Build Thread Rough but Ready Renegade

[MexCJ5]

Not so much the lower location but the lettering. I find a few 75's that have the block letters but many that do not. Officially the Jeep lettering changed in 76 - but I'm not so sure.

Here is a pic of my 72 (the body is from another 72 I had), yours, and the 75 Wiki shot...

I want that original logo as featured in the first pic and the last to make some decals. Anyone know where i can get the file?

 

[BC CJ]

Sorry MexCJ5, I cant help you.

As for my Jeep: I got a new steering stabilizer installed, adjusted in the steering stops now that the boggers are gone. It should turn a lot sharper! I ordered in new shocks that will increase down travel by 4.5 inches and should be safe for up travel due to the bump stops (I still need to build a spacer for the rear ones). The rear brake hose should be fine but the front ones will need to be longer... so I'll have to wait to instal those 2 shocks. I got some Munroe Sensa Trac shocks comming. They were cheap through our local parts supplier, they are nitrogen charged... i dunno, should be decent shocks.

I've been ticking off my list fast and furious recently but a fair bit to go yet. And one last bit of exciting news: I got it insured and took it for the first round the block drive today! The handling isn't 100% but is far, far better than it was. Everything else seems to work fine. More test driving to come!

 

[BC CJ]

I'm in the middle of a big repair weekend. It started when the brakes began pulling hard to the right. I had to drive home by gearing down as the brakes were only safe to use (lightly) under 20km/h. After checking things out I found that a wheel cylinder is leaking and the fluid got on the drum. Apparently when there is oil or grease on the drum or shoe the brakes will grab hard and lock up. So off to get a brake cylinder...

So then I thought, while I am doing brakes I may as well replace the soft lines with longer ones to accomidate the new, longer shocks I will be installing. Then I thought about the ball joints, they had play in them and should be replaced also. So off to get ball joints...

I used a c-clamp style ball joint press from a rental shop. These things are tricky to get all set up right and even harder to use. I had a breaker bar with a long pipe on it and an axe handle in the knuckle to get enough leverage to do this (not haveing a big enough bench vice). Now I'm tired and sore but they are done and re-installed! The brake cylinder is replaced and everything is cleaned but I am waiting on the new hoses to put it back together.

It was a big, hard job so I am really hoping everything works well once its back together! Fingers crossed! If all is well it'll be time for a test drive, maybe a little dirt road wander, and I'll take some pics.

 

[mtnwhlr]

It's funny how one job leads to another and another with Jeeps. Glad to hear you got it handeled. You will be running trails in no time.

 

[BC CJ]

Almost handled - thanks mntwhlr!

The ball joints are a success, the jeep is handling much better. No more wandering around on the road, er, well, it's minimal now

The brakes on the other hand. I cant seem to get them dialed in. The new hoses went on fine, they bled fine. but they seemed really weak. With the peddle all the way down the brakes weren't biting much but it was better in reverse. So I figured it was the auto adjusters up front since I played with them to make sure they were turning freely. So I adjusted them as close I could so I dont have to do the backup-brake thing ALL day. And now the brakes are pulling again. Had a look, sure enough some on the drums. Sanded everything down and tried again: still pulling So I'm going to try once again to clean everything really well and if the grabbing is solved I'll be able to tell better if the weak peddle thing was solved by the adjustment. Buts thats tomorrow. I'm going to bed now. Rant over.

oh and one pic: new steering stabilizer, new ball joints, new shocks. The handling issue is solved now! I think a little exhaust tweaking will be next.

 

[tarry99]

Project Update: Tires.

There is still a long list of odds and ends to do with this Jeep but now it is driveable! Sometime next week I'll get insurance and take it for a test run

I got a set of 8" wheels with this Jeep along with the 10" that the boggers were on. I had no idea what the different wheels would look like so I had planned to use the 10" for no particular reason. But I was recently inspired to use the 8" wheels by some pics of a couple intermediate CJ5s on the Rubicon Trail. These Jeeps looked just right to my eyes so that became the new plan for my Jeep (thanks Jr!).

The tires I chose are called Runway Enduro MT. Yeah, I'd never heard of them either but I liked the tread design and the classic style sidewall... and the price. They were the cheapest option and I was able to save a little more by mounting and balancing them myself at the shop where I work.

So before:


and after:


The worn out 35's are only half an inch taller than the new 33's but visually there is a lot more space in the wheel wells. Its a whole different Jeep without the boggers! It's going to take some getting used to but I like it. It has a more classic style now rather than the show truck/mud dragster look.

So naturally I pulled it out of the carport, pulled the top off and took some pictures! This is what I call the "Ka-chow angle."




and a closer up of the tires. Pardon the floor mess - it's still a construction zone

BCCJ, love to see your tire test again with the 33's on. What height & width are those tires and what rim width did you go with?
Also how much lift?
Give us a side photo if you can.
Thanks

 

[BC CJ]

I'll try to get some pics soon... ramp test with the new tires is a good idea.

Tires are 33x12.5 15
wheels are 8" wide
Lift height I have no idea... i dont think the springs are original and it seems a bit too tall for just the extended shackles I have. I'm going to guess its about 3 or 3.5 inch.

 

[BC CJ]

As promised, more pics

On the ramps.


There is about 1-2 inches more up travel but it looks like there will be plenty of room. No rub-a-dub-dub


And a side shot. You can kinda see the abomination that is my exhaust. I'm going to relocate the muffler up a bit and add a tailpipe for now. But one day I want to have it re-done completely so it doesn't hang down so low.


