Build Thread $600 Salvage Cj-7

[coldair]

Thanks , your running Outlaws also no? I have a guy that'll shoot it for me so I dont have to go the spray can route again. Leaning toward a semi gloss.

Yes i do have a set of outlaws they are a little wide 10 inch so i went with a diffrent set of wheels. down the road i will buy a set of TSL for off roading.

 

[Petescj]

I always liked the look of the 10 in wide wheel , especially the Outlaws. I'll just deal with not being able to air down quite as much.

Yes i do have a set of outlaws they are a little wide 10 inch so i went with a diffrent set of wheels. down the road i will buy a set of TSL for off roading.

 

[Petescj]

Well you all know I like to get what I percieve as good deal and this holiday weekend offered up an accidental Jeep part purchase. I said Craigslist was dead in another thread , but like any good web wheeler I have other sources.

This weekend was reserved for Vicki and I to go head out and camp. After the first couple we looked at were already booked we decided to check this one: http://www.echovalleycamp.com/gallery/

Echo Valley is only 15 minutes from here Rausch Creek Off Road Park so I thought it would be a great place to check out for when the CJ7 is finally done.

 

[Petescj]

Anyhow over on another Jeep site I saw a very nicely built rear bumper and tire carrier for sale. The guy (Karl) was moving from Va. to Tx. and didnt want to move it along.

Youve all seen it before on the internet. A guy posts an ad for something for sale. Another guy from across the U.S. or far away says " If I was closer Id buy it blah blah ... "

So I post on the ad " Any chance youll be in Pa? ". Turns out he will be. Hes wheeling with a couple guys from North Carolina up at Rausch Creek this weekend.

Where are they staying while their here in Pa? Echo Valley Campground. Needless to say heres my $400 rear bumper and tire carrier.





It ties into the frame pretty nicely. Also has a reciever hitch high lift jack perches a mount for a cb antenna and some d ring mounts. It wasnt something that was way high on my list of things to get but for $400 I couldnt pass it up.

 

[Petescj]

This weeks Jeep purchase? Nothing fancy but I need to get all my sheetmetal together so its all here and ready when the time comes for paint. So it was off to Pittston Pa. to pick up a set of full steel doors. I found a pretty solid set of Yj doors for $200. Not a fan of the mirrors so they'll get tossed.



I also got some badly needed lighting for the garage. I already have another Craigslist score set up for next weekend. Unfortunately my two purchases were in opposite directions. After next weekend I will have all the clean straight sheetmetal I need.

 

[Petescj]

Well yesterday I went on my last trip for clean sheetmetal. I found a set of fenders and a tailgate on Craigslist for $AMC 150 in Forked River NJ. Vicki and I decided to snatch up the parts and then spend the weekend at the beach. I excpected to have a few beach pics to put in my summer entertainment thread and the final pieces for the Cj as well.

Things didnt go near the way I planned. Everything started out well as we made our 2 1/2 hour trek for the parts. Upon arrival the fenders werent rust free but easily salvagable with a little grunt work. The tailgate was nice but has a small dent right above the "p" in Jeep. Again not a deal breaker so all the parts were loaded into our awesome '99 Mercury Sable SW.

Thats when I noticed the antifreeze all over the ground. . Seems the overflow tank has a crack. Ok I'll grab one from a junkyard when we get back. We refill and are off to the beach. We decide to stop for breakfast at the Colonial Diner and thats when things go really wrong.

The car stalls in the middle of making the turn and wont restart. A couple cranks and nothing doing means Petes pushing the behemoth wagon for a bit. After some poking around under the hood Im feeling like its not getting fuel. The waitresses at the diner a nice friendly bunch helping us with phone numbers and garage advice for the area. Our waitress refuses the tip cause as she would say " You need your money right now". Vicki makes her take it anyway and pays. We later discover the $5 bill folded neatly in our reciept with a smiley face drawn on it. Contrary to popular belief not all people from Nj are like those reality TV dimwits like Snooki and her counterparts.

 

[Petescj]

That was only the begining of the nice people we met in Forked River Nj. There was the local mechanic that came in and took a look at the car , confirming my fear it wasnt getting gas. When it came time for a tow another woman chimed in that she was waiting and we could use her AAA.

Then it was off on a rollback to the Lacy rd Shell station. The place was packed like they said on the phone but after a short wait our car was on a lift being poked and prodded. After about a 1/2 hr of diagnostic the mechanic came back and confirmed what I already feared. Dead fuel pump.

