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1981 CJ5 Frame-up

108K views 513 replies 67 participants last post by  cjoffroad 
#1 ·
Hey everyone. So a few months ago I pulled the trigger and finally bought my first Jeep. Its a 1981 CJ5 with a 258. I have some pretty big plans for this build, and I'm hoping that along the way I can get some input from everyone on here as I'm sure much of what I'm going to do many of you have already been through.

So here's the problems that I have found so far. Pretty much the entire drive train leaks from one point or another. The transmission is extremely sloppy and will grind occasionally when going into first. The transfer case is extremely difficult to shift unless it is rolling slightly. The interior is trash. The sheetmetal below the doors are pretty well rusted, as well as some of the panels near the roll bar.

Now here's what I plan on doing in the next couple of months (these may change). I'm going to buy new seals for the engine. Rebuild kits for both the transmission and transfer case. I will buy some new seats for the front, and use a liner throughout the interior. Wherever I see rust I will patch it up. I'm a very good welder, but this will be my first time actually doing body work.

As for suspension I think I'm going to get a kit from Old Man Emu. Of all the research I have done I haven't heard anything bad about them. This should allow me to slap some 33's on.

I have found a company in Denver that will dip the frame in acid and then galvanize it for about $350 and I think I'm going to go that route.

All I've done so far is start stripping everything off to get it down to the frame. I'm hoping this weekend I can get the body off the frame, and start sanding. The only thing I've done to it mechanically is fix the carb. When I got it, it ran like a pig. I believe it was the idler tubes were clogged. I should have taken pictures but when I rebuilt it I was pulling chunks of dried up fuel out of the bowls.

So this will probably take me a while, I dont get much time to work on it other then the weekends.

At any rate I hope you guys can give me some pointers.


 
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#220 ·
The trip to Florida got cancelled, my girlfriends grandmother died the morning we were going to leave. So we scrapped the trip, the whole situation is really unfortunate.

Back to the Jeep then. I bolted the steering box on, along with the pump and hoses. I'm really not sure they could have made the brackets any more complicated, but I eventually won out. Did the smog pump mount above the power steering pump? I might take part of the bracket off and cut the excess off if that's where it mounted. I took my old alternator to Carquest to have it tested. I wasn't expecting it to work. In fact when I got the Jeep it had a Marine battery, I assumed because they were too cheap to fix the alternator. When they stuck it on the machine, it wouldn't energize, and that kept it from even running the test. I've looked online at the prices of a new one, and wasn't planning on buying a new one quite yet. Out of curiosity I asked how much for a new one, and was surprised with the answer. Walked out with a new alternator for under $45!!



Tomorrow I'm going to try to find out how much it will cost to have my body blasted. Next week I'm going to take the frame to the muffler shop and see how much it will cost to have them bend me a new exhaust. I'm hoping it's cheaper then buying pre bent pieces.
 
#221 ·
Sorry to hear about your girlfreinds grandmother Jared. Jeep is looking good! I had that same power steering bracket I thought it was a bit flimsy. I traced it out on some 3/16 steel and cut it out with cutoff wheel, drilled the holes and was done with a stronger bracket in like 30 minutes. Here is the new bracket without the top part:
 

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#226 ·
I hit the jackpot today! Went back to the junkyard and walked out with 6 Motorcraft 2150's for $100!!



To sweeten the deal, two of them even have the elevation adjuster on them! They are the assembly coming off the center of the back in this photo


On my way out of the junkyard, one of the old guys working saw what I was taking and we started talking Jeeps. He pointed out the elevation adjuster on the two carbs, and swears that they are the best thing you can ever put on a Jeep. To make the day even SWEETER, he said he had another with the elevation adjustment off his old Jeep, sitting in his garage. Said it was in great shape, and that I could have it for $15. So I'm gonna head back tomorrow to snag it from him.

As for the rest of them, I'm gonna go one of two options. I actually live 45 minutes away from the guy that sells them on ebay, and he is willing to buy them from me. But I'd rather help anyone on the forum that is looking for one cheaper then what they sell for on ebay. So I'm gonna set them up for sale on here, and see if there's any interest first.
 
