Wally's 75 Cj-5 Rebuild

not a restoration at all. just looking to return my jeep to functional. after years of use, and wheeling, the frame finally got to the point that i needed to replace it. i am not a welder, nor do i have any welding skills, so i didn't want to try to "save" the old frame. as it is, the old frame was in pretty rough shape, with rust-through, cracks, breaks, and bowing.

i bought it back in 1994 from a kid who was entering the US army; he wanted some cash for the summer prior to reporting for boot camp. i miss driving it, too. it was last on the road in june 2013, so it's time to get it together.

edit: i've also put close to 100K miles on this jeep since i bought it. it was my DD for the first 3 years i owned it. the odo reads 34K, and i purchased it with 55K. plus, with the oversized tires (i've been running 33's and 34's for over 60K), the true mileage is higher than registers.

some pics of how it looked not too long ago:

 

the keen observer will quickly note that the tub and fenders are fiberglas. as far as i know, the hood and grille are original to the frame (that i am replacing). the windshield is a later-cj style, with the wiper motor inside.

years ago, i replaced the t-14 with an np435. i used the novak t-case adapter and the original d-20. i had a local shop make new driveshafts, using parts from the originals.




to use the novak adapter, the output shaft needed to be changed (new shorter shaft supplied with the kit). that was the first time i'd ever opened up a transmission, and i followed the instructions. the change went flawlessly, and was easy to do. i have been very happy with the 4-speed, which allows much better crawling and control. no more riding the clutch. 1st gear on these is better than the t-18, as it is 6.68 to 1.

this was the single best modification i've done to the cj, and i've done a fair bit. there's a lock-right in the rear d-44, i've converted to later-cj disc brakes in the front, i've been through 4 sets of new super swampers in various sizes/compounds, changed to a weber carburetor, converted to a gm hei distributor (from a 6-cyl buick, iirc), put in onboard air (quick-air 2), hydraulic clutch conversion, and replaced the tiger top that came with the jeep when i bought it with a supertop. still, the 4-speed was the best individual upgrade that i did.

 

anyway, i've known that the frame was nearing the end for a few years. i bought another frame off c-list, and had that behind my shed for at least 8 years. then, about 6 years ago, i bought an uninstalled Rocky Road Outfitters wrangler spring conversion from a neow forum member for cheap, along with brand new wrangler springs. (paid $400 total for the kit and springs). then, about 3 years ago, the same neow member posted an intermediate frame for sale (not his, but a friend's, that was stored at his place). so, i picked it up. this frame was in excellent condition, and it is the frame i am using to rebuild the jeep. i am now in the process of installing the rocky road spring conversion pieces on the frame.

but first, i had to dismantle the jeep to get there. so, i needed a garage, and i had one built by a friend who is a professional carpenter/builder.



then, picked up an engine hoist (quality, and good price).



now that i have concrete to work on, and a roof over me, i can do this. so i started.

 

i sent the radiator to a local shop, and they reported that it would need a new core, which would cost around $500 with labor. i passed, and instead purchased a new aluminum 2-row radiator from champion cooling ($165 delivered). i kept the old one (never know), which is copper.

pulled the motor, which has run very well for most of my ownership. i decided to upgrade to a two-barrel intake. the original one-barrel intake is mated to its exhaust manifold, so i needed to install a different one as well. as with other things, i had several later-258 intake and exhaust manifolds, just never installed them. also have a spare 258 that i've had for at least 10 years. anyway, i chose not to rebuild this, but instead i'll continue to run it, albeit with new manifolds. i changed the valve cover gasket, used new intake/exhaust gaskets, and scraped a lot of dirt, grease, and grime from the block/pan. not bad, and the weber fits the new manifold (surprise, even though my weber had the adapter to convert a 1-bbl to a 2-bbl, it wouldn't fit the later intake. however, i also have a spare weber, with the correct adapter, so i took it off of the spare weber).

old pics on original manifolds



pics of pulled motor



spare motor


i suppose i need some pictures with the 2-bbl manifolds installed..

