New Jeep in Town!

[Niedhogg]

Hey everyone, I thought I wouls break the ice and tell you about the CJ7 I'm buying tomorrow night. It'll be my first CJ and the second Jeep I've owned, my first being a 79 Wagoneer that had seen better days. Anyway, I found this 79 CJ7 and called the guy tonight about it, he got it in a deal with the purchase of another truck, kind of a buy one you get both, and he doesn't care for Jeeps much sooo... my gain! He told me on the phone there is no tub, it was too rusty for someone down the line and so it was not part of what he got in the deal, however, someone had started work on fixing it up. It has 35,000 original miles on the drivetrain which is the AMC 304 with the automatic(?727 torqueflite?) and the quadra-trac Transfer Case (? any good ?). I'm not sure what rears it has yet, but it does have brand new YJ springs (?another unknown to me as why?), bushings, shackles, shocks, brake lines & hoses. It is stripped down to the frame, no tub as I said, but it has everything else that came off during disassembly and with the pics I've seen it's all in great shape, the frame and driveline look new and he says the doors are perfect. It's listed for 800 clams but he said he wasn't firm on that, I think I've found a deal! Already located a couple tubs, a steel one from the south for 650, or a fiberglass one for 700. Which is better? Pros and cons? I'm working out east and found this listed locally where I'm at, I have about 3 months left at this job to get it completed and about 6 grand to sink into it, but I'd like to be conservative with my costs. I found a set of headers for 75 bucks that have never been used and figured a spring over lift would be on the cheap as well. Gonna go through all the brakes and change all the fluids, did I mention he could start it when I get there to listen to it?, you know all the usual stuff you should check. I'll have the body parts worked over and painted while I'm doing these other things and hope to be complete in 6-8 weeks. If there is a prefered thread to use I'll post pics and updates as I go along. Any advise is much appreciated, I take critisism pretty well too. This looks like a great forum and I'm looking forward to participating and sharing my build!
Dave

 

[tinman]

Welcome Dave! Nothing useful to add, except it looks like you're pretty close to the Forest City area where I'm from. I will be heading back out to the homeland next month for a few days to visit the family. Anyways, good luck with your new purchase!

 

[BusaDave9]

Your automatic would be a GM Turbo 400 . That's an excellent automatic Transmission .
The QuadraTrac does get a bad rap but if it has been maintained properly and kept well lubed it's a good TCase. The QuadraTrac was one of the first chain driven TCases. Problem was it didn't have a good way to account for chain stretch. That's why it's doubly important to keep it well lubed.
Another criticism of the QuadraTrac is its a full time Transfer Case . That makes it a better TCase for all season street use than off roading. There are kits out there that can convert it to a part time TCase. You would also then have to add front hubs.
Post some pictures here in this thread. You have asked about a lot of issues and I haven't touched on things such as replacing the body. I'm sure others will chime in. When it comes to buying a new CJ there are always lots of issues. You can start a separate threads for these issues.

 

[Niedhogg]

Your automatic would be a GM Turbo 400 . That's an excellent automatic Transmission .
The QuadraTrac does get a bad rap but if it has been maintained properly and kept well lubed it's a good TCase. The QuadraTrac was one of the first chain driven TCases. Problem was it didn't have a good way to account for chain stretch. That's why it's doubly important to keep it well lubed.
Another criticism of the QuadraTrac is its a full time Transfer Case . That makes it a better TCase for all season street use than off roading. There are kits out there that can convert it to a part time TCase. You would also then have to add front hubs.
Post some pictures here in this thread. You have asked about a lot of issues and I haven't touched on things such as replacing the body. I'm sure others will chime in. When it comes to buying a new CJ there are always lots of issues. You can start a separate threads for these issues.

Well I'm glad to hear the Transfer Case isn't junk, lol, and with only 35,000 miles it should still be in pretty good shape, however, I have located a Dana 300 Transfer Case for 125 bucks with a shifter. I hear they are the cat's meow but I don't really know. Would it bolt in? I'll get some pics up later this week, I purchased it tonight for 600 bucks and was only able to get a truck load of loose parts this trip.

 

[Niedhogg]

Here is a teaser...


More to come...

 

[BusaDave9]

Your QuadraTrac has an offset rear output. If you install a Dana 300 or most other TCases you will end up with a centered output. Then you would need an axle with a centered differential.

 

[Niedhogg]

Your QuadraTrac has an offset rear output. If you install a Dana 300 or most other TCases you will end up with a centered output. Then you would need an axle with a centered differential.

Thanks, There's always something right? Well, I've kinda come to the conclusion that I really want to concentrate on the dependability of this Jeep. I get all excited when I start a new build, I always want to go BIG. I've built a couple trucks and have always had 35" tires, but then, the axles on trucks are quite a bit bigger to start with. So I had a chat with myself in the general discussion forum earlier and talked some sense into myself for this build, lol. I have sourced a set of wide track Danas, a Dana 300 with drive shafts from another auomatic CJ for about 500 bucks, but I don't know anything about them, and don't have the time on this build to go through them. My drivetrain has 35K, and I've decided, for now, I will concentrate on all the small things so I can drive this thing anywhere in the country. 33" tires will be plenty for now and the quadra-trac will be fine, at least until I get stuck a couple times... and then it's gonna be on..