Build Thread The '80 FrankenJeep frame off reassembly
- Posts
- 7,316
- Media
- 5
- Solutions
- 1
- Thanks
- 156
- Location
- Roanoke, Va
- Vehicle(s)
- '80 CJ-7, AMC 304, T177, Dana 300, Widetrack axles (D30 & AMC20) w/ 3.73 gearing, MSD ignition,
Dropped the oil pan for an inspection - everything looked ok - except for the mass on the bottom of the oil pickup. Upon further inspection, it was 1, maybe 2 fast food napkins torn and wadded up on the screen. That explains the why - starved the rear of the engine of oil and cooked the bearings. Weird thing is oil pressure never went super wonky. It had lowered some over time, but it has always been a bit low - didn’t seem too outta whack. Anyway - couldn’t figure out how they got there….. napkins weren’t shredded - large to small pieces, but they had not gone thru the engine. Only explanation I have is I left em in there during the initial clean out when I had it opened up, maybe stuck up under the baffle in the oil pan. Decided I didn’t wanna go thru the whole machine shop ordeal - wasn’t wanting to dump a grand into getting it machined, so I picked up a 93 4.0 with a couple hundred thousand on the odometer for 400 bucks. Would have rather had a AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l over the AMC 304 originally, but it was already there so I left it. Broke it all the way down, didn’t see any sludge, but it was dirty inside, so I cleaned that out of the block and oil pan, head looked good, cam and lifters were good, got everything cleaned up and ready to go back in. Reassembled the big pieces without the guts, sealed up all the openings, and went over it with a good blasting. Had a local powder coating shop blast the valve cover for me. Would have taken me hours. They got so clean I could eat out of it. Hit it with a good dose of air, degreased it, and converted it back to a proper 1980 color. Disassembled, hit the cylinders with a little honing to restore a good crosshatch pattern, threw in new rings, rod and main bearings, new valve seals, gaskets, new water pump, thermostat, harmonic balancer, and buttoned it back up.
Stopped by the local pick n pull, and they actually had a 2000 Wrangler in the yard. Couldn’t believe it. I grabbed the intake, alternator, power steering pump, the brackets, couple pulleys, and the cover plate for the front of the bellhousing for just over a hundred bucks.
Now, so far so good. Here’s where the name calling begins LOL. Since the CJ currently runs an MSD ignition without a computer, I wanted to stay with no computer. I like simple. Inefficient, yes, but it’s simple. Wanted to stay carbureted, so I machined the intake to accept my carburetor, will plug the injector holes, run a AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l distributor, add an external voltage regulator, and I should be back in business. Gonna have the power steering high pressure lines spliced together hopefully tomorrow, and that should get me back on the road. Carb is a little overkill, but I can address that later if need be.
Not sure how to add pics in the post as I go, so I’ll add a few at the end.
Stopped by the local pick n pull, and they actually had a 2000 Wrangler in the yard. Couldn’t believe it. I grabbed the intake, alternator, power steering pump, the brackets, couple pulleys, and the cover plate for the front of the bellhousing for just over a hundred bucks.
Now, so far so good. Here’s where the name calling begins LOL. Since the CJ currently runs an MSD ignition without a computer, I wanted to stay with no computer. I like simple. Inefficient, yes, but it’s simple. Wanted to stay carbureted, so I machined the intake to accept my carburetor, will plug the injector holes, run a AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l distributor, add an external voltage regulator, and I should be back in business. Gonna have the power steering high pressure lines spliced together hopefully tomorrow, and that should get me back on the road. Carb is a little overkill, but I can address that later if need be.
Not sure how to add pics in the post as I go, so I’ll add a few at the end.
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