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84 CJ7 4 banger-owned since new in 1984 bought off truck at dealership - rebuilding 258, T176 with Sniper EFI D300 4:1 Lomax gears Twin Sticked 1 piece axels with locker
'80 CJ7, Just a rolling frame right now... will have Mopar 360, Torqueflite 727, D20, full size D44, Chrysler 9.25 with 4 wheel discs. SOA on Rubicon Express 1.5" YJ springs.
Wow... That won't last long. Somebody go buy it, and build it. "The $300 Jeep CJ7 build thread"... lol.
So, I jumped on the cragslist, and facebook sale groups in my area last night looking for a hatch for a CJ7 hard top. I figured I could sell my YJ top later to make up for buying one. Hell, I don't even remember how I got sidetracked into looking into tops, when I'm supposed to be buying parts for the front axle... I guess my TBI gave me some ADHD, but it's in my head now.
Never did find one, but I stumbled on something that made me think I may not need a CJ7 hatch... a YJ tub. This was 3 hrs away, but it was in way better shape than the CJ7 tub I went 3 states away to get. With the YJ style tailgate, I can just use my YJ top that came on my CJ, AND not have all those rust holes to fix. There's one issue, the Transmission tunnel has a little section missing because he was running a 700 HP big block Ford, C6, and 1 tons, but everything else is solid. Oh, and the glass is cracked in the windshield, but I have a 2 CJ windshields.
Talked to the guy, and he took it off the frame last night. I went down today and picked it up, along with the gas tank, since it feeds from the drivers side. Got the roll bar, power brake upgrade... and the chance to take apart, and clean a tub all over again.
Now I will be selling my CJ7 tub, and some associated parts to help offset what I just spent. (new kitchen roof money) In the end, I thing this will work out a lot better. I suppose I could still use the freebie CJ hard top. Seeing as the hatch is FUBAR, I could take it off, and the side glass out, and have a hard bikini top for the summer. Gotta have my shade.
'80 CJ7, Just a rolling frame right now... will have Mopar 360, Torqueflite 727, D20, full size D44, Chrysler 9.25 with 4 wheel discs. SOA on Rubicon Express 1.5" YJ springs.
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I'm still missing 1 seal, and 1 race, (both on order) and the rotors are still getting new studs pressed in, but I've just about got what I need to reassemble the main axle. I ran out of money, so no new brake pads or calipers... yet. Not like I'm going anywhere in it soon. Down in the back pretty bad though right now, so probably take some time off before I get to cleaning, and prepping the housing anyway.
'80 CJ7, Just a rolling frame right now... will have Mopar 360, Torqueflite 727, D20, full size D44, Chrysler 9.25 with 4 wheel discs. SOA on Rubicon Express 1.5" YJ springs.
Well, still waiting... A friend who has set up gears before is going to show me how to do it, but he's been working a lot of hrs these days, so the axles hasn't been put back together as of yet. I have decided to spend some time working on the new tub. Looked real nice online... Looked good when I went to pick it up too.
Now keep in mind, when I say "good" I mean "not rusted all to hell". It was, however, used as a mud toy. An open top... mud toy. Yeah, it's gonna take some cleaning...
This thing has so much mud in it, I was finding mud inside the windshield frame all around the wiper arms... In fact, I found 2 Bic lighters in there, and one still worked.
On the plus side, the tub has been bed lined, so it's in good shape for the most part.
Oh, by the way, I also had to fix the trailer too. Got home with the tub, and discovered this... Lucky I made it home...
'80 CJ7, Just a rolling frame right now... will have Mopar 360, Torqueflite 727, D20, full size D44, Chrysler 9.25 with 4 wheel discs. SOA on Rubicon Express 1.5" YJ springs.
Next up. Lets see if I can make the old doors fit.
They do, sort of.
Bit of a gap at the front...
Not gonna be rain tight... Great, now I have to mess with those stupid star drive door hinge screws. Broke 2 bits so far...
I've used this old B&D Workmate as a portable work station, but it's not really the best solution. A bit too low, doesn't roll around, fluids soak in the top.
Found this cool steel table in the facebook classifieds that holds storage bins. It only came with 6 bins, but I had a bunch, so good deal for me.
Of course, a couple of years, and thousands of dollars from now, she'll be looking way better, oh and running too.
Here's the story. I picked up a 1980 Jeep CJ7 this week that I intend to build as an adventure/overland rig. My skills are limited, so I will have to hire some of the work done, but I want to do as much of it as I can myself. As we all know, there is great satisfaction in standing back and looking at something you built with your own hands. A thing America is losing these days, as is so accurately reported by public figure Mike Rowe. I like him... he's cool in my book.
