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Build Thread CJ7 restoration in progress- Advice please

Build Thread CJ7 restoration in progress- Advice please
The HF 110V welder works fine for light duty stuff. Yes, it is hot all the time, but realize that and don't ground yourself out. It does birdnest if you kink the line, but it works FINE. Just keep it close to a 20A outlet and realize that the weld cycle is very short(2 minutes or so, and then you ahve to let it cool down.) Like someone said earlier, get some scrap and practice till you're comfortable with it. You can get the flux core model or the stick welder, both work fine outside because they have a self-sheilding gas built into the wire, and that way the weld will not be corrupted. Buying a Miller or a Lincoln welder is just showing off. Good luck.
 
CJ MAN said:
Bullseye, if your gonna have a welder come fix this I would have him go ahead and replace that small section of floor and then you can either plate underneath and sandwich the body metal between the rollbar and another plate underneath, or if you have time and the means, go ahead and have him try to tie it into the frame. At this point it wouldnt be much harder. I would definately have all of that metal cut out around that, it looks like it got pretty thin
Click to expand...
Good idea. If you tie it to the frame then it IS a roll bar, not just for show. Even with those holes repaired, if you roll over hard, that bar isn't going to save you unless it is tied into the frame for support.
 
Got the new carpet kit on Friday. But there was a slight problem:

Can you guess which finger I'm holding up?
 
So will have to wait until replacement comes before I can put it in.

In the meantime, I painted that interior access panel and gutted my doors and painted some of the locking hardware.

Still need to remove glass and cranking hardware. Then will send door shells out to be blasted. Then paint doors and roll bar.

Then comes the dash.
 
Hey I know that finger!! Well not that one personally but um , whats that hole for ??? Im guessing to make you use that finger towards a carpet vendor?
 
The hole demonstrates why companies should have quality control protocols.

Sending out a brand new carpet with a frick'n hole in it? Really?
 
you don't seem to have much luck with carpet, do you.:(

bullseye said:
Got the new carpet kit on Friday. But there was a slight problem:

Can you guess which finger I'm holding up?
Click to expand...
 
Carpet is a work in progress. I am happy with the fit of this kit. It's not perfect and it takes a lot of fine tuning, but it blows the other POS away.

I'll post a review of the kit when I am done but here is where I am at right now:
 
Here's the carpet kit out of the box and a couple pics of the plugs filling the tub drain holes. I got those at ACE Hardware for 40 cents a piece.
 
Finally finished breaking down the doors and took them, plus the roll bar and bench seat mounting brackets to get soda blasted yesterday. Then off to get painted from there.

I'll post pics when I get the pieces back next week.
 
The hardest part about putting in a new carpet kit is making all the bolt holes in the carpet and then lining up those holes with the existing holes where everything needs to be bolted into the tub. I counted almost 30 of them.

Making an X in the carpet with a razor then pushing the bolts through always ended up with mistakes and the carpet would ultimately rip in those places as the years go by.

This time I tried something different. After laying the carpet and doing all the tweaks to get it into position, I took the end of a red hot coat hanger that I heated up with my torch and went under the Jeep. I then pushed the hot point up through the holes melting a small hole in the carpet. I then removed the carpet.

Using my torch again, I then heated up a socket and pushed that through the carpet from the top. The socket melts a clean hole almost instantly.

Best of all, the carpet won't split or rip because the melted carpet forms almost a grommet around the hole.

I then reinstalled the carpet and 90% of the holes match perfectly.

As you can see, the holes look very clean.
 
Some of the holes were slightly off and a couple holes were totally off. I couldn't get to every hole underneath the Jeep so I had to do some measuring.

With some of the holes that were slightly off and a couple other holes I plan on enlarging to make it easier to adjust the carpet when everything is reinstalled back into the tub. I will just use a larger socket.
 
That looks like it worked quite well. Good thinking. ;)
bullseye said:
The hardest part about putting in a new carpet kit is making all the bolt holes in the carpet and then lining up those holes with the existing holes where everything needs to be bolted into the tub. I counted almost 30 of them.

Making an X in the carpet with a razor then pushing the bolts through always ended up with mistakes and the carpet would ultimately rip in those places as the years go by.

This time I tried something different. After laying the carpet and doing all the tweaks to get it into position, I took the end of a red hot coat hanger that I heated up with my torch and went under the Jeep. I then pushed the hot point up through the holes melting a small hole in the carpet. I then removed the carpet.

Using my torch again, I then heated up a socket and pushed that through the carpet from the top. The socket melts a clean hole almost instantly.

Best of all, the carpet won't split or rip because the melted carpet forms almost a grommet around the hole.

I then reinstalled the carpet and 90% of the holes match perfectly.

As you can see, the holes look very clean.
Click to expand...
 
Bullseye,
What brand and where did you get your carpet kit? I'm restoring an '85 CJ7 and intend to put carpet in it.
 
mlittle said:
Bullseye,
What brand and where did you get your carpet kit? I'm restoring an '85 CJ7 and intend to put carpet in it.
Click to expand...

"Auto Custom Carpet" kit with the molded massback.

DO NOT BUY THE NIFTY PRO LINE BRAND!

I have not seen the Rugged Ridge brand so I cannot comment on it.
 
The carpet guys are coming out of the closet left and right.
That takes a lot of guts.
You gotta respect that.:cool:

mlittle said:
Bullseye,
What brand and where did you get your carpet kit? I'm restoring an '85 CJ7 and intend to put carpet in it.
Click to expand...
 
Got the dash off a little while ago and am happy to say there were no huge surprises. A little surface rust but nothing too bad. 26 years of grime is back there though and the wiring needs to be re-taped back together and the bulbs need to be replaced. But the whole thing needs a good wipe down first.

All of the dash indicator lights cracked when removing them. I guess the plastic got brittle. I was planning on replacing those anyways.

I'm thinking I might get my dash repainted. Might as well seeing the paint is going to be out when they do the doors and roll bar.
 
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