I will no longer be posting in this blog. Instead, I will be posting at http://philsjeep.com/CJ6Blog/. This is my main website for my jeeps and I have transferred this blog onto that site.
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I went back to the junkyard to attack to ’77 DJ5 again. This time, I decided to pull the brackets that supported the front bumper to the frame. I thought that they would be nice to have on my CJ6 until I get a winch and a winch plate.
I pulled the brackets (which were on both sides of the frame) and attached to the bumper. I had to pull off the manual steering box to get to the left bracket. Once I finished, I went home and quickly put them on my CJ6 for a test fitting.
Perfect. They will be great. I then looked down at the XJ power steering box that I had on the floor, pulled off the mounting bracket and tested a thought that just came to me. The mounting holes matched. This means that I can use the DJ5′s full, strong mounting bracket to mount my XJ power steering box without any fabrication at all. Ok, that’s not true. I will have to cut the front crossmember & bumper slightly to fit the steering box and install a plate between box & frame. But, that’s going to be easier than fabricating my own mount. It was an unexpected advantage to buying these brackets.
I have begun hitting the local junkyard for parts. I have never seen any Wranglers (YJs or TJs) or CJs before, but they recently picked up a ’77 DJ-5 (postal jeep). First thing I removed was the steering column, intermediate steering shaft, steering wheel, and blinker assembly that was attached. (I was only charged for the column.) The next trip netted me a battery tray and I also picked up the emergency brake pull in case it would ever come in handy. (It is not a standard CJ-5 one. This one is a lever.) I’ll be going back and picking up more from the DJ5.
I actually keep a database in my iphone for parts to look for. I still need axles, a underhood light, and many other parts. This junkyard maintains their vehicle inventory online, so I can see what they have and the row number while I’m walking around. It’s quite handy.
As my coworker was boxing the frame for me, his wife noticed that it was bent. Well, several months later, I finally brought it in to the frame shop to get fixed.
“Shaped like a banana”
“Did you drive it into a ditch?”
What could I say. The license plate on the jeep was from 1993. I guess somewhat really screwed it up at that time. It was so bad that even the tub wouldn’t bolt on. In fact, you could see the springs were not perfectly perpendicular to the axle. It was really quite bad. The frame shop did what they could. Hopefully it is good enough.
Now that I have the frame “fixed,” I can finally start the build of this rebuild.
I had some time to kill last night, so I decided to temporarily install the grill, fenders, and hood. It’s been a while since I’ve seen them on this jeep. In fact, they weren’t even attached when I bought the jeep. So, here are some pictures. I held up the windshield.
Last Saturday, I cleaned the garage enough so that I can easily work in it. I can even park my CJ5 in it at the same time. That’s going to help out sooo much more.
I have been slowly accumulating the parts. I now have a Dana 300 transfer case. I have a seal and gasket kit and twin sticks on the way, as well, for that Dana 300. I have also received the Novak Adapt NV4500 to Dana 300 adapter.
I sold the other CJ6 that I had. The buyer got a great price on it, and I have 1 less dead jeep to worry about. Part of the purchase price was a power steering box from a right hand drive Cherokee (XJ). That was one major component that was going to be different from other Willys rebuilds.
Also, on my last trip to the junkyard, I found a crossmember that I was told would work for me. I had given up my search and was about to quit when I found it sticking out of a front bumper of an S10. (That was not the vehicle it came in.)
So, in summary, I have accumulated a bunch more parts, with more to buy (clutch components, adapter, radiator, etc). First thing I need to do before the “build” is to get the frame straightened. Then assembly and modification can begin.
I just came home from the junkyard. I purchased the complete pedal assembly and master cylinders from an ’87 Jeep Cherokee. Someone told me that these would work nicely. Hopefully they will. In the end, they will probably be some of a few actual jeep parts on this Jeep.
Oh, and I will be receiving a Dana 300 soon. Bought and paid for. Once I receive it, then I’ll start ordering the adapters for it. After that, I should have the entire driveline (minus axles) complete. I will have a ’94 Chevy 4.3L Vortec CPI Engine (~194 hp), a ’94 GM NV4500 transmission (6.34 granny low with 0.74 overdrive), and a Jeep Dana 300 transfer case (twin stick). I am going to attempt to make my own twin sticks using Dana 18 sticks. They were the original sticks to this particular jeep. They will keep the retro look. If it doesn’t work out, then I’ll order a pair online.
I know, I know. It’s pathetic. I haven’t been working on my jeep at all. I’ve been working on fixing up my camper instead for Summer use. Once I’m finished with the camper, I’ll get back to work on the jeep. Sorry!
It will be soon, I hope.
I just bought a 1994 Chevy (GM) NV4500 transmission. The bellhousing bolts right up to the 1994 Chevy 4.3L Vortec engine that I have. Yippee! This is a 5-speed manual transmission that has a 6.34:1 1st gear and a 0.73:1 overdrive 5th gear. I figured that it was the best of both worlds…slow granny gear for offroad and high overdrive for highway speeds. The gears inside look great…didn’t see a single problem (dings or rust). I also got a clocking ring with this tranny.
I do have a one worry, though. My worry is that the clutch linkage will interfere with the front driveshaft. The linkage is on the lower portion of the bellhousing (passenger side). Unfortunately, I’ll have to build it up and see if that will be the problem.
