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Just Bought 85 Laredo !

Just Bought 85 Laredo !

mogles

Jeeper
Posts
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Location
Macon, Ga
Vehicle(s)
1985 CJ-7 Laredo 258ci 6 cyl. I guess the rest is stock.. 35in tires , 1999 F-150 pu. flareside. totally stock , 2005 Dodge Minivan totally stock
I just bought a 1985 Laredo ... It seems to be pretty stock.. What all should I look for in my upcoming rebuild? This is my first Jeep so I am kinda clueless... It is in pretty roiugh shape but running, interior is shot...
 
First thing to ask... What do want to do with the CJ?

This is the most basic question....

Mud, basic trails, rocks - what are your intentions?
 
Most likely just basic trails at some point in the future... Right now I am "Going Thru" everything to see exactly what I have to work with... Ive only had it a week or so now and the first thing I done was a new ignition lock cylinder ( i think thats what the box said) I always called it a switch... I got tired of using a screwdriver to crank it... I know i have some BIG issues to deal with ( holes in floor pans, loose steering, body swaying in curves, grinding noise I cant pinpoint yet..) but I will tackle them one by one until I got it the way I want it... my plan is to get uit mechanically sound from bumper to bumper then I will " Make it Purrty agin"

By the way while I was running my route in Montezuma I came across a 1971 Jeepster commando sitting off the Hwy.... Of course I had to stop and look ( Dont tell Fed Ex !! they want to keep us moving!!!) The body was decent, Drive train is shot but the original v6 block is there ( I think its original) The interior is so-so... Question... Do you know anyone around that may be interested?? I can take pics if you want and post them ( If I can figure out how )
 
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I was hoping to get some questions answered -- Maybe ya'll can help..
I was crawling all over my cj today checking things out and i noticed a few things...

first the leaf spring go OVER ther axles !! Is this stock or has someone changed this to "lift" it.. This may be why I have so much sway in the body while driving. If what I think is true how can I " tighten " the body so it wont sway / lean so much in curves


second -- what is the best way to check out the front drive line by myself? never owned a 4 wd before, I took it on a trail today -- engaged the 4wd and in 4 h heard some weird noises in front axle --- when in 4 l - no noises but serious torque due to gearing.. any suggestion would be helpful.. Thanks :confused:
 
A stock cj has the springs under the axle. Your SOA set-up could indeed be your problems. We really need some pics to help amswer though.
Not sure on the noise as the same things are turning in the front axle in high as in low.
 
Cool.. In the next few days I will clean up the bottom side and take some pics. Maybe you can tell me how to tighten things up.. As far as the noises are concerned they are really hard to describe but here it goes..

When you accelerate hard there is a scraping noise coming from the rear, at first I thought it was the body scrubbing the tires somewhere since it only happens in 1st gear under hard acceleration when the rear "sits" down.. It sounds like something that is " spinning " but I cant find any wear marks on bottom side.. keep in mind it only last for a second or two.
Any Ideas???

As far as the front axle is concerned I will rebuild/repack the hubs and take a look at everything then.. since I just bought it this is something that I should do anyway.. The PO did no maintence other than oil changes..

By the way the front drive shaft is made out of square tubing.... Is this right ??? The rear shaft looks original... (round)
 
Oh yeah 85 Laredo ! Yeah that is what I rock I love it!!
 
Cool.. In the next few days I will clean up the bottom side and take some pics. Maybe you can tell me how to tighten things up.. As far as the noises are concerned they are really hard to describe but here it goes..

When you accelerate hard there is a scraping noise coming from the rear, at first I thought it was the body scrubbing the tires somewhere since it only happens in 1st gear under hard acceleration when the rear "sits" down.. It sounds like something that is " spinning " but I cant find any wear marks on bottom side.. keep in mind it only last for a second or two.
Any Ideas???

As far as the front axle is concerned I will rebuild/repack the hubs and take a look at everything then.. since I just bought it this is something that I should do anyway.. The PO did no maintence other than oil changes..

By the way the front drive shaft is made out of square tubing.... Is this right ??? The rear shaft looks original... (round)

The scraping in the rear may be your 2 piece axles slipping. Look at the ends of your rear axles. If there is a nut and threads, you have 2 piece axles. Make a chalk mark from the hub across the threads. Check it after making the scraping noise again. If the line no longer lines up, your axle is spinning in the hub.
 
I will give that a try this weekend probably.. Thanks for the tip!

Today I was changing all the oils in the cj ang when I drained the tranny (T 5 -- 5 speed ) I only got about 2 shot glasses worth of oil that looked really milky... I put a shade over 4 qts of fresh oil in there, I also changed the oil in the Transfer Case as well. I will do the axles tomorrow. One thing i noticed was the Transmission mount under the skid plate was broke, so i dropped the skid plate .. the problem I have is i cannot figure out how to reinstall everything.. I dont think the PO had it "right" but now my t case and tranny have dropped about 5 inches .. I know I will have to jack it all back up but how does thr tranny mount and body mounts install on the skidplate??
 
Love MY 84 Laredo CJ7 . Have fun with it.
 
Well today I changed the tranny mount under the skid plate and solved all of my " clearance issues " it also stopped the grinding I mentioned earlier in the post... hurray !! Now I am working on the carb... My CARTER carb is about to wind up in a river ... Any suggestions on a replacement ??? AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l inline 6 -- Thanks

:D:D
 

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