Build Thread 1980 CJ7 "Love ya Blue"

[Belizean]

Congratulations on the retirement part. Looking forward to that myself. Trying to work on finishing and complete my project while the body is protesting about getting down and back up many times a day. Nice paint color on your jeep

 

[74G8R2]

Some of you may have noticed in that last set of pictures the close proximity of the sway bar links to the tie rod. This was a surprise since I bought links that are longer than the original and are supposedly designed for my 2" lift. This obviously is not going to work and I'll be buying longer links. But how much longer? You can see the sway bar was practically horizontal when I took it all apart, now it's much more vertical. Any advice on this would be welcome. Not planning to do any major off roading in this vehicle so no concern there, but it needs to be functional for street driving at least. Also, there is no give in the suspension. I've tried bouncing a corner with all my weight and nothing moves. So at this point I have no clue what full extension or compression of the suspension would look like.

 

[74G8R2]

Decided to read back thru my entire thread to see if I skipped anything. Noticed I hadn't talked about the new stainless fuel and brake lines from Inline Tube. They came pre-bent and fit great with only a little bit of adjustment needed to get them to line up just the way I wanted them to.

 

[74G8R2]

Fuel tank: Before teardown the CJ was running OK and still had fuel in the tank so it probably would have been OK to reuse. But rather than going thru the cleanup (inside and out) and painting, I decided to buy a new 15 gallon polyethylene tank and not risk missing something that was out of sight. It obviously just drops in where the old one was. Only issue was the new Crown fuel tank strap I bought was a little too long. I have a friend who restores cars and he was able to shorten the strap and re-weld the attach bolt on the end so ended up with a perfect fit. Recently installed the new sender unit and connected hoses from the tank to the new SS fuel lines. Will attach the sending unit wire connector to the top of the tank before dropping the tub back on it. Making progress.

 

[Peanut Butter]

Some of you may have noticed in that last set of pictures the close proximity of the sway bar links to the tie rod. This was a surprise since I bought links that are longer than the original and are supposedly designed for my 2" lift. This obviously is not going to work and I'll be buying longer links. But how much longer? You can see the sway bar was practically horizontal when I took it all apart, now it's much more vertical. Any advice on this would be welcome. Not planning to do any major off roading in this vehicle so no concern there, but it needs to be functional for street driving at least. Also, there is no give in the suspension. I've tried bouncing a corner with all my weight and nothing moves. So at this point I have no clue what full extension or compression of the suspension would look like.

Noticed your post and picture on the "Drivetrain" section of the forum. Was wondering if you see any difference in the spacing with the engine mounted. I'm by no means an expert here, but you suspension is new and stiff (not broke in) and in the build thread has no weight on it. I'm thinking you'll see some difference once you have all the components back on and have driven it for 6 months to a year.

 

[mdeluca]

Decided to read back thru my entire thread to see if I skipped anything. Noticed I hadn't talked about the new stainless fuel and brake lines from Inline Tube. They came pre-bent and fit great with only a little bit of adjustment needed to get them to line up just the way I wanted them to.

Which manufacturer did you choose?

 

[74G8R2]

Noticed your post and picture on the "Drivetrain" section of the forum. Was wondering if you see any difference in the spacing with the engine mounted. I'm by no means an expert here, but you suspension is new and stiff (not broke in) and in the build thread has no weight on it. I'm thinking you'll see some difference once you have all the components back on and have driven it for 6 months to a year.

I have noticed a little more clearance now with engine, tranny, and Transfer Case installed. Your advice sounds logical, so I'll just wait and see what it does as I continue to add weight, get it all lubed up, and drive it a bit. Thanks...

 

[74G8R2]

Which manufacturer did you choose?

Got all the fuel and brake lines from Inline Tube.

 

[74G8R2]

During one of the lulls I decided to finish up restoration of the brake/clutch pedal assembly. Had cleaned up and repainted some time ago. Went ahead and replaced both clutch pedal bushings (bearings) - old ones came out without issue and new ones were a perfect fit. Tried to find new return springs but couldn't, so I cleaned up and repainted originals as best I could. They'll be out of sight and hopefully the paint will hold up for at least a little while. Got the assembly all ready to go back in once the tub is in place. Will attach clutch rod, brake rod (to master cylinder) and brake light switch once I do.