Hello and welcome to my blog! This blog will follow my CJ7 as I restore, technically rebuild, her. I'm using this blog mainly as a way to keep track of everything. This is my first time doing a restoration project so I will make many mistakes along the way. Please feel free to call me out at any point. I've had the jeep for over a year now so my first 3 to 5 posts will probably just be bringing the blog up to speed.
Person Background
I'm a 26 year old software engineer. Growing up I always helped my dad around the house including fixing our cars. So I know the basics about cars: oil change, alternator swaps, what a spark plug is, etc. I've always liked jeeps and enjoyed the outdoors. This will undoubtedly be a great learning experience and I am very much looking forward to it.
The Jeep
I bought my 1979 CJ7 in Feb of 2015. It was my second jeep, the first being a 2004 Grand Cherokee. I don't have the GC anymore and I wanted a toy for off road. I couldn't afford something new and in great shape, plus I thought that getting some old would be easier to work on. Mostly, I thought it'd be cheaper... I realize now that it won't be cheaper.... Lucky for me I have been really enjoying working on the jeep even if my progress is slow at best.
My CJ, which will be referred as Kara from here on out, has a 258 straight 6 and a three speed manual transmission. According to the vin number she originally had a four speed transmission. The Odometer is stuck right around 95k miles, so I have no idea how many miles are actually on her. Dana 30 in the front and a one piece AMC 20 in the rear. Since the AMC 20 is a one piece I'll probably leave it in and truss it.
The engine ran when I bought her, but I didn't think to do a compression test before I pulled it out to start my work on the frame. The frame is in, well, shit shape. I thought it was a lot better when I purchased her a year ago, but it turns out I was mistaken. Not the last mistake I'll on the project. In one of the upcoming posts I'll completely document the condition of the frame and what I intend to do to fix it,
Here are a couple of before pictures of the interior.
Jeep Wish List
My first major priority is going to be restoring the frame. I figure no matter how nice a jeep is, if the frame is in shit condition the jeep is worthless. The following is a list of things I plan to do to the jeep. Most of the are going to be long term, Things I hope to do in the next 5 years. Some of them are things I hope to do just to get it back together. In no particular order:
- Engine Work
- Rebuild the block
- 4.0 head swap
- Add fuel injection
- Completely restore the frame -- priority #1
- Sandblast
- Weld in fixes
- POR15 outside, Eastwood internal Frame Coating inside
- Body work.
- Grind out rust, weld in new metal
- Paint - probably going with the fabled $50 paint job
- Ax15 transmission swap
- Truss the AMC 20 and weld the tubes
- Dana 44 front axle swap
- YJ OME spring conversion. -- short term.
- 2.5 inch heavy duty springs front and rear
- New heavy duty shackle hangers
- Fix all the gauges -- short term
- Run new brake line -- short term
- Run new fuel line -- short term
- Replace all wire harnesses. -- I seriously cannot decide if I should just do this and get it over with or put it off. Either way, I'll probably make the harness myself instead of buying them.
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