cj7 rebuild

[baker9713]

Where to begin.... here's what my current 79 looked like when I brought it home about 3 months ago for the bargain price of $800



I tooled around the yard & the powerlines for about a month before I decided to strip it down. At this point It had no brakes at all (brake lines crushed flat in a few spots), engine needed some attention, body in very bad shape, narrow track axles in questionable shape, and it needed a lift & bigger tires. That's really just the tip of the iceberg, but in a nutshell, it NEEDED to be torn down and redone. (or maybe I needed a project) I got a buddy deal on some bigger tires on some chrome wheels (not a big fan of chrome but they were free), and stripped off the diamond plate steel that was tack welded to the sides of the tub.



Then I stripped out the inside of the tub & took the body off





And here it sits today...



Just a bare frame. I've done some welding here & there on it, fixing cracks and sloppy factory welds. I'm almost ready to paint it, I think. I still need to outboard my front springs (putting in a set of Scout II Dana 44 's), so the paint may have to wait. After pressure washing it 3 times, I put on some phospho to kill the rust. So far, the frame looks to be in pretty good shape, no serious rust.

This one doesn't seem to be moving along very fast, between work & the weather I may be at this for a while! I'll post more as it goes along.

 

[mylittlecj5]

NIIICE! I gots one just about like that sitting in the backyard myself! But I cut the body in 3 pieces to remove it (not salvagable due to rust) Now I am waiting on funds for a new welder so I can start repairing the frame and put it all back together.
I will be watching your build to steal ideas for mine!

 

[baker9713]

thanks, but I hope you're not in a hurry for those ideas!

 

[CJ]

Looks like a great project. I'm impressed with those trick front fenders!

 

[Tark]

Looks like it has alot of potential, though alot of work, the frame looks in quite good condition, I used to have a CJ - 5 which was rocking a V6, when we came to stripping it down the frame was rusty and needed alot of welding done to it, though was a pleasure to do, just remember though it might seem like alot to do, fixing it up is the fun part

 

[CJ]

Hello Tark and welcome to our site!

I see your one of CJers from across the pond huh? Nice to have you on board!

 

[baker9713]

Looks like a great project. I'm impressed with those trick front fenders!

Yeah those are pretty cool! Can't buy those just anywhere
Fortunately, I picked up a nice unmolested set of front fenders and grill.

 

[2lostspace]

I will be watching this build. I am really thinking about tearing down my 7 and building it from the ground up.