Advice on reviving a CJ7
JoshMc
Jeeper
I am new to the forum, although not new to playing with cars or automotive forums. I want to introduce myself, share my story, and hopefully get some feedback.
My father has had Jeeps for about 30 straight years at this point, never lapsing in owning at least one that I can remember since buying the 1986 Cherokee new in late 1985. He had a few Comanches, and over 20 years ago started with CJ7 ownership. He has had a couple, the last of which he acquired about a decade ago. It was low mileage '86 and in very nice condition. He enjoyed it for several years, until hurricane Irene dropped a pine tree across the cowl in 2011.
It sat for a bit, always with his intention to get it back on the road. He sorted out the damages with insurance, and actually got it re-titled and registered despite the unrepaired body damage. He had the engine freshened up and a lot of the emissions "junk" cleared out of the engine bay...but never got to replacing the body tub. I am sure you all know the conundrum that is. Either find a unicorn of an original CJ7 tub that is not swiss cheese, spend a ton of money on a reproduction, or source a YJ tub that can be used. I kept trying to find what he wanted, but as he kept closing in on retirement it started to look less and less likely. Finally, about a year ago, we talked on the phone and he said the words I never thought I would hear: "Do you know anybody that would want to buy a Jeep?" Obviously I knew what he was meant, and he confessed the reasons he did not think he wanted to keep it and that he refused to be the guy that would not let go as a vehicle rotted into the ground. I got the specifics of what all he was selling (like most Jeep guys, he had enough parts to build two more) and at what price.
A day or two later, after thinking on it, I told him I had a buyer...me. Mom freaked out a bit, not wanting to do business with family and things of that nature, but we all agreed to it anyway. I sourced a YJ tub locally that needed a fair bit of body work, but was basically rust free and a solid base to work off of. It sat in my garage for quite awhile, and the Jeep and parts never budged from the parent's house. I intended to get to work heavy on it this winter, but other priorities and time contraints have come to light and that was not in the cards. Again refusing to be the one to keep delaying forward progress, I found a local guy that could do most of the work for me without breaking the bank. He is not a professional, but proficient enough to be effective and having the free time that I am lacking to actually complete the swap.
So, I find myself trying to get this whole thing pieced together this winter, and would rather not overlook anything that should/could be done while the thing is in pieces. This will be a driver and light off-road toy, with the goal to get it on the road again without putting to much into it or going overboard. It has a completely stock drivetrain with the AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l and T-4 . I have a T-5 and Transfer Case that were rebuilt in the Jeep he had before this one and had very low miles on them that I plan to swap in. There is also a Rancho 2.5" leaf kit with RS9000 shocks that have been sitting and waiting to be installed for 20 years that I plan to toss on there, along with a 1" body lift to replace the worn out existing body mounts. It currently has 31.5" tires on it, and I have no intention of exceeding 33" at this point. I have quickly learned that the YJ tub swap is not just the couple things that people have pointed out...there are a lot of little things that need addressed, especially on the firewall, that seem to get overlooked. We are working through them, and nothing is too major, just a bit surprising with all of the posts and threads that make it seem like more of a direct swap.
This leaves me with an open invitation for advice. What am I missing? Is there anything you would do if you were going as deep as I am into swapping the body tub? Again, I am not looking to go nuts, so do not think that upgrading axles, SOA, 38's, and a V8 are what I am looking for. I am more than happy with the amount of lift going into it, but am I missing anything? Will there be an issues I need to resolve with this much lift? I have read that I should be pretty safe with everything as it is using the lift combination I have. Driveshaft angles and suspension geometry should still be ok...please correct me if I am wrong. I think the only thing I have seen to check is the clearance of the shifters through the floor plate due to the body lift.
Are there any extended fender flares out there that are worth it and are not crazy expensive? What about a decent rear bumper with an integral tire carrier? I have a ton of parts, and am still figuring out what some of them are. For example, I just recently figured out that I have u-bolt skid plates; that was an interesting thing to try to detective! Are they worth it and useful? What about aftermarket seatbelts...are there any that work any better than the rest? And seat covers? Anything else I am missing?
