Anybody ever restored CJ7

[bulldog ducker]

My dad gave me his '79 CJ7 when I graduated college 7 years ago. I had the 304 rebuilt and have the heart of it running good. It as minor body rust that is going to have to be fixed and needs a paint jop. Every thing on it is stock and I am planning on leaving it that way for the most part. I finally have the room to get it to my house and start to work on it.

No 100% sure what to tackle first so help me out... this is what I want to do in the order I think I need to go about it.

2.5in suspension lift

33 11.50 15 tires with stock rims but a 4 in off set

It is certainly drivable right now but it will not be the best looking jeep on the road.

It is a baby blue renegade levi edition and I want to have it painted the original color with the original decals. I plan on cutting some of the rust spots out of the tub and having that fixed before I take it for an estimate to get painted. I have found the original decals made by a company in texas for 300$. It will need an new windsheild frame and new hardware on the hood. All the lights have already been repacled, all the guages work excluding the fuel guage.

If anybody has ever undertaken this before and I am missing anything please help me out. I am trying to budget this thing before I get stared to I have an idea of what I am getting into.

This is what I figure so far...

450 +200 labor for lift
1000 for tires (already have rims)
300 for windshield frame
2000-2500 for paint (exterior only interior has been rhino lined)
300 for decals
80 for hood hardware

I am guessing in the ballpark of 5000

[MudHog]

Install the lift yourself and save you that $200. A 2.5" suspension lift will be new springs and that's very very easy to put on. Do plan to get new spring u-bolts and don't re-use the existing ones. Look at Superlift Softride lifts if they still make them. I had Superlift Softride in front and BDS in the rear on my CJ. For a little better ride quality, consider doing a shackle reversal kit for the front, but it's not really necessary. You can do spring over axle and get 4.5" of lift, but you will be looking at needing to do a hy-steer setup and also remove the spring perches and move them to the top the axle. Just depends how mechanical inclined you are.

I had an '83 CJ-7 with 12" total lift running 38.5" TSL/SX and had a modified 360 putting out right at 400 hp. I raced mud drags until a Honda Civic made a early left hand turn in front of me on the road and I climbed over it, totalling my CJ. Once my dad and I finish our shop, I will have another CJ to play around in.


Come over and visit www.jeepforum.com. You may be able to find some parts from fellow Jeep owners.

[B.M.F.T.]

You will sure test your will power with not going overboard. Its like legos and there is a ton of stuff you can do with it. I have owned many of them and and here are a few things you will learn:

Jeeps break and old Jeeps break more often.

You will put far more into it than you ever plan.

There is always something to fix or buy for it.


Most important is that they are fun to have and enjoy it.

[MudHog]

JEEP does stand for Just Empty Every Pocket

[Deagle]

300 is a little high for a windshield frame, unless you are getting the glass with it. Stay away from lift shackles. They make a CJ handle like crap. One inch shackles are OK, but any more than that, and you will get a lot of wandering in the ride.

I have ordered parts for mine through all of the below:

Quadratec http://www.quadratec.com/

Morris 4X4 http://www.jeep4x4center.com/

4WD http://www.4wd.com/

[munyoz70]

Por-15, it will be your best friend and worst nightmare. It is a paint kinda thingy that prevents rust from ever accuring again, I put that on any metal that is "known" to rust.

Old Man Emu lift kits, they are somewhat pricey but come as a complete package. Bushings, shocks etc and supposedly the best riding kits out there.

Rubicon express makes lift leaf spring that come with lifetime warranty.

Pirate4x4.com has plenty of info and lots a jeep guys that willl be more than willing to tell you just how smart they are!

Joes 4x4 in Ridgeland he is a very smart and cool guy knows his 4x4's if you need help locally he's the man.

[driveby]

4WD hardware can be your best friend or worst enemy. Best friend for parts, worst enemy for breaking your bank account.
A lot of what you are asking just depends on how much of a resto you want to do. Are you wanting it pristine or a trail machine?
Like someone else said, stay away from shackle lifts. Also, which tranny is your Jeep running? You may need to freshen it up a little. Go through the entire braking system and fix what needs fixed. Replace the U joints. Install a good clutch like a Centerforce. There's a ton of stuff that you will overlook that doesn't cost much but adds up. Below are some pics of mine. I went a little overboard and ended up doing a complete frame off job. The underside looks as good as the top side. I'm afraid to get it dirty now.

[MudHog]

something to remember about shackle lifts. total lift is half the length of the shackle. example: a 3" lift shackle would be 6" overall length.

[Deagle]

[bulldog ducker]

I am going to try to put some pics up by the end of next week. It is still in the shop getting tuned up by the guy that rebuilt the engine for me. Can't decide it I want to start on the body work now or wait until the end of the summer. If I start now I dont think i will get to enjoy it this summer. i am leaning toward cleaning it up real good and fixing some little stuff then taking the tub off in the fall. I figure I will have to open the wallet cause there is no telling what i will have to fix when that happens.

[MudHog]

I miss this thing with a passion. Once my dad and I finish our shop, I will have another one.

[SB]

Dang, Mud Hog. I'm glad you lived through it. Did you roll or leave the road?

[MudHog]

A honda civic made a early left hand turn and crossed my lane. We hit passenger tire to passenger tire at about 25 mph. I climbed over it, landed on my driver side and climbed out the top of my roll cage to get out. Had there been a passenger in the vehicle, they wouldn't of survived.

[SB]

After your experience with climbing over the car, what is your opinion with some state's laws on lift height or bumber height? When I first started driving I wanted a sky high truck. That is when I found out some states had laws regulating vehicle heights and one reason for the law was the lifted vehicle climbing over another vehicle in an accident. Hearing and seeing your story shows me it can happen.

[MudHog]

It can happen with any certain vehicle combination, even stock. I'm all for lift laws. I was legal for LA and still climbed over a car. You have to consider verhicle type too. I didn't have this big massive bumper on the front that would have taken the impact. Instead, my tire hit the car and climbed up.

LA is what's called a "headlight state". The law only states that the headlights can not be more than 54" above the ground. Now in MS, they have an 8" MAX suspension lift law. Of that 8", you can not have more than 6" suspension lift. That puts 2" available for tire lift to meet the 8" max. Body lift doesn't count as the law is only in reference to the suspension. Some states do bumper height in relation to GVWR. MA actually has a formula to "calculate" the law per vehicle (wheelbase x wheel track / 2200).

It is all a part of safety and to somewhat maintain consistency on the roadways. Some states ban lift blocks on front axles, while some states don't. I don't see why someone would want to put blocks on a front axle as that's the most unsafe thing you could do.