Inherited CJ7
Photonfanatic
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- Location
- Fort Worth TX
- Vehicle(s)
- 1979 CJ7, no engine, unknown transmission, unknown transfer case. Inherited vehicle, not sure what all is in it yet. I will update this once I get to inspect it closer, and can identify its equipment.
Hi all, new here. Well, it appears I have inherited a Jeep CJ7 . Rather, my wife has. Its a 1979 model. Her dad bought it in 83, and used to do all the offroading hobby stuff with it. But since about 1994, it has sat unused on his ranch in oklahoma. He was cleaning the place up and decided to get rid of it. But the wife has a lot of fond memories in it with her dad, so she asked him if she could have it. He said sure, and so now I have a jeep project. But I'm a car guy/auto enthusiast, so it doesn't really bother me.
I'll be the one doing most of the fixing, so I needed to stop by here and ask a some questions. That will probably be happening a lot. Anyway, the jeep has no engine in it currently. I was thinking of just putting a 5.3L chevy in there, as its real darn popular for swaps, and makes decent power and gas mileage. I don't think we're going to want to do any of the deep mud stuff, just light mud at most, and mostly light trail crawling and light rock crawling. None of the heavy stuff. Not really looking to create one of those monsters that you see on that TV show Xtreme 4x4.
So here's my first round of questions:
1. How much should I expect to pay, to have the body and frame sand blasted, then sealed? This project is going to span probably 5 years (or more) so I'd like to have all the surface rust blasted off and have a good strong coating put on the whole thing, that I can still work with later when its time to paint.
2. How much should I pay for a windshield glass, replacement metal doors, and a tailgate? Is there anything special I should know about these items?
3. Is there any reason I shouldn't use a 5.3L GM engine in the jeep? I was also hoping to put a 4L60e, or a 4L80e behind it, so that I could have the Overdrive gear. That way I can comfortably drive the thing (at reasonably low RPM) on the highway, to get to the offroad parks and trails. I'm not real well versed on all the offroad and big tire stuff, so I assume you need to run at least 3:73 gears, but maybe more like 4:10's.
4. May not ever do this one, but I'm just curious. But then again, I might, as I like to do heavy modifications to my vehicles sometimes. Will a newer dash fit in the old CJ7 ? Something out of a 2010 or newer jeep. And if not, what is the newest dash that will go in there? I'm kind of into the restomod thing. I'd of course keep the old metal dash for originality purposes, just in case it was ever beneficial to switch it back.
5. Does anyone know if one of those 6 speed GM transmissions will fit in the CJ7 ? I think its called the 6L80e. Depending on the gears I need to run, that Transmission may become desirable.
Thanks in advance - more questions to come
I'll be the one doing most of the fixing, so I needed to stop by here and ask a some questions. That will probably be happening a lot. Anyway, the jeep has no engine in it currently. I was thinking of just putting a 5.3L chevy in there, as its real darn popular for swaps, and makes decent power and gas mileage. I don't think we're going to want to do any of the deep mud stuff, just light mud at most, and mostly light trail crawling and light rock crawling. None of the heavy stuff. Not really looking to create one of those monsters that you see on that TV show Xtreme 4x4.
So here's my first round of questions:
1. How much should I expect to pay, to have the body and frame sand blasted, then sealed? This project is going to span probably 5 years (or more) so I'd like to have all the surface rust blasted off and have a good strong coating put on the whole thing, that I can still work with later when its time to paint.
2. How much should I pay for a windshield glass, replacement metal doors, and a tailgate? Is there anything special I should know about these items?
3. Is there any reason I shouldn't use a 5.3L GM engine in the jeep? I was also hoping to put a 4L60e, or a 4L80e behind it, so that I could have the Overdrive gear. That way I can comfortably drive the thing (at reasonably low RPM) on the highway, to get to the offroad parks and trails. I'm not real well versed on all the offroad and big tire stuff, so I assume you need to run at least 3:73 gears, but maybe more like 4:10's.
4. May not ever do this one, but I'm just curious. But then again, I might, as I like to do heavy modifications to my vehicles sometimes. Will a newer dash fit in the old CJ7 ? Something out of a 2010 or newer jeep. And if not, what is the newest dash that will go in there? I'm kind of into the restomod thing. I'd of course keep the old metal dash for originality purposes, just in case it was ever beneficial to switch it back.
5. Does anyone know if one of those 6 speed GM transmissions will fit in the CJ7 ? I think its called the 6L80e. Depending on the gears I need to run, that Transmission may become desirable.
Thanks in advance - more questions to come