CJ-7 Projects
 

  

Lightforce Lights - H.I.D. High-intensity discharge Upgrade

HEI Ignition System (GM Style) Installed in the AMC 360 V8
Getting rid of gremlins and improving performance

Installing 23,000 Volt Offroad Lights

Autogage Tachometer Installation
  

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Project CJ-7
  
Offroaders Guide
to Gearing up
for Offroad

From Basic Equipment to Well Equipped.  An extensive list guide to help you prepare your vehicle for the offroad.
  
 

  

Onboard Air
Converting a York
AC Compressor
to Pump Air


Trailering Safety and Trailer Hitch Information

 

Off-Road Truck Driving Techniques and Safety



Off-Road Lights
by LightForce Product Review / Installation.
from Off-Road Lights

 

Jeep Dana 300 TeraLow - 4:1 Gearset for the Dana 300 Transfer Case


AMC V8 Engines
From
GEN-1 Nash/Hudson/Rambler V-8s (1956-1966) through to the GEN-3 AMC Tall-deck (1970-1991)

Chevy Small-Block V8 Engines
Chevy Small-Block V8 Engines Manufactured by General Motors - Production: 1955?2002

Hemi Engine - All about the Hemi Engine

Ford Engines
4 Cylinder, 6 Cylinder, 8 Cylinder, 10 Cylinder, 12 Cylinder Ford Engines

Ford V8 Engines
8 Cylinder Engines manufactured by Ford

Ford 351 Cleveland V8 Engines
351 cubic inch V8 Engines manufactured by Ford

Chrysler Hemi Engine

AMC V8 hp/Torque, Compression & Bore/Stroke by year

Engine Size Conversion Table
Converting engine displacement from CID, Liters, C.C.

Engine Overheating Basics - 16 Common Causes of an Overheated Engine

Fan Clutch Diagnosis
How to tell if the Fan Clutch in your Cooling System is failing or has failed.

Automotive Gauges & Instrument Functions
Information they display & their importance.

 

From the
Department of Cheap   Tricks and Useful Tips

  
Ultra-Cool Hand Throttle for Free!

Jeep V8 Swap Tips

The Exploding Clutch

Radiator Protection using 6 bucks worth of material

Cracked Under Pressure - Fixing a smashed fingernail

A Cheap, effective alternative to undercoating

Home-built Saginaw Gearbox Brace for the cost of lunch!

Ammo Box Storage - Mounting Them for Quick Disconnect

Home-built Serious Skid-Plate protection for the Oil Pan for under 20 bucks!

Ramp Travel Index
RTI / Ramp Travel Index  What it is and how to calculate it, with and without the ramp.
 

 

 

 

 
Project Jeep CJ-7
A frame up Restoration / Buildup ~ from concept to conception

The budget Rebuild
by Ralph Hassel

Evolution of thought...

Project Index

The Tub

It all started with a humbling realization.  My current vehicle, a 92 Toyota pickup 4x4, does great offroad in most situations.  As far as what I have invested in the truck, I would say it's minimal.  Aggressive mud terrain tires with steel rims, a rear locker, slight mods to suspension for lift and travel, beefed up tow points front and rear which includes an ARB bull bar up front and some high power lighting.  For the most part that's it.  And it does great, I can't complain.  But of course it has it's down sides.  Long wheel base, independent front suspension poor departure angle and limits to what can be improved upon to make it more trail worthy without doing some serious modifications like a solid front axle swap.  Because it's my daily driver I hesitate to take it out of service for any length of time to do anything serious as far as modifications go.

When I realized that the truck wasn't the path I wanted to pursue for the project weekend warrior I started looking for another ideal vehicle.  Having been parcel to Toyotas my first thought was to find an early Toyota Pickup with solid axles and use that as a base for a serious build up.  After some research I decided not to go that route and started looking at Toyota FJ-40's.  After finding a few and looking at my options for a buildup I decided the FJ-40, although it would have been a great base for a buildup, was just too expensive for the budget.  Then it happened.  I took a trip to New York to the Rock Krawl 2000 with a large group of Jeeps and I got the bug.  With so many options, possibilities, aftermarket products and information surrounding the Jeep it wasn't hard to decide that the project 4x4 was going to be a Jeep.

So the research began.  Questions... what year and model? What drive train, what engine?  What kind of mods?  I finally decided on building or rebuilding an early CJ-7 for a few reasons like the longer wheelbase than the CJ-5, more relaxed emissions laws for the earlier vehicles and just the plain fact that the CJ's had the classic look that I liked.  After doing some scouting around and looking at several potential buys for a base I got lucky.  A contact I made through searching for a Jeep told me about someone who, as a hobby, rebuilt Jeeps and Ford trucks.  So Carl and I visited Bob one afternoon and well, one thing led to another and now with the help of Bob the project begins.  So far to date most of the parts and components for the project CJ-7 have come from Bob or through a contact of his.  It also doesn't hurt that Bob works for a machine shop and had been in racing for some 25 years and today to some degree offers his services to friends who race.  Through Bob a few immediate acquisitions were made including an AMC 360 crate engine with less than 13,000 miles on it which included all the extras like power steering pump, alternator, and AC compressor (to be converted into an onboard air compressor).  Also acquired was a Holley Projection Fuel Injection system, a T-18A manual transmission, a Dana 20 Transfer case, a CJ-7 tub that was an abandoned project and had much work done to it already, a straight, clean CJ-7 frame and a set of Scout II Dana 44 axles.  Jeepfan Mike had donated a Dana 20 for a few shifter parts needed.

