Operation: Make Make My CJ5 Into A CJ6

Thanks all! The positive replies definitely help me keep up the ambition to get cracking on it.

Oh btw. The thick weld looking area on top of the frame rails you see in some pics are in fact not Weld blobs. I had the frame upside down years ago and painted it with POR15 and it rolled down and dripped of the frame. I was never really happy with por15 btw even with following all their instructions for it.. This time around I will go over it with Rustoleum for ease of touchup.

Today I plan to tackle the Fuel tank mounts and install my new tank. I like a idiot tossed my stock ones during the last go for gusto build. The front mount will probably have to be something custom since I replaced the chinsy tank crossmember with 1.5 square 1/4 wall tubing years ago.
Timgr got me some basic dimensions and ideas to work with and I will see if i can fab something up. Off to get some strap steel.

My tank I installed 20 years ago was horribly caked with varnish and that was even after draining it before i mothballed it. Found a new tank for $75 shipped on ebay. To repair my Chinese autozone tank would have been $150. New is made in Taiwan and already looks loads better than the china junk.

 

Got the brackets installed for the tank. That went super easy so I decided to see what the tub looked like on the frame.

Ever put a fiberglass cj6 tub on by yourself? I Don't recommend it. Anyhow...time to start fabbing up some frame mounts!

 

Looks great, keep up the good work!

 

Thanks!

Slowly but surely.

Here is the new firewall plate with all the mounting holes on the right. My hacked up original piece is on the left. Had a later model harness wired into it at one point and the goofy hole was for the fuse panel.

Going to just use a daystar grommet for this build. Old firewall piece may or may not get put on the Inside of the firewall for sandwich effect.

 

Forgot pic..

 

Made these big body washers out of 1/8" 304ss.
Made 6 3" OD and 6 2 3/16" od

12 Should be a decent amount of body mounts for the tub. Also had to redo my tank mounts and lower it down a bunch.
That was a huge pain in the rear.

It's getting there.

 

Back at it. Crunched my knee pretty good and was banned from the garage for a while. Hope to have some new goings on in a little bit.

 

I like this build. I'll definitely be keeping a close eye on your progress. I will absolutely be stretching mine in the next year or so, and I keep arguing with myself on whether it's a better option to do the CJ6 like you, or just move the diffs out to the corners. I really only want to stretch mine about 12 inches total, so I had decided to just move the diffs out six inches on each end. But maybe I'll change my mind after watching how your build goes. Keep up the great work.

 

I stretched mine out 8" at each end years ago. I hacked and cut my original body up that was in good shape. When I drug my jeep out again. I regretted it. But at the time I wasnt stable financially. I really wanted the cj6 but I was stuck with what I had.

When we decided to start the project we had a discussion on what we enjoyed the most about the original cj5 I had.

We had the most fun with 33s and 4" lift. We just always wanted a longer wheelbase. We kinda fell into the whole deal we had to make it big and bad years ago and while that's great if that's your main goal... for us it kinda killed the spirit of what we really wanted.

This time around we wanted to go back to what we really wanted in the first place.

 

Looks like photobucket finally released all my photos. I have been working here and there on this project. Life has been throwing a wrench into the works since I began the project. So far I have made the front tub mounts that some folks here showed pics of. I used 1/4" plate. The cheap tub had no boxed area in fiberglass to mount it to the frame mounts under the firewall. Should get those and the rest of the mounts on this week. I went with hockey pucks as the body mounts since the larger diameter will provide more surface support to the tub. I also got my plus nuts for the dash panel and fenders since the cheap tub didn't have any glassed in mounting nuts anywhere. I plan on using 1/8" plate under them. Also got my windshield frame hinge supported cut out of 1/8" and will be using nuts on the backside of those. It's getting there. I post some pics up if I can get into my newly released photobucket account.

The tub isnt all that great. It seems solid enough but I should have waited and bought a MD Juan tub.

Live and learn. I'll make it work and hopefully be able to get a steel tub later on when I can save up for it. My 5 year old is really hammering for a ride in the jeep

 

I've done my share of mounting fiberglass and carbon fiber body parts to many chassis.............I can't speak for how thick or good the material your working with is..........but what I have found out is that taking a piece of say .080-.125 aluminum 2-3 times +/- the area of your puck.........( and I assume your using a urethane memory type puck) and laminating that shaped aluminum to both sides of your body in the area's that will see the stress and load.......I'll usually cut & shape the aluminum to the contour of the area and then resin both sides and pop-rivet them in place.........once dry I'll grind off the rivets and apply cloth and more resin to both sides.............when done they are hardly noticeable and will extend the life of the body mount and surrounding area many times.

