PA Jeeps
The Garage => Work In Progress => Topic started by: hillbilly on October 05, 2010, 08:35:09 pm
-
as most of you have met my son (BOY), he has purchased his project vehicle to be ready when he is ready to drive. after a summer full of lawn mowing and a winter of shoveling snow. he saved enough and got his jeep, a 1979 cj7. we have pre pics of it and the frame he got for parts,
(http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/hillbillypajeeps/3n93k23o35Y05Q55P1a9uf42e628bbb9c1a0e.jpg)
(http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/hillbillypajeeps/3o13p63l35V65Q65U6a9u8e88b693bc6b1f8d.jpg)
more will be posted as we get it.
-
Well, sned the "Boy" my congrats....I'm sure we'll be in many of discussions going forward. Bring em' on.
Oh the parts laying around here...guess I better start digging.
-
all right question 1 is pretty much an opinion question, the cj7 has the quadratrac in it. what is the value of having the quadratrac system? would it be better just to get a regular dana 30 and swap it out? i have a dana 30 from the 79 cj7 rolling chassis we had gotten.
-
Tell the boy congrats on getting it.
-
I never have been a fan of the Quadratrac system myself, although said to be strong...opinions are debatable.
Here's a link with a good bit of information on it: http://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/quadratrac.htm
Many swap it out for the Dana 20 but a Dana 300 is a better transfer case option needing adapters.
-
Adam, tell Boy congratulations. It reminds me of my first Jeep. I hope he has better luck getting that on the road then I had. I ended up with a job that required me to actually secure company equipment. Had to sell it as soon as I got it running. I assume it has the pleasant smell of gas coming from a leaking tank. Oh the memories. I am still surprised I never blew the thing up as I disposed of my cigarettes through the floor boards.
I would vote to scrap the quadratrac and put in a Dana 300. I assume you have the Dana 20 on the other chassis since the 300 arrived in 80 or 81. I am in process of building a 300 for my YJ. I bought a front D44 from a 78 Wagoneer with a passenger side drop. I put the LoMax 4:1 kit in the 300 and plan to put 4:30 gears from an Isuzu Rodeo in the axles. The TruTrak should be a good transition carrier. I will double my crawl ratio. You can build a 300 to be almost equivalent to a Atlas II with twin sticks and low gearing.
The D20 doesn't have the gearing options the D300 does. The stock gearing is 2:1. Advanced Adapters sells a 3.15:1 gear set, but the 2.62:1 stock gearing of the D300 is decent. I picked mine off of e-bay for $250 + $85 shipping. There is a D300 for sale on ebay every day. I recommend the Advanced Adapter parts whenever possible. My case came with a twin stick for a flipped case which I believe is from Novak. I planned on modifying it, but ended up buying the AA kit and it is head and shoulders above.
The EVOR should have good opinions and possibly some parts. There should be a great campfire build happening next weekend. You won't be able to afford the build, but it will be kickass.
Boy needs to get a account and start posting the specs of this thing. also, Boy better be part of his user name because I can't remember is real name.
Joe
-
OK, missed this thread and added a long post in the other one> http://www.pajeeps.org/forum/index.php?topic=4356.new#new
This one answered some questions that the other one did not.
1979 CJ7, Great, advantage is you have front disc brakes and not NEARLY as much emissions crap to deal with on the motor.
I am not a huge fan of quadratrack but its not a bad TC for full time. Make sure you have a low range, it was a OPTION in the cj with quadratrack, look in the glovebox for the dial. I however like levers. This however does NOT mean that you should ditch the quadratrack just yet, it is not a bad system. My good friend Jason had one that averaged around 22mpg, it was just sent down to Tom Kiger in Texas a little while ago. beware that your rear axle will be a AMC20 with a offset rear end. Most jeeps the diff is centered so swaping out the quadratrack can complicated due to the off set rear end. What Tom did is cut down full size jeep Dana 44s from and rear leaving a offset rear diff. From his diesel engine went through either T19 of NP465 (forgot which as he ran several of each) to a jeep DANA18 with a 3.5:1 low range and a WARN over drive, The Dana 18 uses a offset drop as well. adapting to a Dana 18 is one option.