The owner ( Richard Ritchie ) and mechanic said they would both stay after closing to finish our car. They even pointed us to a lake about 3/4 of a mile away where we could relax a little while waiting for the car. We grabbed the cooler and headed out.

 

[Petescj]

I almost forgot one of the best parts of the story though. We're walking to the lake , large cooler in tow wondering where the entrance is when Vicki decides to ask one of the locals. Down a small dead end road she sees a man in his yard and heads off toward his direction.

As she gets closer she calls out to the guy. He doesnt respond and has a radio playing so Vicki gets closer then does and abrupt turn around and starts speed walking toward me again. Here the guy is outside taking a shower. He has an outside shower set up and was all lathered up when she was calling out to him. We pressed on and found our way without help from Mr Naked shower guy!

So anyway heres the parts we grabbed and the build will start later this week. Unfortunately the car bill gobbled up the cash for one of the key components of my build. I'll have to save cash for my Dana 300 4 to 1 kit.

 

[elwood blues]

Dang Pete, that's one heck of a story

 

[ZiggyManSaad]

That's great to hear that the NJ people were wicked nice. It's nice to see that people aren't so wrapped up in their own lives and can help others out.


Sent from Tapatalk on a small phone, forgive the misspelling.

 

[Petescj]

Dang Pete, that's one heck of a story

Not as good as the Crack Addicts having rare "new in the box" bronze hardtop windows but fun none the less.

That's great to hear that the NJ people were wicked nice. It's nice to see that people aren't so wrapped up in their own lives and can help others out.


Sent from Tapatalk on a small phone, forgive the misspelling.

It was very pleasant. I love when people restore my faith in humanity. I just wish theyd do it more often.

 

[Petescj]

Well I didnt get a chance to get get much done this week cause of course ,work has picked up now. After working 12 hr shifts all week I got a chance to get the tub in the garage and evaluate my $200 tub a bit more closely.

 

[Petescj]

Granted when you buy a body tub for $200 there are going to be issues. Since I plan to boatside my tub the below pics are really a non factor.

 

[Petescj]

Thats not saying everything is just beautiful. I believe This part of the rocker will need some new metal welded in just to attach the boatsides. Gotta love the bondo.



Both front floor pans have some rust issues. The drivers side was repaired/covered at some time. When repairs like this are made its only a matter of time till the rust spreads out around it. The passenger side has a few small holes also. As stated earlier in this thread I grabbed some replacement panel and will be working them in.

 

[Petescj]

Other than that there are 2 spots on the tub that need a little love. There is one spot in the rear floor that has a little bubbling. Im hoping that this small area will line up with the fuel sending unit , as in this thread from IOPort.

http://www.jeep-cj.com/forums/f7/fuel-gauge-sending-unit-access-panel-13584/

Maybe I get lucky and it kinda lines up? If not it gets cut out and patched.

 

[Petescj]

The other area is worrysome for me. Its small but it is right above the fender flare. It isnt just a flat piece of metal that can be cut out and rewelded easily. It butts up against the the wheel well and makes for an interesting fix.

 

[Petescj]

Im going to take pics of every step I take to turn this Yj tub into a Cj tub. I'll make up a thread on it so you all can see what it entails. Bare with me , it'll take a bit. It seems every time Ive searched about the conversion something is always missing. Im hoping to put it all together for a one stop shopping experience

Anyway so after looking at a Yj tub for so long I had to "Cj" it a bit.

 

[Project86]

I did the YJ to CJ swap. If you gotta question shoot me a pm and give ya' a phone number. Maybe I'll be able to get over a hard spot. It wasn't really to much a PITA and in the end it was definitely worth it.

 

[Petescj]

If I run into a spot where Im stumped I'll definately take you up on the offer. Ive read up on it quite a bit but you never know what'll pop up working on the Jeep.

I did the YJ to CJ swap. If you gotta question shoot me a pm and give ya' a phone number. Maybe I'll be able to get over a hard spot. It wasn't really to much a PITA and in the end it was definitely worth it.

 

[Petescj]

Ive finalized a deal on a Rolled Yj. I'll be making a Cj clone out of it. All the sheetmetal Ive bought will be headed toward that project. Look for a new thread on it sometime around the end of the month.

That doesnt mean Im giving up on my Cj. I believe Ive found a descent Cj tub for it as well. The current tub isnt really toast either way. All in all this should be a win win situation.