75 CJ5 Resto/Build

No testing of any kind, thank god, here in ND. The liberals haven't had their way here yet.

 

well I finally got the tub off, tried a rope hoist from an ibolt in the ceiling. Well I'm a moron and forgot two body mounts so when the tub didn't come off right away I found a shop crane for $100. hooked up the crane and then I found the last two damn body mount bolts. Oh well now I have a shop crane.


This didn't work so well.



Yes its finally off.






I got a mess.

 

You definately have your work cut out for you.

 

Yeah it seems insurmountable when I step back and look at it all. If I concentrate on one project at a time and keep after it eventually I will finish it.

 

Hang in there, mine looked like that not long ago too, but is now back together. Just takes time and patience and about three times more money than you plan for.

 

Got the motor, transmission, and transfer case out today. Just have to pull the springs, axles, and the rest of the steering then it will be wire wheel time.

 

By the way, the charcoal canister will keep your Jeep (and you) from reeking of gas fumes. It's not just an emissions item, it keeps gas fumes from leaking into the atmosphere, which is generally considered to be a very good thing. The charcoal absorbs gas vapor when the engine is off, and when running, the engine pulls vacuum through the canister to pull vapors into the engine.

 

Wish I had more time to wrench on the jeep, far to busy with this.

 

It has been 10 years since mine last started... I went back to the frame on stands... it is all back together and the lights work.... haven't started it yet... the starter went bad while it was sitting.....

 

Got this done today. Needs two more coats then I'm pretty much done with the motor.

 

Well deer hunting and ice fishing have gotten into the way of my working on the jeep. I had a few hours this afternoon and removed the steering box and front axle. Its going to be a few weeks till I get to work on it again because the guard is sending me to a two week A&P crash course.

 

I have been working on her when I can. Took the frame to the sand blaster last week and started tearing into the axles, I'm going to do the rear first then the front so I don't mix parts around.

Here's my mess after I got the frame out of there.



Got the rear totally disassembled, degreased and sand blasted. I found that it's got 3.73's and the trac-lok carrier. I am going to take the innards to the local drive line shop because I don't trust myself to put the diff's together

 

Well it's been way to long since I have touched this project. Had two kids and built a new house so its been a busy four years. Finally getting back to the project and the oldest is excited to see it done so I got around to painting the frame this weekend. Painted it with Zero Rust then we are going to top coat it with POR-15 Chassis black. Next step will be to pick a suspension so I can hang the axles under it. If anyone has a suspension opinion I would like to here it, leaning towards the BDS 2.5".

 

Boy is that a loaded question..................................Suspension Systems are all about what your budget is , tire size , but more importantly what are you going to do with the vehicle once finished?

Off road , being flexy and street driven can both be had with a conventional system , but not with anything out of the box. There is hardly an out of the box lifted or stock suspension system that rides worth a darn..........If you don't care about comfort and ride , close your eyes and pick away............stay away from over aggressive stiff shocks......as adjustable shocks are best.

If your concerned about ride and the suspension system actually working then a later YJ spring that is both wider and longer may be something to consider.............do your research , Talk with guys like Deaver in Los Angeles or Bill at AlCan Springs in Colorado.

 

Hey, glad you stuck it out! Similar story with me. 1973 project, add two kids and most of a decade and I'm getting close!

I have a 2.5" BDS, slightly longer shackles, and it rides fine for a Jeep. Youre practically sitting on the rear axle so one must adjust expectations.

 

I'm thinking 2.5" and running 32" tires. I wont do too much off-roading with it. To be honest this thing will spend 75% of the time on pavement when complete. Seems a lot of people like their BDS setups.

 

bds 2.5 springs here love em.

 

Good to see your back at it.

 

Well the deep freeze is finally over here in ND. With ice fishing season officially done with its time to get back in the garage a little and get back to working on the Jeep. The build is going slow, although I have been ordering a bunch of parts and am looking forward to at least making it a rolling chassis soon. After some thought I have decided against using the stock 258 so if anyone needs one with about 15,000 since rebuild let me know. I sourced a LM4 GM 5.3 out of a trailblazer at a junkyard that I have to go pick up yet, it should work out pretty good with the SM465 that I picked up this fall. Anyways I have one coat of POR15 chassis black yet to put on the frame and that will be done. I have turned my attention to rebuilding the rear axle and am just about to the point of being able to slide the axle shafts back in it. I have not been the best at taking pictures but promise to get some taken this weekend.


Here is the frame after one coat of chassis black on the bottom, the 5 year old has been helping paint which equates to quite a few runs.



I used a hone to turn the original pinion bearing into a setup bearing for setting up the rear diff.