Build Thread $600 Salvage Cj-7

Build Thread $600 Salvage Cj-7
Glad you enjoyed it. I'll have some new material here soon. As far as wondering what yours is gonna cost it'll probably be a lot. :D They all do in the end. Right now mine is decent enough to drive back and forth too and from work , but I wouldn't be taking any long trips in her.

Next installment will focus on the front end. I'll be replacing all the wheel bearings lubing the hubs and replacing some tie - rod ends. I hope to add the Tj flares Memorial day week as well.
 
Shipping stuff up here is what costs me $$$. I just need to replace the AMC 304 (seized via mud...no not from me!), fix some rust holes, paint it with Tremclad (I'm cheap:D), fix steering box brace, add a Currie brace, replace wiring (Painless kit), add a 1 peice rear axle kit, add a locker, get a full softop (have a Bestop bikini), get some wiper arms, a windsheild.....dang....it's -30C out again! Next year I am going to........
 
So here we are the day after Memorial day and Im off for the week. Now Ive been driving the Salvage CJ7 to and from work and little jaunts around town for a little over a month. But really, is that what a Cj is built for? Pounding pavement ? Hardly not I say. Ive been chomping at the bit to get some offroad time in the Cj for quite awhile now. That ends today.


Vicki was off working ( Ha Ha ) and I decided it was time for a little offroad fun. We have a power line road about 10 mi. from my place that has a little of everything. Theres plenty of dips and low areas that gather rainfall and make a nice slippery mud pool in a few spots , elevation changes that are somewhat steep and the best part , a big dump of rocks that streches about 3 football fields. We've used this alot of times as kind of a proving grounds after an upgrade or two.

I shouldve atleast taken some still pics without me in the Jeep but honestly I was having too much fun too think of pic posting. :eek:
 
First off this was kinda on a whim so I had to get the gear ready. Even though this area is only about 3 mi. long and 10 mi. from home. I wanna be equipped to handle a minor breakdown and since it was unplanned make sure someone could find me just in case.

First off I only have the 4 worn 33in. All terrains I bought for $100. Considering the Scrambler was already riding on its spare due to a flat I jacked it up and stole one of the 31s just in case I was unlucky enough to have another. Not the optimum solution but for a small trip home in 2wd the 31 would do. Load up the toolbox! I have a plastic 3 drawer toolbox from Craftsman that has just about anything Id need for a small excursion like this. Next was the little cooler. Cooler you ask for a 3 mi. trail 10 mi. from home? Definately. Its been pretty hot and humid here as of late and water does a body good , not milk lol. Not to mention the Cj is all black. Yup a heat magnet my friends.

So what else did I bring? A couple of U-joints were first on the list. Some Antifreeze since this is the first off roading this Jeep has seen. This isnt the Rubicon or anything and Im confident in the work Ive put into the Cj to date. I also did a thorough once over on the Jeep checking belts and hoses , all fluid levels and such just to make sure. Im pretty happy with everything and after taking out all the windows off I go...
 
So a few minutes later and there I am at our little proving grounds. Weve had some nice thunderstorms lately so the first thing I hit are some nice large puddles with a real slick muddy bottom. 4H and some wheel speed get me through without the first few without a problem. Then I hit the biggest one I'll see all day. Its a good AMC 150 ft. from end to end. The lenght wasnt the problem , the depth was. :D About 25 ft from the end with water coming in over the door sills the Cj stalls.

Its right about that moment I really wish I had a buddy with me for a tug of the tow strap if needed. I turn the key and she fires back up making that strange exhaust note you only get when the tailpipe is submerged. Its now that I discover that the All Terrains just dont clean out well at all and I really have to get on it to make the last 25 ft. So did the Salvage CJ7 pass the mud test? I guess since I got it across I have to say yes but just barely. If the mud were any deeper I think Id have been on the phone trying to get a tug from someone who wasnt at work. :eek:

The All Terrains are marginal at best and didnt perform even up to my low expectations. Definately room for improvement there. The AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l ? Other than the stall with the Team Rush , flamethrower coil and Mc2100 she made plenty of power and performed well above my expectations. Next obstacle , a nice rock garden to loosen her up a bit. ;)
 
Petescj said:
The All Terrains are marginal at best and didnt perform even up to my low expectations. Definately room for improvement there.
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:laugh: You got that right. I got stuck in my yard with BFG AT's.:(
 
Yeah. If you go way back in the thread you'll here me complain a bit about finding a set of used 33s. It took forever for me to find these and I settled. A good set of meats has moved up to #1 on my list after this little tryout.
Old Dog said:
:laugh: You got that right. I got stuck in my yard with BFG AT's.:(
Click to expand...
 
