1983 Jeep Cj5. An ongoing project ( & it just got bigger)( gluten for punishment 11 Jan 2020 ) (Page 1 of 3)
Posted: 9/4/2019 11:04:28 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Mattgunguy][Edited]
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All my Jeeps have always been big ass military trucks. So this little feller is a new thing for me. Few months back I got tired of dealing with the big trucks. Simple to work on, but everything is huge & heavy as hell. But I still wanted a Jeep. Hell, I've been wanting a Cj since I was knee high to a grasshopper. So the hunt was on. Ok, it was a short hunt. Got talking to a buddy one night who turned out to have a Cj5 he'd trade me. Took a few months to line everything out on both ends (there's 600 miles between us), but I got the little jeep last friday &the fun begins. Stats: 1983 AMC Jeep Cj5. 258 online 6 cylinder. T-176 4 speed. Dana 300 t-case. Dana 30 up front (wide track at that) Amx 20 in the rear. Has a locker of some sort in it. Sounds mechanical. I knew it needed some body work & a new clutch. Which I can live with. Picked up a new clutch last week. Started on it late monday & finished with that tonight. So we can run & move under our own power now. Without starting in gear. Well, still gots to replace a u-joint. But that's tomorrow. This thing sat for years. Like damn near a decade. The clutch disk was seized to both the flywheel & the pressure plate. 
Much more to come. Yay bodywork!! |
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Go for it. They're fun little vehicles & cheap too. Before I had talked to my buddy, I'd been looking on the book of face marketplace & there were lots of options under 2k. Parts aren't nose bleed expensive either. Heck, o e could probably build a brand new Cj from the ground up with Omix-Ada parts. They'll be getting a chunk of my money in short order. Body work goodies. But most of what I'm doing is going to be from stuff on hand or from trade goods. Cause I'm a trader & a cheapass as well. To do list. Bigger axles. I've got a high pinion Dana 44 & 60 out of a 3/4 ton Ford. Wont work for my needs. Buuuuuut, I know a guy. He can use em & has the same front Dana 44 & a 14 bolt out of a GM. Which will work for my needs. Tires. For now I'm taking the 33/12.50/15 Coopers off my Bronco. It's getting parked over the winter for some much needed attention. Eventually I'm planning on milsurp HMMWV tires and wheels. They fit the future axles. Still running down a set semi local to me. Lift. Moar lift. Thinking 5 inch to clear the 37 inch Hmmwv tires. I may have a lead on a kit up for trade local. It's for a YJ, but I think the wider springs would be a plus. Despite the fab work needed to fit them. I'm a good welder at least. Different engine. I'm still mulling this one over. Was thinking a simple SBC, but I saw a video of a guy making stroker engines from these 258 blocks. Making stupid horsepower & tourque. Now I'm at a conundrum with. That's down the road either way. So many options. |
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Originally Posted By Mattgunguy: We may have different ideas in big ass. 1970 Kaiser Jeep XM818. 20,000 plus pounds of Jeep. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/239279/20190515_175721-946270.jpg 
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| Don't try to pull someone out in reverse. Engine torques the other way and your clutch linkage drops out. Trust me on this one. Then you have the two vehicles connected by a tight chain. |
To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.
Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of US (1743 - 1826)
Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of US (1743 - 1826)
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Originally Posted By chrishag:
Do a Spring over axle conversion. As long as you do it right it will ride much better gives you additional lift and allows you to run a softer spring letting you have more flex Today, we fixed the radiator. Fixed the u-joint. Killed the fuel pump. |
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Almost running like a top. Tank & the fuel system cleaned out. New plugs & coil. Got the blinkers & brake lights figured out (now to fix them)
Got a new muffler & fixing the exhaust this weekend. Grabs gears good. Gonna get a new carb in the next day or so (Weber 32/38). Gonna change all the gear oils this weekend as well. I wanna see what kind of locker is in the rear. The rubber on the rear in the picture is what I'm going to use all the way around. Gotta change wheels first. Stupid small ford centers. Then I can start on what I like. Bodywork. 
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Originally Posted By Mattgunguy:
37's will be the reason for the full size 3/4 ton axles. On the current axles, that could be a quick death. I'm not sure I'd go bigger than 33's with how it sits now. 31's would probably be better, but I've not got the coin right now. It’s the wheelbase, of which the CJ5 has next to none. |
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Originally Posted By wingsnthings:
Don't try to pull someone out in reverse. Engine torques the other way and your clutch linkage drops out. Trust me on this one. Then you have the two vehicles connected by a tight chain. |
Found some wheels for the 33's by shear happen stance. Was calling around pricing new steel wheels, I balked at the price and said I'd just junk yard it. The response was "I've got a used set. Rough but useable". So for $60 & some spray paint, I've got a set of wheels with a hell of a lot more offset than the ones off the bronco which didnt fit.
Tooled around the neighborhood some too (got insurance but no tags yet). Scoots around good. With the exception of the wore out carb. Ordered the new weber 32/36 tonight. |
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Originally Posted By Mattgunguy:
Passed inspection. Got tags. Wife reminded my that I wanted to do the gear oil in the trans. Not what i wanted to find. So should have dealt with this when i had the trans out. Good way to fuck up the evening. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/239279/20190912_191049-1088226.jpg |
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I had an 83 pretty much like yours but with the Renegade package.
