Build Thread Frame-Up Resto-Mod on a '74 CJ5

[pblanton]

I have a 1974 CJ5 that was abandoned on a jeep trail outside of Chico California in the early eighties. The serial number plate had been removed from it and it had been rattle-canned flat black over its original yellow factory paint. The land owners called the Sheriff and reported it. He came out, took a look at it and said, "I'll let you know if anything comes up". They towed it to their barn and it sat there for twenty years, until about 2004 when their son, after moving to Denver, decided he'd like to restore it and drive it. He trailered it here from California and it sat in his garage for another ten years until he decided he wanted the garage space back and sold it to me for $1000. I asked for a bill of sale for "Various Parts for a 1974 Jeep CJ5".

It has an AMC-360 in it, but it is clear that something had happened to it, because the heads were loosely screwed on with no gasket and the freeze plugs were missing. Otherwise the block doesn't appear to be cracked anywhere. It's possible he started the project, and life got in the way. Where it was found on the Jeep trail was a place it couldn't have been towed to, so the condition of the engine is a mystery to me. The '74 has 29,020 miles on it.

I have removed the front fenders, grille and hood in order to get better access to the engine bay. All of the steel is in good shape with no rust through anywhere and no dents to speak of. Apparently it was a California Jeep its whole life and was only driven for maybe ten years. The original dashpad is still in near perfect, uncracked condition. Someone before had done a poor spring-over lift conversion on it so the axles need to have the mounting plates cut off and flipped back over so that the suspension is right, but I may replace them with an upgraded set of wider track axles with disc brakes. Still researching that.

Since it doesn't have a VIN number, when I saw a 1973 barn jeep come up on Craigslist a few years ago, I gave $800 for it, just for the title and VIN plate, but it's in pretty good condition rust-wise as well. Plus it has a factory 304 and a full roll-cage in it. It also has a perfectly good set of unmolested axles, so now I have a registerable title for the '73 and two full jeeps worth of parts. The '73 only has 16,437 miles on it. Both Jeeps have 3-speed transmissions and other than cylinder bores, they have identical drivelines.

I also bought a third engine from a guy in Parker. It is a build-ready AMC 360. It's bored and machined and the heads have had a fresh valve job, so it's ready to go. I just need to get a rebuild kit and assemble it. This is the engine I will put in mine. I went back and forth on the 304 vs. 360 but since I've always wanted a 360 in a CJ5, and the fuel economy difference between them is miniscule, it's what I'm going with.

So I have two complete CJ5s that I had originally planned to use to build one complete, registered, running Jeep. My plan is to build the 74 with the known-good 360, cannibalizing whatever parts I need from the '73, and trade the leftover parts to another guy for all of the frame work and assembly.

Additional parts that I bought to to complete this project are...

- Complete Rough Country 2.5" lift suspension kit. Leaf Springs, Shocks, boots, the whole shebang.
- New body grommets
- New Speedo
- New gauges
- New Mirrors
- New LED lighting kit : headlights, taillights, side marker lights, etc...
- Billet Aluminum fuel filler door.
- Rugged Ridge locking center console
- Rugged Ridge fender flares for a YJ
- A set of fully adjustable seats from a 1985 Pontiac Fiero. They are the ones with the speakers in the headrests.

An acquaintance of mine recently reached out to me to see if I'd be willing to sell one or both of the jeeps and I said I was planning on building a jeep for myself and was going to use whatever parts I needed in order to get that done. He offered to do some of the build work for me in his shop, for all of the leftover parts. He actually offered to build me a running Jeep in exchange for all of the leftover parts, but I didn't think that was fair so I told him that if he'd strip and rust treat the frame of the '74, Epoxy coat it and rebuild it up with the drivetrain, new suspension and wheels, so that I had a running, rolling frame, then he could have all of the leftover parts that I didn't need.

So he'll get the title-less '73 along with a tub, fenders, hood, grille, two sets of seats, one set of five chrome wheels, a complete 304 drivetrain with an extra set of stock suspension, a regular rollbar, two factory speedos and gauge sets and various and sundry parts.

Regarding the '74 I am still hopeful that somewhere on the frame is the original serial number. If I can find it then I can get a proper title on it and the '73 can be properly titled as well. Now for some pictures. I have labeled the pictures directly so I won't bother typing more here...

 

[pblanton]

Update: After posting this I looked more closely at the pictures and I believe the '74 may be a '75. I'm going by the placement and style of the "Jeep" logo on the side, along with the "dimple" above the rear wheel. As best as I can tell, the only year that had that style of logo, the dimple above the rear wheel, and the skinny, non-locking steering column was 1975.