Here is a link on information on the transfer case. http://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/quadratrac.htm
The good news is this jeep has a TH 400 automatic transmission, it is about as indestructible as slush boxes come.
http://advanceadapters.com/resources/1641/GM-TH400.html
http://advanceadapters.com/index.php?p=view_category&search_text=jeep+th400+to+jeep+dana careful which adapter you buy as you have a JEEP th400.
from AA, "The Jeep TH400 was also used in the late 70’s mated up to the chain driven Quadratrac transfer case. This version of TH400 was used exclusively behind AMC Engines. The output shaft of the TH400 was a long coarse 10 spline shaft that was unique to this application. Although Advance Adapters offers adapters to change the Quadratrac, A new output shaft will be required for pretty much any conversion. The Qudratrac was designed for vehicles with an offset rear end which complicates transfer case conversions unless an axle swap is performed.
Another oddity of the JEEP TH400 was the rear bolt pattern and the engine ring adapter. The rear of the AMC TH400 has a 4% clocking of the bolt pattern. The clocked TH400 was probably used for front driveshaft clearance issues and apparently used exclusively during the AMC years. Advance Adapters offers an extra clocking pattern on many of our adapters to counter this rotation. We do recommend contacting Advance Adapters directly when dealing with this version to verify your adapter needs."
Now, IF you decide to keep the TH400 but swap out the Q track TC. I have a used dana300 that came out of Tom Kiger's 1985 jeep. ( think I paid around $250 for it) It will need a new input since the spines look a little hashed to my eye but that may need swapped out anyway as part of the adapter. The real cost of this is in the adapters. and it may be better to find a whole drive train.
-
thanks for the info guys. i should have listed a little more in the project. we had also purchased a 1979 rolling chassis before the actual 1979 cj7, the rolling chassis has the amc 20 and a dana 30 with the 6 bolt warn lockouts. from what im reading i can, if needed/wanted, i can swap the axles from the rolling chassis in place and swap out the quadratrac setup for a dana 300 or equivalent.
he wants to build it up as a one off restoration, with a small lift, so well try and get the original equipment to work first. and yes it has the low range switch along the drivers seat (little tiny lever), and the turn knob in the glove box. since we couldnt figure out how it worked i removed the rear driveshaft for the 4 mile trip home.
-
well we put the steering column back together yesterday, all the glass is cleaned up from the broken windshield. the seats are bolted back in, all except the rear one we didnt get :-\ . got some new parts for it today soft doors a tailgate and tire carrier. the boys knuckles and fingers are a little rougher than normal bu the insists on doing everything he can himself. ;D
-
Congrats, Billy & Boy! If you guys decide on a D20 drop me a line, I've got a couple around here (somewhere). Is it a wide trac or narrow trac axle? If you can wait 'til next spring I should have my waggy axles in and have a amc 20 to give ya also, if ya want it. Keep up the great work, and take lots of pics for us!
-
Sounds like Boy is a chip off the old block. Good for him!! You must be so proud! ;D
-
I've got plenty of Corp. 20 parts...Axles shafts, drums, backing plates, hardware springs, lines....all in usable condition...The shafts are MINT $$$
-
well not much work recently because of hunting season but we did score a very nice hood so its looking more like a jeep.
-
its a sunday no hunting today so it was a honey do day but we still got a few hours in on the jeep. got the headlights figured out so they come on. and we got the motor to fire up there is no fuel line hooked to it so it only ran for as much fuel as i dumped down the carb. i had tad pull all the plugs and the distributor and mark everything before just ripping it apart. had him prime the system with a drill first to get the oil moving, after we removed the plugs and slow turned it just to make sure it wasnt locked up. cleaned the plugs and checked the gap reinstalled the distributor and put a capful of gas down the carb and a couple cranks and i hear a vroom from the engine and a wahoo from the front seat. time to rebuild the carb as soon as i can figure out what it is. good day today ,better than most, another jeep lives.
heres a pic of the rolling chassis before we made unrolling
(http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/hillbillypajeeps/DSCF0116-1.jpg)
-
Adam and Tad,
Where are the updates?