Put a full cage and 31x10.50 tires on it. They were as big as I could go with the stock suspension and wheels. With the wheel full turned it would just rub the spring packs. I wound up making a set of 2" longer shackles for it because the gas tank hung lower than the rear axle. Had the hard, soft and bikini tops and a two can jerry can rack on the back. 4-wheeled the shit out of it. I wound up selling it when I got here because there's no place around to 4-wheel. |
Any thug has power, the true prize is control.
Poop Flinging Gremlin
Once you have crossed that first felony line the rest are free.
Poop Flinging Gremlin
Once you have crossed that first felony line the rest are free.
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Getting a bit better every day. The trans is holding together for the now. There's a rebuild kit coming for it anyways. Not that I enjoy rebuilding a transmission. Least it's not an automatic, then I would be trying at all. Hot the speedo working again. As well as the temp gauge. Not that I'm sure of what I did. On to the gas gauge next. As well as the differentials. Probably should crack open the transfer case while I'm at it. Got the parking brake working better. Probably the lack of use for a decade. |
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Originally Posted By Mattgunguy:
but I saw a video of a guy making stroker engines from these 258 blocks. Making stupid horsepower & tourque. Now I'm at a conundrum with. That's down the road either way. So many options. I'd go the stroker route just to be different. a sleeper jeep. 
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Originally Posted By Knightzone:
I've got an inch a half guard rail nut on a length of 550 cord. it's not whiz-bang tactical, but one smack in the grape and it's coloring books for christmas.
I've got an inch a half guard rail nut on a length of 550 cord. it's not whiz-bang tactical, but one smack in the grape and it's coloring books for christmas.
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Easy fix.
Clean it up and fill it back up. (I prefer royal purple) 
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"Fuck em. Prairie dogs had just as much time to evolve and develop high-powered rifles as we did...We win. "
This thread is like watching a loaded 1911 with the safety off just laying on the ground in the middle of a playground-Aimless
This thread is like watching a loaded 1911 with the safety off just laying on the ground in the middle of a playground-Aimless
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Originally Posted By Hellbent_4:
I had an 83 pretty much like yours but with the Renegade package. Put a full cage and 31x10.50 tires on it. They were as big as I could go with the stock suspension and wheels. With the wheel full turned it would just rub the spring packs. I wound up making a set of 2" longer shackles for it because the gas tank hung lower than the rear axle. Had the hard, soft and bikini tops and a two can jerry can rack on the back. 4-wheeled the shit out of it. I wound up selling it when I got here because there's no place around to 4-wheel.
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Originally Posted By Mattgunguy:
I'm really starting to love this thing. I really truly am. This is the rear diff. With gear oil the consistency somewhere between peanut butter and mustard. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/239279/20190916_175229-1092871.jpg |
All it takes for evil to succeed, is for good people to do nothing. We have been doing nothing long enough. I support Free speech.
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Not in this axle. No point really. I should have the matching wide track rear axle to to the front in about a month. I'm just gonna replace the bearings and seals for now so I can still drive it. I do think that the amc 20 axle is one stupid ass design. Needlessly complicated & fiddly. Why not just have the wheel bearings lubricated with gear oil is beyond me. Can't even maintain the damn things without taking it half apart is just fucking ridiculous. The amount of force needed to get the blasted wheel flange is dumb and painful when the flange & puller take off like a rocket. Right into your balls. I may have been sorely tempted to set the thing on fire. But I've a pretty good idea of how the water got into the rearend now. The outer seal was trashed & the inner was almost completely destroyed. 
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I like the plan on 37s and full width axles, but you’ll need to comp cut the rear and stretch the wheelbase by moving the rear axle back probably a good 10”. Maybe push the front axle forward a couple inches too. You would have great approach and departure angles then.
And I’m a fan of keeping them low, trim the body for clearance instead of jacking it up into the sky. |
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Originally Posted By Ef4life:
I like the plan on 37s and full width axles, but you’ll need to comp cut the rear and stretch the wheelbase by moving the rear axle back probably a good 10”. Maybe push the front axle forward a couple inches too. You would have great approach and departure angles then. And I’m a fan of keeping them low, trim the body for clearance instead of jacking it up into the sky. It's all speculation right now. I'm still at the get this one reliable point of things. |
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I'm not really into it for that much so far. If I count the tires (which were bought for a different vehicle), then I'm at a few bills under 2k. If I dont count the rubber, I'm at about 7 bills. I got a 4' x 10' sheet of 18ga in the other day for 50 bucks. That's probably 80% of my body work needs right there, & I'm a pretty good fabricator & welder. New fenders are gonna hurt though, unless I run across good used ones cheap. Got a coworker who's a damn fine painter, & owes me a few favors. I'm sure I'll sink a few more grand into it before I'm happy. But I've had worse hobbies that cost more money, & the odd marriage. |
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before and after of a build I helped with. Friends 82 cj.
the only original body part left on it was the windshield frame. New fenders, fiberglass tub and hood. 
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Originally Posted By Knightzone:
I've got an inch a half guard rail nut on a length of 550 cord. it's not whiz-bang tactical, but one smack in the grape and it's coloring books for christmas.
I've got an inch a half guard rail nut on a length of 550 cord. it's not whiz-bang tactical, but one smack in the grape and it's coloring books for christmas.