1976 had that logo style and placement along with the body dimple, but it had the newer locking steering column with the ignition switch in the column rather than on the dashboard. So I'm thinking the black jeep is a 1975. Ultimately though, it'll be titled as the 1973 unless I can find a VIN on it somewhere.

 

[pblanton]

I'm wanting to upgrade to at least front disc brakes and wide-track, since it's all going to be apart. Any tips on which axles I should look for? I'm going down to the junkyard this week to see what they have and if I had an idea what axles out of what vehicles would be best, then I can keep an eye out for what to get.

Thanks!

 

[pblanton]

I did find a set of axles out of a late nineties Jeep XJ "Cherokee Classic" locally. They are listed as follows...

"Dana 30 axles no axle disconnect both 3.55 gears one open one mechanical locker. dana 35 open carrier with 3.55 gears. chrysler 8.25 open with 3.55. in"

Tryna figure out if they'll work.

 

[pblanton]

Nope. The XJ front axle won't work because the differential is on the driver's side. Still looking.

 

[TSB8C]

Looks like it's going to be great restore/mod. I had the same locking console for a while in my rig. I had one issue and one concern with it. The issue was grandkids climbing on it to access the back seat and eventually cracking the particle board top under the vinyl. This led to the concern. I sometimes go places that don't allow me to carry my gun inside. So I lock it in the console. With the top and doors off most of the time, this was a concern. After discovering the cracked wooden top, it became a much larger concern. So I decided to build an all steel locking console. This allowed me to customize the height for my armrest, design my own cup holders for larger metal water bottles or What-a-Burger cups, and add power outlets as desired. I used 1/8" steel, cut out the panels and welded it up. Made a removable tray with a u-bolt handle in the middle of it covered in a small vacuum hose piece, and added both 12V and USB outlets front and back. It even has a volt gauge built into the USB ports on the front. This is handy since I have the power to the ports run from my aux battery. So now I have a volt gauge on both batteries - one in the dash for the primary and one in the front of the console for the secondary. I used a chunk of vinyl from the console I removed and put it over some padding for the armrest. But the lid and all the rest of the unit are all welded steel. Even the hinge for the lid is an old steel house door hinge that I welded on. The lock came from an old trunk I picked up on Craigslist. The cup holders are PVC fittings. I used some rubber mat like you put in a toolbox tray to line the bottom, the tray, and the cup holders. A few other benefits are the straps to hold the seat belt buckles are bolted to the sides of the console and the console is securely bolted down to the floor with nylon lock nuts on the inside with the bolt heads under the floor. Here's a few pics:

 

[CJ]

Looking good!

 

[Belizean]

Nice

 

[Chuck Bnvds]

The recent update looks nice, keep us posted with the progress.

 

[pblanton]

Update: Neither of the frames has a VIN stamped on them. That makes my "new" jeep a 1973, with what I believe is a 1975 frame and tub. Of course the rest of it is a 2021 because Ima resto-mod the Śhiŧ outta it, and fabricate whatever parts I need to!!!

I'm looking for information on the AMC-360.
- fuel injection (fuel pump, programmable modes, etc...)
- electronic ignition

I have a set of suspension / springs for a 2.5" lift (Rough Country Suspension) and want to upgrade to a Dana 44 front and rear axle set with...
- Dana 44 wide-trac axles for a CJ.
- 16" wheels and tires.
- Gear ratios for a CJ. (I'm thinking 4.11 or 4.27 gears with 33" tires ... https://thejeephut.com/gear-ratio-chart/)
- 6 on 5.5 wheels*

* I'm thinking 6 on 5.5 wheels because that allows me to "upgrade" to the newer LT285/75R16 126 tire size and allows me access to the newer "Locker" axles and hubs. Remember this is a "resto-mod" and not a "restoration". It seems to me that the 15" wheel size limits my ability to properly tire (equip) this vehicle. So if you can give me actionable information on which Dana 44 axles will work with my 1975 Jeep (front differential on the passenger side) I'd appreciate it.

Hopefully this will result in the "proper" axles for a 6x5.5, 16" wheel set.

 

[Patrick]

I really like your plan/goal. But, 6 on 5.5 front and rear Dana 44’s with CJ wide track dimensions won’t be so easy.

Look at Honda Passports for the rear end. They come in 4:30 gears and 6 lugs, but is about 3.5 inches too wide but can easily get narrowed (one side only) to CJ wide track spec. For the front, not too sure if you can use a Scout axle and convert to 6 lug. It might be too wide. Let’s see what others have to say. I might go with a front 44 in the future with a wide track footprint.