Anyway, She isn't running now, but she is complete, and near as I can tell, almost 100% stock, (except added fog lights) so that gives me a known starting point. That itself is something lacking in so many old Jeeps, including my current CJ5. The "new": CJ7 has a 258 I-6 and the auto trans. The shifter is on the tilt column with a very nice Lecarra wheel. The dash, seats, everything about the interior and hardtop is complete and in nice shape. The hardtop even has a defroster in the back glass and a rear wiper. The doors are great and the roll up windows work perfectly. The windshield is a goner, and there are some panels on the tub that will require attention.
So I met a fellow combat vet at a 4x4 meet. He also has 3 tours. He also drives a '79 CJ5. (way nicer than mine) He's trying to get out of paying storage on two old Jeeps he was going to build, and he sells me one, and a buddy one. I got mine for $120. Yeah, that's right. $120. I didn't miss a zero. He just wanted me to cover the last months storage fee. He's younger, still in, and single. I'm old, fat, crippled, retired, wife is a teachers aid that has no paychecks in the summer, and we have two kids in college, but man he hooked me up!
Now the CJ5 I already have just happens to have a very strong powertrain from a Dodge truck. It has a built Dodge 360 (Holley 4V, headers, cam, MSD ignition...) , a TF 727 and full width Dana 44 front, and Chrysler 9.25 rear axles with 4 wheel discs. This is on a spring over axle lift that allows for a 35" or 37" tires on the CJ5 tub.
Do I really need to go that high? No.
Is it a bit of a pain to climb in and out of with my injuries? Yes.
Is it fun, and cool? Yes.
The CJ7 has a much more sensible straight six that would be plenty for adventuring around this beautiful nation of ours and I do like how easy it is to climb into and out of as it sits now in stock form. However, she isn't running at the moment and who knows what it would take to get it that way... Besides, I may be old enough to complain about stuff, but I'm still young enough to enjoy the roar of a good old American V-8. That Mopar 360 sounds awesome.
I'll be using the power train from the CJ5. I'll duplicate the spring over setup on the CJ7 as well, but go with YJ springs that are known to soften up the ride and allow for more flex. The Hardtop will give me a more secure vehicle in bad weather travels. It still allows for the normal door off Jeep driving on nice days. I have found Jeep facebook pages in my area that will make it easy to sell off remaining parts from either vehicle I don't use. Of course, I also love Jeep forums like this, and have learned a lot from these places. I hope to learn (and share) more as I go. I will probably need to ask questions when I get stuck on something. Thanks in advance people.
I started today with cleaning out the garage a bit getting ready for teardown of the CJ5. Still have to make some room in the shed, get rid of some stuff. I picked up a couple commercial grade steel shelving units from a college that went under. With my injuries, and inability to handle much heat, I have to do my work in short spurts in cool evenings right now. I'm also under the typical buy a part or two each month budget of a retired disabled soldier. This will be a 2 year project (or more) as I'm taking two vehicles down to the frames.. to build one back up.
I will build the inside up to be user friendly as an adventure/overland vehicle with stuff I've learned traveling on my own, in groups, with the Army, and on sites like this. The outside of the Jeep will be a tribute to my time in the military. (and to my brothers and sisters who serve now) I will do it up in desert sand much like the trucks we had on my last tour in Iraq, but with the bumper numbers from my first tank I had in West Germany back in 1981.
'80 CJ7, Just a rolling frame right now... will have Mopar 360, Torqueflite 727, D20, full size D44, Chrysler 9.25 with 4 wheel discs. SOA on Rubicon Express 1.5" YJ springs.
Haven't had much luck getting my buddy (who was supposed to help me set up the gears) get with me all summer. He works as a big rig tow truck driver, and is busy all the time, plus he had covid for a few weeks, plus I've been busy at the VFW, plus I've had some issues with my back and hip... Today I took the axle, diff, and gears to 4 Wheel Parts in Indy to have them set it up for me. Once they're done, I can put the rest of it together myself. They did everything on my old truck (F-250 Super Duty) years ago, and it never gave me any problems. Dying to get back to working on this thing. Also, we spend a lot of money putting a new roof on the house just now, so that took everything we had.
'80 CJ7, Just a rolling frame right now... will have Mopar 360, Torqueflite 727, D20, full size D44, Chrysler 9.25 with 4 wheel discs. SOA on Rubicon Express 1.5" YJ springs.
