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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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#39 ·
I'll let you know if he is :laugh:

I took the engine to have it worked on. The guy took one look at the cam and instantly noticed something I didnt, a flat spot. Well now I'm getting a new cam, new lifters, rods etc. It will literally be a new engine when I get it back. Cost you ask? More then I was intending, $750. With everything I'm getting though its a heck of a deal
 
#41 ·
Thanks for the tip, learn something new everyday. Makes sense though. Well I managed to get my transmission bolted up to the stand and cracked it open, then started to clean it up.






I'm actually very surprised at what great shape everything is in. The gears all look great, and the syncros dont look worn at all! The only thing I'm unsure of is the input shaft. Where the input shaft meets the main shaft there is a bit of vertical slop between the two. Maybe thats how its supposed to be, or maybe the bearing needs to be replaced. I dont know enough about it to make the call myself. Has anyone here dealt with the same issue? I'll probably take it down to the local transmission shop and get their opinion, a little free advice never hurt. But I'm honestly starting to think this Jeep only has 48k miles on it. Between the engine and transmission there appears to be very little wear.
 
#42 ·
:rofl: MAW!!! :rofl: Looking really good and congrats on the good luck!! $750 is nothing for a new engine, but you're gonna want to get that oil pump now!! :D It's just good insurance...
 
#44 ·
That $750 for the rebuild even includes a new oil pump :thumbsup:

benullman; You dont want to store a crank on its end because its more likely to scratch some of the connecting surfaces, which could be catasrophic. Also if you do a quick search online there are a lot of people that will argue storing on its side can cause the crankshaft to deform. Thats how I understand it, although I'd love to hear otherwise if I'm wrong
 
#46 ·
Well I stopped by D&K Engines today to see how things were going. Walked in just in time to watch them machine the head, man that machinery is cool. I asked Danny how things were going and his response "that engine has been through HELL!" Turns out one of the PO's had blown cylinder #5 and had a pretty poor rebuild done on it. I have never been so happy that I went ahead and had it rebuilt. I know these guys, and even though the history of it is pretty poor, I know that the work that they did will make it a better engine then when it left the factory. I would have taken it home with me today, but I didnt have my checkbook on me. So I'm gonna pick it up tomorrow morning before work, and I will try and get some photos of it on here. All I gotta do now is piece it all back together and paint it. Gonna be fun.
 
#47 ·
I picked my engine up this morning! Man does it look good. I wont get the chance to put it back together for a few days, my brother is going to be back for a few days before he deploys to Afghanistan, so I'm going to hang out with him while I can. But in the mean time here are some pictures to hopefully keep everyone interested.





 
#50 ·
Thanks guys! It's gonna be pretty sweet when I'm finally able to fire it up.

I should be getting some new seals for the transfer case and transmission sometime this week. So I will finish cleaning them up and get them ready for paint. I plan on painting the engine and transmission with VHT Ford Grey. I found a picture posted by only in a jeep cj, painted an engine this color and it looks really sharp to me.


It shouldnt take me too long to get this done, and then I will focus on the frame. I imagine if I really get to it I can have the drive train bolted up to the frame within the next couple of weeks, and then I can start on the body work. For me thats where the real challenge is going to be
 
#52 ·
I always love shiny engine pictures. That block standing on end makes me think tractor engine. :)
My cousin works for John Deere. I have talked with him many a times about putting a JD 4 cyl. Turbodiesel in a JEEP. He tractor pulls and said it would make one hell of an offroad rig!

Ben
 
#55 ·
I've thought about the same thing Benullman. having a diesel in a Jeep would be pretty sick. I'm sure its been done, but you would certainly have to account for all that extra weight!

Wow Patter. Your engine looks even better then the picture I originally found. It definitely came out darker, which I actually like. Also I'm pretty jealous of those headers you have :thumbsup:

Thanks Grewe02. I'm trying to get it done in a reasonable amount of time, and I will take many pictures so long as I remember:D
 
#56 ·
Wow Patter. Your engine looks even better then the picture I originally found. It definitely came out darker, which I actually like. Also I'm pretty jealous of those headers you have.

I think it's probably the differences in the lighting.

Got the idea from the same pic you were looking at. From only in a jeep cj.

