When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
the cj5 in my avatar. it's a '75. when purchased, it had totally worn out tires, and clearly had alignment issues. basic setup (stock mostly): dana 20 transfer, dana 30 front/dana 44 rear 3.73 gears, borg/warner t-14 3-speed, 1bbl 258, mechanical clutch linkage, unknown high-back bucket seats, soft top, fiberglass body and fenders, original frame, hood, grille, and dashboard, a later (after '75) windshield frame.
lots of camping trips, jeep rides, covered bridge trips, etc over the years.
first thing i did was buy new tires, some 31x10.5x15 remington wide brutes - at the time, i didn't have a lot of off-road experience, and tires were tires. over the years, as the tires wore out, i replaced them with (in order), 33x10.5x15 swamper radials, 34x10.5x15 swamper LTBs (used), and finally 34x9.5x15 swamper bias ply. i've put over 100K mile the jeep, too. changed the clutch twice, then decided to swap in a 4 speed. so, i added an np435.and changed out to a hydraulic clutch setup (much, much better). soon after that, i put in a lock-right in the d44. i quickly decided that drum brakes all around weren't good enough for wheeling, so i swapped in a front disc setup from a later cj.
the np435 4-speed and novak tranfer case adapter night wheeling on a local road (yes, this is the road, not a trail or next to the road) same location. i don't like mud at all, it covers everything.
i know a lot of you don't like jeeps, but in 2wd low, i can access more places more easily than i can in my 1st get 4runner, which has open diffs. anyway, i've put significant off-road miles on the cj. however, the frame was getting pretty bad, and i began the process to replace the frame in 2013 (which happens to be when i acquired my first '87 4runner). so, not much happened in the years since, other than i completely disassembled the jeep, and all of the parts are either in the garage or in the storage place above the garage. i also collected a few new parts to replace some of the beat up stuff that was on the jeep - new plastic (and bigger) gas tank/sending unit, winch, new soft top, new clutch. and most importantly, a new '74 frame (well, in very very good condition) and a wrangler (yj) spring conversion kit from rocky road outfitters.
wheeling OFR in massachusetts wheeling a road closer to home probably a 4th of july trip some years ago
pulled it apart about 7 years ago, once the garage was built.
the old tires that came on my 4runner (so i could roll it around in the garage) a few more upgrades visible - buick hei distributor and weber 32/34 2bbl hydraulic clutch master
also became a storage unit for 4runner parts and other things... having the engine crane and engine stand made things a bit easier, too spare motor, did scavenge a few things from it
exercising the old dodge 1.5-ton - a friend replaced the axle u-joints and seals on the dana 30 front axle, as well as the pinion seals/bearings, etc - this was the return trip.
secured for the voyage not a bad 70 mile round trip in the '48 i don't think i approached capacity on this load...
which brings the project to the "putting it together phase"
i had to add stock hangers and then trim them/drill them so that the rocky road hardware would have someting to attach to/locate off of solid mounting and thicker than the frame itself
yes, 1bbl 258 originally. now a 2bbl with the swapped manifolds. i agree that the np435 is heavy duty, especially in a cj. it has been the single best modification i’ve made, because of the lower gears. 1st is 6.68:1 (lower than a t-18) and reverse is 8.5:1 (almost too low). i remember wheeling with some new folks and doing the hard section in reverse because of the slow speed control.
the 258 is pretty sturdy in its own right. 7 main bearings, not really fuel efficient, but it will run forever with normal upkeep. similar to the 22re. as much as i like my 4runners, the cj is my favorite vehicle. time for it to be back on the road.
cleaned the chasiss with oil/wax remover, rubbed it down a few times, let it dry, then painted two coats of por-15 chassis black on it. to this, i top-coated with pratt & lambert gloss white (again two coats).
once the paint dried, i could "permanently" attach the spring conversion hardware:
the unpainted patches are for ground points/attachments - especially important with the fiberglass body. i have to run extra ground wires from fixtures/tie in points on the dash to the frame. these patches will get painted with the same paint as for the finished portions.
had to ditch the larger plastic tank & skid plate, just didn't fit. would need too much fabrication for me to handle. soooo, back to the stock tank (brand new).
09-24-2021 | 10:50 AM
