Build Thread Second life of the '83 CJ7 "Yeep" (it's a soft 'J')

[ShotgunFacelift]

Welcome to the Yeep build! First, a little backstory:

My dad picked up a nice little '83 CJ7 a few years back as a little "around-town-runaround". Drove it to the bar and local concerts in his area, no lengthy trips and always garage kept. He ended up selling his house and moving a little ways away, with no way to move the Jeep, so he left it at his friends house for the time being, only caveat was that it had to sit in the back by the guys workshop. Fast-forward 2 years and my '91 BMW 535i gave up the ghost. Dad tells me I can have the Jeep but the head gasket is done and it may need a new engine. Today was the day we went and dragged her out of his friends yard. She is looking a little rough after having been sitting outside for a couple years. There's some rust that wasn't there before, the top and seats have mildew on them, and someone took the gas cap off, so I'm sure there's water in the tank. She had a flat tire that surprising held air as we pumped it with a portable compressor. We used a come-along to get her on the trailer and brought her home. First order of business is to clean her up, possibly drop the tank (unless I can temporarily remedy it), get her running to get me around (new HG, possibly new engine), work on patching the little rust that it has, and then maybe a SBC or 4BT in the future. For now, I just want t get her back on the road and start restoring her to her former glory. I'll start this off with a little photo-story of today's adventure to rescue the old gal from imminent demise. Hope you all enjoy following my exploits with this fine automobile as I do what I can to give her a new life.

How she looked when we showed up. Door open (latch stuck open, door wouldn't close) and a flat tire:



Tire inflated and loaded up on the trailer:



Ready to start heading home:



On the road!!



And finally nestled into her new home for the foreseeable future



I have her hooked up to the battery charger and everything electrical is still working as it should. I'm super excited to start digging into her and getting my hands dirty with a new project. I love this kind of stuff! I'll be giving her a proper cleaning tomorrow when the weather is a bit better and then maybe start dropping the tank (or try to fire her up). Stay tuned for more updates and more pictures!

 

[mtnwhlr]

Looks like you have a good start on a nice Jeep. My advice on the start is do not try to start it with any of the old gas in it it will wreck the valves in the head replace all of it from carb to tank first.

 

[ShotgunFacelift]

Thanks for the kind words. She is definitely more solid than I thought she would be after braving the elements for 2 years straight. Took off the feed line to the carb, put a little gas in the carb, and fired her up for a second to make sure she still runs. I doubt there is any water in the fuel lines but I'm going to drop the tank tomorrow, drain it, and see where I'm at. Might just have to get a new tank (or this one redone) but I don't think anything between the tank and carb were effected. I will know more tomorrow when I have some time to mess with her.

 

[mtnwhlr]

I wasn't talking about water in the gas what I was saying is this so called gas we have now a days will go bad after sitting for a long time. When I got mine it had set for a long time and when I got it running using the gas that was in it I ended up with four of the six intake valves frozen and four bent push rods. I don't what to see you go thru the same thing.

 

[ShotgunFacelift]

I don't plan on running it with what's in the system now. I'm going to probably replace the tank (or get it freshened up at a radiator shop) and blow out all the lines. Thanks for the input, though. I'm going to start looking into what new lines are going to run me. If its not much then I'll probably replace them. This engine doesn't have much left in it anyway (unless I pull the head) so I may just run it into the ground and put a fresh one in. I really don't know what I'm getting into until tomorrow when I have time to start taking her apart. Thanks for the heads up, I'll definitely take your recommendation into account.

 

[Petescj]

Thats a pretty sweet CJ7 to have just sitting around. I couldnt have left that alone only needing a head gasket in the begining. Good luck with your project.

 

[ShotgunFacelift]

He's had a lot on his plate the past couple years and the Jeep kind of got put to the wayside. He wasn't so apprehensive about giving it to me because he knew that, at the very least, there would be someone keeping it up, if not fixing what needs done.

I have a pretty good update for you guys here in a little bit. Uploading the couple pictures I have right now.

 

[ShotgunFacelift]

Well, I had a huge update typed out but the website froze as I was posting. So now you get this because I'm not about to type all that out right now. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow with details...

She runs. Didn't need much really. Drove around my neighborhood. Gave her a bath. Drove around the neighborhood some more with the top and doors missing.

Before wash:



After wash. I took her top off and put my hose inside of her, as well :grinjeep:






There are still some issues but I'll get into those tomorrow. It's late and I'm already pissed my whole original update got deleted. Going to bed.

 

[ShotgunFacelift]

Ok, "so what had happened was..."

I went out to the garage yesterday morning and poked around the Jeep for a little bit. I found out that I'm pretty lucky and have a poly gas tank, so no rust concerns! Ran to the nearest auto parts store and got myself some HEET and stuff for an oil change. Changed out the oil (which wasn't so bad considering the semi-blown head gasket), threw the HEET in the tank with a few gallons of fresh fuel, and then put a little in the carb. After a few cranks the fired right up! A couple more tries and she was holding an idle! You could definitely smell the old gas and HEET burning off but nothing I didn't expect. I coasted her to the bottom of the driveway, put her in first, and... nothing. Second? Nothing. Third?! Nothing. So after a slight freak out and fearing the worst, I had a moment of clarity. I put the Transfer Case in Neutral when we were loading it onto the trailer! Put her in 2WD and she was off. Both 4WD work as well After a short jaunt around the neighborhood I took a gander for leaks and the only thing I found was a rotted fuel line in the engine bay that has some pinholes. I went back to the store and got new line to redo all the lines in the engine bay, so that's today's project. I also plan on maybe wire-wheeling and painting some rusty stuff (side view mirrors and bumpers, mainly) over the next few days. I also need at least one new tire before I'm confident in taking her on public roads, as the belt in the front-left tire is broken from going flat and sitting. Stay tuned for more updates as Project Yeep moves along at a steady pace.