Hey, but thanks. Looking forward to your engine build. :thumbsup:
 
#57 ·
My brother left last night, so I finally spent some more time on the project tonight. I got some new seals for the transfercase and transmission, so I went to work on those. Wouldnt you know it, it took me 6 hours to get the seals put on the transfercase. To do it right you really have to take the whole thing apart. There was nothing simple about this job. But I did manage to get them in, and the TC put back together, at least for the most part. I have a few things left to do to it tomorrow. I plan on taking the intermediate shaft back out and cleaning the bearings out better then I did tonight. I was in such a rush I didnt think about it, but everything around me was filthy, and I know I can do a better job with it. When i get the TC sealed back up I will hit it with the wire brush again and then wait till the weather warms up so that I can scrub it before I paint it.




I didnt get around to taking many photos tonight. I had quite a mess on the floor, and wouldnt you know it I was able to get it all back together without losing any parts. That last photo is after I put it back together.

Tomorrow I'm going to replace the seals on the transmission. I tried removing the adapter off of the tranmission this evening, but couldnt get it off, its stuck fast. I know there has to be a trick to it, any ideas?
 
#59 ·
I spent about an hour working tonight before I had to make time for the GF. I pulled the intermediate shaft back out and cleaned the bearings up like I should have last night. I also replaced the seal on the rear of the transmission, getting the old one out was a pain with the output shaft in the way.




The best part of tonight was definitely getting to test drive the new torque wrench that my uncle decided he needed!


Didnt get much done, but something is better then nothing. If the weather holds up I'm hoping the I will have the driveline bolted together and painted. I just found out tonight that the ring compressor I was going to use was stolen, hopefully I can find a new one close by.
 
#60 ·
The best part of tonight was definitely getting to test drive the new torque wrench that my uncle decided he needed!
Yeesh. Lucky you! I hope you're keeping your uncle supplied with lots of beer
 
#63 ·
Well I managed to get quite a bit done with my one day off this weekend. With some help from my uncle and a cousin, we put my engine back together. It was pretty easy and straight forward with the exception of the piston rings. The rings we used were Mahle, so they are very good rings, but the directions that came with made it very confusing as to which rings were the #1 and #2. I'm confident that we figured it out correctly however and the rest of the assembly went pretty smoothly. I did notice however that I didnt get my thermostat housing back when I had it rebuilt, so I will have to go down and ask them about it tomorrow.

All thats left for me to do on the engine is the oil pump, cleaning up the oil pan, timing cover, and paint. If i can get a hold of my father tonight I'm going to try and sand blast the oil pan, bellhousing, and timing cover.

Well thats all I've got for the moment, here are some photos.





 
#64 ·
Well I've hit a bit of a snag. The sandblasting cabinet I was going to use was bought by a different uncle and my father. Without bringing the drama of it to this build thread lets just say that my Uncle is an incredible A$$. So I wont be using the sandblasting cabinet. My dad is gonna take the parts to work with him and sand blast them there when he gets the chance. Might be tomorrow, might be next week. Damn

I guess I will start preparing my frame for paint until I can get the parts back. On the bright side the shop gave me a call, they said I forgot my thermostat housing :laugh:. Hopefully I'll still be able to have the drive train finished this week. Saturday morning I'll be on a plane flying to Cancun with a few friends. Lord knows its going to be a welcome break after I spend all week laying tile at work
 
#66 ·
Thanks I appreciate it!

The whole situation with my uncle is really unfortunate. Back in the day whenever I had a project thats where I took it. He's one of those people that can help with anything. But after his wife passed away and he got remarried he's never been the same.

I need to order myself a new clutch here soon. I think thats the only piece that I'm actually missing to have everything all bolted together. A quick google search reveals that there is a lot of crap out there, and I assume that most of it is just that, CRAP. I'm leaning towards getting a clutch kit from LuK, seems to be the only reputable company I can find. Opinions?
 
#67 ·
Well since I'll be leaving Friday for about a week I figured I'd better update this while I have the chance. I took my frame back down to the car wash today and really hit it hard, got most of the grime off of it. I'm pretty sure that I got the frame rails cleared out pretty well too. I paid for the car wash with a debit card, and spent about 20 minutes down there. When I went to leave the card reader was frozen. Well to shorten the story the whole time I was there only cost me 3 bucks :2thumbsup: some days are just awesome. I also took my bellhousing down to clean it up but I forgot to take it out of the car :facepalm: o well. So when I get back I will clean it up with a wheel and paint it. I'm not gonna worry too much about taking it down to metal. I'll get the grime and whatever else thats lose off. One advantage of Colorado, you dont have to worry to much about rust, cause the humidity is barely ever above 20%.

