Build Thread The $120 Jeep CJ7 build thread

[gert]

Lol he has his pimp cane on the ready


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[daddyusmaximus]

I love the tail lights. Do you need to worry about side marker lights in the rear? I would have to here to pass inspection (not running antique plates).

No inspections where I live. I want rear side markers, but only if I can find some (or make some) that look like the reflectors on military Jeeps. Otherwise a reflector will do.

 

[daddyusmaximus]

Lol he has his pimp cane on the ready


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Pimp, no... Gimp, yes.

I got some medical issues. Got a walker too, for when I have to be on my feet for longer periods. I can make it to the garage (maybe 25 steps) without the cane, but after working for a while, I can't make it back to the house without it. I have to limit what I do, and how I do it.

 

[Belizean]

Frankenstein is a little harsh. Maybe Mutt or Mongrel

 

[shum8]

I like Mongrel......... that would be quite befitting mine as well!!


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[daddyusmaximus]

Got the spring plate back from the machine shop the other day. They wanted to get the bracket off in good shape so they ended up digging into the plate a bit to get the factory weld off, but they filled it all back in. Once turned around, they burned in in place and all is well.



Home, and on to test the fit... everything lines up just fine. I'll be using the factory sway bar with my Dodge truck Dana 44 ... God likes me.




About an hr ago, I got a call from the other machine shop. The fuel tank skid plate is done. They had called me and warned me that it would be much more expensive to do it in one piece. The guy asked If I was ok with a welded two piece one, and I OK'd it. I also went with 3/16ths rather than 1/4, not only to save some $ but some weight.



This is a lot more confidence inspiring than a naked aluminium fuel tank.



I'm wondering now if I should maybe paint the inside of the skid plate with underliner to help cushion between the surfaces. Anyone think there would be a problem with the tank rubbing on the skid plate. Should I have made then contour it so closely to the tank? I will put a couple washers between them to space it down, but nothing I can do about the sides. I had to have the mounting tabs match. I wouldn't think there'd be a problem. Lots of tanks are mounted with straps, but those are so tight there is no movement...

 

[gert]

Looking great I would think that as long as there is no room for the tank to move it would not be a problem..... at least for a really long time anyway


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[shum8]

How about a couple strips of inner tube? Just enough to prevent chaffing. I hate chaffing....


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[gr8dain]

How about a couple strips of inner tube? Just enough to prevent chaffing. I hate chaffing....


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I was thinking the same thing. A layer of rubber liner. The straps holding the gas tank of my impala have them between the straps and the tank.

 

[shum8]

Great minds think alike. Or, insanity is running rampant.

My other thought was a sheet of gasket material from the auto parts store cut into strips


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[Posi]

I use vinyl utility runner that I buy by the foot at lowes to use on tanks with missing factory liner. Also use it on my tractor's foot rest, cut to shape, then use spray adhesive to fix the vinyl on. Comes in 3ft width @ $2-$3 a ft.

 

[daddyusmaximus]

I like the innertube idea. I could get one of those free if it has a hole in it already...

 

[daddyusmaximus]

It's been a busy time with my family due to my mother-in-law having a serious bout with pneumonia. We've spent a lot of time traveling back, and forth to the hospital, and now the rehab center. Top that off with very cold weather (today it was 20 below zero) and nothing is getting done on the Jeep.

However, I did hear from my Transmission guy yesterday. It seems that whoever rebuilt the Transmission the last time didn't put some thrust washer in it and the main shaft bounced back, and forth inside and pretty much ruined the whole damn thing. It was mushroomed on the end, and he couldn't get the planetary off. Some of the clutches were welded together... He was questioning the fact that I was driving it before I took it out of the Jeep. Long story short, I'm looking at $1,400 or so to rebuilt it. Pretty much the entire thing other than the case, and the valve body is toast.

So I'm gonna have to look around junkyards for a good core. I'm also thinking about changing plans to a small block Chevy/700R4 swap if one can be found.

It would be easier to find an LS these days, but that's more money, and more electronics. I'm not rolling in money, and not great at electronics, but I'm considering it. The parts availability and good mileage and power would be nice. At least there is good aftermarket support.

