A number of years ago, I got the Jeep bug. I even know when and where I was when the bug hit me. I preparing to build something for the offroad, maybe a Toyota FJ-40 or an early Toyota pickup with a solid front axle, maybe a Jeep or a Scout. I wasn’t sure. Then one trip with a friend and a large group of Jeeps did it for me. I was hooked on Jeep. CJ-7 in fact. Something about the CJ-7 was calling to me.
So I started looking for an early CJ-7. Then I met a guy named Bob Norris. To the dismay of his neighbors, Bob’s backyard was a Jeep Junkyard. His backyard was full of Jeeps and Scouts, Jeep parts, frames, body parts and various other automotive related items. Best of all Bob was motivated to sell a good deal of it for a decent price. It was perfect timing for me. So I set out to make up my shopping list and weekend after weekend, I drove away from his house with a trailer and truck full of parts for my Jeep project.
As I worked day after day, week after week on this Jeep, I took thousands of photos and wrote about it. What ended up being several years of work and design was documented here. I wanted a Jeep that was as close to stock as possible for a ’78 CJ-7 except with a good number of upgrades to replace what would be weak stock parts. That included must of the drive train, which now consists of an AMC 360 with a Truck Avenger Carb, T-18A manual Transmission, Dana 20 with Teralow gears and locked Dana 44 axles from and rear.
If you’ve got the same ambitions as I had with building a Jeep, the articles of this project may be helpful or at least entertaining. Having invested the time and money into this Jeep, I can look back and say that building it was just as much fun as wheeling it.
My only regret is that I built it TOO Nice! It pained me to get it covered in mud or bounce it off the rocks or drag it across tree branches and underbrush on the trail. I set off to build a beater and instead I built a show Jeep. Oh well. Anyone have a beat up flat fender for sale? 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
The budget Rebuild by Ralph HasselThe complete build is documentedhere on www.Offroaders.comThis 1978 Jeep CJ-7 never started life as a complete Jeep; rather it was built completely from parts. The goal was to build a […]
A Budgeted Jeep CJ-7 Rebuild from Concept to Conception by Ralph Hassel My evolution of thought… It all started with a humbling realization a number of years ago. My current vehicle, a 92 Toyota pickup 4×4, […]
This relatively simply oil pan modification, though it’s being done on Project CJ-7, can be installed on almost ANY 4×4 with an exposed oil pan. Though it may be a rare event to poke a […]
This Project CJ-7 article is about converting and armoring a Dana 300 skid plate to work with a Dana 20 transfer case. An ounce of prevention is worth a few pounds of steel. After hearing stories […]
In swapping the T-18A onto this Jeep project, a good tip was passed onto me from Mike of www.Jeepfan.com. This tip has to do with the stock clutch fork being used in the stock bell […]
Fabricating Custom U-Bolt Plates with Skid Protection for Project Jeep CJ-7 With the job of a Dana 44 axle swap to the project CJ-7 came the need for new u-bolt plates. Two things made stock u-bolt […]
A Simple yet very effective method of protecting your tie rod from impact with rocks and things, is to raise the tie rod up. Raising the Drag link also reduces bump-steer, a side effect of […]
Using 6 bucks worth of material to protect a 300 dollar 3-core radiator and to cool the V8 Engine. When looking at the grill of my 78 CJ-7, the one thing that just stuck out like […]
After doing some research I finally decided to look for a Borg-Warner T-18A manual transmission. Manual because that is what I prefer. The T-18A because of it’s 6.32:1 first gear and it’s heavy duty, cast […]
Project Jeep CJ-7 Daystar Swaybar Bushings Tip. When swapping out your stock CJ swaybar bushings with the Daystar Swaybar Bushings, here’s a Tip – Use the CJ bracket! Here’s why…First off, upgrading your sway bar bushings […]
Project Jeep CJ-7 – Disassembling the Scout II Dana 44 Front Axle. After acquiring the Dana 44 axles I also picked up a Dana 30 narrow track front axle that was in great shape. The […]
Continuing on from the front axle prep, the rear axle’s spring pad angle recorded and spring pads were removed. That was followed up by an inspection of differential and rear drum brakes to make sure […]
Project Jeep CJ-7 Scout II Dana 44 Axles Swap onto a CJ-7 FrameNew Custom Fabricated HangersFront Springs – Front HangersThe front hangers were a little easier to design than the rear hangers. Mainly because they […]
Project Jeep CJ-7 Scout II Dana 44 Axles Swap onto a CJ-7 FrameFabricated Leaf Spring HangersInstalling the Front Leaf Springs HangersBelow is the whole set of hangers. Gussets have been welded in and all the holes […]
Project Jeep CJ-7 U-Bolt Skid PlatesFabricating Custom U-Bolt Plates with Skid ProtectionWith the job of a Dana 44 axle swap to the project CJ-7, came the need for new u-bolt plates. Two things made stock […]
If Jeeps, Jeeps and more Jeeps are your thing, you won’t want to miss this years All Breeds Jeep Show presented by PA Jeeps! July 19th and 20th 2014 This year’s 19th annual event will be […]
When I was searching for a good location to install a CB antenna on my Rubicon X, I considered several locations. Most required me to purchase a mount of some kind or make a complicated […]
Over the weekend of June 12th through 14th, the town of Butler, Pennsylvania will host their fifth annual Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival. Expected to draw thousands of Jeep fans from all over the country, the […]
1 Comment
Nice Jeep! I’ve read your writeup before on offroaders. Well documented. I took a few ideas from you with my TJ buildup. Thanks for sharing your ideas.
Nice Jeep! I’ve read your writeup before on offroaders. Well documented. I took a few ideas from you with my TJ buildup. Thanks for sharing your ideas.