My First CJ

CJ4Me,
I've been doing the Jeep thing for only about 2 years and I have come to the conclusion that "common sense" is generally not compatable with rebuilding CJs. Otherwise we never would have started at all.

Welcome from Wisconsin.

 

Welcome from Michigan. Have to agree with many of the folks here. *J.C. Whitney wasn't a good experience for me. Follow the suggestions of these guys where to purchase parts. They know....
* The 258 is a great motor and it you want it to go fast, it will. My college roommate had a Gremlin with a 258 that ran 11's in the qrt mile...and he drove it to school every weekend! There's really no reason to have to put in a bigger engine.
* Having the Community college do the work is good. I have an associates in Mechanics from my local college. We wrenched on many cars for folks. Any good instructor supervises the students. You'll save much money. The drawback it that it will take about a year to get anything major done (engine/trans/t-case rebuild, body work). You may want to enroll in some ofthe classes yourself. Education is always a good thing.

 

Guys, I am still around...things have went from bad to worse here, have not had a lot of time to "tinker" with this CJ with the weather and everything else going on.

Here is what has happened since we last spoke. The CC idea is shot as of now...yes, I can get the motor redone sometime this fall if I so choose but, the CC actually shutdown the body portion of the curriculum. Go figure that one. Remember in my first post I told you I had no luck and the black cat was with me at all times?

I have been reading on the net, talking to PLENTY of people more than willing to take on the project (they want the money) but none really that just work on Jeeps are are even considered Jeep enthusiats. I do have one guy that I trust pretty well and he looked at it Friday and told me to "get the checkbook ready" because I had bitten off more than I can chew. In other words, its going to cost much, MUCH more than I originally anticipated and well, I have decided that if I am going to sink money..any amount of money, in this baby of mine, I am going to do it right.

I will be doing a complete restoration and it is going to take a lot of money..and a lot of time.

(when I say "I will be doing"..I mean I will be paying him to do it)

I will be ordering and buying the parts..he will be tearing it apart and putting it all back together.

I need some advice on the body. I have been looking at bodies...steel, fiberglass and kevlar. I THINK I have decided to go with Kevlar based on three things, it is supposed to be stronger than steel, its heavier than steel and fiberglass and it will never rust.

Opinons needed and most appreciated.

So far, the least expensive place I have found to carry the Kevlar body is Quadratec. Any feedback on these people? I am awaiting a catalog now and have been browsing online but, they seem to be a little bit cheaper than most anyone else I have priced anything with (4x4 hardware was/is next) I hope I dont irk anyone here from 4x4hwd and maybe I should have not mentioned that..sorry if I offend anyone.

The last problem for TODAY is this. If I am going to be redoing the entire CJ, I am thinking I need to redo everything at one time. That way in the future, I dont have anything else to worry about other than normal wear and tear and things that come up. My goal is to limit the things that "come up"

The friend that is going to be doing this told me "you just need to order everything you want replaced..if you want everything replaced...ordering everything" My problem is I do not know what everything IS! I know and have learned a lot the last couple of weeks but still, I dont want to miss or overlook anything. I also cannot tie up his shop if he is working on this, goes looking for something I should have ordered but didnt...that would cause delays and I dont want that.

I need to find the BEST parts guide/manual/restoration guide there is so I will know what to order and in what stage to order it. We are starting at the frame and going up. What do you suggest as "the idiots guide" to restoring a CJ and knowing what to order to do it?

The only thing I MAY OR MAY NOT have done in the next 6 months is have the engine & trans rebuilt. Both work very well with the exception of one oil leak that has suddenly appeared. I DID decide to stay with the 258 and have whatever work needs to be done to it once we get a handle on the frame, body and suspension.

I also took her out for a little off roading and had no problems at all except a little rubbing So I have decided to lift her a bit, get a little bigger tires. She did wonders in the snow and ice of the last few weeks and gave me much enjoyment. Now I think it is time to get her a new outfit and one of those EXTREME MAKEOVERS!


Thanks again for all the input you have already given! Its hard to have this thing here...just sitting there waiting for some action. I am going to miss her while she is gone.

