Build Thread 1983 cj 5-bought with blinders on!

[BedneckKustumz]

This is my second CJ (1st one sold 7 years ago). I bought this CJ about a month ago, since my life is finally settled down (according to the wife..lol). I purchased it for $2500. It has the standard AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l , 30 front, 20 rear, Dana 300 , and from what I can see (through the hole in the floor..lol) a T-176 . Until I get all the paint off, most of the body seems to be fairly clear of rust, aside from some surface rust on the underside of the body and hood, and the drivers side floorboard. The seatbelts did not work (scary for the 3 mile drive home) and the seat frames seem to be rusting through. It also came with 35x12.5R15 tires that have a lot of tread (to much meat for stock drivetrain) and a 5" body lift from what it looks like. I could keep going, but I think that the pics will speak for themselves, but I'll have some comments. This is a true budget vehicle, not like the $7500 budget 4x4's you see on "Powerblock"...lol. With 6 kids and a wife, my budget is $100/month...but since I don't invision a $20K monster rig, with a $1K paint job, or a straight body, I should be fine. BTW, if anybody lives close to South Alabama and wants to trade a set of 33's or 31's for the 35's...I'm game..lol

THE REAR SEAT LOOKS HIGH BECAUSE IT IS JUST SITTING ON TOP OF THE SPARE TIRE

DRYER HOSE SNORKEL=COMPLETELY USELESS

HAD TO USE THE AIR FILTER TO COVER THE PIECE OF FENCE POST THAT THEY WELDED THROUGH THE FENDER..WTF!

CRAPPY HOMADE HORN AND IGNITION...DON'T KNOW WHY THEY RUINED THE COLUMN...IF YOU LOOK..YOU CAN ALSO SEE THE WIPER SWITCH HANGING DOWN WHERE THEY REMOVED IT TO PUT IN A MANUAL CHOKE..WHICH DOESN'T WORK.

ALL I CAN SAY IS...I HAD THE BLINDERS ON...APPARENTLY THEY WERE TOO CHEAP TO BUY 6 BOLTS.

MORE CRAPPY DRYER HOSE!

THIS IS HOW I FOUND THE VALVE COVER BOLTS...LOL

WELDED SHIFTERS..BOTH TRANNY AND XFER CASE..LOL

RUINED COLUMN AND WHAT YOU CAN'T SEE IS THE GENERIC UNIVERSAL TURN SIGNAL SWITCH THAT IS HOSE CLAMPED TO THE COLUMN...LAZY BASTARDS..LOL..AND IT DOESN'T EVEN WORK THE FRONT TURN SIGNALS!


BUT AT LEAST THEY PUT IN A NEW HEAD, NEW STARTER, NEW CLUTCH, NEW ALTERNATOR, AND NEW RADIATOR..LOL

 

[MAYBCJ]

Wow looks like it'll be some work but cool.
One question, your pics look like a CJ5 but I though 76-86 would be a CJ7 ? I am new to cj's but are you sure about the year?

 

[BedneckKustumz]

yeah...CJ5 's were from 61-83...7's and 5's were both made at the same time for quite a few years.

 

[IOPort51]

not the first time a guy woke up next to a coyote ugly.

but all in all, we have seen worse. you got most of the pieces and it runs.

 

[BedneckKustumz]

not the first time a guy woke up next to a coyote ugly.

but all in all, we have seen worse. you got most of the pieces and it runs.

Oh..make no mistake..i'm looking forward to fixing it up...on a $100/month budget no less..lol...but I just laughed the next morning after I drove it once, bought it and then the next morning was like....roflmao...(I'm glad I love jeeps or I'd be pissed) It has all the pieces...but it runs a little rough (probably due to having about 7 vacuum lines hanging free). I also found out when I checked the oil that the oil level is 6-8 inches above the full line...guess it's not leaking oil like the PO said (it hasn't moved in a month)...so I have to find the other leak.

Waiting for the next budget installment so that I can order 2 seats and save on the shipping..lol

 

[cerrajero]

if you get to the north part of GA there is a guy in rockmart that has parts dont know if he ships though


but you never know put the word out you may find parts closer than you think.....maybe a cousins college roomates next door neighbors dads bosses lawn guy might know where to get parts worked for me

anyway good luck and if here in atlanta area hit me up i can go look at it for ya

 

[IOPort51]

The gear shift is sad and the drier vent snorkel is hilarious.
and I am still laughing about the exhaust "clamp".
Natural selection is a big disappointment.

 

[BedneckKustumz]

if you get to the north part of GA there is a guy in rockmart that has parts dont know if he ships though


but you never know put the word out you may find parts closer than you think.....maybe a cousins college roomates next door neighbors dads bosses lawn guy might know where to get parts worked for me

anyway good luck and if here in atlanta area hit me up i can go look at it for ya

thanks bro...i'm not too worried about finding parts...there are a lot of parts down here to source from...but thanks for the heads up. ATL is over 5 hrs from me..lol. I actually got a smokin' deal on a pair of 4pt harness for $40...brand new and the guy had been trying to sell them for months...now I just have to save up my $100/month to get a couple of seats. The wife (yes I want her to be involved/interested...it's easier that way..lol) has decided that I need to put 2 more buckets in the back. I have a few ideas on how to set that up..but just have to wait on the money to pile up for now. I don't care about the body being perfect (for now) and I'll do the paint myself, I just want it to be safe and run consistently..lol

 

[Project86]

I absolutely love the dryer hose! I'm currently using it as a screen saver. LOL. Looks like you are gonna have your hands full. I bought a tub for my project today and will post some pictures of it tomorrow on my build thread. Some of your wiring looks like my PO worked on your jeep also. And for the record the shifters looked vaguely familiar. Good luck with the wrenches and keep the pictures coming. This should be a good thread for sometime to come. P86