As for the brakes. I cleaned them and adjusted them as best I could. The grabbing issue seems to be solved but the brakes still pull to the right. But now it is a gentle pull that is easily controled - fine to drive around with. Maybe eventually they will auto adjust and be more even. Whatever, for now it's rolling!

 

[tonkatrucksryan]

Looks Great Man!!!!!

 

[tarry99]

As promised, more pics

On the ramps.


There is about 1-2 inches more up travel but it looks like there will be plenty of room. No rub-a-dub-dub


And a side shot. You can kinda see the abomination that is my exhaust. I'm going to relocate the muffler up a bit and add a tailpipe for now. But one day I want to have it re-done completely so it doesn't hang down so low.


As for the brakes. I cleaned them and adjusted them as best I could. The grabbing issue seems to be solved but the brakes still pull to the right. But now it is a gentle pull that is easily controled - fine to drive around with. Maybe eventually they will auto adjust and be more even. Whatever, for now it's rolling!

BCCJ Looks nice..........what is the height of those tires measured from the ground?

 

[BC CJ]

Should be pretty close the 33 inches. The boggers were measuring in at 33.5 (which made sense cause they are 35 new with 3/4" tread so minus that, they are bald, times two, top and bottom, gives 33.5). And the new tires were about half an inch lower.

I dont know why all tire companies cant just make tires that measure the same height as the side wall says But I think these ones are pretty close.

I dont know when the test drive trip is going to happen. mntwhlr made note of how Jeep projects tend to expand in scope: try a home renovation! Its driving me nuts

 

[tarry99]

Should be pretty close the 33 inches. The boggers were measuring in at 33.5 (which made sense cause they are 35 new with 3/4" tread so minus that, they are bald, times two, top and bottom, gives 33.5). And the new tires were about half an inch lower.

I dont know why all tire companies cant just make tires that measure the same height as the side wall says But I think these ones are pretty close.

I dont know when the test drive trip is going to happen. mntwhlr made note of how Jeep projects tend to expand in scope: try a home renovation! Its driving me nuts

Well your right some of these tires are all over the place in height that's why I asked...........and I know how ya feel just finished adding 1500 sqft , so I'm tired of living in the dust.

 

[Trucklocker]

Nice job! Jeep looks really good. Glad the handling is worked out. You mentioned you had brake fluid all over the drums. I assume this means there was fluid all over the linings also. You hadn't mentioned that youve replaced them. And if it's still pulling to one side, that may be the issue. Typically, fluid on the linings ruins them, and the shoes need replacing. Don't know that's your problem with your particular project, but it's worth looking into.

 

[BC CJ]

Thanks Trucklocker! The linings may very well be ruined. I sanded the out of them hoping that would clear it up. It seemed to help a lot but maybe it wont last... haven't driven it much yet.

For now I'm going to drive it like it's trying to kill me (very carefully) and inspect the drums again after another drive. We'll see...

This whole episode, plus the wet brake thing, has me thinking about disc conversions for the front. One day.

 

[Trucklocker]

Yeah, I once had a 64 El Camino had the same problem. Replaced the linings, and it worked just like it was supposed to work. After a thorough cleaning of the drums again, that is. Brake parts cleaner is your friend for the metal parts. Just won't likely work on the linings, which tend to absorb the fluid, making their friction unpredictable from one side to the other. Always replace in pairs. Both fronts or both rears, or all four.

 

[BC CJ]

Thanks Trucklocker, that sounds like really good advice. That will be my next course of action if these brakes act up again... or after more driving I just dont like what I feel.

 

[BC CJ]

Project Update: Fabrication day

So yesterday I went in to the shop where I work and built some stuff for the Jeep. The scrap metal bin, tools, and welder are such a great resource! And, as an employee, they sell me Propane at 70 cents a liter. Compare that to 80cents at a station and gasoline is going for 1.30 or so these days. Woo-hoo.

First thing was to mount the winch. I got this 10,000lbs Superwinch on sale a couple months ago. The existing plate was set up (poorly) for a warn 8274 but the Superwinch fit perfectly; nice and protected. All I had to do was drill 4 holes. 3 of them avoided the factory metal plate below so I only had to drill 1 hole through that. I was quite happy with how easily this project worked out. I had a strip of metal welded across that 1 hole so the winch cant be stolen easily.


Then I whipped up some bump-stop spacers. I found a piece of aluminum the right size, 3x2 box; time will tell if it is strong enough. Original bump stops bolted to that.


And last I had the exhaust re-routed. I did the cutting and fitting while my friend did the welding. Now I owe him a steak sandwich from the local pub but at about 7 bucks I’d say it’s a good deal. Plus he is an experienced mechanic who can/does answer my many questions.

Before (a total hack job)


After (a… a total hack job! But at least the muffler is higher and it has a tail pipe now)


Last thing to do with the exhaust for now is to fix the leak at the manifold-pipe conection. The manifold has integrated studs rather than a nut-bolt setup... so I really dont want to break them. I think I'll save some money and just pay an exhaust shop to do that. Sounds like a lot of trouble to me.


Finally, the brakes still pull so I ran out and picked up a new set of shoes (they come in 4s) for the front. Thanks for the wisdom Trucklocker!

 

[Sc37206]

Crazy enough, I just bought a Toledo CJ5 that also rolled of the line Dec. 1974!number 023452. Love what you are doing to yours, The color you chose is the original color for mine.

 

[Sc37206]

Here is my 75.

 

[BC CJ]

Crazy enough, I just bought a Toledo CJ5 that also rolled of the line Dec. 1974!number 023452. Love what you are doing to yours, The color you chose is the original color for mine.

Thats awesome! Your Jeep is looking good, pretty well equipped already. What kind of plans do you have for it?