And come on now, somebody has an opinion on clutches
 
#68 ·
Well since I'll be leaving Friday for about a week I figured I'd better update this while I have the chance. I took my frame back down to the car wash today and really hit it hard, got most of the grime off of it. I'm pretty sure that I got the frame rails cleared out pretty well too. I paid for the car wash with a debit card, and spent about 20 minutes down there. When I went to leave the card reader was frozen. Well to shorten the story the whole time I was there only cost me 3 bucks :2thumbsup: some days are just awesome. I also took my bellhousing down to clean it up but I forgot to take it out of the car :facepalm: o well. So when I get back I will clean it up with a wheel and paint it. I'm not gonna worry too much about taking it down to metal. I'll get the grime and whatever else thats lose off. One advantage of Colorado, you dont have to worry to much about rust, cause the humidity is barely ever above 20%.

And come on now, somebody has an opinion on clutches
Stock clutch will do just fine if you aren't planning on wheeling it hard. Centerforce is always a welcomed upgrade but only necessary if you are going to be doing some tough trails.
 
#70 ·
So I had a lovely week in Mexico. Beaches, jet skis, bikinis, and I probably drank my body weight in beer and alcohol. Lets be honest, if it wasn't for my Jeep, I probably wouldn't have come back:rofl:

Thanks for the input on clutches. All I really needed to hear is that LuK is a reputable company. If I had to spend $300 to get a good one, I would have, but since I wont be doing any crazy wheeling in the foreseeable future, the $200 I saved can be put to good use elsewhere. Ordered the LuK and it should be here Thursday.

Over the weekend I tried to get some work done, but things didn't go as planned. Before I left for Mexico I bought a new set of rims for my Jetta to replace the ones my sister managed to ruin. The set came off an '07, mine is a '00. I should have known better then to trust him that the bolt pattern was the same, because it wasn't. Being angry pretty much flushed the rest of Saturday down the drain.

Sunday was a bit better. I stripped all the remaining bits off my frame, fuel and brake lines, mounts, steering box, and started to hit it with a wire wheel. So far I have the entire top rail done.





I wont worry about getting all of the little rust specks paint off. My plan is to paint it with a good anti rust coating. I know there are a lot of differing opinion on it, but I've heard good things locally. Plus since I live in Colorado I dont have to worry so much about rust, even whats on the frame as of now is very very minimal. The only places I will actually focus on doing a better job is the body mounts. The metal has actually gotten somewhat thin, so I might just reinforce them with a little steel.

All in all the the trip to Cancun has got me refreshed, so hopefully after I get off work in the evenings now I will be more likely to get something done.
 
#71 ·
So my goal yesterday was to finish assembling the engine and slap some paint on it, but I ran into a snag with the new oil pump. I'll take some pics later today when I work on it. Before I figured out I had that problem though, I got the oil pan all cleaned up. So I went ahead and sprayed some primer on the pan so I wouldn't have to worry about it flash rusting.


Before I painted it I scrubbed it pretty good with a degreaser, and then wiped it down with some solvent.

Not wanting to waste the rest of the day I jumped back to the transmission. I had one more seal to replace on the front bearing housing so I went ahead and did that....

then spent a good while cleaning up the top cover. So as soon as the weather gets a little nicer so I can give it a scrub with degreaser it will be ready for paint as well.
 
#72 ·
Got the snag with the new oil pump worked out. The new one has a slightly different design then the original, and it caused the oil pick up to not sit properly. Luckily the arm that bolts to the pump is actually two separate pieces that were welded together. So it was as simple as cutting the weld off, and re welding it to the proper length. Not difficult by any means but between setting up the tools and fixing it, it ate up almost all the time I could spare today.





I worked today in exchange for getting Monday off. I'll be heading to Denver to try and get my money back on those rims I purchased a few weeks ago. Should be home early afternoon, and I'm hoping I can get the engine and transmission masked and ready to paint. I think I'd be able to actually paint, but at the moment its snowing, we'll see what happens. I also need to take my flywheel to carquest to have it resurfaced, as I received my new clutch a few days ago
 
#73 ·
Looking good! I'm getting back on mine soon. But I basically bought a new frame, had a full 83 that has frame rot and am building it from the frame up. New frame is prepped and ready for paint, suspension parts painted. Now all I got to do is buy a cherry picker and engine stand and pull the rest of the stuff off the old frame and get the new frame in rolling chassis.
 
#74 ·
Ya I'm fairly lucky that my frame is in as good condition as it is. But it sure would save me a lot of work not having to prep it myself! I'm really hoping that I can have the frame ready for paint by the end of next weekend. I'd really like to have a rolling chassis so I can start on the body. But I guess a lot of that will depend on what I need to do on the axles. They look like they are in great shape, but then again I thought the U-joints looked alright until I found that one had no bearings left
 
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