[WSS]

Hello CJ folks! Here is a thread sharing our fun times and projects in, on and around our 1972 CJ5.

It has been quite a learning experience, of which is made possible by the the many talents here on JF. I can throw an idea or question out (still do!!) on JF right here in the CJ section and get a wealth of knowledge that flows back.

I am grateful to the many who help. My intention is to post it back in one spot complete with photos to stir the brain. Not saying at all that it's "my way or the highway", in fact, I challenge you to study them and improve on them in your project, or tell me "that parts stinks" or you "lost the plot" on that one.

Now, I do ask input from my family on projects too, much of the "flavor" is influenced from my Wife and son (they like color, diamond plate and comforts). I am obliged to continue this money pit project under the "family project" theory in that it's a give and take.

While it has many features of a "rock crawler", that is only due to it's locale. It is at heart an "expedition vehicle", being made to take us places many never see.

Most of the stuff posted here by me has been made, modified or installed by me in my fab shop, which is separate from our automated weld shop. My expertise is not in building old CJ's, but i do have lots of fun doing it. My job involves metals that range from 40 to 90 rockwell and the way they wear in extreme abrasive conditions. So, tube bending, lockers, skids, etc. are new to me over the last five years.

I'll post up pics as I can. I have thousands! If you want to see something closer or a different angle, ask, I may already have it. I can always take a few pics if we can't find a solution.

Cheers and enjoy!

WSS

 

[WSS]

Here she is during the first month or so we had her.

looking good and no rear sag............

look at that flex! 22.75", but who's counting, got near 36" now................

carpet is gone, dash is changed, a pair of JB twin sticks too............

glasspacks are now turbo tubes, much easier on the ears, Fox shocks replaced the rancho adjustables.................

Still have the rack, but now on a super nice swing out...............

had to get him his own since then.....

as received............

a month or so ago..............

new Holley to replace q-jet...

 

[WSS]

My first project was two fold, make it safe and convert to a four seater. The PO had it set up as a two seater and the seats were really close to the dash and steering wheel.

We took out the carpet and notched the rear wheel wells to give an extra 2.5" and in the cage design, lowered the seats at least 1.5". While the cab was stripped, I did a diy bedliner spray in. It has worked very well. I wrapped the liner a little out the tub sides to cover the foot scratches and seatbelt dings, so far no peeling or wearing. Very impressed with the liners quality.

carpet and old single stick.

notice the tight fit for man size guys between cage pillar and seats.....

again, lack of leg room, like a coach seat on Delta....

right after the bedliner spray..

 

[Fourtrail]

you "lost the plot" on that one.
WSS

My first project was two fold, make it safe and convert to a four seater. The PO had it set up as a two seater and the seats were really close to the dash and steering wheel.

notice the tight fit for man size guys between cage pillar and seats.....

again, lack of leg room, like a coach seat on Delta....

Should have started out with 20" of extra leg room.... It's like flying in First Class...

 

[WSS]

Roll cage

The cage was built/bent using Hossfeld dies and a way too fast electric over hydraulic pump. I borrowed it from a friend that was a sand car builder. It had loads of dies, most of which I never used. It was in the shop of a blacksmith/iron worker and had the type of dies a guy in that trade would use, square tube, flat bar, etc..

After learning the hossfeld die setup, I found a air over hydraulic bender with the exact dies I need: .75", 1", 1.25", 1.5", 1.75" and 2" tube dies, all in 180 radius. It's slower but fine for me. I use it once in a while for sliders, steps, etc.

The cage itself was built after soaking in the many threads in the fab section of JF. I decided to go capsulized and frame tied. The seats sit 1" off the tub floor. I used a bestop trailmax fold and tumble seat for the rear, it matched near perfect the front steel horse seats. It's a little tight in the back due to wheel well notch but doable for kids. I used five point harnesses all around that are cage mounted (keeping in the capsule idea).

Fitting was made easy by using a "lo-buck" notcher, some tube angles were too steep and a hole saw notch was need but 75% of the notching was done with this handy tool.

My real job has me welding hard plate .5" and up (way up), so welding thin .120" in different angles (other than flat)was challenging.

some were good looking, others were not, I did feel all were sound though.

Throughout this project, my son has been hands on. He's older now and has his own RZR and iPad, so I find myself working in "solace" lately. LOL

 

[WSS]

Should have started out with 20" of extra leg room.... It's like flying in First Class...

100% agreed! I'm working on that now. I have a limited stretch coming up that will gain me a few inches of WB and about four inches of leg room.

Is that a 6? or tub stretched 5? Looks like fun!

 

[Fourtrail]

100% agreed! I'm working on that now. I have a limited stretch coming up that will gain me a few inches of WB and about four inches of leg room.

Is that a 6? or tub stretched 5? Looks like fun!

Repop '6 tub. Only factory sheet metal is the hood and grill shell. Bought a very scary '6, went at it with a sledge hammer until everything fell off and then started over. Need to scan in the one or two pictures from the day I brought it home.

 

[WSS]

Fun Times!

We bought this Jeep sight un-seen from a guy up in Nor Cal. He ran the Rubicon a few times with it. He did some very nice things to it. Lockers, SBC, Sm-420, etc..

So the base structure was there for us to enjoy the South! Locally, we run cougar buttes, the Big Bear trails, Calico, silverwood, etc..

Here are some local pics having fun.

Calico/Doran

Calico/Odessa, a favorite:

Odessa waterfall

breaking in the young driver

The ghost town

Big Bear.......

Not really stuck, just practicing LOL.......

 

[Matt1981CJ7]

Thanks for sharing your pics and story, WSS.