 

[gert]

Ask your Transmission guy, you should be able to buy any 727 as a core and use you original output shaft and tailhousing on the new one, thousands of 2wd transmissions out there


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[daddyusmaximus]

Ask your trans guy, you should be able to buy any 727 as a core and use you original output shaft and tailhousing on the new one, thousands of 2wd transmissions out there


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Original output shaft (both shafts) are toast. This is a 4WD Transmission . There is an adapter between it, and the Dana 20 .

 

[gert]

Original output shaft (both shafts) are toast. This is a 4WD transmission. There is an adapter between it, and the Dana 20.

Dang that sucks


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[daddyusmaximus]

Well, it has been forever since I have been able to get anything done on the Jeep. Being a cripple makes life interesting. I have a lot of issues, and my left shoulder has been a big one since last spring. The VA has been dancing around the issue with shots, physical therapy, and the like, but I go under the knife on the 2nd. Lefts see if if gets fixed.

My mother-in-law was very sick since right after Christmas. Bronchitis, then Pneumonia, and finally Congestive Heat Failure. We buried her a week ago today. This left us in a cash bind with the wife being off work taking care of her.

Of course it had to be during this time that our furnace caught fire. We've been heating with a propane powered Mr Buddy, and a Kerosene heater, and a couple electric ones. Our $5,000 deductible insurance doesn't help any...

So... The Transmission guy called me a while back, and said there were some big problems. Just because I was driving the '79 CJ5 around prior to tearing it down doesn't mean it was gonna be an easy refresh. Well, I had told him that I wanted it to be 100% so that once it goes in this time, it won't have to come out again...

First thing is he couldn't get the dang thing apart. The output shaft was mushroomed on the end and he couldn't get the planetary and front drum off. There was supposed to be some kind of thrust washer there that was missing.

The pump was scored, as was one other part. (I forget)

I ended up buying a core Transmission at a junk yard for parts. The output shaft was harder to find. Had to go to Ebay for that. Turns out my "Dodge truck" TF 727 is actually out of an old International. Apparently IH put Mopar stuff in some of their trucks back in the day. This also means there will be no changing over to the Dana 300 .

The Dana 20 was gone through, and there were some problems here as well. One of the shift rails was boogered up. I had a spare Dana 20 and a rail was swapped out. One of the shafts was scored from bad roller bearings, but the spare case shaft was also bad so had to buy one. Then I had to get a repair sleeve for the front output yoke on the Transfer Case . There was a groove from the seal on the old one, and my spare Transfer Case is a Jeep model. The IH one is 26 spline, and the Jeep is 10 spline, so I couldn't use that yoke.

He ended up using the core case, as my original case also has 3 different size bolts in the pan from past owners messing things up... It's much cleaner so that will make painting it easier. The interlock pills have been taken out of the Transfer Case so I'll be able to use my twin stick cable shifter. I have both the short IH and the longer Dodge shifter, and kickdown arms for the Transmission , so I should be able to get whatever shifter I find to work.

Here they are as I picked them up.




A cripple needs the cherry picker to unload when he's all by himself...



For now, I'll just set the unit on a dolly and roll it out of the way.



After I get all healed up from my surgery, I hope to get the engine cleaned up. Then I can mate the power pack together, paint it, get the motor mounts, and Transmission mounts put in, and have it all sitting in the frame.

Right now I have to hurry up and build a golf hole for Barstool golf for the VFW. I started on that tonight. It's Jeep themed as well, but no photos til it's done.

 

[daddyusmaximus]

Probably should have got this a year ago when I started this odyssey, but I finally picked up one of these.





Not sure how much it will help seeing as how there won't be much "Jeep" left in the thing by the time I get her done...

 

[shum8]

Dang, Dude - Sorry you had such a rough go of it!! Hopefully things will ease up now....... Keep at it!!


Sent from the searing, barren, scorched land that used to be SW Virginia... no rain in 4 days.

 

[gert]

Dang, Dude - Sorry you had such a rough go of it!! Hopefully things will ease up now....... Keep at it!!


Sent from the searing, barren, scorched land that used to be SW Virginia... no rain in 4 days.

X2

I was trying to come up with something funny to cheer you up earlier but couldn’t come with anything, I also hope life gets better for you and your family God bless


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