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Avocado 71

Perfectly happy with this Jeep until i got to drive the white Jeep.
The used Super Lift springs ride better than the old school aftermarket springs but still like a buckboard. The white Jeep rides like a Jeep but not jarring or giving whiplash like this one.
I started chasing rattles in the tire carrier. After messing around for a while my solution was it can't rattle if its not on the Jeep. Going to run the Rubicon rack in the future. As the white Jeep is getting closer to completion this one will be the winter project.
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Picked up a parts Jeep for the Dana 30. Jeep is pretty rough.
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Going to start buying in parts and putting them on the shelf for later.
 
Pulled the Dana 30 the front bumper and a few odd parts off the CJ7. Sent the rest to the scrapper.
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Took the speedometer out of the Yellow 69. I like the vintage look.
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Getting ready for the next round of improvements. Ordered OMU YJ springs and hard parts from Ruffstuff. A bunch of recycled and new parts in boxes. New BFG 33x10.50x15 Mud terrains and rear bumper material.
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New 33' tires on the existing rims. They helped the ride quite a bit.
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With two Jeep projects going a new roll cage wasn't in the plan right now.
Stripped the old cage down rewelded where needed, added the dash bar and grab handles.
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Capped the area between the inside bars and added a light and switch.
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All painted up and reinstalled.
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New cowl seal is up next. Looks like the add on foam will pull up with a putty knife and a heat gun. That is a relief.
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Attacked the rats nest of wiring under the Jeep. Guy who did the original wiring work did a solid job. He just had a bunch of adds that bunched up into a big mess. Ran all the wiring to the rear of the jeep through the inside of the tub and down into the rear corner. I will finish the tail light wiring when the suspension work starts.
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No turning back now. I had been procrastinating on starting the build and making the running Jeep a non running Jeep. Started with removing the fuel tank and additional old wiring at the rear of the Jeep.
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Cleaned up the fuel skid plate and a fresh coat of paint. It has seen some use but not much. Really impressed with the company that made this. Fit extremely well.
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New bumper is mocked up. Simple 2"x4" bumper with a 2" receiver and Ruffstuff two points. Tomorrow is final welding and then start fitting the Rubicon rack and fabricating a tire mount. New body mounts installed.
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Remodeled the rack that i picked up earlier. Added 8" to the height and changed the angled bar to tubing. Hinged the bottom to the bumper for easier removal. This is final mock up.
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Almost final product I beefed up the lower mounts after this picture.
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Read everything I could find on the YJ spring swap and started this segment. Cleaned up the mounts and marked the center points. We will see how it goes.
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Marketplace find this week, T/A manifold.
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707Jeeper said:
Remodeled the rack that i picked up earlier. Added 8" to the height and changed the angled bar to tubing. Hinged the bottom to the bumper for easier removal. This is final mock up.
View attachment 103654

Almost final product I beefed up the lower mounts after this picture.
View attachment 103656

Read everything I could find on the YJ spring swap and started this segment. Cleaned up the mounts and marked the center points. We will see how it goes.
View attachment 103657

Marketplace find this week, T/A manifold.
View attachment 103658
Click to expand...

nice find on the 4 barrel manifold, still looking.,
 
Working on the YJ suspension. A direct knock off of Kyles set up. Jeep has the XJ bump stops. I spaced them down one inch to clearance the tire to the fender after this test. 1971 - 102.jpg
Rear suspension at full flex. 5" Ruff Stuff mounts, shackles and U bolt skids,
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Jeep sitting static. Next up is mounting the shocks, wiring to the rear and reinstalling the gas tank.
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Finally had a good enough day to paint the rack and bumper.
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707Jeeper said:
Working on the YJ suspension. A direct knock off of Kyles set up. Jeep has the XJ bump stops. I spaced them down one inch to clearance the tire to the fender after this test. View attachment 103838
Rear suspension at full flex. 5" Ruff Stuff mounts, shackles and U bolt skids,
View attachment 103839

Jeep sitting static. Next up is mounting the shocks, wiring to the rear and reinstalling the gas tank.
View attachment 103837

Finally had a good enough day to paint the rack and bumper.
View attachment 103840View attachment 103841
Click to expand...
I like that ratchet-strap method of flex testing the Jeep. I may copy it since I don't have access to a forklift or any conveniently-located rock or dirt piles.
 
