67 Cj5 Build Thread By A Rookie

Current problems are:
1. Brakes way too soft. I’m going to start from scratch - bench bleed, bleed each line, adjust rear drums.
2. Brake light still not working. I’m hoping that solving #1 solves #2.
3. Fuel gauge (Omix, I know…) not working. It’s a new sender and appears to be wired correctly. Voltage (vs ground) at I (hot, ignition) and A (jumps to temp gauge, not used) terminals is 12.6. Voltage between S terminal (pink wire going to fuel sender) and ground is .7. I need to read up on this. Maybe my tank is empty!

 

View from the rear view mirror. New brake switch works!

 

I’m now considering the rebuild to be almost done-ish. There are going to be some ongoing projects, of course, but I think it is time to take it to the shop and have a qualified mechanic check out the brakes and steering. I drove a few friends around today and ran it by to show my 93-year-old dad after the Eagles win. Dad is from Philly.

 

How cool is that!

 

Awesome on the jeep and 93yr old Dad

 

You did a great job on the JEEP. It’s nice to see you enjoy it with your Dad.

 

I’m going to have to build a ramp to get him into it!

 

My JEEP was my Dad’s originally, he’s 83 years old and had both knees replaced in the last year. He can finally move well enough to get into the JEEP again, so I set up a step stool to get him in so he could go for a ride, grinning from ear to ear. That was at end of summer, said it was 1st ride in it since I had rebuilt it 8-9 years ago.

 

Evil Energy coolant overflow tank. It is vented at the cap

 

Fuel gauge problem is solved. The fuel gauge itself is bad. Omix. I’m not using the temp gauge on the console because I have a dedicated temp gauge on the dash, so I moved the sender (pink) line from S on fuel gauge to S on temp gauge. I just need to remember to fill my tank when my “temperature” starts to get “cold.”

 

These are E brake brackets off my JC. I may use something like this for my rear drum E brakes, so I’ll drop this photo right here for reference.

 

With the JEEP on the lift, it was easier to install the old front shocks, flipped upside down so they don’t contact the knuckles. I’m going to work on the fender when the weather warms up.

 

I took my jeep into the shop to make sure it was safe for driving - steering and brakes. Here’s what they did.
1. Brakes were fine except I had my MC plumbed backwards to the P valve. I assumed that the front of the MC was the front brakes. Bad on me.

2. Steering was stiff. I didn’t know what normal steering should feel like. My mechanic was able to remove all of this and make a more direct shot from the steering column to the power steering box. He also replaced the rag joint with a U joint. He also changed the Pittman arm so it is more in line with the plane of the rest of the steering to reduce the jump steer. To be honest, I need to dig deeper into this to understand what he did. I will shoot some after pictures later.


3. Fixed the preload on the rear diff. I knew this needed to be done, and was going to do it later, but now it is done sooner.

4. Swapped out the SM420 cover so it is no longer a speed shifter. Shifts much better now.

 

Today, I tightened the mirrors, put back on the tranny and TC boots, and cut down and installed the dash pot. I don’t really like the look of the TC boot, but it is better than a hole through the floor. At some point I may redo the tranny tunnel.

 

I had been curious about that trans cover. First time I had seen one.

 

Simplified steering linkage


steering linkage part 2


u joint in place of rag joint


old Pittman arm held up next to new setup.

 

I finally started on my e brake conversion. The JEEP came with 11” drums ready for e brake cables. In fact, it had cut off cables sticking out when I bought it. It also came with a block of wood.

I got most of the parts from Partsdude. The front and rear cables were from Crown. He had a used T-handle brake pull. I had to cut off the extension that was used to make it work with a different type of JEEP. He also had the balancing bar that connects front to rear cables. I ordered the rear cable retainers from Kaiser-Willys. I made the bracket for the front cable to fit over the 1/4-20 bolts that normally would hold the gar tank strap. I will put final pics when done.

 

Today was odds and ends day. I made a bracket to weld on to the passenger seat for the latch.

 

I put the hood latch on my windshield then realized I have a newer hood without the proper footman loop. I need to paint the hood, so I will work all that out as I go.

 

I dropped the seat brackets off to get powdercoated and hood to get soda blasted today. I have learned that I hate sandblasting!

New part day. I made a bracket for a USB charger.