Ok well on to the rockpile. Im guessing that the powerline co. places a stretch of these bad boys every so often to use for foundation? Anyway Im staring at about 300 yard stretch now. Plenty long enough to get an idea how the Cj will do in the rocks.

First off some things Im happy with. The T-176 /Dana 300 combo was lightyears better than the T-150 /Dana 20 in my CJ5 . While its not a Granny low T-18 I beleive its gonna be just fine for me. The MC2100 also kept a very nice idle as I lumbered over some nice size rocks. Drive train wise I can't complain about the Cj one bit.

I aired all the way down to 13 lbs. Thats been around my limit on past Jeeps for a 10 in. wide rim. Even with the All terrains aired down they are just junk. Quite a few times I slid off the rocks and had to readjust my line because of these tires.

Tires werent my only complaint but the 2 1/2 in. springs dont allow enough room for full articulation. Too many times my tires contacted the sheet metal. Mostly it was the front fender area behind the tire itself. The Tj flares should solve this problem and has definately motivated me to purchase that saws all I want. :D

That pesky bolt on the steering box lossened up again and a permant fix needs to be adressed. The springs articulated pretty well for cheap Cj springs but are alittle stiff. The straight line of pipe Im using for a tailpipe must go :eek: and maybe an entire exhaust system replacement is in the future. I have to trace down some of the annoying creaks and groans as well.

Overall the Cj passed the test and showed the weak spots. I'd have to give her a C minus along with the driver whos rusty and put her in some tougher spots on the rocks than he shouldve. Im used to a front locker and my choice of lines in an open differential Cj need some improvement. Hanging a tire out is no longer an option. I really think some good tires , sheetmetal trimming and a bit of wrenching will bring the grade up to atleast a B. But its a wide gap from a low B to an A. Plenty more work to do. :chug:
 
This may not look like much to alot of people , but Im dam glad to have it. Heres the man cave at the new place.


mancave.png
 
:cool:looks good, hard part is keeping the bycycles and lawn mowers out.:cool:

A hard flat floor with a fan in summer and a couple of halogen wor lights in the winter and a roof to keep the rain out. life is good.:D

Petescj said:
This may not look like much to alot of people , but Im dam glad to have it. Heres the man cave at the new place.


mancave.png
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Just think pretty soon it's gona be full of jeep parts.:D
 
Its already starting to fill just with stuff I had in the shed. I also have a line on a 84 CJ7 for parts. That'll fill it pretty quick. :D A new lift ,tires and a boat load of front end parts will be ordered at the end of this week as well. Theres gonna be quite a bit of work going on here pretty soon. :cool:
Old Dog said:
Just think pretty soon it's gona be full of jeep parts.:D
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The deal was too good to pass up. Same price as the place I was renting , rent to own, more than twice as much room and of course the garage. Even I wasnt dumb enough to pass that up. :D
Cheepjeep85 said:
well i'm jealous. i live in an apartment, small 8 unit complex. my mom and dad have a small garage i use when i need to but still it ain't mine.
Click to expand...
 
Boy have I got a crapload of parts building up for this thing. With the Scrambler needing some clutch parts I decided it was time to clean up atleast some of the pile today.

For starters I wanted to stop all that water leaking through the widshield , down the dash and onto my feet.



cowlgasket1-1.jpg

cowlseal2.jpg
 
Heres the part where I have to admit Im getting old. After driving the Scrambler all last winter with its 1/2 hard top I sensed something strange in a Cj. Something I never really sensed before...


HEAT!!!!

So heres some pics of my $AMC 150 hardtop.

hardtopside.jpg

hardtoprear.jpg

hardtopinside.jpg
 
Its in pretty good shape for a Cj hardtop from the East Coast thats for sure. That said I couldnt just bolt it on like it was. I replaced the seals along the outside edge where it mounts to the tub as well as the area it contacts the windshield frame. It looked a bit drab as well so I hit it with some gloss black.


hardtop1.jpg

hardtop2.jpg
 
It looks really good on the Cj but it got late enough I couldnt get a good enough pic. I'll make sure to take some tomorrow. My 1/2 door soft upper combo doesnt work with it so I had to steal the doors from the Scrambler temporarily.

I'm finally going to be getting around to some fun stuff once the Scrambler is all ready for action. Heres a pic that will give you guys an idea of what my next modification will be. Ive wanted to do this for quite awhile. I'll grab a sawzall from Sears and when I have my next days off in 2 weeks I'll show you the results.

Tjsidemarker.jpg
 
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