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Clay's Build Thread

556K views 5K replies 145 participants last post by  Skerr 
#1 · (Edited)
I have been contemplating posting a build thread for awhile. After viewing some of the current ones I got really pumped! I also figured that as long as I was going to be asking for help fixing stuff I might as well have it in the thread... so here we go. My 16 YO son, Clay, and I are building his CJ5. It's a 79 that I acquired in a boat/Jeep trade nearly 2 years ago. I got it for myself but I don't fit well, so I got a 7 and gave him the 5. He is really stoked about building the Jeep and I can't think of a better father/son project. Clay will be doing the work while I supervise ;). The 5 has a 258, T18A, D20 with axles from an 85 CJ7, D30 and AMC20. Gears are 2.72. We will probably go to a 3.73 in the future. It will get the RC 2.5" lift, Procomp 9000 shocks, and a urethane bushing kit (already purchased). It also has a FG tub which will require a bit of glass work. We had already completed the frame resto when we discovered that we didn't do it right. So we took it back down to bare metal again, finding some rot and a few cracks. We should have those repairs made in the next couple of weeks. After that the frame gets POR-15 and black implement paint. In the meantime, we'll be working on getting the engine painted and installing the MC2100. In these pics Clay is prepping the T18A for paint. He wanted to paint it silver with a red stripe, but I put the Kibash on that! So he settled for a silver tranny and red shift levers... when we get there. He plans to paint the rig International red (tractor paint) with a silver tub floor. Hmmmm... maybe! It MIGHT look good. We just finished watching the entire Season 2 of the Rat Patrol... so guess what HE wants to mount up!?!? :laugh:
 

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#47 ·
I sure did. One time my father and I unloaded a 1938 John Deere Model A off the trailer into the barn. It was late at night. We decided to see if we could start it by turning the starter wheel. The thing backfired and sent the coffee can that was taped over the muffler through the roof. We spent the next day patching the roof.:highfive:
 
#52 ·
Don't feel bad about the straw. Just another gig to take care of. I once dropped a nut into a F-15 engine while changing a temp sensor. Took us about 2 days in the heat of Saudi Arabia to find and fish the darn thing out.:drool:

I'd be concerned about the rust and scale you found in the intake and and on the plugs . Hopefully nothing, but with the engine out, it's a good time to check it out. To prevent pulling the head, may want to try and find a borescope; fibre optics snake attached to a LCD. Home depot started selling them a while ago but they are a little spendy ($150). I checked in my town and the rental places have them fairly cheap. You'll be able insert the scope into small places to inspect the head and cylinder walls for rust or scoring, plus see exactly where and how the straw tube is situated in the cylinder.

Also, have you checked the lower end. If everything turns out fine, the only cost is a gasket and and seal. My engine had good compression and ran fine, but since I had the engine out I pulled the oil pan. I found one rod bearing worn and the rear bearing had small gouges. Probably would have gone many more miles, but didn't want to take a chance on trashing the block at some point down the road.

I like the red fan.:thumbsup: Anything to keep me away from spinning things and people calling me stumpy for the rest of my life.

Subscribed. Good luck
 
#54 ·
Don't feel bad about the straw. Just another gig to take care of. I once dropped a nut into a F-15 engine while changing a temp sensor. Took us about 2 days in the heat of Saudi Arabia to find and fish the darn thing out.:drool:

I'd be concerned about the rust and scale you found in the intake and and on the plugs . Hopefully nothing, but with the engine out, it's a good time to check it out. To prevent pulling the head, may want to try and find a borescope; fibre optics snake attached to a LCD. Home depot started selling them a while ago but they are a little spendy ($150). I checked in my town and the rental places have them fairly cheap. You'll be able insert the scope into small places to inspect the head and cylinder walls for rust or scoring, plus see exactly where and how the straw tube is situated in the cylinder.

Also, have you checked the lower end. If everything turns out fine, the only cost is a gasket and and seal. My engine had good compression and ran fine, but since I had the engine out I pulled the oil pan. I found one rod bearing worn and the rear bearing had small gouges. Probably would have gone many more miles, but didn't want to take a chance on trashing the block at some point down the road.

I like the red fan.:thumbsup: Anything to keep me away from spinning things and people calling me stumpy for the rest of my life.

Subscribed. Good luck
Man, I would HATE to be the one responsible for grounding an F-15! And when I think about action vs. cost, that has to be the winner! :laugh: Sorry about the laughs at your expense, but that is a great story!

You gave me the idea of the borescope... I don't have one but I have a borelight! With the piston at the top I was able to see inside the cylinder, and I could see the straw. So I hooked (Mike's idea) it with a piece of hot wire, grabbed (Ken's idea) it with the forceps, and pulled it out. I like my TEAM!! Yeah, Baby... :highfive:
 

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#59 ·
I've been wanting to see the manifolds mated, so here they are mocked up. They don't look as good together as I was thinking they would, too many different colored parts, but I am still happy with it. Since I had to drill out the two broken bolts on the exhaust, I will be heading over to my neighbor's shop to cut some threads in the holes. I don't have any taps that large. I'll remove the heat riser altogether and plug those holes. With luck, I should have it hung on the motor tonight.

