If only I could have known then what I know now...

[chrisparks]

So I have spent many year contributing to a certain volkswagen fiberglass dune buggy forum since I went off on a tangent and got into fiberglass dune buggies.
(I have rebuilt 2 now...)
But today, I bought my dream Jeep.
A 79 CJ7
Baseline specs are 6 cylinder, 3 speed manual tranny, apart from that mostly stock...
It is going to need lots of love and upgrades to boot.
Since it used to drive me nuts when people first arrived on the forum and made one post asking, "What should I do?" I don't want to be like that.
But I am interested in your thoughts and experience.
So for what it is worth, I am hoping for a broader discussion that is useful to many new guys and not just me.

I am thinking about a "Man, if only I knew then what I know now" theme.
The reason I am doing it is to draw out some creative thinking and get your hard won lessons so I can go about this build with some good upfront homework.
That said... Here is a little about me.
I have "Built" two Jeep Wrangler TJ's, and I have very strong fabrication and mechanical skills as well as a good workshop well equipped with a broad range of tools. I can pretty much handle an engine rebuild, and apart from machining can manage most anything thrown at me. So don't be too shy. Besides, this is meant to be broader. What would you do with your skillsets, and not just a recommendation for me. I will totally glean from your thinking.
I know from my two previous Jeep builds that what I know now would have saved countless hours of work, and thousands of bucks if I knew then what I know now.

So...

1) What have you done with your CJ? (Mod wise, conversion wise, paint wise, etc... etc... etc...)
2) With what you learned, what might you have done differently?

Pretty simple, let's hear your thoughts...

 

[dalefan88]

i have done alot to my jeep. 2.5" lift, gm 4pin module, then went to msd box, team rush, motorcraft carb, ford shock towers, bigger gm alternator, added offroad lights to name a few.

biggest thing i learned is on something this old parts are going to break alot and have stock in pb blaster cause theres rust everywhere. o and make sure you have good grounds everywhere.

 

[Old Dog]

The best money saver I can think of is know what you want when you start so you only have to buy parts once.

 

[BusaDave9]

What kind of jeep to buy or build. Hindsight is always 20/20.
After got married I was raising 2 boys I wasn't rich but I bought a stock CJ7 . To make it more capable off road I bought 32 inch tires. Tires rubbed so I needed a lift. Gearing was too tall. When it came time to regear I thought "this is a good time to put in lockers". One thing lead to another and that jeep turned out to be a money pit.
So then I decided next time I buy a Jeep I will look for something that is already set up like I want.
When I got older money wasn't as much of a problem but I keep my promise to myself and looked for a jeep already set up like I wanted. I found jeeps with some features I likes but there was always at least one thing that had me saying "what the heck was the owner thinking when he did this to a perfectly good jeep?"
I bought a Jeep that was close to what I wanted. Now I see so many things I want to change. I have the money but is it worth it undoing what the PO did? No. Now my philosopy has changed 180 degrees. Now I say I should have bought a stock CJ5 and built it the way I want it.
Moral of the story. If you expect a jeep to be just right for you, you better have money. If you don't have money you must expect compromises. When you build up a jeep you won't get that money back out. It is always hard to find a buyer that agrees with all your mods. Keep it stock and it should be easier to sell.

 

[IOPort51]

