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Another Jeep CJ7 Build

72K views 162 replies 74 participants last post by  tiledawg92 
#1 ·
Hello everyone. I enjoy keeping up with all the different builds on the forum and thought others might enjoy mine. Nothing fancy or spectacular here. My goal is to restore my jeep to as close to factory original as possible. I am not a mechanic or a welder, but I am pretty handy. So here goes...

Searched Florida for about two months. I was looking for an original, unmolested CJ7 with a solid frame. I finnally gave up. They seem hard to find around here and were too expensive.

Got one on ebay for $2,000.00, but I had to drive to Louisiana to get it. Probably paid too much, but it was just what I was looking for.



Spent about a month taking it apart. I wish I had been a little better organized, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.





Engine only had 72,000 miles on it and ran great. No smoke or any other issues.



With the exception of the rear crossmember and the back four frame to body mounts, the frame was in great shape. 90% of the paint still and no rot.



Replaced the rear crossmember



And the back four frame to body mounts. That was a monumental task. I was very careful to put them back on in the same place. I used the ones from 4wd hardware. They seem alot stronger than the ones that were there originally.



Spent the next several weekends removing the paint with aircraft remover and sandpaper.

More posts to follow.
 
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#39 ·
Been too busy following the Water-For-Gas threads to get anything done. J/K! Actually, been working diligently on the body work. Boring stuff like block/wet sanding. Should be done with that this weekend and the tub is scheduled for the paint shop next week. Going with Glasurit and its being painted at the local Cadillac dealership by a buddy of mine. He has been painting cars there for over twenty years. Should be top notch.

Also got some old Laredo seats and had those reupholstered. Turned out very nice.

Anyway, I will post some pics this this weekend.
 
#40 ·
I'm not sure how to quote a post........The tub that came on the jeep is probably salvageable, but outside my skill level. Found an original '86 CJ7 tub, no rust. Apparently after AMC's demise, some "86 tubs were galvanized. This is one of them. Found it right here on the forum. Paid $600.00, what a steal. Oh, by the way, drove to New Orleans to get it.
Your build-up is great! I have never heard of a galvanized CJ tub. Wrangler yes, CJ no. Are some 86 tubs galvanized? That tub and whole build up is sweet. I want to find one. Any ideas as to what to look for in a tub like that. It looks as good as new. Anyone know for sure?
 
#50 ·
Got the rear seat on ebay for $80 and the two front seats for about $65. I'm sure I could have gotten aftermarket seats for cheaper, but I really wanted to go with those style seats and stay as close to original as possible. I thought the upholstery work was gonna be more expensive. The seats were done the day after I dropped them off, must be the economy.
 
#54 ·
I think the pictures do a pretty sweet job... first shot showing the driver's side... I was wondering what happened to the area just in front of the rear tire - it almost looked like it was sanded very roughly... until I realized

Its just THAT SHINY! That's the ground! lol! :2thumbsup:

Nice :thumbsup:
 
#57 ·
Beautiful job!!!! But I have a dumb question: On the back of my CJ7 the right side emblem was the red, white & blue logo with "Jeep" instead of "AMC." Was that changed at a certain point or the is that AMC emblem from the cars that AMC made?
 
#58 ·
Thanks for the kind words everyone!

Hey Copper, the original AMC emblem read "Jeep" with the AMC logo, but I found this one that read "AMC" and thought it would look cool since everybody knows its a jeep, but not everyone knows it was made by AMC just from looking at the logo. Probably too much thought about that for some.
 
#59 ·
Your build looks great. Keep up the good work.
 
#60 ·
Okay I do have a question: Did you ever consider Herculining the interior of the tub? I mean it does cut down on road noise, rust and such. Just curious.
 
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