 

In my opinion, I think it is best to take it one step at a time. That way you don't rush any other aspect nor do you forget anything. I wouldn't want to order all those parts at once just to have a huge pile of stuff laying around. I'd rather get one thing accomplished at a time, building as you go. It gives you a sense of accomplishment and doesn't burn you, or you wallet, quite as fast. When you work on too many things at once it's easy to forget something, and you don't want that one little thing to come back and bite you later.

As far as parts, Quadratec and 4WD Hardware are both good suppliers, and their prices are about the same. I prefer 4WDH because of their Vintage Jeep catalog and their Jeep only status. Not to say one's better than the other but I think 4WDH has more parts for the older jeeps

Just my .02

 

I ordered the Rebuilders Manual and some "jeep owners bible" from amazon last night. Amazon had it as cheap as I could find it and offered free shipping so, went that way. Now I get to wait till the 18th to get the things

Where can one find a factory service manual? I have googled it and all I can find is people selling the ones where they have copied it and said "its ready for your notebook" They also were not cheap so I decided to wait that one out. There were none on ebay as well at the time but, I will keep my eyes open there. I would like a 1979 CJ5 manual that was made for that Jeep so I dont read one thing in one book, read the same thing in another where it is worded differently and get confused. Trust me, it will happen

Had a nice talk with the guy a quadratec today and he stated orders over 1500.00 get a little bit of a break on things once they reach that amount. Since I am going to be buying a body of some sorts, that will take care of that REALLY quick.

I still think I am leaning towards the Kevlar body. I have yet to have anyone tell me not to buy it since it is supposedly stronger and will not rust. I have searched as much as I can for awhile now without going insane. This thing is going to drive me insane if I do not get started on it.

I have also decided that once I get the manuals I will read them front to back and then, and only then will I try to save myself some money and see what I can do safely by myself. I dont think I will be able to do much since I have very few tools, no engine lift..couple of jack stands, no compressor so, I figure by the time I was to buy those tools, I could have paid someone else to just do it. My plan is to TRY to save some but learn a LOT. Once it is finished, then I will be the one to make repairs as my brain capacity allows.

Took her for another spin today...was pretty hard on her and other than not looking pretty, she done allright.

Still looking for suggestions on the bodies...steel...glass...kevlar? Advantages..disadvantages?

I have called every salavage yard in NC I think and cannot find a rust free tub or even close to it. I dont want to buy another rust bucket so I guess I will definitely get a new tub (Kevlars are 16 weeks to deliver or so I was told today) thats 4 LONG months from now. Wonder how much I can get or have done in 4 months?

Also, and this may help someone here, even though this jeep is very driveable, when we start replacing things, we are going to replace everything..whether it needs it or not. That means I should have parts to get rid of. Not sure what anyone would want but, keep that in mind people!

 

I am continuing to search for a body for this babydoll after learning and hearing that pretty much any replacement body that I could order, glass, steel, kevlar is not going to fit as well as an original...which makes sense but, I dont want ANOTHER rust bucket and I do not want it full of bondo...its seems I am darned if I do, darned if I dont. Also after looking at restoring this thing from the ground up, I am not sure that its the thing to do. I think I could buy another one already restored cheaper than I can do this one...which baffles me. Sure, I would not have the pleasure of working on it myself and learning but, it would be there, ready to go when I am and that would be it. If anything, I could sell this one and buy one already restored (which are bringing a TON of money...ebay...collinsbros....everywhere)

I thinks me picked an expensive toy. I knew it was going to cost a ton to do it from the ground up but, the figures I am looking at are border line insane.

Still waiting on the manuals to arrive so I can start learning but, I am honestly thinking I would be better off buying a restored one already and start enjoying it rather than worry myself to death over this one.

I dont know...long week..everytime I turn around its something else. Go to look at an "excellent used body" to find it is worse than what I have.

Its getting frustrating and its supposed to be fun.

Someone tell me how 80 CJ7s can bring 15000.00 and maybe that will help me make sense of things. UNREAL!

Have a great weekend! Nascar is back and not a minute too soon!