 

[ShotgunFacelift]

No real big update today. Dad had some people coming to look at his house, so after replacing the rotted fuel lines I loaded up the dogs and took them for a little cruise through the neighborhood and to the little park we have. The ten dog is mine and I think he likes the a jeep as much as I do.

 

[cj7inthetwigs]

Looks like their guarding the tools.

sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX HD

 

[ShotgunFacelift]

Looks like their guarding the tools.

Oscar knows not to let them go missing


Didn't do much today. Took the mirrors off and took the arms, bases, and hardware to a wire wheel. Once I got all the surface rust cleaned off, I hit them with a couple coats of Rustoleum gloss black and remounted with the nice clean hardware. Really just a trial run though. I plan on wire-wheeling the rusty parts of the bumpers and doing the bumpers and mirrors with Rustoleum "hammered" black. Maybe even the flares, too.

 

[ShotgunFacelift]

Small update:

Yesterday, the battery took a dive. I should've seen it coming. Went and got a fresh battery, came back to the Jeep, put it in, and... nothing. They sold me a bum battery. Took it back, got a fresh one, put it in, and all was good.

Went to drive it today, got in, fired right up, get to the bottom of the driveway, and... she died. Pulled the feed line off the carb and she wasn't pumping any fuel. Gave a quick look around and noticed the feed line off the tank was dry-rotted and had a nice gaping hole in it. Thanks to the 3" body lift, I was able to replace the line in about 5 minutes. Primed the carb a couple times, she fired right up, and is now running much better than before. It used to fall on its face if I went WOT in 2nd. Now she just pulls smoothly. It's the little things...

I'm on the fence about getting rid of the old gal, though. She's been sitting so long that something messes up almost every time I drive her. She's my main mode of transportation and I could really benefit from something a bit more dependable. She is so fun to drive around though! Who knows.

 

[mtnwhlr]

I say keep the Jeep and get a Civic or something for a DD.

 

[ShotgunFacelift]

That's the issue, I can't really afford to buy another car. I'd have to sell the Jeep to be able to afford another vehicle :/ I don't know, I'm still on the fence. We'll see...

 

[ShotgunFacelift]

Well, went to go to a job interview yesterday and my brand new battery was completely drained. Hooked up the charger and then the charger took a sh!t. It's been one Hell of a week...

 

[Petescj]

Hang in there. I wouldnt be giving up a Cj like that for a Civic any time soon. You'll regret it. Trust me.

Well, went to go to a job interview yesterday and my brand new battery was completely drained. Hooked up the charger and then the charger took a poopie. It's been one Hell of a week...

 

[jeremy5780]

Nice jeep don't give up!

 

[ThisGuyUKnow]

Small update:

Yesterday, the battery took a dive. I should've seen it coming. Went and got a fresh battery, came back to the Jeep, put it in, and... nothing. They sold me a bum battery. Took it back, got a fresh one, put it in, and all was good.

Went to drive it today, got in, fired right up, get to the bottom of the driveway, and... she died. Pulled the feed line off the carb and she wasn't pumping any fuel. Gave a quick look around and noticed the feed line off the tank was dry-rotted and had a nice gaping hole in it. Thanks to the 3" body lift, I was able to replace the line in about 5 minutes. Primed the carb a couple times, she fired right up, and is now running much better than before. It used to fall on its face if I went WOT in 2nd. Now she just pulls smoothly. It's the little things...

I'm on the fence about getting rid of the old gal, though. She's been sitting so long that something messes up almost every time I drive her. She's my main mode of transportation and I could really benefit from something a bit more dependable. She is so fun to drive around though! Who knows.

Some of the regulars here are gonna roll their eyes at me because I say this to everyone. If that engine is a AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l and if the bottom end is in good shape and if you can find the time and initial cash (less than a civic) a 4.0 head and MPFI will get you a lot more reliable performance. The process isn't the cheapest but if you do it right you can be around a grand into it if you or someone you know can do exhaust work and if you plan the swap right you can have it all done in a weekend.

Of course that wouldn't solve your battery drain issues. I would bet that if you took your jeep to autozone or similar establishment and had them test your alternator that it might be bad and is not fully charging your battery when the engine is running.

 

[ShotgunFacelift]

The battery issue is somewhat solved. The ignition switch is on it's way out. I'm getting rid of it because I don't have the money to put into it to get it reliable, you all seem to keep skipping over that part. It's for sale because I need the money and a reliable vehicle. If I had the money to make it reliable, I wouldn't be selling it. That being said, she's been on Craigslist for about a week now and I may have a buyer coming through today. It's been fun but I just can't afford a project right now. My dad may be picking up another CJ here in the near future that's in much better condition with a 350 swap, so I will be back. This one is just too much of a project for my bank account to handle at the moment.