I've always loved your CJ. I think it's probably one of the coolest resto-mods out there. The fact that you actually use and abuse it makes it even cooler, IMO.

Matt

 

[mikeyboat]

+1 totally agree ^^^^^^^^^^

Thanks for posting!

 

[WSS]

Gentlemen, Thank-you both!

When we first bought her, I started a build up thread. It got cluttered, my computer crashed, lost tons of photos, my photo host crashed and even lost those. I tried to reconstruct it and gave up after a while.

This thread will be cleaner and on a fast track. I may do flash forwards once in a while. I'm building a tank/skid combo right now that will allow me stretch the old girl a few inches while doing the YJ spring swap in.

Cheers!

 

[WSS]

Ok, fast forward a bit to the last few months. dadamsnv (http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f8/alpine-lizard-build-project-1381360/ check out his build, serious fabrication skills) has drawn a tank and skid plate assembly that will solve a few problems for me. Over the winter, I managed to cut and fab a pair of these. A little bit of drama happened when I took the tanks to be TIG'd by a guy who looked like he knew what day it was but in reality did not. He cut and mangled the first attempt at them, so what you see now is our second try. I decided to mig them using .023 70s6 wire. Not pretty but did the trick.

I found a few pin holes that needed to be spotted but nothing super bad. The tanks came out "wavy", which was kinda expected with mig, plus I have no (nada, zero) light gauge experience. And I generally have the "get er done" frame of mind which apparently does not jive with thin material. But, all is well. I also used POR gas tank sealer in the tank, should be good for many years.

Back to the problems this will solve, A) a beast of a skid!! B) more room to stretch when I add the YJ springs.

Here are some up to today progress pics. Tank was going to come out tomorrow but I got talked into going to the range for some dueling tree fun.

Fresh cut off the machine:

in the brake:

post brake fitting:

fitting and welding:

Mine was last, note the wave:

 

[WSS]

After the main welding, I test it for leaks using water, sodium nitrite and sewer tracing die, the die made leaks easy to see. After fixing the 237 leaks, i coated the inside with por gas tank sealer. Went on different than I thought. It was more like a mix or epoxy and cold galvanizing liquid. see pics inside tank.

And that is as far as I got today. To much work getting in the way of the project.

WSS

 

[WSS]

QUADRAJET TO HOLLEY, the right choice

Flash back time.

One of the first things I did was to install a Q-jet built by the famous Brad Urban, well the guys who bought his company anyway. I have had two built by him, one literally built by him in the mid '80s. They ran good on my SBC's. This one, my third from "the carb shop" was not so well built. I had to take it back three times for them to look at it all the while the problem never replicated on their "shop engine". Every time I would install the carb and try to start the engine, the float would stick and fuel would flow everywhere. Well, the "problem" according to them was not the sticking float but my mechanical pump vs. their electric pump. Plus, if the Jeep sat for more than a day, the bowl emptied. The eletric choke never really worked, it was often stuck in some middle mode. The last straw was the headache from smelling unburnt fuel the family had after a day out. I (after three years) finally conceded that my bias toward the Q-jet was over and the $500 was a loss.

I had been doing business with Performance Carb & speed for a few years on fittings and other SBC parts. The owner Ron talked me into one of his builds, a Holley carb with a special crossover vent tube like found on the truck avengers and a dual fuel bowl "dry-sump" kinda deal. It involves a small electric pump to pull fuel that is above the float level back to the tank instead of down the venturi throat.

It works great! plus the Q-jet hesitation before the kiss is gone, push the throttle and the engine revs, go figure. It has tons more bottom end and the raw fuel smell is gone, smells like it is burning more efficiently.

Ron tore the new carb apart for me to cerakote it. It looks great.

 

[WSS]

Some details of the install, I used 4N fittings and SS tube for teh hard runs and some wrapped hose for the rest.

A couple of pics showing the T that pulls from the fuel bowls and down to a electric pump (not shown, mounted inside fender well)

 

[WSS]

Gas tank hurdles

Fast forward to yesterday.........

Dropped my OE(ish) tank and skid to fit the new set up in and found it to be 4" too wide. Now, how does this happen you ask? Well truth is I'm a bone head. No if ands or buts about it. I assumed the drawings from a '77 CJ5 would fit my '72. Wrongo. So, I am modifying the tank and skid to fit. I took a pair of calipers and scratch marked a line 2" in on each side and used a thin slitting wheel on a grinder to cut off the ends. I filled one of the ends with a gallon of water and found it was just shy about a 1/4", so total loss is probably 2+ gallons. I can deal with that. So a large set back but it will still work.

WSS

 

[Dadamsnv]

This makes me so sad! :crying:

I never realized how nice your jeep is. I knew it was pretty, but dang man! very nice work! Why would you ever take advice from my redneck azz?

 

[WSS]

Haha. I was taking advantage of you!! You did all the crawling. You know I measured just a few things, measurements I thought were critical. Like the bolt patterns on the skid. They matched. I did not notice until yesterday that the pattern itself was off center.

No problem really. It will work. I have the parts cut and ready to weld but it's officially Mother's Day weekend!! So I'm done till Monday morning. I'll sneak in a few hours while no ones around lol.

Funny thing, I ordered the three needed parts from summit yesterday late. I had to order the por separate due to it being a ground only shipper. I ordered the bung and ring next day. Both showed up today. Paid an extra $15 for an hours difference

 

[plm1983]

1st. Super nice jeep. I still love that yellow. 2nd, nice work. 3rd, are those 300 blackout rounds in the carb pic?

 

[WSS]

.300 AAC? the subsonic type? Good eye! LOL

Fun round but pricey and does a number on AR500 targets.