add some pics of the 2-bbl

 

the rocky road kit incorporates the old spring anchors for mounting the new spring anchors; it also incorporates the front shackle hanger with the new front shackle hanger. the "new" frame did not have any of these attached, so i ordered new original-style anchors and hangers. i then proceeded to drill holes in them, and cut them short, as called for in the RR instructions. i did take the frame, and anchors/hangers, down to a local welder to mimic the factory attaching of these, although i did not use rivets to attach them, i used NBW.

temporary fitting of the RR brackets to the new frame.







the last picture shows the uncut "original" front spring anchor covered with the RR front spring anchor. the original anchors are now cut with a flat top.

 

ordered a few other goodies while waiting for the frame to come back from the welding shop.




a 20 gallon plastic tank made in the usa by mts. comes with a sending unit, the mounting extension pieces to attach to a skid plate, and a tank to skid plate strap. i did need to order a "factory" style skid plate, so i might need to do some modifications to make this all fit. pretty good price on the tank kit, though, at $269 delivered from quadratec.

i also picked up a brand-new supertop on c-list for $600 (they list for over $850). damn, when i bought mine new 20 years ago, it was $379. and, because i wanted to, i bought a badland 9000 lb winch.

 

Wow! Nice Jeep looks great, I really like those spring mounts, should be nice having the option to run the wider springs. That gas tank fits between the frame under the Jeep? Will the tank hang down a lot?

 

It looks like you're on a roll!

 

it does go between the frame under the jeep. i haven't really looked at how far it hangs down. i know it will hang a bit, but hope the loss of clearance is offset by increased driving range. i'll know more when i get the springs and axles under it.

 

the front d-30 has leaked for years. it would fill with water when wheeling through deep water. a friend rebuilds danas, so i trucked it down to him to replace the pinion seals, shaft seals, and go over the axle to see if any other repairs or replacements were needed.

i previously converted it to disc brakes using the components from an '81 cj. the outer knuckles, spindles, wheel hubs, calipers, etc. i reused my stock axle shafts, both the inners and the stubs. no modification needed. perhaps the second best modification, after the 4-speed.

friend cleaned up the axle a bit, and the bearings, r & p are fine. everything was still in spec, although he made a minor adjustment to it.





the old truck has gotten a workout getting the jeep back on the road.

 

Nice project and a great place to do it. Like the new garage.

 

Love everything about this thread: the jeep, the garage, and the old flatbed!

 

spent some time over the weekend drilling the frame/anchors to accept the new Rocky Road Outfitters new brackets. i will say that i am fortunate to be adding these to a bare frame, without the rest of the jeep attached. it would be more difficult to drill the holes "on my back", instead of standing up as i get to, with the frame itself flipped upside down and on sawhorses. still, the kit should be able to be installed on a "complete" jeep with a minimum of fuss.

the "stock" spring anchor, cut and pilot hole drilled, ready for the RR bracket to be placed over it:


RR bracket clamped in place to locate holes to drill in frame:


stock anchor with the 1/2" hole drilled through, along with the two new 1/2" holes through the frame (lower two in picture), and the two 3/8" holes through the bottom of the frame rail (on top in picture):


passenger side RR rear spring anchor mounted:


driver side RR bracket mounted






next pics will be of the front spring anchors/brackets.

 

doesn't look like those brackets are going anywhere..

 

Are there bolts that go through the new and old bracket in the holes you drilled?

 

yes, i just didn't insert them yet. i'm actually going to pull the RR brackets off again to paint the frame, using por15 black. but i want everything correctly lined up and clearanced prior to painting.

 

Have you had any issues with rear driveline angles , just scored the same transmission set up.

 

not really. i did lower the crossmember a bit, perhaps an inch or inch and a half. i might wear out the u-joints a bit faster, but there is no driveline vibration. i suppose slight vibration could be masked by the swampers that i've always run, though.

 

Any more progress on the spring swap. Your pictures are better than the instructions that came with my kit.