1980 CJ7 first Jeep build

[MrBeast]

This post is a few weeks old, I forgot to post it over here.

Well Time for some updates, I finally got some shop space in Houston, working on moving in over the next week, then I am going to be ordering parts and getting the jeep running and back on the road!

Tuesday I made the trip to corpus to get the Jeep, it is up at the new shop.

My old 70 Chevy has drum brakes, so towing the jeep was very interesting, not to mention the fact that it is a 4 hour trip to corpus each way, so I was one tired puppy by the time I got back with it.

I am really looking forward to getting it back on the road Really looking forward to pulling the top and doors and getting to go run around in it this summer.

 

[MrBeast]

So tonight wrapped up what has been a 3 week project, building exhaust on the Jeep.

I have been having quite a few fitment issues on my headers, that has been making me not so happy. The driver side fit fine and dandy, the passenger side has been driving me crazy

The pipes on it actually touch the frame. I had to dimple them deeply on one of the tubes to get it round my shackle for the passenger side leaf spring. It's a mess, I will take more pics tomorrow.

For tonight, I have pics that are more fun!

I am also slightly concerned with my rear springs, they are actually front springs out of the 79 Waggy that was my engine donor.

This here is at full flex where the front tire was literally barely on the ground, as in I could roll it by hand and it would just scuff the concrete, but I worry the shackle might flop all the way down on the trail, or going over a heavy bump. We will see on that.

The bit I have got to drive the jeep with this setup, it has run like a champ and handled very well so it may not be an issue. Only time will tell.

 

[Sean VHA #60013]

any updates?

 

[bob91yj]

Wow, nice work!

Take a look at some "boomerang" shaped shackles for the rear. The shackles you have kind of look like tow shackles.

 

[MrBeast]

Nothing to update right now I have been working on my new c3500. I had to put a new trans in it, new injectors, and I am fixing to install a new distributor and some other goodies. It is my daily driver so it gets first dibs on my paycheck.

It is coming along though and soon I will start working on the Jeep again. The next step is going to be to instal the new fuel lines, radiator and get it running. Once I do that I can start working on drive lines and shifters. As well as rebuilding the Dash and heater box.

 

[MrBeast]

Well I am back into working on the jeep again, Monday I am going up to pick up a YJ tub that I found that is supposed to be rust/damage free. I am going to have my buddy's shop over here paint it for me, I have decided to depart form my original plan for color and the whole thing is going to get painted royal blue.

This is an image I found around, no idea who it belongs to, but I love the color and have decided to go with it on my Jeep.

I am going to do the body and roll bar the royal blue, and the top will stay flat black.

I am also going to get black seats, and do black/red accents through out. Think I am also going to get a blue synthetic line for my winch, maybe red. we will see on that. but hopefully by the end of January the new tub will be painted and on the jeep with a new wiring harness as well and a Double D fab dash.

It is really close now to being ready to rock, and I am hoping by the end of February to finally be driving it although I will have much more to do to it eventually like installing EFI and some other goodies I really want, but for now I am concentrating on the essentials.

 

[Metcalf]

Depending on the rear bumpstop location I would probably look at changing that rear shackle design. Can you move the upper shackle mount back a bit?

 

[MrBeast]

I can hop it back a hole, I played with that, drilled a 2nd hole and slid it back, didn't like the shackle angle at that location so I put em back stock.

I need to build bump stops for the rear, right now there are none, but because I have waggy front springs in the rear, it is pretty stiff. With the flex test the jeep would have flipped over before the shackle cammed over.

 

[MrBeast]

On my way to Huntsville to go get my new tub!!! Will have pics this evening.

 

[jeepdreamer]

Sweet! Great New Years gift, huh?

 

[MrBeast]

This afternoon my buddy Charles picked me up, we headed up to Huntsville and got the tub.

We got there got her loaded up.

Then got her home.

The uhaul trailer was just the right size.

Now I need to get her torn down, get the little bit of body work it needs done, and I can get it painted and put together!

Hope everyone has a happy new years!

 

[MrBeast]

I have been playing around with options for doing my dash, stumbled upon these gauges by Dakota Digital, they are damned expensive, but I am going to go for it because they look amazing, and they are a high quality product.

Video of them in a 57 Chevy, exactly what I want.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKHZgoW08ho

 

[MrBeast]

Tonight's prize:

Scored a 9" and a pumpkin with 3.73's and a Detroit locker. Now all I need is the full floater kit.

The next couple of weeks are going to be fun.

Also I just ordered an OR Fab cage kit, a new painless wiring harness, and all the stuff for the ford 9" to mount it, as well as body mounts, and the hydraulic clutch kit that works with the YJ MC so Brown Santa is going to be visiting me a lot the next couple of weeks.

As well dropped a line to double D fab about getting a dash built, going to order one of those as well.

Within the next couple of weeks going to see some major progress on this thing.

 

[MrBeast]

I have been going back and forth on the color quite a bit, been thinking about the original tan, black and the royal blue, I finally decided on the royal blue:

This is an image I found on the net, but I love the color, I am going to paint mine the same color with the same renegade stickers on the hood.

As well I have decided to roll with a BTF front bumper:

I am going to paint the bumper the same royal blue as the body, then paint the shackles the same light blue as the hood decals.

I am going to run a warn winch with red synthetic rope on it.

As well I am going to run the BTF rocker knockers:

I am thinking about painting the area behind the cutout BTF logo the same light blue, then putting a light blue stripe down the whole thing that is the same height as the BTF logo, the rocker knocker is going to be painted royal blue as well, and I will mask off and paint the top of the step tube with bed liner.

I am going to leave the hard top flat black, just freshen it up, and the inside will get painted black as well, and I am going to add an upholstered head liner to it that has dome lights in it as well. Under the head liner I will line the hard top with dynamat, and when the top is on I am actually going to run carpet in the jeep with catch all floor mats. It should help make it quiet and more enjoyable to drive.

Over all I think it is going to make the jeep a pleasure to drive and that it will be a really sharp looking rig.

 

[MrBeast]

Made some progress tonight, started getting the tub stripped down, did some cleaning around the shop even though it doesn't look like it in the pic:

Got the front clip stripped off, the fire wall and floors all look to be in good shape.

There are a couple of bolts on the roll bar that are going to take some heat and PB blaster to loosen up. the PO cut the bolt heads off when they pulled the roll bar. I am a little less than enthused about that.

Tomorrow we are going to work on getting the tub pulled from the frame. Then need to figure out how I am going to get it over to the car wash to get it sprayed out and all cleaned up.

As well tomorrow going to start getting the top ripped off the jeep, and going to get the front end broke down and pulled off, then going to yank the windshield, and then I should be pretty close to being able to pull the old tub and putting the new one on. Right now I am waiting on Brown Santa to bring me the rest of my goodies like my body mount kit.

Also today my Painless wiring harness arrived, and my cage kit shipped, so we should really start to see some progress now.

Tonight I am picking up a new grille and a drivers side fender, so I will be set on that stuff. Then all I will need is a new hood. The irony is there won't be a single body panel on this thing that is original. Guess that is the way it goes.

Should have some more updates tomorrow.