Build Thread 82 CJ7 frame swap & lift build

[rbagley]

This week marks 1 year since getting the Jeep on the road and my first trip to Silver Lake, June 7, 2013. It was actually not even road worthy the week before that. I made a big push to get it done by June 7th for the trip.

I am heading up again this weekend, June 6,7,8 2014- this time with a new Weber 38/38 carburetor, new bigger tires, a Tom Woods front drive-shaft, Transfer Case Twin Stick shifter, matching spare tire, and some of the many other bugs worked out.

This time I get to stay and play a lot longer (as long as I don't break something major). My first trip last year was on a day I had to come home for a wedding that caused me to leave about 5 hours after getting into the dunes for the first time. It only took 5 minutes to know that I liked what I built, though.

I stopped by a neighbor's house over the weekend to get the other picture. He has had the 51 Willys pick-up sitting in his barn for 15 years he said. I spotted it outside while they were cleaning the barn out. I would love to make one of these my next project!

 

[Petescj]

OMG!! If you grab that truck please post up your build thread here. You did such a great job with the Cj , Id love to see the Truck. :drool:

 

[rbagley]

I see my last post was June 2014. It is getting cold here in Michigan again so that means it is time to put some more work into the Jeep. I finished a lift on my soon to be new daily driver- a Trailblazer EXT. They weren't designed well to lift, so I only ended up with a 3" lift in the front and 2" in the rear. It was enough to make it stand up and stand out compared to most Trailblazers.

I have really struggled with whether to sell this Jeep to build a full size Bronco. It was a frustrating summer with a wife and 3 kids, not being able to cruise or do some light wheeling together. I have so much work into the Jeep and am really fond of the CJ's, though. I doubt I could let it go. Rather, I think I am just going to continue to make it everything I want...which means more horse power, lower gears and a soft top/doors so that I can drive it more than just on sunny days. I still do not plan to drive it when there is salt on the roads here in MI.

I got a box of parts from Morris 4x4 in the mail today for the heater core, blower and the dash switches....more about that as I get pictures together and post my progress.

For now, here are a few pictures of the Jeep and friends taken since June 2014.

 

[rbagley]

October 10, 2014 was the last chance I had to wheel. There was a benefit event at our local ski resort called TimberCrawl. They had a trail set up in the woods surrounding the ski hills and made a few play areas to go through- including a short hill climb, a small mud pit and a boulder crawl.

I took two of my daughters- it was a good event for them to come to...not too extreme- they only got a little mud tossed their way going through the mud pit. Although I never intended on doing that one- I am not a big fan of mud. It is long washed off now.

The last two pictures wouldn't fit on my last post. They were also from Silver Lake Sand Dunes when I was there in July. I think I made it up with the Jeep 3 times this summer. The motor and gearing get me frustrated each time I make the 2 hour drive up there.

I am running 2.72 gears, 33" tires and the stock AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l with a Weber 38 carb. It runs ok, but can hardly keep 60 mph. The AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l has begun a faint knock in the low end. Due to my buddy just sticking a 400hp 6.0L Chevy motor in his old Blazer, I have an itch to re-gear and drop in a V8, but not the money or guts at this point. We will see what the winter brings. I have a lot more time inside online to research and time in the garage, if I come up with something.

 

[Torxhead]

Thanks for those pics, really like that school bus.

 

[rbagley]

We had a trip planned for Father's Day to Silver Lake for three days, so I spent a couple of days making little fixes. I replaced the original worn seat belts for my back seat and finished hooking my dash controls back up after having stuff removed for the heater core and blower motor replacement. I also had been noticing from past pictures that the rear sat a little low compared to the front, so I put the correct sized body mount in the rear and began making a bracket for a mount that never got put on...the fiberglass tub didn't sit on the frame quite the same as the steel tub did.

Day 2 in the dunes I rolled the Jeep over. After 6 guys helped me manually lift it back upright and pull me out (via a large truck and 3 tow straps) I was praising God that nothing really got damaged to speak of. My kids weren't with me when it happened either. I got in a spot I didn't want to be in, trying to get a dune buggy unstuck. I was able to drive back to camp and back on the dunes the next day, thankfully.

Now that we are back home, it is time to make a few upgrades. It has been showing signs that the motor mounts are separating, so I ordered a pair of these and got them a few days ago. A pair of Moser 1 piece axles came UPS yesterday and a steering tie rod flip kit (Goferit) is also on its way. I bought a pair of axles locally (same thing- Dana 30 and AMC20 ), with 354 gears, to replace my 273 gears. While I am swapping axles out, I hope to put a truss on the AMC20 , change the seals and all with the Moser axle kit and flip all the steering arms on the Dana 30 . I am anticipating the gears will make a lot of bang for my $AMC 150 bucks. Had I paid the money to get gears put into my current axles, I would have gone for something lower, like 4.11, but that would have cost a lot more in the end.
I will just use the brakes and spindles and inner axle joints out of my current Dana 30 , but have the axle tubes and gears from this other front end.
I have been reading the forums here a lot again as I prepare to do these upgrades and will post progress as I am able.