Initial Post - the project begins ... and then expands

THE PROJECT BEGINS

Okay ... so I have owned two CJ7s in the past. My first Jeep was a beautiful new midnight blue 1979 CJ7 Renegade with a 304 V8. I got it in high school right before I went into the Navy. It was awesome. I sold it before I went to Pearl Harbor ... big mistake. About 7 years later I got another CJ7. I got out of the Navy and took it to the University of Florida with me for law school. I sold it in 1992 right before I got married ... another big mistake (selling the Jeep that is ... not getting married). My wife convinced me it was "not practical" so I sold it. It was a nice CJ and it ran great. I replaced a clutch and rebuilt the top end and replaced the distributor so I learned a little bit about the 258 I6 engine in the process.

Now, 17 years and a military career later, I was finally able to get another one. My wife actually lined it up for me. She knew I regretted selling my Jeep years ago and she felt she was partially to blame (actually, it was ALL her fault) but I am not pointing fingers. So I picked up a 1977 CJ7 for a couple of grand and the project officially began. This is truly a project because this CJ7 is a "rust bucket" and it had all kinds of problems initially. Although you can't really tell from the picture, this blue CJ7 has serious body rust issues, but the frame is in very good shape and it was basically sound. It has a 258 I6 in it and, to my surprise, it has a T-18A transmission with the "granny gear" at first gear. That is great! I had to put in a new gas tank and distributor, rebuild the carburetor, fix a crack in the radiator, replace the alternator, and replace literally every hose and belt ... but it runs! I live on an island in Florida so salt water and sand is a given. I like the 33x12.5s on it ... so I will stick with that tire size.

Well ... as if one Jeep wasn't enough ... I saw this CJ5 on eBay for a few hundred bucks. It is a 1973 and it was in Podunk, Georgia about 200 miles from where I live in Florida. It had been in a barn for ten years since the owner ran it on the farm with a hole in the oil pan and the 304 engine froze up. They went to a junkyard a couple of years back and took another 304 engine out of another Jeep and put it in the back but never got around to fixing it so the guy's wife told him he needed to sell it (I think I am picking up a pattern here with wives and Jeeps). Anyway ... apparently no one else wanted to drive to the middle of nowhere in south Georgia to haul off an old Jeep ... so I was the high bidder! My buddy (with a truck ... thanks Scott) and I drove out to Podunk, just south of East Bumble, and brought this little beauty home. It has a T-15 transmission and both 304s are totally locked up. I snatched the one that was in it out and I couldn't beat two of the pistons out with an iron rod and a sledge hammer. The one in the back was just as bad ... so out it went too. The body has NO rust except for the floorpan. The frame is in great shape as is the transmission and Dana 20 transfer case.

So now, my to my wife's dismay, my garage is now a "Project Jeep" garage and I am working on both of these two little beauties in my "spare time." The CJ7 project will eventually include a new 4" suspension lift kit (it currently has a 2" suspension lift with 2" shackle lift) and a new body. Since I live 75 yards from the Atlantic ocean and plan to have it on the beach quite a bit (read: all the time) I am thinking about dropping big bucks for a aluminum tub ... wait until wifey-poo hears how much THAT will cost! Although both will be "off frame" rebuilds, the CJ5 project will be the "flip" of the CJ7 project in that the focus will be on the drive train. I am currently planning to lift the CJ5 only two inches (suspension lift of course ... none of that body lift garbage in my garage). I plan to put 31x11.5s on it. I am not sure if I will put a 304 in it or mate a 258 to the heavy duty T-15 tranny. I have had both engines in functional Jeeps and for my purposes the 258 has plenty of power and a heck of a lot easier to work on so I am leaning that direction. I am also considering making the CJ5 into a "Super Jeep" since 1973 was the year they did that (although I am not committed to that yet).

So those are the projects in a nutshell. I am not a mechanic ... I am a lawyer who loves CJs. I am hoping to share my experiences so that others who are considering fixing up an old CJ can learn from my experiences and maybe have a little easier time doing it. If you have any suggestions or questions you can send them to me at ProjectJeep@yahoo.com