Joe
-
this jeep build (as well as the marriage) have been temporarily interrupted for deer season. we are working on small things like carb rebuild and tire swapping. just building up a supply of parts, the ignition column is in and fixed, with new keys. we got a complete bushings kit and a dana 300 we are rebuilding also and building a twin stick kit for it also. found out we have the junk version of the quadratrac, ours doesnt even have the reduction unit on it. have a new radiator ordered should be here next week sometime.
-
all right we got a deer in the freezer (not roadkilled either) and was getting some work done on the jeep carb is rebuilt and installed , oil changed and fired it up, it runs under its own power, idles a little rough but could be a carb adjustment or timing issue. still got to get a radiator yet but thats on the christmas list (yes christmas not holidays or hannukah or kwanzaa lol), along with hood hinges and floor pans. found the boy asleep in the jeep again lol. good to be a kid.
-
Does he get the antlers for his jeep?
-
I just saw in a catalog where you could buy reindeer antlers and a red Rudolph nose for your vehicle!
-
got the antlers and i did tan a buck tail one year and mounted it on the hitch, til someone stole it. could just hit another deer and leave the red spot on the front, ;D, but no antlers, they hang on the doors and he doesnt plan on running full doors.
-
Well, if the doors don't work, I would suggest mounting the antlers on the upper corners of the windshield - sort of an inverted curb feeler to check overhead clearance. :D And if the buck was big enough they could keep the windshield frame from getting all scuffed up in a rollover. ;D
-
got some more parts for it today from a fellow jeeper, picked up another windshield and frame (cause i broke 2 doh) a matching rear seat, (thanks anyway to qtec), and a radiator. had to give the boy his christmas gifts early but he was just as happy.
-
Any updates?
-
all right the weather is starting to break so time to get some work done, anyone have any two cents on going with shackle reversal?, how about the yj springs upgrade? what about using yj front fenders on a cj? just a few fyi questions to see which way the build goes, this isnt going to be an extreme trail rig just a teeners first vehicle with the pride of doing it himself. but if were going to do it ,it might as well be done right the first time.
-
Switching to the YJ style front spring is easy and worth the effort.
I have built jeeps with SRS (Shackle reverse system) and I have set them up with the shackle in the front. I love the approach angle of the SRS but I don't think it is worth the trade offs. The SRS tends to get death wobble with a little bit of wear on the bushing. The SRS does not climb as well on the steep climbs as a similar truck with the shackle in the front. Ten years ago the SRS was the way to go because the springs were so stiff it was the only way to get a decent ride out of them. Now with all of the manufactures switching to soft ride springs it is not worth the effort.
I have YJ fenders on my Scrambler. You need to shorten them about 2'' at the rear of the fender to get them to fit right. Doing it this way gives you room for bigger tires with less lift. The added bonus is TJ flares fit much better on the YJ fenders.
-
thanks jsut getting a bunch of ideas on which way to go, we also picked up an 85 tub with great floors and decent sides. he also got the windshield hinges and some door parts from his grandpa for his birthday, just waiting on the weather now. and he got a bunch of stickers from KW2J to put on windows that he dont have,lol.
-
well not a bad weekend so we offed the wheeling and decided to start working on the jeep, pulled the rear driveshaft and replaced the ujoints, adjusted the qtec linkage now the jeep goes in gear and was actually moving under its own power. started replacing the windshield/door hinges and found the first major rust area so we chopped a piece off of the parts tub to replace the bad corner, started stripping the tub down to its major parts for easier movability. pics to come
-
next update i had the boy remove a 30 yr old gastank ,that was fun none of the bolts broke they all cranked out EXTREMELY slow. tank is out and on the ground and noticed several holes in it from a nail or similar item. trying to remove brake drums and its not working out. still trying to figure out how the alternator gets wired in.
