Moved a bunch of new parts for the Jeep into the garage staging area for when my pal Dave shows up in a few weeks to help get my CJ-7 running and back on the road. I'm setting it up for retirement and beyond, and took a big swing at finally getting it the way I want it going forward. I bought another '80 CJ-7 (Laredo) with a 304 V8 & TF999 automatic, swapped the drivetrain, and sent the Laredo home with Dave. Now, I just need to finish up getting mine back together. Cosmetically, it'll appear pretty much the same, but I've upsized to 35" SSRs on new rims, swapped-up to newer paddle-handle doors, upgraded to an early model YJ top (bigger windows and lighter), and upgraded the lighting system to LEDs and H4 halo headlights (for DRL purposes - looks cool, too). I also got a new JVC AM/FM/BT/USB head unit to replace the cassette deck (which still works, actually), along with a complete BedRug carpet kit, and a SPAL power window kit for the doors (planning on keeping the lid on during the summer and use the A/C).
It's been a minute since I last posted to this, so a quick catch-up.
Here we are the day I brought home the Laredo:
Here's how he sits now with the 35s, new rims, YJ top, and paddle-handle doors. Gotta paint the doors to match, add the Swamper stripe, and hit the top with some Raptor liner so it looks 'normal' again:
The engine was a mess, but turned freely, hissing and burping everywhere its supposed to, so I'm optimistic it'll run just fine.
The transmission and transfer case were a major mess as well. All the gunk was from a broken mechanical oil pressure gauge line (I hate those things).
Patience, 3 days, a good set of scrapers and wire brushes, a big spoon, and a can or two of Castrol Purple Power spray gel engine degreaser, and we're good as new:
The 304 got a ton of bolt-on goodies, and should be good for 250-260hp (without a complete rebuild... if it's a dud, it'll get worked over by the machine shop): Edelbrock Pro-Flo MPFI, Patriot Clippster headers, dual Magnaflow exhaust, Jeep Air A/C (to replace the factory unit I gave away years ago), HEI and a complete engine harness restoration (midlife would be proud):
Of course, I had to take on a rusty ol' project. Here's the brake pedal assembly while I'm cleaning it up and keeping it real with the Mach 1 in the background (since Dave needed the clutch pedal for his Jeep):
It cleaned up nice.
The steering column was also a royal mess, missing parts, and overall not usable:
I got lucky I found all the parts I needed, since it's a GM column it wasn't too tough.
I also decided that my homemade bumper, as cool as I think it looks, is not really all that safe, so I now have a replacement Fishbone Piranha bumper to swap. I'm debating on whether to remove the winch, and put it back on when I decide to go to Moab or somewhere cool (this isn't my Jeep, but it's the bumper I ordered, along with the D-rings):
The new H4 halo headlights aren't the gaudy ones, either - I might actually consider a set for the Mustang - the Oracle H4 is on the passenger side, with the old Omega H4 on the driver side - looks 'close enough' to old school for me:
Lit up and looks pretty cool, IMHO. I have a set of 100mm LED trim rings that I'm working on for the signals, so they can be halos as well:
Sneak peek at the signal halos - gonna wire them into the headlight halos, and I have some 1157A LEDs for the parking/signal bulbs - should be bright enough (I also have some 1" amber LEDs I'll be adding to the corners of the FishBone bumper as signals, since the winch is so 'in the way' for others cars off to the side):
I've had a herniated disc between L5 & S1 since April, and the weather's been in triple-digits ever since, so the Jeep's pretty much been sitting the whole time. I was about 3 wires, a vent hose routing, and topping off fluids away from turning the key. Hopefully, when Dave gets here in a few weeks, the weather and my back will have us celebrating getting the Jeep running again.
Sorry for the novel, but as I mentioned, it's been a bit since I updated and this is what's been going on.
