Build Thread 71 CJ5 Build
carlock4sail
Jeeper
- Posts
- 10
- Thanks
- 0
- Location
- Rhode Island
- Vehicle(s)
- 1971 CJ5 -came with a ford 289-t18- dana 18-stock axles- 2 inch home made lift
Hello CJ people,
This is my first post on a jeep forum, spent the last 6 months lurking for 2-3+ hours a day... In december I went to buy a wrangler for the woman for christmas, and came home with a nice little 71 CJ5 that barely ran(oops!)
Now I am elbows deep in a frame off resto and loving it, granted the most I had done to an auto before was change my oil, now I am building up engines and welding, and learning alot! Before I start, This jeep will be my second vehicle, just for fun, no where to off road here really (but its gonna still be capable enough), just a top down summer beach cruiser, maybe a winter toy too!
On to the Jeep, Its a 1970-71 jeep CJ... registered as a 71 but the plate on the inside says it was built in 1970. The guy who owned this before me did some "custom" work to it, including a 2" lift between the springs and frame, installing a ford 1965 289 small block with dual exhaust hooked to the T-90 tranny and dana 18 transfer, and otherwise letting the jeep sit for 12 years.
When I got it the tranny was blown apart, the engine had a small knock, and nothing electrically worked, but it ran.
I decided to ditch the engine and tranny combo, going bigger and hopefully better: I got a 1994 Ford 351w EFI out of a van, and a np435 out of a 1977 f250 and the plan is to run that converted to a Dana 300 .
no pics of the engine before it got hacked up... but it was in nice shape...
Now knowing nothing about engines I wanted it to be carburated, against multiple opinions everything got cut off, and an edlebrock performer intake, ready to run distributer, new water pump, timing cover off 289, fuel pump, were put in.
Still a work in progress!
Next I went axle crazy, I bought a ford 8.8 rear with 3.73 gears posi and discs, and a front '79 Dana 30 with discs and 3.07 gears. I also picked up some springs from a 79 that looked nice with large shackles and possibly a lift...not sure but the guy said he had 37" tsls on it... is that possible with just the shackle lift?
So at this point I am fabing up some shackle reversal components and buying others.
Here the engine came out, tub came off, and the jeep got stripped to the frame. 3-4 wire wheels later and a few wires halfway through my hand, the fame is clean and in AWESOME shape...except for the rear corners where the shackles mount.
Not much rust, but above both hangers cracked a piece of the frame almost completely off. The photo was taken after I cut the welds and took the hangers off... just holding them up there...
welded them up for now, gonna put some angle steel over it for strength.
So much done yet so little, now, being that I am new to this thing, I have some questions that I cant seem to find good answers too...
This is my first post on a jeep forum, spent the last 6 months lurking for 2-3+ hours a day... In december I went to buy a wrangler for the woman for christmas, and came home with a nice little 71 CJ5 that barely ran(oops!)
Now I am elbows deep in a frame off resto and loving it, granted the most I had done to an auto before was change my oil, now I am building up engines and welding, and learning alot! Before I start, This jeep will be my second vehicle, just for fun, no where to off road here really (but its gonna still be capable enough), just a top down summer beach cruiser, maybe a winter toy too!
On to the Jeep, Its a 1970-71 jeep CJ... registered as a 71 but the plate on the inside says it was built in 1970. The guy who owned this before me did some "custom" work to it, including a 2" lift between the springs and frame, installing a ford 1965 289 small block with dual exhaust hooked to the T-90 tranny and dana 18 transfer, and otherwise letting the jeep sit for 12 years.
When I got it the tranny was blown apart, the engine had a small knock, and nothing electrically worked, but it ran.
I decided to ditch the engine and tranny combo, going bigger and hopefully better: I got a 1994 Ford 351w EFI out of a van, and a np435 out of a 1977 f250 and the plan is to run that converted to a Dana 300 .
no pics of the engine before it got hacked up... but it was in nice shape...
Now knowing nothing about engines I wanted it to be carburated, against multiple opinions everything got cut off, and an edlebrock performer intake, ready to run distributer, new water pump, timing cover off 289, fuel pump, were put in.
Still a work in progress!
Next I went axle crazy, I bought a ford 8.8 rear with 3.73 gears posi and discs, and a front '79 Dana 30 with discs and 3.07 gears. I also picked up some springs from a 79 that looked nice with large shackles and possibly a lift...not sure but the guy said he had 37" tsls on it... is that possible with just the shackle lift?
So at this point I am fabing up some shackle reversal components and buying others.
Here the engine came out, tub came off, and the jeep got stripped to the frame. 3-4 wire wheels later and a few wires halfway through my hand, the fame is clean and in AWESOME shape...except for the rear corners where the shackles mount.
Not much rust, but above both hangers cracked a piece of the frame almost completely off. The photo was taken after I cut the welds and took the hangers off... just holding them up there...
welded them up for now, gonna put some angle steel over it for strength.
So much done yet so little, now, being that I am new to this thing, I have some questions that I cant seem to find good answers too...
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