1979 CJ5 Frame-Off Restoration

Well, we are finally "over the hump" in the complete restoration of my beloved 1979 CJ5. My dad and I started disassembly last September. We took about a 6-month break, but are back at it now that the weather in Oregon is gorgeous. I thought I would post some pictures of the progress. We started with a 79 CJ5 with the stock AMC 304 V8 and T-150 transmission. I had the original block rebuilt by Portland Engine Rebuilders (highly recommend). The rest of the work has all been done by my dad and I. We've sand-blasted, wire-brushed, primered, painted, and steam-cleaned everything. We are installing a new clutch assembly, new body and motor mounts, and of course, the shiny new engine. I've had this Jeep for 10 years, but I want to hand it down to a son some day, so this has been a great project for my dad and I!

Thanks to all of you that helped with suggestions and advice. I will post some pictures again when the build is completely done. I am shooting for a final date of mid-July, so we've got our work cut out for us!

The first 3 pictures are before and during disassembly, and then there's a picture of the rebuilt engine and the freshly painted frame. As we speak, the transmission/transfer case, skid plate, fuel tank, tires, and engine are all mounted to the frame. Next step is mounting the freshly-painted body tub. I can't wait to be Jeepin' again!

 

Looks good....heck it looked good before you started.

 

:iagree:

His beginning looks like an end I'd settle for at this point. R)

 

Yeah, it looks good on the outside, but when we got the body off and the motor out, things didn't look too good. There was major rust on the floor pans. The wiring under the dash was a giant mess, engine hoses went nowhere, bolts were missing, and there was 28 years worth of mud inside the frame. Plus we snapped the stupid body mount nuts in the rear of the body tub, so we're going to have to cut access holes and re-weld some in there tonight. Hopefully, we'll mount the body by this weekend, then the new wiring harness. This Jeep is my pride and joy, so even though I've taken good care of it for the last 10 years, I want to actually be able to maybe take it to some car shows this summer. (Don't worry, my transfer case and winch still get used in the Oregon mountains no matter how good the Jeep looks). I've never entered a car in a show before. Anybody have any ideas or suggestions? My Jeep is about 90% original and the numbers all match, but I do have some lift, an Edelbrock 4 barrel and manifold, an MSD ignition, etc. So I couldn't show it as a 100% stock original. Are there any classic Jeep shows on the west coast?

 

Looks good, but I am jealous as hell, I wish my garage was that clean and organized

 

Looks great. Keep us updated.

 

Ok, more progress!

Now we have the engine, flywheel, clutch, bellhouse, and transmission matched up and mounted in the frame, the new body bushings on, the tub bolted to the frame, the steering column in, the pedals installed, and the heater/fan assembly mounted under the dash.

It is starting to look like my old Jeep again! We have hit a snag, though.

The clutch doesn't feel right. No matter how much we adjust it, there is a weird elastic feeling when you first step on it, then it gets really stiff. When you hold it to the floor and then let it out, it goes almost all the way out and then suddenly 'pops' out the rest of the way. My dad is worried that we might have installed the throwout bearing/arm backwards. Does that sound right? If this is the case, we'll have to undo all the work we've done the last 2 weeks just to get inside the clutch assembly. Otherwise, AAA has to put it on a trailer, tow it to the transmission shop, and I'll have to pay $85/hour for them to put it on a lift and pull the transmission out to look at it. Neither of these options sound good to me. I'm hoping there is a simple fix.

Anyway, here are some more pictures of the current progress. Any help with my clutch problem would be greatly appreciated. I REALLY don't want to take the body off again and unbolt the tranny. Please!!! Thanks.

 

loking good guys!

 

Damn...Clutch problems. We get everything put together and find out we installed the release fork and throwout bearing wrong. Now we get to take it all apart and start over. Ahhh! Then I have to re-install some engine parts (timing cover, water pump, oil pan) because we had to pull them off to get the key out of the main crank shaft to file it down because the harmonic balancer wouldn't go on. Not to mention I had to pull the intake manifold back off because the sealant we used didn't set-up and dry enough so there were air gaps in the seal. Now I get to scrape all the dried rubbery gasket sealant crap off the head surface while I hold a shop-vac up to the engine to prevent this stuff from falling into the valves. Just when it seemed we were on a roll and would be done by now, all these little set-backs occur. Now I'm just hoping to finish up within another few weeks. Hopefully the wiring harness won't give me too many problems. This is my first rebuild ever, so even though it will be rewarding in the end, I'm starting to get very frustrated when we have to take 1 step forward and 3 steps back!

 

Oh, the arrogance! As if YOU were going to be the guy who manages to finish such a project without getting hosed near the finish line. EVERYBODY GETS HOSED AT THE END. It's a rule, I think.

Good looking project. Don't get in a hurry because you are close to the end. When you start to get frustrated cool off for a while. Don't make it into a chore or you'll end up making mistakes. That's what always seems to happen to me when I work too late in the garage. I start to make silly mistakes, then try to cut corners and make more mistakes.

Chilly

 

Like I said, this is my first rebuild, but hopefully not my last. (Next I'd like to find a late 60s Mustang or Firebird to restore) Now I know what it takes to try and finish what you start. Taking everything apart down to the bare frame only took about a week. My dad warned me early by saying, "This will be the easiest disassembly you'll ever do." I knew putting everything back together would be much harder, but of course, I didn't anticipate so many little problems. But all of this will simply make starting the ol' boy up for the first time in a long time much more satisfying, right?

Besides, I've learned more about auto mechanics in the last 6 months than I ever could have otherwise. And that's what it's all about. Plus it's a great father-son bonding activity!