first drive, 77cj5

[rufus1138]

well i got the drive shafts re-installed last night and battled with the mal-adjusted carb, finally got her started and went for a short test ride.

the springs are flat as a board and induce bump steer it seems when they go swayback over a bump. steering gear seems slightly sloppy, tranny is tight, definitely the wide ratio T-18 lol, Transfer Case shifts positively although the detents are a little vague (what do u expect from a 40 yr old vehicle tho lol). so the updated project goals are now a new starter solenoid and shore up the wiring in that sub-system (trashed the solenoid getting it started, just a 40 yr old part yet again), fluid changes in all cases and housings, and a brake bleed (brakes seem fine just takes some pumping to get a good grab with the pads), also need to see if i can get ahold of a carb base gasket.

 

[Jimbos76cj]

For what its worth the springs on the CJ's are normally flat.

 

[rufus1138]

k, ill back off on the springs and bump the steering up with the tires on the priority list, found out autozone has the overhaul kit and base gasket for the carter 1bbl as well as the starter relay, going there tomorrow.

 

[caveman]

If you have to pump the brakes to get them to grab, Most likely they need to be adjusted.

 

[rufus1138]

ok updates from the weekend.

1) new starter relay went in easy, charging system is working fine starting is strong and solid
2) rebuilt the carter yf, it was a gawd-awful mess, had only one stud holding it down, base gasket was a piece of a cardboard box that had multiple leaks, bowl gasket had leaks, varnish heavy on all components, accelerator pump seized, needle and seat gummed up. its a wonder i got it to run at all before. what a difference after a good cleaning and fresh gaskets.
3) bled brakes, tons of air came out of passenger rear corner, pads in good shape, brakes firmed up alot, still slightly spongy but we ran out of fluid so we had to roll with what we got.
4) changed engine oil without discrepancy, one quart of lucas oil stabilizer added.
5) changed Transmission fluid, old fluid came out the same color and consistency of confectioners caramel, no swirls or foam, uniform in color and consistency with no foreign objects or flakes.
6) changed Transfer Case fluid, everything fine with the oil there but there were small flakes (about 1/4 the size of ur pinky nail) on the magnetic drain plug. unit shifts thru all ranges and configurations without protest or noise in any mode of operation, so we will leave that alone for now.
7) bled a friends (87 celica) brakes and changed the harmonic balancer

all completed saturday, done before 7pm, everything seems to be safe and ready to go on the cj, waiting on paperwork now, gotta see if some rxp will smooth out a small stumble at idle other than that everything is going good, now we can concentrate on the jeep kind of things. last note, checked the steering assembly while i had it on the lift and everything seems tight there, no bearing or tierod issues, not clunks.

 

[IOPort51]

every time I have taken a carb apart to rebuild I have been amazed at how bad a shape they can be in and still run. I am also amazed at how long it takes me to get it tuned to "just where I want it".

 

[rufus1138]

i think i got the carb good, just gotta mess with the ignition timing now. i think that its possibly too far advanced and thats causing the stumble at high vacuum situations, ie idle and when you stab the throttle.

 

[IOPort51]

if you still have the Prestolite dist. do not waste time and/or money on it .

78 dist and team rush it ! I run about 8deg btdc.

 

[rufus1138]

im just gonna try to adjust whatever dizzy i have, team rush will some eventually.

 

[Hedgehog]

I'm not a big believer in the team rush dist. It is a far better system compared to stock, but there's a box to deal with, a coil and wires going between. I like the HEI dist., specifically the D.U.I. version. At first glance the Team Rush modification looks less expensive, but when the box is added to the other smaller items the over all cost of instillation is about the same.

 

[rufus1138]

lol whats the dui version, is that street legal?

 

[IOPort51]

the teem Rush in whatever version is so much better than what you have. There are mods that can make more horses but none that can make this many for this little.

 

[Hedgehog]

The Team Rush essentially changes your distributor base to a high energy ignition with a bigger cap, wires, hot coil and ignition module. It's a huge upgrade to your ingition system. The HEI (high energy ignition) is a GM design. Several are available ranging from china cheap to GM expensive. The D.U.I. version is expensive, but highly thought of. The GM HEI system (coil, pick up, module and advance) is entirely enclosed in the BIG distributor with only one full 12 volt wire attached. This thing is a fire breathing beast. I like it's simplicity. I know a fellow who worked on a race team using the MSD brain box (the one used in the Team Rush mod.). They would mount 2 MSD boxes to their race cars with a switch. When one would fail it was a simple matter hit the switch for the other box and they has to use the switch a lot. That was a number of years ago now and things most probably have changed, but that was one of the reasons I turned to the GM system. I was also turned off by all the extra wires.

 

[Petescj]

lol whats the dui version, is that street legal?

Yes it is , Davis Unified Ignition. Its going to be the most reputable H.E.I. you'll find for your Cj. Ive tried both on 258s along with the Motorcraft 2100 carbs. As far as the H.E.I. I never really got it to run right and went back to the stock stuff I had originally taken off. I believe that it was the dizzy itself. It looked good in billet aluminum but was a Pro Comp unit and most likely junk.

The Team Rush worked pretty well in my other CJ7 . I didnt use the 6al box , just a new Flame Thrower coil. Never had any issues with it and it really smoothed things out. Im going this way again on Vickies CJ7 but I will add the MSD 6al this time around for a little more ZAP.

 

[rufus1138]

hmmm, ill have to look into this, definitely gonna have to be addressed in the future. any of u guys have experience with tactical armor group, they make bumpers.