Started My ECJ5 Build

How it's looking today: Update for the visual folks:

 

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Wow, looks great!

This is the first CJ that I've seen with the hardtop paint FJ40 style.

I was planning to do it, but ended up selling the '5 before I got to.

Again, great job - it looks good!


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Looks great! Sure wish I could find a set of those upper door hinges for the windshield frame.

 

Posi, I ended up cutting up some CJ7 hinges, and attaching them (cutting, grinding and welding) to the windshiled hinges on the windshield frame. With the later windshield frame, the regular Meyer hinges probably wouldn't have worked on mine.

Thanks, it's sitting waiting on delivery of my new T90, and my two glove box inserts. Have to finishing running the lines and electric for the ARB, need replacement seatblets for the rear seat. Gotta fab up and extend the size of my ammo can / center console to fit a radio, plus make my Bellview winch mount, and little odds and ends like that. Plus the darn thing has a tilt to it overall, but oh well, it is what it is. I'm digging it.

I thought long and hard about going to an NP435, but afterall all the adapters, trannies and odds and ends I'd be another $2k into this, and well, while it would add some benefit, the idea was to run it like it was made, with safety/durability in mind, NOT over modify it.

Still mulling over the roof top sapre tire mount. Thinking of putting the tailgate on to act as a workbench / seat / external gear shelf. Gott also figure out how to hang the trail rack on the back yet. I want the rack to fold down, and telescope.....


Anyways:
Here's a pic of my daughter's YJ PROJECT, with the REQUIRED ROUND EYE CONVERSION:

 

Long and Low that new look is great! Love the top... if you find anymore tops let me know.

 

Did you re-make the windshield mounted hinges or the upper door hinges? Also, what year windshield frame did you use. I'm using a '73 frame (intermediate). I didn't get either the lower body mounted hinge or the windshield mounted hinge, but I do have the hinges on the doors. I found that the CJ7 lower mount seems to fit the lower door hinge OK. Bought them from
4WD.com.

 

Posi, the windshield frame is from a YJ. I made the part of the hinge that goes on the windshield frame, not the part on the door. You'd have to get the top on, align the doors with a helper, and then put lower mount on, then you can envision what needs to be cut/bent/welded to make the top mount. Kman posted some pics to give you an idea back on Page 9.

Hawk, did you get my PM on the other two tops for sale in PA?

 

Adn the stuff that goes in the window tracks on the doors, I got from RSSI, they call it M10, and they sell it in lengths of like 5 to 8 feet. It is kinda tight, take a bit more effort to roll the window up and down, but it certainly did the trick.

 

Thanks for the info. I always kinda figured I'd have to make the upper hinges. But ya never know. Somewhere there is a bucket of those hinges waitin' for a new home. I didn't think I'd be spending so much of the summer screwing around with this fuel injection. Thought I'd have plenty of time to work on my hard top before winter.

 

Got my new T90 delivered today. Hoepfully be really on the road Saturday.... (Just in time for my temporary tags to expire)

 

Got the new Tranny in, and got all three forward gears and reverse. Not happy with the slop in the Dana20 shifter, using a bungee cord to hold it in place.....

And it never fails, do one thing something else pops up. Got to re-jigger something with the t-case/trany cross member, the front output yoke hits the cross member. Spaced up the tranny mount for clearance, but I'm gonna need more yoke clearance, so gonna need to gusset and strengthen the cross member so I can cut out some clearance room, plus I want to make a better skid plate, the stock one well it leaves a but to be desired.

Need to fab up some kinda skid plate for the brake lines and proportioning valve since it mounts to the underside of the body under the foot well of the driver's side. Need to get a front driveshaft made, and finish up the ARb plumbing for the front axle. One of the Warn FF rear lockouts seems weak, I replaced it with a Mile Marker unit, but need to pick up a Warn unit for a replacement. Kinda leaning towards drive flanges as I'll be looking for a trailer over the winter.

 

Made my spare tire mount. It's a single leg, fold down unit, There's a pin at the pivot point to hold it in place. It mounts in a reciever on top of the rear cross member. i figure with the limited rear storage room, it's not that I'm gonna be accessing any cargo room with the back seat bolt in place. I will probably make a safari rack for the roof to mount gear up top for camping trips and any long weekend wheeling trips.

I'll post some more pics with it mounted and the tire on. And no it will not remain blue.

 

I kinda like the blue

 

I wanted to cover it in something, since I just cleaned it up. Gonna go gloss black.

 

Got the rear tire carrier painted, need to mount the reverse light that will go inside the spare. Finished the front bumper and winch mount. Plumbed the ARB air line, and installed the glove box liners. With that pig of a Bellview sitting the way it does, I'm probably gonna add an electric pusher fan for slow trail riding to keep air flow across the radiator.

Gotta re-figure out the solenoid wiring, and somehow tie in the Want cable to that for th winch.

The idea with the spare tire carrier was to keep the wieght low and not build some triangulated 200 pound contraption. With no real cargo space behind the rear seat, access to the rear will be limited. I have a Rubi-Rack to mount to the back yet.

Still hating the fiberglass dumbo ear fenders, way too much sag.

The defrost ducting works great, should be a good ride in the winter time.

 

Is your gap between the hood and the top of the fenders pretty even? If not you might be able to get the fenders to be more level by shimming the grill support. When I put my front clip together I bolted the fenders to the tub and then adjusted the grill support to the fenders using the hood as a guide. I have no idea if that's the right way to do it, but it seemed to work for me. Yours don't really look to be leaning over much in the picture. But I know how it is. Once something catches your eye you find yourself staring at it all the time. Jeep is looking great by the way.

 

Thanks, I'm liking it. Overall it's turning out and I'm piecing it together how I want it.

The fenders have a sag, the gap between the hood and top of the fenders is uneven, and they were a PITA to get together, I'm thinking they were warped after sitting for quite some time. I'd like some metal fenders, and found a horde of early fenders from postals that were galvanized. They need acid dipped to be cleaned up, probably close to 20 pairs of them. They are very early CJ5 stuff without the outer skin that covers the joint between the side and the top towards the rear. But the guy that has a pallet of them believes they are gold plated. Why oh, why did he ever store them outside.....

Anyways, not sure what i'm gonna do. But running 31" tires with a stock suspension, they are gonna rub, as the wider axles and wheel have the tires sticking out some. Your right it's one of those things i want addressed, others may not, but it sticks in my craw.

 

Believe me, I've got a couple of craw stickers on my build.

 

I'm partially tempted to cut my fenders like yours, BUT I still want flares on them. I believe that style cut would relieve the warpness of the fenders, but I cant be sure of that until post procedure, and once I went there, there is no turning back.

 

I used fenders from a '73 and was able to cut them high enough to eliminate the recess for the running lights. The fenders with the recess are usually cheaper than the Early style. If you cut them and they still sag, you could probably make a brace from the fender to the grill and get them straight.