter a couple of weeks ago. He is soda blasting and epoxy priming everything. Got the frame, bumpers, skid plates and roll bar back from him to paint myself. He will keep the body parts for metal work and final paint. Here they are loaded up for transport, I'll have to post a picture of them blasted and primed later. Making progress.....

 

[74G8R2]

So here's where I am on getting the rebuild started. As you can see in the photos, my frame and skid plates have been blasted and epoxy primed by Billy at Enviro Clean in Spring. Trying to put as much "sweat equity" into my Jeep as I feel qualified to do, I will rattle can paint these myself using Eastwood 2K Aero Satin Chassis Black. Insides will be sprayed with Eastwood Interior Frame Coating first. Tub, fenders, hood, grill and tailgate are at the painter and have been soda blasted and primed as well. We are finalizing what the final paint will look like and he should have all the parts ready for paint and clear coat in about 3 weeks.

My engine is mostly done. Willard at C.A.M. in Spring is also going to help me set up a new manifold and carburetor, distributor and header. Willard is also overhauling both axles (retrofitting with Moser single piece rear axles), tranny, and Transfer Case . He said the insides have looked good except "shifter parts" in the tranny. All seals and bearings have been replaced. He's taking pictures of the work he is doing so I won't have those until later.

I've been on line ordering parts including the OME 2.5" suspension lift kit from Quadratec, Crabtree spring hangers and shackles, door posts to accept my new half-doors, and SS windshield hinges. The overall plan is coming together and I'm looking forward to putting it all back together in the coming weeks and months. I'll be posting pictures as I progress and will apologize in advance for the slow pace of construction due to football, holidays, cold weather, etc. Couldn't have gotten here without all the great information posted in the forum so thanks to everyone.

 

[74G8R2]

Took advantage of cool dry weather this afternoon and pulled the frame out to paint the inside. Read in another thread that two cans was just enough so that's what I bought of the Eastwood Interior Frame Coating. I watched their video on line to get a better feel for how to maneuver the 24" tubing extension. Before I started, I noticed there was still some blast media left inside the frame so I stood it up against my garage to blow it out. Although there wasn't as much as I initially thought, it was worth the effort. I decided to paint in two stages, first with the frame upside down and then flip it over for the second application. I think it worked pretty well and I think I got pretty good coverage judging by the pics I was able to get of the interior. Cleaned up the overspray with Eastwood PRE and put it away to dry. Hoping to get another nice day to paint the outside. I've found I can move the frame around on my own with the help of a furniture dolly at the other (heavy) end. I strap it down because it wants to move around and come out from under the frame. Nice to make some progress of my own.

 

[74G8R2]

Quick update on progress. Painter has been at work on body parts. He has a collision business and lets his crew work nights and weekends on restoration projects to keep them busy and make some extra money. They have filled in all the snap holes and spare tire carrier holes (switching to a bumper mount), filled, sanded and primed. Goal was to get it ready for paint by Thanksgiving (done) and then get the paint finished by Christmas. I've also decided to let them paint the frame and axles so I get a consistent color and finish. Anyway, getting closer to reassembly. If anyone can talk Jim Crabtree into making some more spring hangers and shackles I will greatly appreciate it. Here's some pictures of work in progress at the paint shop. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

 

[74G8R2]

Wheels have been at paint shop as well. Going to use the original 15" wagon wheels. They've been blasted and painted using a marine grade white. Will repaint the pin stripe with a body matching color (maroon). Have included a couple of pictures here of the "before" for comparison.

 

[74G8R2]

I've ordered a new custom dash from DoubleD Fabrication (DOUBLEDFAB.COM). Had them reverse the glovebox/speaker grill on the right side, add holes for a clock and tach, and custom cut the speaker grills with an A&M Corps of Cadets logo "AMC" - which also carries the double meaning of American Motors. Like the way that turned out. Here's a picture of the drawing.

 

[74G8R2]

Merry Christmas to me! Should be shipped this week. Turned out awesome.

 

[74G8R2]

New dash came in - very cool. Painter has been at work over the holidays and that has me very excited about the rebuild.

 

[Petescj]

Love that color. Looks fantastic. :drool:

 

[PaRenegade]

Lucky dog. I'm still waiting on my painter... almost 6 months now. He's super busy at his business and on the side. If it weren't for that hold up mine might be back together by now! Yours looks great. What's that color called?

 

[Peanut Butter]

Can't wait to see that baby scratched! Just kidding! That is a really nice deep maroon. Can't wait to see the whole jeep! Rod

 

[74G8R2]

Peanut Butter was very close - metallic maroon. It is a color currently offered by Chrysler that I think is called deep red. It will have a satin black interior, windshield and a stripe on the hood. Wheels are original wagon wheels painted glossy white with a matching maroon pin stripe.

 

[74G8R2]

Can't wait to see that baby scratched! Just kidding! That is a really nice deep maroon. Can't wait to see the whole jeep! Rod

I know that day will come but hopefully not too soon. Although with 8 grandkids that love climbing on it, guess I'll just have to get over it.

 

[Posi]

I like the AMC on the dash, different. What if any backdrop color will you use?
Build looks good!

 

[74G8R2]

Good question Posi - haven't thought of that. Guess I was just planning to mount the speaker but your suggestion will have me thinking about speaker cloth. Colors to consider: black, gray, white, black/gold.

 

[74G8R2]

January has been spent getting my frame and drivetrain finished up and painted. Was able to pick them up and back home, ready for reassembly. Dug into my bins of bolts and other items, devising a plan to get started. Am fortunate to have access to a media blaster at work and have already spent 2 or 3 hours cleaning parts. Have put my homemade paint booth to work and have been lucky to get a few days of warm weather to do the painting. Got in a bunch of new parts, mostly polyurethane but also picked up some new steering gear to add to my new OME springs. Here's a few pictures of where I am - primed/painted and ready to go.

 

[caveman]

It looks like your about ready for the fun part. Putting it all back together.

 

[74G8R2]

Wow, never dreamed how tedious this would be. Of course I'm being pretty annul about it all. Cleaning up every last nut and bolt, tap & die, anti-sieze - it takes a lot more time than I thought it would. I know it'll be worth it (if my standards don't start slipping out of frustration), and after all, this is why I bought the thing to begin with. I really do enjoy it and this weekend took a huge step forward to finally really get started on the rebuild.

So.....here's what I got done....axle bumpers, stabilizer bar brackets, motor mount frame brackets, and tranny skid plate (more on that later). Also flipped and installed 4* shims on the front OME springs. I've read a lot about needing those to get the camber right so thought I would just go ahead and get it done from the start. So....without pictures it didn't really happen so here you go.

 

[74G8R2]

About the tranny skid plate....got one side bolted up fine. Went to the other side and the holes don't line up! Laying there on my creeper wondering what's going on, then remembered reading something about this on one of the forums. Seems when you remove the skid plate, it either releases and flattens out (making it wider) or the frame releases in and gets narrower. Either way, the holes don't line up. Read some crazy solutions like punching out the backer nut and fishing another one inside the frame, redrilling, etc. Thought one solution would be to use a jack to spread the frame - but didn't want to mess up my paint job. Saw another solution that used a strap to "compress" the skid plate and thought that was the better choice. I used two rachet straps and it worked great. I was able to apply even pressure to keep from warping the skid plate, and the ratchets gave me good control so I could compress it only as much as I needed to and the bolts went in very easily. Worked like a champ and I highly recommend it to anyone else facing this dilemma. Here's pictures of work in progress. Cheers.....