#229 ·
Quit takin all the good stuff!! Canon aint big enough for you to take all the good parts!! Leave some for me PLEASE!. LOL :D
Givin ya a hard time.
What yard? Canon Truck Or Penrose?
Headed to my nights at the mine Friday night. will be off Tues,Wen,Thurs . If you need a hand or something Shoot me a PM I check in the mornings when I get home.(sometimes)

James
 
#231 ·
I know for a fact I've seen some of your posts, and I'm ashamed I never noticed your location :laugh:. I just assumed I was the only one on here. I picked these up from Canyon Truck, I guess we are lucky we have a lot of junk to pick through. I'll definitely let you know if I need a hand, feel free to do the same :cheers2:

Great score! How does the elevation adjuster work?
I've been trying to find more info about it, but so far I haven't found a whole lot. What I do know is that there is some sort of diaphragm that adjusts according to air pressure, and allows more air into the carb at the base. Since it enters at the base it doesn't draw any additional fuel and leans the mixture out. That's my understanding at the moment, I imagine I'll learn something when I rebuild it
 
#233 ·
About the Carquest alternator; I learned the hard way some time ago that you really shouldn't settle for cheap parts-house remanned electronics. Autozone and such might have cheap alternators with lifetime warranties, but after you have taken your alternator off the forth time in six months to swap-out under warranty, you tend to say ,"I've had enough!" and lay down good cash for an OEM remanned Delco, Motorcraft, etc alternator.
I'll buy cheap parts for other stuff, but cheap alternators, starters and Bosch spark plugs have bit me in the butt way too many times.
 
#235 ·
Good info to have. The last time I helped replace an alternator or starter was probably 10 years ago. We used to have a local rebuild shop that did great work, but unfortunately they have been gone for a while. I'll have to keep my eyes open for a good deal.

Jered... that's just dang funny! :laugh: That's like a kid sitting down with a whole bucket of ice cream. 6 carbs! My opinion, but I wouldn't sell them to the Ebay guy. Let him get his own... too many guys on here that can use one. I would keep one for a backup, however. Super easy to rebuild. My kit cost me $30 from NAPA. The kit does the 2100/2150, and you will NOT use all the parts.
It's actually 7 carbs counting the one I bought for myself :rofl:. I've had some interest for them on here, have one of them sold actually! I've even been throwing around the idea of rebuilding them myself and selling them on here for a little more. I've been asking $50+ shipping, several people that have contacted me think that's too high. I understand their view point, but I'm without a job till summer, so I hate to cut myself short. I'm going to give it a while longer before I dump them. On the flip side, I haven't hit the car yard yet, so I might see if I can get some that are in better shape for the guys on here, and sell the ones with frozen throttle shafts to the ebay guy.

Sunday the weather here was in the 80's, which is ridiculous for this time of year. Today there is snow on the ground :laugh:. Tomorrow is supposed to be back in the 60's. hopefully tomorrow everything is dried out, if so I'm loading the tub up, and taking it to get blasted.
 
#234 ·
Jered... that's just dang funny! :laugh: That's like a kid sitting down with a whole bucket of ice cream. 6 carbs! My opinion, but I wouldn't sell them to the Ebay guy. Let him get his own... too many guys on here that can use one. I would keep one for a backup, however. Super easy to rebuild. My kit cost me $30 from NAPA. The kit does the 2100/2150, and you will NOT use all the parts.
 
#237 ·
Wish I was doing what you're doing, cause then I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing! This is cool, Jered. How long before you get them back?
 
#238 ·
I just noticed you did the wheel house cut out, after all those times you were hoping you were done with glass :laugh:. At least your getting close :thumbsup:. I should be picking the parts up Tuesday or Wednesday. I'll bring it straight back and drop it in the paint shop for some primer.
 
#241 ·
So I was wondering through the junk yard today, looking for a newer Jeep. I wanted to snag a round fuel filler, to convert mine to the side, this goes along with the tail lights I want to install. That was a bust, they only had one Jeep that new, and someone already got it all. On my way out I noticed a Ford that just got brought in. Popped the hood and there sat this:



It certainly didn't look like much, there was actually a pretty good rats nest between the carb and firewall. I checked it, 1.08, and the throttle shaft moved smooth so I pulled it. This is the first 2100 that I've found, and it hasn't been sitting very long. The bowl was still filled with fuel.



I haven't popped the top off yet, but judging by the throttle plates and shaft, it looks immaculate. This might be the new carb that goes on my own Jeep, just because of how immaculate it appears. There was another truck sitting next to it that had a 1.02. I didn't pull that one, not sure if it has any real value to it.
 
#242 ·
I've been working on cleaning up the carbs that I have. Some of the throttle shafts are frozen in place, so I started looking for solutions. I stumbled on a product called Evapo-Rust on the internet, later figured out that they carried it at AutoZone. For $10 you get 32oz of the stuff. I was skeptical, didn't think it was going to do jack, so I didn't take any photos of the rustiest parts that I put in it. But I have got to tell you, this stuff actually works pretty well, especially on small delicate parts you don't want to be sandblasting or sanding. Some of the throttle plates I had were caked in rust, and after an overnight soak, had no rust left on them at all.

I took one of the throttle shafts, and placed it in the Evapo-Rust last night.

Before:


After:



The after photos were taken before the parts were rinsed off, which makes them look even better. In the last photo you can see where the arm wasn't submersed and is still caked in rust, compared to the part that was in the solution. The first few parts that I soaked had far more rust then this piece, and came out looking just as well.

