Mike H., the owner and webmaster of Jeepfan.com was responsible for bringing this Jeep CJ-7
to life literally, out of the ashes. Glenn, a good friend of Mike, bought the
restored Jeep from Mike and built the CJ-7 up to it's current status.
The Following is an excerpt from Jeepfan.com detailing the work put into building this Jeep CJ-7.
This Jeep was an
accomplishment. It originally was two Jeeps part 85 part 86. The 85 was hit
extremely hard in the drivers side and the 86 burned completely in a fire. After
completely disassembling the body from the burned Jeep, which was in great shape, although
the paint was burned off, it was sent to a local sandblaster and came back clean and
primered. Mike then cleaned up the frame and used the engine and transmission (258
6cyl and a T176 4speed) from the 85. The axles were from the 86 which was lucky
because this 86 had a Dana 44 rear. Mike then used the rims from the 86 and bought
new 31X10.5 BFG All Terrains. The hood, grille, windshield, wiring and the whole
interior were from the 85. Luckily the hard top was not damaged in the accident but the
driver's door was toast. A set of doors were picked up from a Wrangler. After
the Jeep was assembled it got a fresh coat of paint (Veridian Green). The Jeep
looked great but the 258 was not in the best of shape and the carburetor was driving Mike
crazy. An engine that was kept from Mike's old 70 CJ-5 was about to come to life
again. First he decided to calm it down a little so the intake was replaced and cam
replaced with an Edelbrock Performer Kit. Since it was an everyday driver a Holley
670CFM Pro-Jection was added. The engine was adapted to the existing 4 speed
with an adapter from Novak. Also installed was a full dual exhaust system to control
the noise.
Vehicle: 1985/86 Jeep CJ-7
Engine:
Chevy 350 c.i.
Drive Train:
T176 4speed
Color: Veridian Green
Modifications (Post Rebuild):
Rancho 2.5inch lift with Dick Cepek Race Series shocks, Detroit EZ-Locker, stainless brake
lines, K&N filter, Optima Battery, 1 inch Daystar Body Lift, and a Tomken steering
brace. Additional goods are BFG 33X12.50 All Terrains for the street and a set of 33X12.50
Super Swamper Radials for the trail.
This Jeep was an
accomplishment. It originally was two Jeeps part 85 part 86. The 85 was hit
extremely hard in the drivers side and the 86 burned completely in a fire. After
completely disassembling the body from the burned Jeep, which was in great shape, although
the paint was burned off, it was sent to a local sandblaster and came back clean and
primered. Mike then cleaned up the frame and used the engine and transmission (258
6cyl and a T176 4speed) from the 85. The axles were from the 86 which was lucky
because this 86 had a Dana 44 rear. Mike then used the rims from the 86 and bought
new 31X10.5 BFG All Terrains. The hood, grille, windshield, wiring and the whole
interior were from the 85. Luckily the hard top was not damaged in the accident but the
driver's door was toast. A set of doors were picked up from a Wrangler. After
the Jeep was assembled it got a fresh coat of paint (Veridian Green). The Jeep
looked great but the 258 was not in the best of shape and the carburetor was driving Mike
crazy. An engine that was kept from Mike's old 70 CJ-5 was about to come to life
again. First he decided to calm it down a little so the intake was replaced and cam
replaced with an Edelbrock Performer Kit. Since it was an everyday driver a Holley
670CFM Pro-Jection was added. The engine was adapted to the existing 4 speed
with an adapter from Novak. Also installed was a full dual exhaust system to control
the noise.