As of Mid October of 2000 this project had begun with work to the tub and I plan to document this frame up rebuild / build up.  As the project proceeded the follow categories will be created and expanded on.  Those that are links are current or past parts of this project with written documentation.

44s-2-s.jpg (24497 bytes)

These are the axles that were used in the CJ-7.    They are Dana 44 axles out of a 76' Scout II. The axle in front is a stock CJ-7 Dana 20. Notice the width difference of about 2 inches wider in the Dana 44's.

44s-1.jpg (19036 bytes)


  
tub-2.jpg (21816 bytes)
Here's the Tub the day I picked it up.  The tub was an abandoned project from someone else who could apparently weld. I'm finishing up the job which entailed buying a mig welder and learning to use it. In many cases it's not always a good idea to buy someone else's project because you don't know what you'll find.   The tub wasn't one of those cases for me.  Much of the bad steel had been replaced and for $150 which included seats, roll bar, heater and tailgate, I didn't think twice about it.  Turned out to be a good investment with much of the rusted out areas repaired already requiring the job to be completed.
  

tub-1.jpg (23287 bytes)

tub-4.jpg (20106 bytes)

Project Jeep CJ-7

To the Project Index

  

  

 

Offroad Tire Info
Tire Terminology
Wheel Terminology
How to Pick the Right
Tires for your Truck
Truck Tire Info
Tires - What Hits What Fits
 
All Terrain  Mud Terrain
Tire Reviews & Info
Mud Terrain MT Tire Reviews
All Terrain AT Tire Reviews
Super Swamper Bogger
Super Swamper SSR
Super Swamper SX
Super Swamper Vortrac
Interco IROK TSL
Super Swamper LTB
Super Swamper TSL
Super Swamper TSL Radial
Super Swamper Narrow
Interco SS-M16 Swamper
Thornbird TSl Radial
Thornbird TSl Bias
Thornbird TSL
Parnelli Jone Dirt Grip
BFGoodrich Krawler
BFGoodrich MT T/A KM
BFGoodrich MT T/A KM2
BFGoodrich AT TA KO
BFGoodrich Mud King XT
Bridgestone Dueler MT
Cooper Discoverer ST
Cooper Discoverer STT
Cooper Discoverer ST/C
Firestone Destination MT
General Grabber MT
General Grabber AT2
Green Diamond Icelander
Ground Hawg Mud Tire
Hankook Dynapro MT
Hankook Dynamic MT RT01
Hercules Terra Trac MT
Hercules Trail Digger MT
Kelly-Springfield Safari DTR
Kelly-Springfield Safari MSR
Kumho Road Venture MT
Kumho Road Venture KL71
Kumho Road Venture AT
Dick Cepek Mud Country
Dick Cepek F-C II
Dick Cepek Fun Country II
Dick Cepek Fun Country Nylon
Dick Cepek Fun Country Kevlar
Mastercraft Courser MT
Mastercraft Courser HTR
Mastercraft Courser HTR Plus
Maxxis BigHorn Radial
Maxxis Creepy Crawler
Maxxis Trepador
Maxxis Buckshot Mudder
Maxxis MA-SW
Maxxis M-8080 Mudzilla
Maxxis MT-754 Buckshot
Maxxis MT-753 Bravo
Maxxis MA-751 Bravo
Maxxis MA-S2 Marauder II
Maxxis MA-S1 Marauder
Maxxis MT-762 BigHorn
Nitto Mud Grappler
Nitto Dune Grappler
Nokian Vatiiva MT
Pit Bull Rocker Extreme
Pit Bull Maddog
Pit Bull Growler
Goodyear Wrangler MT/R
Pro Comp Xterrain
Pro Comp All Terrain
Pro Comp Mud Terrain
Pro Comp Xtreme AT
Pro Comp Xtreme MT
Toyo Open Country MT
TrXus Mud Terrain
TrXus STS All Terrain
Mickey Thompson MTZ
Mickey Thompson MTX
Mickey Thompson Baja Claw
Mickey Thompson Baja Crusher
Competition Claw
Dunlop Mud Rover
Yokohama Geolandar
  

Latest trips Offroad
... trail reports with the Project CJ-7
click here.

Sounds System, Raised the Rear Seat
Storage below and a great place to mount 6x9 Speakers for Great Bass ... In a Jeep!

York AC Compressor Conversion.  What used to pump Freon, now pumps compressed air to the front and rear bumpers.  125 psi,  2 gallons of storage, air fittings at the bumpers, enough CFM to power air tools!.  Click Here for more  Details

 

Dick Cepek's 2008 F-250 Super Duty Project Vehicle ? Project CRUSHER


Warn X8000i
Winch Installation


ARB Air Locker Install
Jeep Wide Track Axles Swap

 
Mud Tire Reviews

Building a Garage?
Need a Garage Plan?
 


Reader's Rigs and Seriously Stucks!

 

Jeep Trans Swap Info
T-18A Transmission Rebuild & Short Shaft Conversion