Build Thread Vader , A multi year Cj7

[Petescj]

That's right Rebel Scum , The Dark Lord is back. Ok so my new to me Cj actually has a name. With all the black I thought Vader was quite fitting after winning this little guy at work on May the 4th. Never really named any of my Cjs before but everyone at work thinks it's funny I have an Army man on the wiper motor of my '80. Found him left at a Campground and well ... No one gets left behind.



It took quite a bit of time for this deal to come together but I finally scored this somewhat '79 CJ7. There's one steel fender and one fiberglass one. The grill and hood are also steel.



The tub, tailgate, sport bar and windshield are all donated from a '94 Yj. There's only a small amount of surface rust on the tailgate and a small spot on the windshield frame.



Under that newer sheet metal is all '79 Cj. The 304 with headers and Glass pack mufflers draws some attention for sure. I wanted an 8 cylinder for a while now so I can tow a small trailer with camping gear around. The power brakes are a welcome option as well.

 

[Petescj]

Re: Kinda '79 CJ7



There's a few new parts under the hood. The starter , alternator and starter solenoid have all been recently replaced.



There's also some newer electric fans installed but they'll need to be rewired. Not sure what the previous owner was thinking when he wired them up. He also said the carb would need rebuilt. Running it around with no filter element probably didn't help much.





I was originally hoping it had a 2 inch body lift at the most. Unfortunately it's 3 inches. That's gonna go for a 1 inch body lift and 2 1/2 inch springs.

 

[Petescj]

Re: Kinda '79 CJ7



It has some roll cage added on but it wasn't all finish welded and I'm not sure it's what I want anyway. Front seats and brackets are Yj also.




Transmission is the Th400 and the transfer case is a Borg Warner 1339 with a low range unit. Supposedly there is a part time kit in the trans but two mismatched hubs on the front axle make me believe otherwise.




It's a shame they painted the Levi Edition's rear seat with vinal dye. All the buttons are there as well



From the rear you can see the body lift. The gas tank is also brand new.

 

[Petescj]

Not really sure how quickly this is going to move. Vicki and I have a few trips planned for the Summer already that will come first. I'll do my best to dig up some change and get it running good though. It came with 2 soft tops , 2 bikini tops a wind jammer and tonneau cover along with 1/2 steel and soft doors. I'll probably sell some of that and sink it back into the Cj.

Right now I can't get 3rd gear , carb needs rebuilt , cage finish welded , fans rewired new tires and a few other things but at least I don't have rust to deal with.

 

[Belizean]

That looks like a pretty good CYJ-7 you got there Pete. What transmission did it come with ?

 

[oldjeeplady]

Nice CJ Pete. Happy Mother's day to your wife! I like the "FEAR" on the glove box door. Hope this one works out for you all!!!!!

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[gr8dain]

That is awesome Pete. Kermit and Animal accompany me in the Scrambler wherever I go. So I understand the need for the little passengers.

 

[Petescj]

That looks like a pretty good CYJ-7 you got there Pete. What transmission did it come with ?

The TH-400. All Automatic Quadratrac models used that transmission.

 

[Petescj]

Nice CJ Pete. Happy Mother's day to your wife! I like the "FEAR" on the glove box door. Hope this one works out for you all!!!!!

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God me too. Vicki is putting more input into this one so maybe it has a chance. Lol

 

[Petescj]

That is awesome Pete. Kermit and Animal accompany me in the Scrambler wherever I go. So I understand the need for the little passengers.

I like quiet passengers. Wtf is up with the smiley faces again. (Mad). Anyhow I really think Cjs get jealous of each other. After I washed this one I had plans to look it over good this weekend. All the sudden the '80 had steering issues. Spent the weekend swapping axle u joints out.

 

[Petescj]

Well 5 long months later I'm finally getting after this. So far the transmission issue is fixed. There were two different issues there. The linkage was getting hung up on an exhaust bracket knocking it out of alignment. The vacuum module was also shot.

I grabbed a new Motor craft carb and put some copper header gaskets in to get rid of my exhaust leaks.

 

[Petescj]

It still has a bit of a miss so I grabbed everything for a complete tune up and am about 1/2 way through that but I had to stop cause I was picking up something special today. Here it is:

 

[caveman]

Nice find. Those are expensive where I come from.

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[Belizean]

It still has a bit of a miss so I grabbed everything for a complete tune up and am about 1/2 way through that but I had to stop cause I was picking up something special today. Here it is:

Yeah those are pretty cool. I have only seen a couple around here, and none for sale either

 

[coldair]

It still has a bit of a miss so I grabbed everything for a complete tune up and am about 1/2 way through that but I had to stop cause I was picking up something special today. Here it is:

Very nice I still need to build me a trailer

 

[Petescj]

I got lucky. It was on Craigslist for $450 with no pics. Once he got me some pics I was pretty happy with the price. It took the better part of the day but it was worth it. Mainly surface rust. The floor is a little thin in spots and has a hole toward the rest at the tailgate.

The lights will need replacement as well as the wiring but for a 194? It's in great shape. I'll do a mini build thread on it when I get into it. It tracks great behind the Jeep and should hold all my camping gear.

 

[Petescj]

When I picked up this Cj it had a matching set of 32 in All terrains. Unfortunately they were shot. Too much dry rot this is one of the better ones:



So it's out with the old :



But you'll have to wait till tomorrow to see the new.

 

[elwood blues]

Tease

 

[Petescj]

Tease

True but I didn't keep you waiting too long. 32x11.5x15





I almost went for 33s but Vicki wanted to keep the same stance it had from the beginning. Then I measured these against my 33s and the difference is marginal.



They remind me of a combination of the Baja Claw and Bfg Mud terrain KM. If they perform like that I'll definitely be happy. No pics of them on the Jeep yet. I'm using the opportunity to go over all the brakes while the tires are off.

 

[ttuseth]

I've been running the 32 in comforsers on my CJ7 for almost 3 years and close to 10k miles. I like the ride and the look, just make sure the directional tread is forward otherwise you can't even hear yourself think above 35 mph.

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