Want to restore a CJ

[cmhoffroad]

If you have restored a CJ, where did you find yours and approximately how long did it take you to complete it? I have been wanting to restore one for a while now, but I'm not sure where to begin.

 

[BrockGrimes]

I restored a CJ7 years ago. I pulled the body, motor, Transmission , Transfer Case . I cleaned and painted the frame, put on new mounts mounted up the rebuilt drivetrain, mounted the body, painted it up. All this was done in my shop, only took a few months, but I worked on it almost everyday, did all the work myself and used stock or rebuilt parts, minimal new parts, nothing fancy. The jeep was in great shape to start with, no rust other than a little surface stuff here and there, so no repairs needed, no dents dings or bondo to deal with and the wiring was in great shape.
I did spend alot of time shopping and passing up deal after deal before I came across the right jeep. Which is the hardest part, passing on a jeep when the deal is good, but remember the better jeep you start with the easier it'll be on you.

My current CJ5 is a project, it was abused and alot needs work, I'm finishing up a rebuild of the Transmission and Transfer Case , after having worked out most of the engine bugs. Next will be wiring and misc. items that need attention, a restore is way off if ever for this one. Right now I'm just trying to get a reliable trail vehicle.

Take your time and get a good one to start with even if it means a little more cash involved.

 

[Old Dog]

I guess it all depends on how much work you want to do and how much money you have. I bought mine with a rusted out body but a somewhat good drive train.



I went with a fiberglass body (I"m not a body man) That took me all winter, working on it on nice days.
As for the rest of it , it's been on the road for 5 years, but every year it still gets new things thrown at it. I don't think it will ever be done.

 

[cmhoffroad]

I think the hardest part is going to be being patient and waiting on the right CJ for me. I'm anxious to get started, but I don't want to take on more then I can handle.

 

[Petescj]

I have to agree with this. I searched for a CJ8 for quite awhile. Its tough turning them down and waiting for better. Mine doesnt need a whole lot of work , but Im not really "restoring" it either. Fight the good fight and hold out for one your comfortable in saying you can do yourself. Having people who can do things you cant is always helpful too. I used a Craigslist ad to get someone to weld for me cheaper than a bodyshop. I just did the grunt work.

I think the hardest part is going to be being patient and waiting on the right CJ for me.

 

[BrockGrimes]

Anyone looking for a CJ8 there is a nice one on craigslist: 1981 CJ8 JEEP SCRAMBLER price reduced.

Hint Hint.

 

[mmerlina]

If you're going to restore a CJ it's best that you don't put a time limit or expectation on when it will be done.. cause it'll never be done. There will always be something to fix or replace. And for that reason I wouldn't call them projects, cause eventually a project is supposed to end, I'd call them hobbies.

You have to be the type that enjoys working on it, and has the time and money to work on it.. otherwise you'll burn yourself out and end up selling it for a lot less than what you've paid for it. I can't even count the number of people I've seen on forums lose interest or become overwhelmed and just try to cut their losses.

I'm not trying to scare you away from it, but just help you better understand what to expect. They look unbelievable restored, but that all comes with a big price tag and a never ending want to improve it.

Good luck, and we want to see what you buy!

 

[dave123]

Years ago, I got the urge to restore a 1969 firebird. I bought the first one I found, and ended up having to replace a bent frame and do a whole bunch of rust repair. I spent a bunch of money on that thing and ended up selling it at a loss.

I learned my lesson.

I would suggest you get the best CJ that you can afford, get one as rust free (especially the frame) as possible. If you want a V8, wait for one instead of gettting a 4 or 6 and planning a swap. Better to wait for a good one then jump like I did. Nearly all old CJ's will need some work, so don't worry about having nothing to do, as a Jeep is never really done. Believe me you will enjoy it much more then getting something that requires months of work before you can start enjoying it. It always takes 5 times as long and cost 5 times as much as you think it will.
Good luck.

 

[certifiablejeep]

3 years, 3 years, 6 months, 4 months... it all depends on how much time you have, how much money, how many mods, and what you want to do with it when you are done.

They are by far the best thing when they are done, but when they are under the knife, anxious is not a good trait to have.

cb

 

[coldwater]

It took me about 2 years to finally get mine done and registered. I was in no real hurry, and took a few time outs to figure out just what I wanted and how I would get there. If you're going to have a good CJ, impatience is not an option unless you have tons of cash, mad skills and a hell of a shop to spend lots of time in. Mine was a hobby, not a quest, and i worked on it as time and money was availale.

 

[BajaEdition]

when you want to restore a cj, just what do you mean?
Bring one back to stock factory fresh?
or to take a CJ and make it into a killer ride?