My neighbor will be doing the frame repairs as well, and we'll be taking the frame to his house/shop (which is just about 1000 yards down the road) on Monday evening when I get home from work. This has been the biggest obstacle for this build (knock on wood!). I can't wait to have everything back into a rolling chassis! But I digress... :)!
 

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#60 · (Edited)
Okay! I should have left well enough alone, but I was in a work mode and I hate stopping that train! So I told y'all about the broken studs in the exhaust manifold, and I told y'all how I drilled them out with my drill press. I figured I would just tap some new threads into the holes, and throw some bolts in there, and just rock and roll! I don't have any taps that size so I took it down to AJs (my neighbor) 'cause he is amazing! He removed the heat riser for me and plugged those holes. Then we progressed to MY work... you know... the holes I drilled out! :( I didn't have them straight (plumb) and they were elongated from the bit drifting. And AJ pointed out that you need to bolt up the manifolds to the block BEFORE you tighten the two together, as they need to shift against each other a little, or you could crack a manifold. So he had to heli-coil the holes. Only... one of the holes was so bad the heli-coil(s) wouldn't take! In the end, AJ used Loctite Weld and put in a stud. So I nearly cost my son a manifold due to impatience, because I didn't center punch the broken bolts, when I KNEW I needed to!!:eek: Here are some pics of the process. There is nothing that y'all haven't seen before, but sometimes it is interesting to see what goes on.

A couple of points of interest to me... the holes where the heat riser shaft passed through the casting had bushings in them. I would never had known that if not for AJ. I would have attempted to thread the bushings...

And AJ showed me a center punch set. Sounds like a small thing, but I had never seen what he showed me. I always use a center punch by guesstimating the center of the object. His set looked like they were made from pushrods, and they were in varying sizes to fit different sized holes. The punch would slide perfectly and snuggly into the hole and center automatically.

Bon-a-petit!
 

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#62 ·
I knew a guy like AJ when I was a kid, his knowledge of all things automotive was incredible! It seems like no matter what snag I had working on my cars and trucks, he knew exactly what tool I needed to retrieve from his tool chest and the problem was solved quickly.

He smoked too, and after stepping on a half dozen lit cigarettes over the course of a summer he taught me to wear shoes in the garage :D
 
#63 ·
I am always amazed at what AJ knows. His shop looks like it is empty, yet it is full. It is always neat, and mine is always trashed. He has everything at hand, including a full machine shop (his equipment is at his other shop, not moved in to his present home/shop). He was showing Clay some of the automotive paints he has leftover from his painting days, including pearls and metal flake. He told Clay he would paint his Jeep for him, and they were talking about doing it in flip-flop. I love working around him just to learn something new. When we left, Clay was talking about getting involved in sprint car racing... AJ has one that he said he would sell Clay!!

AJ smoked pretty heavy up until he had is larynectomy, but he has quit. That surgery changed his life.
 
#64 ·
Today the plan has changed! Wife started us off with a couple of "from-scratch" quiches... one bacon, one sausage. We were planning on painting Clay's rear axle after church. Then my oldest son became ill. Then my wife became ill. Quiches went out to the 'yotes, along with the bacon, sausage, and eggs... let them throw up. Who is next?? :( An...ti...cipation...
 
#65 ·
Now that the family has "settled down", me and Clay got a little worky done! We were going to paint his C20. He had applied rust converter to it some weeks ago and stored it in the shop. But when we got it out to wash it we saw that the pinion seal had been leaking. So I ordered a new one. He degreased the axle again and discovered that he never finished the rust converter the first time... oy veh! So here is Clay at his finest, when he is working on the Jeep. I've included some pics and I have a question..

When installing a pinion seal, is it as easy as removing the nut, sliding everything off/out, pick out the old seal, and pop in the new one? I'll be doing the same thing for the D30 later.


Thanks, ALL
 

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#1,702 ·
Now that the family has "settled down", me and Clay got a little worky done! We were going to paint his C20. He had applied rust converter to it some weeks ago and stored it in the shop. But when we got it out to wash it we saw that the pinion seal had been leaking. So I ordered a new one. He degreased the axle again and discovered that he never finished the rust converter the first time... oy veh! So here is Clay at his finest, when he is working on the Jeep. I've included some pics and I have a question..

When installing a pinion seal, is it as easy as removing the nut, sliding everything off/out, pick out the old seal, and pop in the new one? I'll be doing the same thing for the D30 later.

Thanks, ALL
Hey Scott, Just picked up on yours and Clay's build today. LOOKS GREAT so far (I know, I'm way behind). What is this "rust converter"? Is it naval jelly? Thanks...David

EDIT: guess I should've googled before asking the stupid question. I got it thanks anyway.
 
