Build Thread Vader , A multi year Cj7

[TnCJ]

Woohoo!!! Glad you got it figured out and got it running!!!

 

[gr8dain]

Glad you got it figured out.

 

[Basod]

Glad you got it running- for the record you’re not the first guy to set timing 180 out


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[Petescj]

Finally got back at it a little this weekend. Been working 12 hour shifts since Christmas so time hasn't been there.

Finally set up the dizzy correctly. The longer power steering belt helped the cap clearance issues. Now it's time to get this wiring cleaned up and get everything working. Between the new dizzy and carb she finally running smoothly. Need to lean out the air/fuel mixture but I'm happy otherwise. Very close to being roadworthy. [emoji6]

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[Petescj]

Well 4 1/2 months of 12 hr. shifts is pretty rough. Thankfully that's over. Got some things straightened out. This was an electrical nightmare.

Controllers on my dual fans. No more toggle switch. Confused a bit but found my temp sending unit was .

Windshield wiper motor seized. All wiring cut for some unknown reason.

Random wire for the dash lights directly to constant hot. Killed the battery in it but finally figured that out.

New Crown light switch was junk out of the box. [emoji34] Confused me a bit but figured it out.

Stumbles off the start yet unless I let it warm up for about 5 minutes. Still working on that.

Air horns functional. My favorite part of this right now. [emoji23]

Have to tackle the dash and clean up the wiring under the hood yet but getting everything functional was paramount.

Wiring harness for the trailer installed.



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[Petescj]

Speaking of the trailer that's going to be happening this month. Got something to help me get it done a little quicker [emoji6].

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[Petescj]

Finally drivable. Here's the first trip... to work.

 

[Petescj]

What a nightmare this thing was. Every time I thought I was close to getting her on the road something else cropped up. The "rebuilt" carb I bought was my biggest source of angst. I Googled carburetor repair near me and came up with a great shop. The guy used to build race cars and recently opened a shop about 6 miles from me.

So when you opened up my carb he found a bent venturi tube , a blown power valve , a punctured diaphragm and a good amount of dirt in my "rebuilt" carb. After a proper rebuild it runs awesome. He also changed weights and springs in my distributor and blew all the fuel lines out making sure that wasn't the source of the dirt.

Meanwhile I be been cleaning up the wiring.

 

[Petescj]

Under hood is done for now and now I'm on to the mess under the dash. I have most of the lights working finally but there's alot of extra wires and the temp and oil pressure gauge only work sporadically. Time for some dedicated grounds. I need to connect the new climate control cables as well.

 

[Petescj]

Now that it's running good I took it in and had a full dual exhaust system put in. It only had some glass packs hanging off the headers before that. I kept the glass packs but now everything runs straight out the back. Love the sound of the little AMC 304 as compared to the 258s I've had recently.

 

[Petescj]

While the first trip was just to work the second was much better. The best part was the Jeep ran flawlessly. I'm not sure who was happier me or my dog. I had the Jeep backed up to a hill and she ran right in the back. Our other vehicle is a Chevy Spark so we couldn't take her camping with us this year until now.



Just in time to check out the new tent. I don't think we ever strung together a 4 day camping trip with no rain in Pa but we pulled it of Labor day weekend.



It rained up to Thursday but the next 4 days were beautiful. It rained enough before that to bring out some frogs in the fire pit.

 

[Belizean]

Running is a good thing !

 

[Petescj]

Running is a good thing !

Definitely is. Inspected will be even better. That should happen in 2 weeks. Then maybe we can actually get to the fun upgrade stuff. That being said my focus will be on the trailer build 1st and foremost. I was going to take a vacation day and blast it next Friday but it looks like rain. May have to put it off until Monday.

 

[Belizean]

I've been in the fun upgrade stuff for a while-non running.

 

[Petescj]

Inspection revealed two soft spots on the frame that need repair. Taking in for an estimate today.

 

[Petescj]

$250 to get both areas repaired. I'll take it. One day I will learn to weld. One day.

 

[CJ]

Inspection revealed two soft spots on the frame that need repair. Taking in for an estimate today.

$250 to get both areas repaired. I'll take it. One day I will learn to weld. One day.

It's not just the welding but having the equipment. Glad to see you treading on.

 

[Petescj]

Few things to clean up but I'm legit now.

 

[Petescj]

Sad day. Went underneath the Jeep to clean up two more areas on the frame. Found two more spots with the old hammer and screwdriver check. That led to a complete hammer screwdriver check from front to rear. Thankfully no more soft spots.

Back to the shop tomorrow . Fixed before the weekend. Disappointed a bit but glad I went over it thoroughly now. Hurts a little more when I keep looking at the clean frame from the '80 in the garage. Just can't go the frame swap journey now.

On the good news side sold the tires off the '80 and have a deal set for the above mentioned frame. Upgrades coming very soon.

 

[Petescj]

Never sold the frame and couldnt be happier about it. Will rebuild in another thread. Been doing alot of work to this Cj just to get it up to par. Had to replace the vacuum switch in the glove box and the module on the Transmission . The shift fork now engages correctly but my hubs are both shot. I didn't have any doors for it but stumbled across some that need some attention.



The one on the right has been cleaned 3 times and the other only the initial cleaning. I love this style door with the bottom windows but getting them to clean up is alot of effort. And i have a pile more to do. Literally the pile.