 

I made a sub frame between the fiberglass tube and the rubber mount. Using a 1" x 2" tubing.

 

Forgot I had a build thread here. I'll start posting in it again for anyone that wants to check it out.

I have been working on it as much as I can. I have since added Power brakes. Pulled trans and removed borg and beck clutch and went with a diaphragm clutch and added a hydro clutch set up.

I got all the spring hangers and shackle hangers welded in place with the 76+ suspension.

Had some issues come up with the main bearings. Engine only has 61k on it but the bearings were showing copper. I replaced all the bearings in the frame with standard size bearings after making sure the crack was ok and measuring the journals. They were standard size spec so I went with clevite 77 tri metal bearings. When smoothly enough.

Had a issue come up with the 304 timing cover and had to have it welded due to a electrolysis issue.

Last couple of days were spent cleaning and degreasing the engine and repainting it in the frame. Finally bolted the accessories back on.

Have to derustify my inside the frame headers this week and repaint them. Need to run fuel line on the frame and tie it and the brake lines down with line clamps.

After that. its back onto the body and I'll start with the seat brackets. I cut them up years ago to use different seats but I'll be using a factory style low back this time around.
The Rear I am using is a built amc 20. I do not have my original dana 44 so This will work for now. It needed to have the bearings addressed on the drivers side.. Seems like it has bit to much play when you pull on it.

New drive shafts have been ordered.. Probably be here next week.. CV in the back and stock style upfront.

Tons of little stuff here and there taking the most of the time up. I'm reluctant to take pictures since the garage is such a friggen mess. But Here's a shot of the engine
all painted in it factory livery.

delete duplicate keywords

 

Engine looks great. Maybe we should have a sloppy garage contest. Or in my case, sloppy barn/shop contest. Looking forward to seeing this one done. It's had a pretty good life so far.

 

Got my old arse hedman headers sandblasted today. Looks like crap with the drivers dented in to clear the steering sector shaft but oh well. Worked for 20 years like that. Just plan on fogging them with vht primer and vht white paint for headers. Probably wont last but Im ok with that. All the refinished brackets are back on the engine for the alt and power steering.
Got the seat brackets sorted out and have new cheapo smittybilt seats on order .

The wife bought me a high dollar Walcks jeep stamped tool box for under the seat like the original tub had. Spent time at the local auto body supply place to get a idea on how to affix the thing to the fiberglass tub.

Looks like I will use a panel adhesive on the flats that meet the floor, the riser to the bed and the side of the side panel. I just used the guys advice and bought evercoats maxim panel adhesive that I can use in a heavy duty caulk gun even though it's a 2 part epoxy. It's meant to bond metal to fiberglass.. The guy said I wont need to bolt any of it down as longs as I 80 grit the mating areas. I am still going to bolt it down with 1/4-20's where I can. He said that would be a waste with that type of epoxy since it would literally rip out the fiberglass if you were to try and remove it. I donno..I still want it bolted here and there..


I'll start to post some pics here and there shortly.. I rolled my ankle on a screwdriver I dropped on the garage floor and forgot about. Have to take a few days off from it.


Lot's of parts piled up here and there... Need to find time to slap them all on. Hard finding USA made radiator hoses for it I've noticed. Been tempted to get a aluminum radiator for it but my brass one is still in good shape. Have thought of asking around to see about just freshening mine up. Probably do that if I can get it done at a fair price.


Good times.. Just wish I could stand on the ankle to get a little more done.

 

One thing to note on bolting: doing so would introduce holes in the core of your fiberglass.

I don't think that the fiberglass tubs are solid, but rather have a plywood core. To make a bolt through connection properly, you would need to drill out the hole oversized, full it with epoxy or polyester fiberglass, then drill the proper sized hole again.

For something non-structural like a toolbox, I'm in agreement with the parts guy- just glue it on and never worry about it again. Lots of cars are glued together these days with no I'll effects.

 

Every hole I have drilled has been blown out and resin was brushed onto the inside walls of the hole and then out both ends. Its gross. Years ago we had a cj5 in our club that ended up with water damage like this and we spent forever fixing it.

I bought extra resin and acid brushes just for this.

As for the tool box.. I'll still be bolting it as well as using the panel adhesive. Makes me feel better since the passenger seat is directly mounted to it.

 

The new driveshafts arrived today! Super stout...
Need to get some new yoke u bolts so I can put them in. Really over kill for the project. Oh well...

 

Shafts are in. Fit perfect. Heavy as all heck.


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