My father has had Jeeps for about 30 straight years at this point, never lapsing in owning at least one that I can remember since buying the 1986 Cherokee new in late 1985. He had a few Comanches, and over 20 years ago started with CJ7 ownership. He has had a couple, the last of which he acquired about a decade ago. It was low mileage '86 and in very nice condition. He enjoyed it for several years, until hurricane Irene dropped a pine tree across the cowl in 2011.
It sat for a bit, always with his intention to get it back on the road. He sorted out the damages with insurance, and actually got it re-titled and registered despite the unrepaired body damage. He had the engine freshened up and a lot of the emissions "junk" cleared out of the engine bay...but never got to replacing the body tub. I am sure you all know the conundrum that is. Either find a unicorn of an original CJ7 tub that is not swiss cheese, spend a ton of money on a reproduction, or source a YJ tub that can be used. I kept trying to find what he wanted, but as he kept closing in on retirement it started to look less and less likely. Finally, about a year ago, we talked on the phone and he said the words I never thought I would hear: "Do you know anybody that would want to buy a Jeep?" Obviously I knew what he was meant, and he confessed the reasons he did not think he wanted to keep it and that he refused to be the guy that would not let go as a vehicle rotted into the ground. I got the specifics of what all he was selling (like most Jeep guys, he had enough parts to build two more) and at what price.
A day or two later, after thinking on it, I told him I had a buyer...me. Mom freaked out a bit, not wanting to do business with family and things of that nature, but we all agreed to it anyway. I sourced a YJ tub locally that needed a fair bit of body work, but was basically rust free and a solid base to work off of. It sat in my garage for quite awhile, and the Jeep and parts never budged from the parent's house. I intended to get to work heavy on it this winter, but other priorities and time contraints have come to light and that was not in the cards. Again refusing to be the one to keep delaying forward progress, I found a local guy that could do most of the work for me without breaking the bank. He is not a professional, but proficient enough to be effective and having the free time that I am lacking to actually complete the swap.
So, I find myself trying to get this whole thing pieced together this winter, and would rather not overlook anything that should/could be done while the thing is in pieces. This will be a driver and light off-road toy, with the goal to get it on the road again without putting to much into it or going overboard. It has a completely stock drivetrain with the AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l and T-4 . I have a T-5 and Transfer Case that were rebuilt in the Jeep he had before this one and had very low miles on them that I plan to swap in. There is also a Rancho 2.5" leaf kit with RS9000 shocks that have been sitting and waiting to be installed for 20 years that I plan to toss on there, along with a 1" body lift to replace the worn out existing body mounts. It currently has 31.5" tires on it, and I have no intention of exceeding 33" at this point. I have quickly learned that the YJ tub swap is not just the couple things that people have pointed out...there are a lot of little things that need addressed, especially on the firewall, that seem to get overlooked. We are working through them, and nothing is too major, just a bit surprising with all of the posts and threads that make it seem like more of a direct swap.
This leaves me with an open invitation for advice. What am I missing? Is there anything you would do if you were going as deep as I am into swapping the body tub? Again, I am not looking to go nuts, so do not think that upgrading axles, SOA, 38's, and a V8 are what I am looking for. I am more than happy with the amount of lift going into it, but am I missing anything? Will there be an issues I need to resolve with this much lift? I have read that I should be pretty safe with everything as it is using the lift combination I have. Driveshaft angles and suspension geometry should still be ok...please correct me if I am wrong. I think the only thing I have seen to check is the clearance of the shifters through the floor plate due to the body lift.
Are there any extended fender flares out there that are worth it and are not crazy expensive? What about a decent rear bumper with an integral tire carrier? I have a ton of parts, and am still figuring out what some of them are. For example, I just recently figured out that I have u-bolt skid plates; that was an interesting thing to try to detective! Are they worth it and useful? What about aftermarket seatbelts...are there any that work any better than the rest? And seat covers? Anything else I am missing?