I'm really surprised how well this product actually works. I expected it to do nothing, and it's actually turned out better then I could hope. The best part is that Evapo-Rust isn't acidic, or nasty at all. I only have 32oz of the stuff, so the only way I can submerge the carburetors is by putting it in a trash bag, that way I can draw it up around the carburetor. It's been in that bag for 2 days, and there's no sign that it has done any damage to the plastic.

This product may have limited abilities, since you need to soak the parts to get the most out of it. Even so, I've found it incredibly useful in smaller parts, like these carburetors. I've gone ahead and ordered a gallon of it, which is only $27, including shipping. It's definitely a product I will like having around, and I would recommend it to anyone doing work like this.
 
#248 ·
Welcome to the forum! I'm lucky that I'm able to do everything I have. There are a thousand circumstances that all worked out to my benefit on this one. Make sure you get a thread when you get started :wave:

I was supposed to have the tub back by now, but they must have fallen behind. It's looking like I should be getting it back Monday now.

I just won an auction on ebay for something I've mentioned on here before. I'll wait till I get them before I divulge any more info :p
 
#251 ·
I'm really hoping that I will be picking the tub up tomorrow afternoon. I'm also hoping that it's a dry day, for several reasons. I guess I'll be taking my first trip of the season down the river. Not too happy about it, but I couldn't leave my co-workers out to dry. I've got one of my carburetors soaking in some cleaner, and will be rebuilding getting it back together here shortly. Just need to find the right size jets.
 
#252 ·
You hope it is a dry day as opposed to rain? Man, if it rains on your freshly blasted tub it's gonna rust like a freight train! It would then be a perfect candidate for POR, so don't despair if it does get wet.
 
#253 ·
Skerr said:
You hope it is a dry day as opposed to rain? Man, if it rains on your freshly blasted tub it's gonna rust like a freight train! It would then be a perfect candidate for POR, so don't despair if it does get wet.
Nailed it. Been getting a decent bit of rain/snow/slush over the last week or so. Thanks for reminding me of POR, while I'd just assume it rust free at least there are options
 
#254 ·
After several set backs at work consuming my time, I finally had time to make the trip to pick up my tub today. Overall it looks great. There are a few spots of bondo that I wasn't expecting, but it is a 31 year old vehicle I guess.



The extent of the rust is only slightly worse then I expected. I knew it was rusted out where the roll bar sat, and where the dash support runs down the side of the tub.





The only rust I wasn't expecting was on the floor boards. They are pitted pretty good, but there is only a small area on the drivers side that is completely rusted through. Not sure if I want to replace them, or just patch the small holes. If I replace it, I would just assume find some replacement panels, and replace the whole shebang. Not sure, please feel free to give me your opinion.

Tomorrow I'm going to clean up some of the sealer they used on the seams, and get it in primer.

I've been thinking about colors since the day I bought this Jeep. I haven't been able to decide a color, little less round it down. If anything the list grows every week. Now I'm thinking about using Monstaliner on the exterior as well. I've been watching the Monstaliner thread, and a few people have done it. I think it looks pretty cool. To me the benefits are that it wouldn't scratch, bodywork doesn't need to be perfect, it's easier, perhaps a little cheaper, and certainly unique. The only downsides I can think of, it might be hard to keep clean, and once its on there, probably never going to get it off.

I'll sleep on it for a while
 
#256 ·
The tub lloks good Jered, and you can do the repairs. Plenty of guys on here who have made the exact same ones with virtually no experience, and you're pretty handy. The dash support is actually called your A pillar. Dave (243) has good documentation of fixing his. So does Jody (eaglekeeper) I believe. Both of those guys drilled out the spot welds and removed the entire pillar for proper repair. I have to believe that if you don't do that very thing it will be rusting through the body in a very short time. I think pman just did that repair on his tub, and he did what he could see, without removing the pillar. Check out his thread to get an idea. Be advised that shooting it with primer won't help over the long term... it is porous and the tub can still rust. Get you some 16 or 18 gauge sheet metal, cut out your patches and weld in some new. Floor panels can be had. They are not hugely expensive. If you're going to do a bed liner on the inside of your tub you should probably go that route. Again, to prevent rusting through the liner finish. That would be agg-ra-vat-ing! The liner on the outside of the tub still requires some skill to apply, and don't rub up against or you'll get a brush burn!! Military spec paints look good, and you don't have to have the finish you would for a BC/CC or single stage paint. Just sayin... So get busy!
 
#257 ·
Sandblasting

Hey Bojon, great built man, really entertaining.

I wanted to ask you about your sandblasting setup. I have the same cabinet as you, as well as the pressurized sandblasting tank from HF (actually from Tractor Supply but its the same thing). I have has nothing but bad luck with it. What exactly are you using for media, and what's your exact setup look like?

I REALLY appreciate this--helps me troubleshoot my issues. :D
 
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