I hope if you mean the first you plan on not having to drive it until it is finished. and the length of time is up to your budget.
I am in the process of restoring a CJ6 , but in no way will it be factory fresh when finished, it will actually be a Modern jeep with a CJ6 body. I am going to put the entire drivetrain from a TJ under it, including a TJ unlimited frame. I figure it will take me a few years as I like to fiddle with this and that to make things up to my ideas.
I am also "Retroing" a 67 CJ5 , I bought it last week, found a killer super low mileage Jeep and plan on making it my main trail Jeep. I have just finished the second mod, a modern clutch linkage, I am in the middle of new seats, I am designing new seat brackets and will weld them up this weekend.
I have the parts coming to be able to turn the brakes into a modern system with a 2 stage MC, disc up front and 11 inch brakes in the back, this will also involve new Stainless steel brake lines.
I will then take off the PTO winch, replacing it with a Warn Powerplant, then go looking for a throttle body EFI system for the 225 Dauntless Buick 225 V6 v6 in it. I have an electronic ignition chosen but will order that next week. Rebuilding the tranny and t case are a days work each and can be squeezed in during the week. With the Price of the Jeep I plan on spending around 9 10 11Gs on it including rebuilding the axles, and be finished by the end of September.
The body is rust free as is the frame, the paint job is a past owners job that lacks everything good in a paint job, I am going keep it as it will keep the jeep looking like a old beater, that is a big plus in my mind for this Jeep.
So you see, I can set one up all nice to drive and rebuilt as a trail jeep in 2 months, or I can spend a few years on one and it will be pristene. The difference is the one I will drive and wheel soon, the other I will set back and work on a few years making it what I would like to go around and show off.

Shopping for the Jeeps, I spent years looking for my CJ6 till I found the one I liked, the CJ5 I found first place I went. It is a desert Jeep, lived it's life in the California mojave desert, no rust and had very little mileage on it, 54,000. for a 67 in 2009, that is amazing. And had that verified. But the interior was shot, dry rotted out and full of everything the guy did not have a shelf in his garage to put the stuff on. SO look around, some of the best jewels do not look like them, they need polish, others are junk and some of the best looking have a lot hidden under the wax and stuff.

 

[Rico80]

Shopping for the Jeeps, I spent years looking for my CJ6 till I found the one I liked, the CJ5 I found first place I went....SO look around, some of the best jewels do not look like them, they need polish, others are junk and some of the best looking have a lot hidden under the wax and stuff.

I know, talk about drumming up an old post. I ran across this one through a Google search.

I'm going through this process right now. The weather is nice and I want a CJ7 real bad. My wife is on board and the kids are eager to help dad "fix it up!" This search is killing me!

I check Craigslist more times in a day than I should. My search radius is gradually getting bigger and bigger. I feel like when all is said and done, I'm going to be searching everywhere south of the Mason Dixon Line and out to the Lone Star State.

My search is Limited to my lack of mechanical abilities and my desire for a mostly stock CJ7 . Everything I run across has been modded out of this world with super lifts this and super lifts that. I just want a "weenie Jeep" to start out with.

Anyone else care to share their Jeep quest?

 

[CJ007]

This is one of few forums that won't flame you for an old post which is cool. But it also takes some time to get responses as CJ owners are ol skool. We don't throw up everything that comes to us. Lol

I didn't do a build thread but some of my info is in my link to my Jeep. Scroll al the way down as I added some info after initial post.

Basically my CJ is to do moderate to lower harder trails while keeping as many Jeep parts/look as I can. I don't like my tube fenders as I want them more CJ7 style but they work for now. If you are purists and want stock this is the place as well.

Edit: to answer your question they are not that hard to work on. It's also fun to make it your own. Mine was all stock and drive train was in the back and prior owner added mud tires.

 

[huntingbigun]

Figure out if you want a sound running trail riding have fun jeep or frame off make it original or like new, with the economy sucks you can find a good one I picked out one that my buddy had because even though it was parked for 12 years it was 2 owner and for 30 plus year hard to find, he did not mud hole it and the fun is building and riding the classics JMO.

 

[Techlight]

I did mine in 3 months (feb this year to may) and spent about 5-6k which was my budget. That included a purchase price, a remanufactured motor, a low mileage tranny, and a bunch of odds and ends. It of course needs another 5-6k worth of stuff to make it "almost finished"

Mine came with a blown motor so it was cheap, but I'm happier with a pristine motor with a warranty and a solid drive train than I would be with a high mileage one I don't know anything about.

I could have taken my time with it but I was itching to drive it. So "restore" is in the eye of the beholder haha. From the outside mine looks exactly the same as it did when I got it home. All my money went to the drivetrain and anything else that "was needed". Although, I'm still working out kinks as I go along and it needs a few more things to be solid, but I can drive and wheel it so I'm happy "for now". So I agree with everyone else in the sense that a Jeep is never "done"...well not most of them anyway. It is definitely more of a hobby than a project.

I will say too, don't only look on craigslist. Everyone buys or sells there so it's where everybody goes and sometimes it's hard to find the right Jeep at the right price at the right time. Try auto trader, truck trader, or whatever else is local to you. I found mine on some random truck selling sight that I'd never heard of by just doing a google search for Jeeps in my area, and I got a way sweeter deal since the owner wasn't seeing a lot of interest since he was on a low volume website (that's my theory anyway).

Good luck with the search.