#66 ·
Dash Layout

I searched for a diagram of the dash layout. I know I have seen them posted, but I can't find the thread/s with diagrams, only discussion. Can someone help out with the diagram? It is a 79 CJ5. I want to get his dash components ordered. Is this showing a clock and tach hole?
 

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#68 ·
Miscellaneous

Are my old seats good enough for someone to actually want, or should I toss them? And here is a pic of a trailer I scored for $200!
 

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#71 ·
Wow! I was just on Morris' website ordering parts. I never thunk to look for a dash layout. Thanks very much. I was also wondering about the hole you mentioned. Was the shift light related to the Tcase or tranny? I see plastic plugs on my Tcase where I thought shift sensors might go.
 
#74 ·
I think the shift light was probably computer controlled as opposed to mechanical.

I'll take a look at the wiring diagrams and see what goes where.

I thought that they were AMC 150 related and not 258.
My D20 has two spots where it looks like electrcial sending units would install over the shift rails. There are plastic plugs in them now.
 
#78 ·
Indeed! I was happily surprised how well it pulls... couldn't tell it was back there. Deck looks like firewood, but I think if I pressure wash it it will look much better... still solid for the most part. Needs fenders and ramps, which AJ said he would build. It is an "afterJeep" project. I have a home farm/garden business and I can haul around my little tractor. YAY!
 
#79 ·
Thanks for the kind words guys. I really get excited about these crazy Jeeps! It's a Gotta... Gotta... Gotta thing!

Well... me and Clay went over to AJs this evening. We hauled the frame over there between rainstorms. His wife was working so we had the shop to ourselves... just me, Clay, AJ, and the dog! I figured it was going to be a long night getting this done, but AJ chose to break it into 2 evenings... smart man! He went over the frame with chalk to mark everything that needed attention. One of the things that I thought remarkable was the poor quality factory welds. Keep in mind that I had already finished this frame once with a bedliner material. You can see that experience in this thread http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f8/bedliner-frame-paint-774919/ . If it hadn't been for the coating coming off I would be sending my son down the road in this thing! I encourage anyone, who is doing a frame restoration for the first time, to really spend some time going over the frame and looking at everything. After grinding the frame down a second time I really saw the problem areas, and with AJs help things became obvious. AJ prepped these areas with a wire wheel that takes a man to wield! No problem! Some of the nutserts were gone from the front shackle hangers and the bellypan, and he installed new ones. He has a technique that I have never seen before. Of course, I have never seen anyone do a nutsert before, so maybe I am easily impressed! He welded up bad factory welds, cracks, and nutserts tonight. I should have "finished" welding pics tomorrow. Here are some pics from our progress tonight.
 

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#81 ·
Nutsert repair

Since I was so amazed by how AJ fixed the nutserts, I thought I would highlight that by itself. For anyone who is interested...

The area he is working on is one of the bolt holes for a front shackle hanger. The nutsert broke out and the PO drilled a large hole on top of the frame and bolted the hanger through the frame. He tightened it down so much that it cracked the frame around the hole. The metal is a little thin here so the repair was easy to do. Other areas, like the crossmember for the tranny where the metal was in better shape, it wasn't as easy!

AJ took a nut and bolt of the proper size and placed it over the hole.

He then took a Sharpie and marked each lobe of the nut.

Then with a cold chisel he notched each lobe.

He then took the bolt/nut combo and placed them properly over the notched hole, and with a BFH he knocked it into the hole. Go slow... the edges will take the shape of the nut and it won't spin. Don't hit it too hard and knock it into the frame! Once he set the depth he welded it up. I forgot to get a pic of that, but I will once I grind down the weld. It looked very good. I hope someone finds this useful.
 

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#85 ·
So what's your plan on prepping the frame? Are you going to go with the Marine Clean/Metal Ready/POR-15? From what I gather from reading POR-15's website, it's designed to be used over a properly prepared rusty surface, so you shouldn't need a rust converter. Are you going to prep the inside of the frame too?
 
#87 ·
I was planning on that very process. In fact, already bought the kit. AJ says not to use it... that the POR needs rust to activate it, and if there is no rust it won't stick. I guess he feels that there is not enough rust to be confident with the bond. He says to use the Marine Clean and Metal Ready, but to coat it with Chassis Black. So that's what I'll do and save the POR for the underside of my tub.

That nutsert process is genious! But I guess you always have to go up to a larger nut to do it.

And that angle grinder/wire wheel is a monster. If that was me running it without a full face shield I would have wires embedded in my face! Just the way my luck goes....
You don't necessarily have to go to a larger nut. We did in this case because the PO drilled the hole out for a large bolt. Surprisingly, the wire was not flying off the wheel. I was thinking maybe it is the difference between cheap chain-store production tools and true commercial quality. I know all he had to do is bump the trigger on that monster and he cleaned an area.
 
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