Build Thread 82 Cj7 rebuild / restore.
mattgunguy
Jeeper
- Posts
- 105
- Featured
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- Location
- Springfield Missouri
- Vehicle(s)
- 83 Cj5. 258 straight 6. T-176. Dana 300. Dana 30. AMC 20 (with locker). Named BJ
69 Cj5. Dauntless 225 v6. T-14. Dana 18. Dana 27
Dana 44. Named Kyzer.
Roughly March of 2025 I traded a buddy for this 82 CJ7 , primarily because I'm also of that vintage.
View attachment 107448
Can't see much can ya. Well there was a jeep hiding in them bushes.
Fast forward a few months & I was ready to make the 10 hour each way drive to drag him home. And life went to utter
. Mother in law who lived on our property had a series of nasty strokes & was on hospice for a while before passing. Then my wife thought breaking an ankle in 3 places would be a good idea. So "Operation Get My Cj Home" was postponed until last March, so it took a year.
When dragging a classic vehicle home, one should use a truck older than said vehicle to do the towing right.
19 March 2026, on the way out for 1400 miles in the wifes 79 F250. Pulling the old red trailer, more on that later.
View attachment 107449
Now I cheated & sent my car hauler back with my buddy six months early, so I didn't even have to load anything.
May be missing a little something here.
View attachment 107450
View attachment 107451
So the wife & I made the drive (was also the first time she'd ever pulled a trailer, was very proud of her), and got him home. Headaches were involved. The old Ford did great until the fuel pump went out two hours from home & literally nobody had one in stock. An electric fuel pump, boat tank, 10 foot of fuel hose & a lot of fuel stops later we made it home.
View attachment 107452
And home at last.
View attachment 107453
View attachment 107454
Then no work was really done for a couple of months. It was a nightmare getting the title sorted out. I'm in Missouri & the Cj came out of Kentucky and the two states really dont get along well government wise. But the title finally came in last week & now work will get underway.
The frame is toast for the most part, but I've got a replacement that only needs "a little" love & attention. I don't like the "weld on" repair like this.
Because it hides this & doesn't do squat to address the root issue.
So much more to come.
If I link to YouTube, I've got some videos on there as well. Like when I got him running the first time with a crab from a random dodge truck.
View attachment 107448
Can't see much can ya. Well there was a jeep hiding in them bushes.
Fast forward a few months & I was ready to make the 10 hour each way drive to drag him home. And life went to utter
. Mother in law who lived on our property had a series of nasty strokes & was on hospice for a while before passing. Then my wife thought breaking an ankle in 3 places would be a good idea. So "Operation Get My Cj Home" was postponed until last March, so it took a year. When dragging a classic vehicle home, one should use a truck older than said vehicle to do the towing right.
19 March 2026, on the way out for 1400 miles in the wifes 79 F250. Pulling the old red trailer, more on that later.
View attachment 107449
Now I cheated & sent my car hauler back with my buddy six months early, so I didn't even have to load anything.
May be missing a little something here.
View attachment 107450
View attachment 107451
So the wife & I made the drive (was also the first time she'd ever pulled a trailer, was very proud of her), and got him home. Headaches were involved. The old Ford did great until the fuel pump went out two hours from home & literally nobody had one in stock. An electric fuel pump, boat tank, 10 foot of fuel hose & a lot of fuel stops later we made it home.
View attachment 107452
And home at last.
View attachment 107453
View attachment 107454
Then no work was really done for a couple of months. It was a nightmare getting the title sorted out. I'm in Missouri & the Cj came out of Kentucky and the two states really dont get along well government wise. But the title finally came in last week & now work will get underway.
The frame is toast for the most part, but I've got a replacement that only needs "a little" love & attention. I don't like the "weld on" repair like this.
Because it hides this & doesn't do squat to address the root issue.
So much more to come.
If I link to YouTube, I've got some videos on there as well. Like when I got him running the first time with a crab from a random dodge truck.