-
well tried to install an aftermarket stinger bar front bumper we got only to find out it wont fit a cj, then tried to work on the brake system and decided its just better to replace all the brake components, master cylinder ALL the lines and cylinders. ordering a new radiator then some carb work and itl be ready for the show,lol. got a new double tube style bumper at a swap meet to replace the stinger which we decided to put up for sale. looking into getting some tires yet too.
-
wow what a work out, so far we have replaced all the brake lines, the master cylinder, wheel cylinders, proportioning valve, alternator and wired it in. cleaned the gastank out and sanded it down fixed as many holes as we could find and painted it, put it back in the jeep. got the radio and cb wired in and working. got some new to us tires and wheels coming.was getting ready for a car show on sunday and the power steering pump went out saturday night so we made the mad dash sunday morning to get on and get it installed to get to the show. also got all 4 rancho shocks on now. alot of work and most of the parts from fellow jeepers or craigslist. she'll be ready for our show for sure. lot of work but worth it.
-
Why ya holding out on the photos Adam? The build sounds like an awesome Father / Son project!
-
Glad I got to see Tad's CJ at the show! He should be proud of his work on his project. ;)
-
yep hes proud as heck, he didnt win anything but like he said " it aint pretty but its mine". he was more happy about just being there than anything else, we had a couple "perfectionists" come by nit picking but i set them straight as nicely as i could.
-
yep hes proud as heck, he didnt win anything but like he said " it aint pretty but its mine". he was more happy about just being there than anything else, we had a couple "perfectionists" come by nit picking but i set them straight as nicely as i could.
F@#K the "perfectionists!" I get tired of folks bashing other people's projects, just because it isn't "original" or "perfect." WHATEVER. I hear it plenty too... "you know that yellow wasn't an original color..." well duh, Dodge Viper Yellow wasn't available in 1951, I think I know that. "There's your sign!"
It's awesome to see youth getting involved in working on vintage vehicles. It's even more awesome when a parent and child do it together. It's Tad's Jeep and he should build it the way he wants it! ;) Kudos to you both!
-
well time for an update, we installed a 1.5 inch shackle lift right after the show to fit the awesome tires tad got from Ron Allen, and we picked up a new carb for it and put it on only to realize we have to make a bracket to get the throttle to hook up, rebuilt the power steering pump and replaced the water pump. our latest conquest have been the floor pans, the more you cut out the worse it gets weve gotten all four front plans replaced and heading to the backseat area next, about 500 pop rivets so far then i'll let him do some welding with the stick.
-
THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A JEEP MADE THAT CAN'T BE FIXED ONE MORE TIME .
THE SATISFACTION OF BUILDING , THINKING , AND KNOWING THAT YOU ( TAD ) ARE DOING THIS WITH YOUR TWO HANDS AND THE HELPFUL KNOWLEDGE OF GREAT PEOPLE IN THIS GREAT ORGANIZATION , WITH YOUR FATHER BY YOUR SIDE , HAS TO BE A GREAT JOY .
( TELL A MAN - BOY HOW TO FIX A JEEP , HE MIGHT REMEMBER FOR A DAY , SHOW HIM HOW TO FIX A JEEP , HE MAY REMEMBER A LITTLE LONGER ,
GET HIS HANDS ON THE JEEP HE WILL NEVER FORGET . )
P.S. REMEMBER TO KEEP A BOX OF BAND-AIDS HANDY , NO MATTER HOW NICE YOU TREAT HER , SHE 'LL STILL NIP YA ONCE IN A WHILE .
-
we were trying sooo hard to have it ready for adams, replaced 90 percent of the sheet metal ,body mounts, fuel lines, water pump and power steering rebuild, all in less than two weeks. only to have the front rotor shatter, yes shatter, on our test run this evening. but yes it is a great time and the short sleep nights and long days to get it ready are still worth it. lots of pics to come.