Seeing as how I'm waiting on somebody else to do the gear install, I needed to do something to keep busy, so I started in on the stereo system. It's gonna be a military tribute, looking very much like a military vehicle, so it can't have a big flashy stereo system... but I still want to be able to have my music. It has to be hidden, or disguised. Well, lucky for me military radios are huge bulky things, and the Army used to just bolt them on the fenders right behind the passenger seats.
A little playing around on ebay, and I got myself a mount, a replacement faceplate, and some new knobs. I probably should have taken it to the local machine shop to have it milled flat, but that's extra time, and extra money. Besides, even with my nerve damaged unsteady hands, I can make quick work of any protruding things on the back of this soft aluminum plate.
Yes, it was butchery, but the end result was it now lays flat...
A little bit of left over plywood, and bingo... one sub enclosure. It's a bit small. The sub calls for a min of .5 cubic ft, and this comes to .4 cubic ft, so it may not be optimal, but it should do fine for what I need. I'm not a complete bass head anyhow. Once it comes in, I'll get the hole cut, and get it glued together, and finished up so it can sit there and wait to be installed.
'80 CJ7, Just a rolling frame right now... will have Mopar 360, Torqueflite 727, D20, full size D44, Chrysler 9.25 with 4 wheel discs. SOA on Rubicon Express 1.5" YJ springs.
Little more tinkering with the stereo tonight. Working on the speakers. I've been a user of JL products for a while now, and the entire system in my Marauder save the head unit, is JL audio, but decided to try something new for the CJ7 . I found an audio shop in Indy where the guy will bargain with you pretty good, and hoping it's not factory seconds, picked up a set of Infinity Kappa Perfect 6.5" components, and the 3" midrange that can go with to make it a 3 way system. The sub is still gonna be a JL Audio. I need their shallow mount one to fit in my fake radio enclosure.
Build quality looks to be very good, and all the reviews I've read, and videos I've seen say they are, so we'll see...
Now, where to put them in a military looking CJ. The tweeters, like all tweeters are small, so I'm not really worried about them. The midrange speakers, I have a plan for. The mid bass are a bit big for that same plan, but I may be able to custom duplicate something along the same lines that will keep them from looking out of place. In the meantime... the mids... something I can do right now. To go with my Look-alike military radio sub enclosure... I have several military radio LS-454/U loudspeakers. These are the ones that were mounted in military vehicles for us to listen to the radio with when we weren't using a CVC helmet.
First thing... gut the housing.
Now build a baffle so that the 3" Kappa Perfect mid will fit.
Starting to get the idea?
Once in place they will look like military radio speakers, but sound like a nice stereo.
Nice job! Love the idea of retro fitting into the old pieces. Looks like you opened those holes up enough to clear the full surround. I’ve seen that a lot with reverse mounting where people didn’t leave enough room to accommodate full excursion from the driver.
Been a long time since I have used Infinity in an install, but Kappa Perfects have always been good quality for for a good price. JL on the other hand is great quality, but at a great high price. Their stuff rarely disappoints though.
I’m impressed you’re going three way set up. That’s rare. I have to do a Porsche install next weekend and will be doing a 3 way set to replicate the factory set up, just with better equipment.
'80 CJ7, Just a rolling frame right now... will have Mopar 360, Torqueflite 727, D20, full size D44, Chrysler 9.25 with 4 wheel discs. SOA on Rubicon Express 1.5" YJ springs.
Sub came in today. Went out to start the assembly of the enclosure. Got most of it glued, and screwed. Cut the hole for the driver, and test fit it. Don't have the right size hole saw for the terminal cup, so back to the hardware store tomorrow... I'll have to modify the radio mount. The sub mounts on the surface of the baffle, so the bottom tray of the mount will need to have clearance for it. The center rear isolator mount will have to go, but I think 4 is enough for this application.
Ain't she purty?
Nice looking from the rear too...
Here you can she how she mounts on the surface, and how shallow she is on the inside.
Wow, you are a great installer. I did installs for many years and competed in some sound competitions (not spl). I love the rich sound of the amps before going completely digital. I still run these...
'80 CJ7, Just a rolling frame right now... will have Mopar 360, Torqueflite 727, D20, full size D44, Chrysler 9.25 with 4 wheel discs. SOA on Rubicon Express 1.5" YJ springs.
I remember the days when I had an Eclipse head unit, MB Quart speakers, and Soundstream amps in my old Suburban. In fact I recently built a bluetooth speaker using a leftover MC-120. Both left channels are out, so one right channel is the left, and the other right channel is the right... Just couldn't bare to get rid of it. I still got a D60II I haven't trashed yet, but it won't turn on anymore. It did when I took it out of the Suburban, but that was 15 years ago.
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