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Inherited CJ7

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Inherited CJ7
Yeah apparently the frame is a 76. Back in his wheelin days, it seems he managed to destroy the 76 body so much that it was more worth it just to put a new body on there. Which he did. I believe this was done in 86.
 
Photonfanatic said:
Would the 4.0L out of the newer stuff, be a good replacement for that? Also, does anyone know if the motor mounts are the same?
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I don't know about the mounts, but a lot of people have swapped in the later 4.0. Some even just swap the head. There is a lot of info about the swap on the web. A friend of mine (ASE mechanic) has done a few and almost started up a side business for it.
 
I agree with Posi. It has the earlier roll bar and a round gas inlet, giving me a sense of 76-78. I know some early 79's had that roll bar, but not sure about the round gas inlet? :confused:
 
Photonfanatic said:
So everyone here runs carbs, it seems. And they don't like it when you don't put in the original engine. Bah!
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Not everyone:

Picture012.webp

AMC (and prior to them, Willys), put all sorts of non-corporate parts in CJ's. They used GM 4 cylinders for a short period of time. It's your project, you decide what you want to have to fix at some later date.

I know there's an emotional attachment to that CJ, but.... IMHO, that is a money pit just waiting to be filled.

Don't know what the going rate for bodywork is in your area, but when I had mine done, it was $65 an hour.
 
Not the OEM body or VIN plate. The first clue is the alum pop-rivets, then the plate color.
Whole new can of 'worms' now.
The wiring is destroyed. How are you at automotive electrical?
I'm really concerned about frame rust-through.
LG
 
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Lumpy Grits said:
Not the OEM body or VIN plate.
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It doesn't look like the one that came on my 76 CJ5 :

2016-11-01_zpsyrwmynis.webp

Perhaps in 1979, they didn't have Jeep Corporation Toledo Ohio stamped on it???

Anyway, the body looks to be either a 76 or 77 CJ7 . The VIN is for a 79.
 
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Some 79s were built in Ohio and some were built in Brampton Canada.
The round fuel housing was 76/77
The heater motor from what I can see inboard = 76/77
 
Lumpy Grits said:
Not the OEM body or VIN plate. The first clue is the alum pop-rivets, then the plate color.
Whole new can of 'worms' now.
The wiring is destroyed. How are you at automotive electrical?
I'm really concerned about frame rust-through.
LG
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Well at least we're getting somewhere. I'm pretty good at automotive electrical, but I might have to stop by here and ask a question or two. I'll see what information I can get out of them about the condition of the frame. If its the same condition as it was when I talked to him about the jeep several years ago, well it should be good.


But to reply to your post, there is one thing you have to remember: Its free. how much would it cost to buy a good solid roller in better shape? $1,000? $2,000? I think if you look at that aspect, it all pretty much evens out.
 
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One thing always confuses me. Your CJ seems to be rusty ALL OVER with no real exterior paint left but there doesn't seem to be any holes as if the paint was sand blasted off. How does that happen?
 
Hedgehog said:
One thing always confuses me. Your CJ seems to be rusty ALL OVER with no real exterior paint left but there doesn't seem to be any holes as if the paint was sand blasted off. How does that happen?
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Maybe one of those Arizona sand storms. Looks kinda like someone painted it a while back with a reddish paint almost
 
Photonfanatic said:
But to reply to your post, there is one thing you have to remember: Its free. how much would it cost to buy a good solid roller in better shape? $1,000? $2,000? I think if you look at that aspect, it all pretty much evens out.
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Well, mine wasn't 'free'. It cost me $500.00:

BeforePic.webp

I had to multiply that amount by a rather large number to end up with this:

20161006_160339_zpsyzerqszv.webp

All I'm going to say is: Working on old junk can get real expensive, real quick.
 
Damn, good job on resurrecting that one. But I don't think mine has any of the body cancer that one had. I think its all just surface rust, and some dents, dings, and waves in the body. Knock on wood, but I hope to not have to do that much welding. Well, not nearly as much welding as it would take to save one of those northern jeeps.


Hedgehog said:
One thing always confuses me. Your CJ seems to be rusty ALL OVER with no real exterior paint left but there doesn't seem to be any holes as if the paint was sand blasted off. How does that happen?
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I'm not sure I understand the question...do you mean like holes in the paint or rust where it would have been blasted? I'll ask him what the paint situation was.
 
It's not really a question. More of an observation. I've seen it on many farm trucks, even up north near the border. The jeep was obviously blue at some point, now the outside appears to have a uniform layer of rust, unless it was painted brown at some point. Some vehicles seem to just melt down I into the ground while others become uniformly covered in a layer of rust and never appear to get any worse. Tired rusty hulks sitting in rows like sculptures amongst other dead pieces of equipment. Do you think yours is the way it is because of the sun beating on the paint or is it a situation where wind, sand, rain and cold removed most of the paint?
 
Well I was able to get a bit more information on the jeep today. The original outside color of the jeep, was the same color you see on that roll bar in the pics. Some sort of... purple? Brownish purple? Not sure, but that was the color of the thing when he bought it. He had the roll bar painted to match the original exterior color of the jeep. Back in about 95, he started fixing the thing up again, and got the engine bay, and most of the rest of the inside, painted blue. He was going to do the outside that same color but never made it that far.

Now onto the engine situation. It apparently had an AMC 401 in it, and still has the mounts for that engine. Not sure I'm real interested in having that engine in it, though.
 
That Jeep may have come with the AMC 304 . Not the 401 unless it was installed later. Same size block & mounts. Don't be afraid of some horsepower. :D
LG
 
So in order to have an engine just bolt right in, I'd need to go with the AMC 304 .

Yeah he put the 401 in it later on. He actually used to race in the mud bog competitions sometimes. Said he once won $4,000.
 
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