I like to practice the "stealth look", real close to stock but capable. I think everything is in my profile except maybe the tilt wheel. I bought it new in 1977, Its been up at the ranch, my brothers place for about 12 years, hadn't been started in 10. trailered it home disconnected the fuel line, blew a can of chem tool through the carb, put in a new battery and hit the key. It turned over 3 or 4 times, started, idled smoothly until it ran out of carburetor cleaner. that was a year ago. In a year I have changed out tank, sending unit and hoses, Replaced the distributer for a TFI conversion, installed MSD 6 off road ECM and a 140 amp alternator. I have installed a polished stainless dash board with all new gauges and couple I didn't have before. and two speakers in the dash. Changed all the fluid, rebuilt the wheel bearings and brakes, built a fan "shroud" and replaced the mechanical with an electric fan from a 97 Taurus with block mounted thermostat controlled relay operated fan control.
My jeep rides on a 2.5 inch Skyjacker suspension and runs 31 inch BFG AT's with a 1" body lift.
I had installed and wired a PDC from a 90 something Cherokee that had both relays and fuses and it seemed like a good idea but it just didn't clean up well, more on that later. and now I am working on a water resistant arrangement that will be much more friendly on a dark and stormy night far from home If something was to develop a problem. I also bought new tires, put them on and then set it on stands.
found a pair of late 70s early 80s chevy work van seats. this is the closest to the original seat as I have ever found, low backed, so much better than those incredibly uncomfortable after market seats. You have to spend some money to get some good seats! Had them re done with boat vinyl, had a couple of seat springs replaced and it set me back between 3 and $400 for the pair. I have pretty well rewired the engine compartment and at least cleaned and greased every electrical connector under the dash. Now, if I can just get to the Dana 44 rear axle with airlock and disks, Disks would be so cool but I don't know if they are worth it. and of course there is the T-18 setting in the barn and the roll bar addition.
I do hope I live long enough to get this thing out of the garage and drive it a bit.

 

[mylittlecj5]

"If I only knew then what I know now..."

I never would have beat my first CJ, a 327-powered 1947 CJ2a , into the ground then scrapped it out and gave away all the good stuff while in high school...
Or "invested" in hundreds of parts/project vehicles, and just stuck to one to build. It was so easy getting a decent, cheap vehicle back then and just drive it until it died...

 

[Kane]

I think the absolute biggest thing to tackle first irregardless of what you plan on doing to the Jeep is get the frame cleaned up and rust free. You cannot have a nice Jeep without a solid foundation. I have owned my CJ5 for the past 20 years and I had to replace my worn out and rust frame about ten years ago. I have a new project CJ8 in my driveway and the first thing I will do is pull the tuba dn get the frmae perfect. It it the biggest and hardest job to do but if you get it done now then you can build the Jeep for years and years without worries of a rotted frame ruining your efforts.

 

[chrisparks]

So here is a quick summary of what I have gleaned thus far...
1) Frame off inspection and rust protection if possible (Kane)
2) Keep on working on your Jeep. Don't beat it and scrap it. (mylittlecj5)
3) Do the TFI (Ford disti and coil) upgrade (IOPort51)
4) If you expect a jeep to be just right for you, you better have money, or expect to compromise, and keep it stock if you may sell it later. (BusaDave9)
5) Know what you want when you start so you don't buy the same thing twice. (Old Dog)
6) Consider a bigger gm alternator, get lots of PB Blaster, and this got me thinking I should just go ahead and buy a stainless steel hardware kit from a company and go through and knock out all the rusty bolts while I am at it. (dalefan88)

Thanks to all thus far, this is good advice. Feel free to add some more 2 cents wherever appropriate.

 

[BusaDave9]

Another piece of advice: Try to start out with good equipment.
When you buy your first jeep it's hard to know what to get and what to avoid. Here are some things to take into consideration for the drive line:

Transmission :
Avoid the T-4 and T-5 manual transmissions. Also avoid the 3 speeds. The best manual Transmission ever to go into a jeep is the T-18 .
GM Turbo 400 is the best Automatic

Axles:
Most CJs have a Dana 30 up front and a AMC Model 20 rear end. If you get a AMC20 it is best if the PO installed a One Piece axle kit.
Actually the best rear end is the Dana 44 but they might be hard to find unless you go back well into the '70s.

Engines:
Jeep CJs have had some good V8s and Strait Sixes (AMC 304 & AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l ).
You might want to avoid the Four Cylinders.

Misc:
Look for Power Steering and Power Brakes. They really help out especially if you have oversized tires.

It is very hard (if not impossible) to find a jeep with all the best of each component but it helps to know what to look for and what to avoid.