-
all right lets see if the pics work
(http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/hillbillypajeeps/P07-03-11_14-161.jpg)
a boy and his jeep alone at a car show
(http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/hillbillypajeeps/P08-09-11_13-51.jpg)
new front fender install
(http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/hillbillypajeeps/P07-30-11_12-26.jpg)
brand spankin new gas tank
(http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/hillbillypajeeps/P06-14-12_09-141.jpg)
(http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/hillbillypajeeps/P06-09-12_19-03.jpg)
rear wheel wells being replaced
(http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/hillbillypajeeps/P06-14-12_09-14.jpg)
new tailgate and rear tailgate panel with rear corner being replaced
(http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/hillbillypajeeps/P06-09-12_19-04.jpg)
rear panel
(http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/hillbillypajeeps/P06-08-12_11-551.jpg)
rear floors being replaced
(http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/hillbillypajeeps/P05-28-12_19-261.jpg)
new front floors in and rhino lined
(http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/hillbillypajeeps/P05-28-12_19-26.jpg)
kick panel being replaced
-
(http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/hillbillypajeeps/P08-09-11_14-53.jpg)
new fenders before paint
(http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/hillbillypajeeps/P08-09-11_13-521.jpg)
old fenders, whats left of them
(http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/hillbillypajeeps/P07-10-11_12-06.jpg)
getting his hands dirty one of very very many
(http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/hillbillypajeeps/P07-09-11_11-491.jpg)
pinion seal
(http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/hillbillypajeeps/P07-15-11_11-53.jpg)
and what old jeep hasnt had the unexpected electrical fire, at the jeep show
(http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/hillbillypajeeps/P06-14-12_20-042.jpg)
new hand made rear corner installed
(http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/hillbillypajeeps/P06-10-12_19-561.jpg)
(http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/hillbillypajeeps/P06-10-12_19-56.jpg)
(http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/hillbillypajeeps/P06-08-12_11-561.jpg)
(http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/hillbillypajeeps/P06-08-12_11-562.jpg)
(http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/hillbillypajeeps/P06-08-12_11-563.jpg)
various pics while in progress
-
next update. had to take a break for a while and with a back injury but we got a 97 tj family style roll bar, doors and soft top for it. now we are in the process of pulling and rebuilding the engine. the engine is stripped of heads and intake pulling the block out today and then to find a shop to put the rings and bearings in. hopefully having it ready for adams. anyone know of a decent garage capable of installing them?
-
motors rebuilt and back in. we decided to do it all ourselves ??? but seems to run fine, worked out a few bugs literally while we had it apart a bee built a nest in the carb. after our test run we noticed a lot of oil on the ground from the valve cover leaking but it was still the old one no problem. after the carb fix and oil leak we ended up with another oil leak from the new 4 piece oil pan gasket so we removed it and are replacing it with a one piece gasket. we got the tj doors on and a striker plate made so the doors close and latch, along with the tj family style rollbar with shoulder seatbelts for extra safety. we had an issue with the brand new radiator leaking so it was pulled and replaced on sunday. wired up the soundbar and put a mechanical oil pressure gauge. still a few more things that need done but might be ready for adams.
-
time for updates, we got everything together and made it to adams jeep jam with little to no issues, but after we were there we were having fuel issues that turned out to be a bad new fuel pump, and the carb piston had a crack in it that didn't squirt right so we nursed it home and blew a high pressure power steering line on the way so we pulled the belt and drove home manual. after we were home installed a new new fuel pump and rebuilt the carb , now she purrs. replaced the high pressure line with a piece of fuel line and BOOM face full of power steering fluid (I still taste it). yeah it was a dumba55 move and I should've known better. bought the correct replacement hose and all is well. the gas gauge still doesn't work as the boy figured out today, lol. (I told him not to be joy riding everywhere) a gallon of gas and he was on his way. all seems to be working well and it will be at the show. and btw he took second place trail at adams , most people were impressed he actually knew how to fix his own jeep when it broke down.