707Jeeper said:
Working on the YJ suspension. A direct knock off of Kyles set up. Jeep has the XJ bump stops. I spaced them down one inch to clearance the tire to the fender after this test. View attachment 103838
Rear suspension at full flex. 5" Ruff Stuff mounts, shackles and U bolt skids,
View attachment 103839

Jeep sitting static. Next up is mounting the shocks, wiring to the rear and reinstalling the gas tank.
View attachment 103837

Finally had a good enough day to paint the rack and bumper.
View attachment 103840View attachment 103841
Click to expand...
honest question, whats the benefit to the rear shackle you are running instead of a straight one? I get running a boomerang shackle when your running longer springs and have not moved the shackle hanger.
 
warrpath4x4 said:
honest question, whats the benefit to the rear shackle you are running instead of a straight one? I get running a boomerang shackle when your running longer springs and have not moved the shackle hanger.
Click to expand...
The purpose of the boomerang shackle is to prevent shackle inversion, very common with soft YJ springs.
The 707Jeeper does need to turn the shackle over so the anti inversion cross bolt is up at the top.
 
I’ve been following your Jeep since you picked it up. I still see the Caddy column every time I look. I used that same column back in the later ‘70’s and loved it functionally, but hated the look of stock wheel. The telescoping feature required its use though. Mine column was mounted 3”-4” closer (shorter) to the dash. Yours extends much further out.
I would keep the column, but shorten the lower visible section. I could push the wheel way forward toward the dash, or “telescope” it out toward me. I found the “tilt” up position (with the wheel push toward the dash) a very good for slow maneuvering. You can lean forward or lean out the door opening to see where you’re going much easier with this style column.
Keep up the good work!
 
Thanks for the tip on the correct orientation of the shackles. They come off for paint tomorrow. I can see the advantage of the caddy wheel in a better orientation. It is currently like driving an old forklift. Tires are 33x10.50-15 BFG mud terrains. Appreciate the input.
 
Finished with the rack, bumper, wiring and YJ springs on the rear. Going to need to raise the rear shock mounts for a bit more shock travel. Everything was pretty straight forward. Site is always a great source of information.
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Moving on to the front of the Jeep. Plans are for YJ springs. new steering geometry, Dana 30, new radiator and shroud. Needing to unwind some of the past work. Will keep cutting until there is a new base to work from. Radiator is stand alone from the grill on a homemade crossmember. Setup worked for a long time. 1971 - 107.jpg

Radiator was a nice custom made in Sacramento. Radiator was showing its age and this shroud wasn't helping much. Jeep would overheat pulling in deep sand. Relieved the coolant was clean when draining the system.
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Removed the radiator mount, shock mounts and cleaned up the frame horns. Glad it all came apart without nicking the frame. The boxing for the frame we will keep. Unsure if the homemade crossmember will stay or not. They cut everything to get the last inch for the motor swap.
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Grill is butchered and fitted to the crossmember mount. Deciding it there is enough grill to work with or if I need to find a stock grill and start over with a different crossmember. Suspension work will keep my busy for a while.
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Plan this week was to move work on the new front springs. Spring hangers have been back ordered for a month. Still lots to work on.

With the width of the YJ springs I was having trouble with the rear axle shock mounts. After two versions I mounted them to the U bolt skid plate. Down side of that was the shocks did not have enough up travel
Bought a set of shock brackets for a 2000 to 2004 F250 from Amazon. Ended up cutting out and inch and a half from them.
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This raised the mount up 2". Now have 3.5 inches of up travel. Shock angle is he same as stock. Both mounts are parallel. Suspension cycling was good.
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Friend gave me a Summit Racing Heater so the old heater came out. Removed the battery and found another rats nest of wiring. That moved to the top of the list.
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New heater roughed in. Of course this lead to more wiring to tidy up.
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Round two of cleaning up the wiring. The installer did good work and it was all wired correctly. They just ran it all over the place. Just needed the wires organized and a few shortened. Installed the used T/A performance intake.
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Ending point for the week. Wiring loomed together. New battery. New higher pressure power steering pump with a now modified bracket. New fan blade and belts. Ordered a high output alternator and valve covers. Heater hole allowed me to view the switch wiring to make some adjustments.
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Next week starts with wiring the heater and understanding the extra wiring before the steering column goes in. There is one add on circuit for something unknown, all in red wire.
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