Almost forgot about
Transfer Cases:
Jeep has used some excellent Gear driven Transfer Cases. The Dana 300 , 20 and 18 Transfer Cases are all excellent TCases. The Dana 300 has the lowest 4WD Low (2.62) of the bunch.
Just try to avoid the QuadraTrac all wheel drive TCase.

 

[CJKrawler]

I learned that if it is running, and will do what you want for now, don't tear it apart until you have everything you need to complete the rebuild/restore/upgrade or whatever it is. I have been down for better than a year now, as the economy changed how quickly I was able to buy parts. Now, I miss driving my CJ.

 

[73CJ]

Figure out what type of wheeling you want to do and build accordingly. What looks cool doesn't always work the best. i.e. SOA on the Interstate.

Good luck and have fun!

Discs on all 4s, lockers (forget the Limited slip) and power steering!

 

[chrisparks]

Hey thanks for sharing CJKrawler, tell us what parts you are down. You never know, there might be someone who upgraded, and have parts laying around. In another forum I was on, there was a fellow in South Africa who narrowly escaped death when his dune buggy was destroyed by a runaway Semi Truck. He escaped alive but with a broken finger. Many of the people who spend time talking on the forums heard about this, and started mailing the guy parts. He wound up with almost everything he needed to start the next one. So like I said, tell us what you are down, and you never know mate. We are all in this life together. No sense in not having friends on the trail.

 

[BusaDave9]

What looks cool does always work the best.

Mistype?

 

[73CJ]

Cripes!

 

[IOPort51]

I have been told I loose cool points for the Stainless glove box cover but it does work fairly well, Who am I kidding, It doesn't fit the way it should because it was made in china but it is a cool looking piece of . It just won't latch so I keep it closed with a magnet I glued to the inside of the cover.

 

[Old Dog]

I have been told I loose cool points for the Stainless glove box cover but it does work fairly well, Who am I kidding, It doesn't fit the way it should because it was made in china but it is a cool looking piece of . It just won't latch so I keep it closed with a magnet I glued to the inside of the cover.

All the china replacement parts are I don't know why someone can't make parts that fit, after all they charge enough for them.
I think the best part is you say you hold a stainless door shut with a magnet. We all know good stainless is NON-magnetic.

 

[mylittlecj5]

All the china replacement parts are I don't know why someone can't make parts that fit, after all they charge enough for them.
I think the best part is you say you hold a stainless door shut with a magnet. We all know good stainless is NON-magnetic.

He also said he had to glue the magnet to the inside of the cover...

BTW, I have one of the stainless glove box doors, also...I never thought about it lacking the cool factor?

 

[Old Dog]

He also said he had to glue the magnet to the inside of the cover...

that will teach me for speed reading and hating stuff made in china.

 

[BrockGrimes]

Take a look over this thread to get good info from lots of late night reading by yours truely:
http://www.jeep-cj.com/forums/f49/useful-info-thought-id-share-665/

Once you decide on a mod, and have the source for infomation, ask if anyone has a better source or alternative, cause usually there is and you'll wish you went that way instead.

 

[CJKrawler]

Hey thanks for sharing CJKrawler, tell us what parts you are down. You never know, there might be someone who upgraded, and have parts laying around. In another forum I was on, there was a fellow in South Africa who narrowly escaped death when his dune buggy was destroyed by a runaway Semi Truck. He escaped alive but with a broken finger. Many of the people who spend time talking on the forums heard about this, and started mailing the guy parts. He wound up with almost everything he needed to start the next one. So like I said, tell us what you are down, and you never know mate. We are all in this life together. No sense in not having friends on the trail.

I appreciate the sentimet on that, I am in the process of a frame off, and have sourced quite a bit so far, i have found it is mostly the small stuff that comes up right when you are ready to start, like having to spend $6 apeice on the wear pads for the springs . That is another piece of advice, take EVERYTHING into consideration, parts, tools needed, time, ETC, cause that will make a difference as well when it comes to getting something completed. Most of what I stil need to get I am not ready for, cause I still have to repair the tub, clean up the frame....