 

[BedneckKustumz]

I absolutely love the dryer hose! I'm currently using it as a screen saver. LOL. Looks like you are gonna have your hands full. I bought a tub for my project today and will post some pictures of it tomorrow on my build thread. Some of your wiring looks like my PO worked on your jeep also. And for the record the shifters looked vaguely familiar. Good luck with the wrenches and keep the pictures coming. This should be a good thread for sometime to come. P86

roflmao...I didn't mind the dryer hose so much (except for the fact the rain could easily get in there and is probably what killed the previous head) but the fact that they cut a piece of fence pipe and welded it through me for a loop..I was like..WTF!..lol And I won't even talk about the shifters..lol

 

[JAG811]

The gear shift is sad and the drier vent snorkel is hilarious.
and I am still laughing about the exhaust "clamp".
Natural selection is a big disappointment.

Ha ha ha !! X 2 !!

 

[BedneckKustumz]

Ha ha ha !! X 2 !!

The gear shift is sad and the drier vent snorkel is hilarious.
and I am still laughing about the exhaust "clamp".
Natural selection is a big disappointment.

it's not just the gear shift..it's both...hell..they could've just put a threaded collar on and threaded another piece of rod..but no...out comes the stick welder...i mean..really...lol...and yes..the c clamps..wow..i actually sat down and laughed for a good thirty mins...the sad thing is...other than the clamps..there is not another part of the exhaust attached..the rest just sits on the skid plate...which only has 3 bolts in it ..btw..lol

 

[cerrajero]

there is ton ( if not more ) of info with the members here...keep reading IOs ( imma goin to ask him to marry me) ( and Im straight) busa sasquach ( to mention just a few) that have got "this what i did " situations on a budget...your in the right place

 

[Project86]

there is ton ( if not more ) of info with the members here...keep reading IOs ( imma goin to ask him to marry me) ( and Im straight) busa sasquach ( to mention just a few) that have got "this what i did " situations on a budget...your in the right place

I was on a another forum and the "established and chosen" ones standard answer was to buy a factory service manual. I was always under the idea a forum was a way to publicly/collectively solve problems. After a while they began to sound like a broken record. The guys here are more apt to suggest an answer.

 

[IOPort51]

We appreciate the complements but PLEASE buy an FSM!!!!!
We can't describe wiring and/or vacuume diagrams nearly as well an an FSM can. and with out a good reference library you will never be the one that answers the questions.
when someone asks what the head bolt torque and sequence on a AMC 304 is go you really think we recite it from memory? The truth is if you own a CJ and don't have every reference source you can lay your hands on, your doing it the hard way.
IMHO

I was on a another forum and the "established and chosen" ones standard answer was to buy a factory service manual. I was always under the idea a forum was a way to publicly/collectively solve problems. After a while they began to sound like a broken record. The guys here are more apt to suggest an answer.

 

[IOPort51]

the big question is "why did they cut them in the first place"?? I am guessing they needed the clearance to drop the TC?Transmission .?? And they couldn't see how to pull the sticks?
these guys are an embarrassment to the entire species.

it's not just the gear shift..it's both...hell..they could've just put a threaded collar on and threaded another piece of rod..but no...out comes the stick welder...i mean..really...lol...and yes..the c clamps..wow..i actually sat down and laughed for a good thirty mins...the sad thing is...other than the clamps..there is not another part of the exhaust attached..the rest just sits on the skid plate...which only has 3 bolts in it ..btw..lol

 

[BedneckKustumz]

We appreciate the complements but PLEASE buy an FSM!!!!!
We can't describe wiring and/or vacuume diagrams nearly as well an an FSM can. and with out a good reference library you will never be the one that answers the questions.
when someone asks what the head bolt torque and sequence on a 304 is go you really think we recite it from memory? The truth is if you own a CJ and don't have every reference source you can lay your hands on, your doing it the hard way.
IMHO

Don't worry guys...I have all the self-help manuals I can get....well almost all of them..lol

 

[BedneckKustumz]

We appreciate the complements but PLEASE buy an FSM!!!!!
We can't describe wiring and/or vacuume diagrams nearly as well an an FSM can. and with out a good reference library you will never be the one that answers the questions.
when someone asks what the head bolt torque and sequence on a 304 is go you really think we recite it from memory? The truth is if you own a CJ and don't have every reference source you can lay your hands on, your doing it the hard way.
IMHO

the big question is "why did they cut them in the first place"?? I am guessing they needed the clearance to drop the TC?transmission.?? And they couldn't see how to pull the sticks?
these guys are an embarrassment to the entire species.

From what I can tell...it's only a body lift and no suspension lift...there's almost a foot of space from the top of the tranny to the bottom of the body. I think that the top of the shifters would have cleared the body by maybe an inch. I would have just put a collar on it and put threads on a new piece of round bar to make them taller. Another issue with the tranny shifter is that the angle is weird now..so you almost have to shift up and down, instead of forward and back..it's awkward...to say the least.

 

[bdunnam]

I mean come on really???? C clamps to hold the exhaust to the manifold. this project should officially go in the dictionary under ni**er riggin! Ha the only explanation i can think of for doing this is, either they broke the bolts off, or just got tired of using bolts period.

 

[BedneckKustumz]

I mean come on really???? C clamps to hold the exhaust to the manifold. this project should officially go in the dictionary under ni**er riggin! Ha the only explanation i can think of for doing this is, either they broke the bolts off, or just got tired of using bolts period.

ROFLMAO...i know right..and no..the holes are clear..if you look down through the top..they removed the small round part from the clamp so that the screw part fit through the hole..lol...and it was "rigged" on the "FAR" west boarder of TX...that's all I'm sayin'