Build Thread '74 CJ-5 Rebuild

[DLane]

This is my ground up rebuild of my '74 CJ5 . Jeep was a lake family hand-me-down and is finally in my hands and its time to show her some love!

The Basics:
'74 CJ5 Chassis
'83 Chevy 305
GM Turbo 400 Transmission
Dana 20 Transfer Case
Dana 44 Rear End (3.73)
'80 Front Dana 30 (With Disc Brakes)

The Plan:
Repair and rebuild entire chassis
Rebuild and mild build up of 305 (cam, lifters, rockers, intake, carb)
Old body beyond repair, with pounds and pounds of bondo falling off and almost every panel rusted through in some place its off to the scrapyard. Going with fibreglass tub and fenders
Rewire everything and remove rats nest of old wiring
And of course add a few toys and goodies along the way!

This is my first full on restoration project, but have a good amount of mechanical experience working on my other two vehichles. 2001 Ford Ranger, and 1999 Jeep Cherokee Sport.

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb377/dlaneranger/Facebook/74%20CJ5%20Restoration/558872_132037096947712_1144061542_n.jpg?t=1353784997[/IMG
[IMG]http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb377/dlaneranger/Facebook/74%20CJ5%20Restoration/75949_132037120281043_1091517446_n.jpg?t=1353784998[/IMG
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[DLane]

Body stripped and most engine components stripped & Transfer Case pulled

 

[Bowbender]

You're on the way, I'll enjoy watching the progress.

 

[CJ007]

Looks like you are off to a good start and have the room to play. Welcome from AZ!

 

[DLane]

Mild rebuild of both axles- almost complete!

Front- pinion seal, wheel bearings, spindle seal and bearing, new warn hubs, new calipers and pads, blasted and painted diff cover, new brake lines, new tie rod and drag link

Rear- pinion seal, brake shoes, wheel cylinder, blasted and painted diff cover

And wheels blasted and painted satin black with same tires (33X12.5R15)


old


New!!

 

[BC CJ]

Finally a build thread! Looks like great progress already! Man I would love to have a work shop; I'm on the driveway . Granted Kelowna isn't quite as cold as Edmonton Keep at 'er, it's looking good.

 

[DLane]

Thanks guys. Was a long road to having this much room in my shop. Between my dad and my grandpa there was a lot of unneccessary junk but after a few weeks of cleaning and organizing I made a nice place to play for myself.

 

[DLane]

Made some more progress lately!

Frame painted with KBS Rust seal


Started cleanup and paint on a few parts


Mounted Gas tank

 

[Petescj]

Im so glad that I found the Limited Cj I got. It will keep me using Silver and Slate Blue and some black.


Thats not an insult. If I wouldnt have found that I honestly have kicked that green around in my head alot. Now I wont be a copycat.

 

[73CJ]

Coming along nicely!

Nice post.

 

[mylittlecj5]

Looks like the twin to mine! Good to see people renewing the older CJs!

Couple questions for ya.
Did someone lengthen the fender lines to install the Chevy engine? From the pic of the side view, it looks like they bondo'ed up the fender to body seam.
Did they do anything to the frame to fit the auto Transmission in there? Your driveshaft looks almost as long as mine, and I have a bunch more lift than you do. Generally, people say you can't fit an auto Transmission in a short CJ5 , yours proves that it can be done.
Last, do you only have 3 of the Swampers? lol I noticed the one wheel you showed cleaned up had an AT style tire on it (just messin' with ya here!)

 

[DLane]

Mylittlecj- I don't know alot about the swap as it was done by the owner previous to the last... And from what I can tell it wasn't done overly well. With the amount of rust and bondo on the fenders I can't say if they have been lengthened or not. Ill find out in a hurry when I get a new fibreglass set I'm sure! And not only is the auto Transmission longer, the adapter to fit the Transfer Case is probably 3" long as well. Ill do some measurements on driveshafts and compare some frames tonight. You've got me curious now haha.

 

[DLane]

And yeah only 2 swampers. Need to find 2 more. All tires are 33's but the AT's are worn down and measure 31.5 height and the swampers measure 33.5 and I'm worried about twisting a driveshaft or wrecking my Transfer Case with the difference in size.

 

[DLane]

Finally some more updates!!
Took a trip to montana to save a ton on shipping cost, and pick up some goodies including 2.5" lift kit, cam kit, distributor, dress up parts and many more engine parts.


rebuilt my steering gear


Tranny cleaned up and installed


Suspension and steering installed


Dirty block


Cleaned up and machined


Lots of new parts and time for assembly

 

[DLane]

Anyone have any thoughts on adding some color to my wheels? Would like to find simulated beadlocks or some trim rings or something just to add a touch of green to my wheels. Using original 15" wheels.

 

[BC CJ]

Yes, there are rock rims that weld inside the rim so the rim cannot be bent. They would add a nice accent.

BeadLocks & RockRings

Local company here in Kelowna makes some cool ones.

 

[Akempker]

You could have a pin stripe added around your rim the same green, would be inexpensive and help break up all the black while matching the suspension...

 

[Akempker]

PS it looks awesome, I am in the middle of rebuilding my CJ and have it tore down. Ready to take the body off, and tackle the frame and suspension.