Build Thread 1983 CJ-7 Rebuild
DaHans
Jeeper
I have broken up this rebuild into 4 stages: 1) frame down, 2) engine, 3) body and 4) the rest of the stuff. Stage one is complete! I'm still waiting on front brake lines before I secure all the brake lines to the frame and a few odds and ends like shock absorbers, steering stabilizer, etc, but the hard part is done! I've certainly learned a lot and these forums have been extremely helpful, so thank you all. I was lucky, mt Jeep was mostly stock and I was able to keep most of the stuff. Mainly just clean, paint and replace bearings, seals etc. I took a ton of photos during disassembly along with some notes and keep everything. I fact I still have all the parts I replaced, I had to reference that quite a bit. I used McMaster Carr for a lot of nuts/bolts, and Quadratec for most of the parts, the stainless brake lines are Inline Tube (great product, literally exact replacement).
The next stage is the engine. I have a 4.0 head with EFI that I will replace my 4.2 head and Carter Carb disaster with. There seems to be quite a bit of information on the internet about that replacement. I have no idea what I am doing, but will eventually figure it out. When I send out the engine to a machine shop, I will work on the body. The body is in pretty good shape, I'll have to replace some metal, but the structure is solid. Not sure how I am going to do that, I figure I either learn to weld or try and find someplace to do it. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of places that do that kind of body work, they seem to be mostly collision repair.
Here are a few photos, some I edited for comparison. I'm very open to feedback or constructive criticism, you guys are the experts. Easier to fix now, than after it's assembled. Thanks!
The next stage is the engine. I have a 4.0 head with EFI that I will replace my 4.2 head and Carter Carb disaster with. There seems to be quite a bit of information on the internet about that replacement. I have no idea what I am doing, but will eventually figure it out. When I send out the engine to a machine shop, I will work on the body. The body is in pretty good shape, I'll have to replace some metal, but the structure is solid. Not sure how I am going to do that, I figure I either learn to weld or try and find someplace to do it. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of places that do that kind of body work, they seem to be mostly collision repair.
Here are a few photos, some I edited for comparison. I'm very open to feedback or constructive criticism, you guys are the experts. Easier to fix now, than after it's assembled. Thanks!
