Where to begin. I guess the beginning would be a good place. I bought this ’85 Jeep CJ7 “renegade” edition in the summer of ’89 with cash I had saved up and a deal with my dad where he could drive it until I got my license. Now, this means that no only did he have the opportunity to drive it, but I drove it through my younger years. What does this translate to? A project that’s been beaten, broken, and mostly abused. What I’m doing now is trying to put it back together in a manner in which it will suit a variety of needs.
The goal:
A lot of people throw out “the plan”, but I don’t really have a plan. I have a goal and some ideas, but it’s a far cry from a plan. My ultimate goal is to have a vehicle that can carry me and my family anywhere and everywhere we want to go with the ability to take with us the items that we need. It needs to be able to handle highway speeds while being able to hit the trails from time to time. I already know this is a lofty goal as I have a family of 4 and space is at a premium, but I’m hoping additional storage options (racks) can resolve some of this.
The basis of the project:
- Vehichle: 1985 Jeep CJ7
- Motor: AMC 258 I-6
- Transmission: T5
- Transfer: D300
- Front Axle: Dana 35, Lockrite locker, 4.56:1 ring and pinion
- Rear Axle: AMC20, Welded tubes, Lockrite locker, 4.56:1 ring and pinion
- Tires: BF Goodrich 35×12.5×15 All Terrains
- Suspension: Pro-comp 4″ Spring lift / Additional shackle 1.5″ lift (to be removed)
Additions:
- Front cage
- Rock Sliders
- Custom bumpers front and rear
- Ramsey 8000lb winch
- Recovery points front and rear
- full size spare
- Full size spare swing out carrier
- CB Radio
- Stereo
- Inverter
As it stands, this handles itself well off road, but is lacking on road. It needs some creature comforts added, some safety features, some redundant features, and some refinements.
Some ideas I have had thus far are to remove the stupid shackle lift that on there. I made a couple hundred mile trip to Arkansas to do some wheeling and the steering was adversely affected by their length. I did not run into any real issues with the tires rubbing, so removing the additional 1.5″ and doing some minor cutting should resolve this. I thought about flat fenders up front, but I really like keeping the integrety of the rounded openings of the CJ. Functionality being the goal, I think I may compromise and use TJ flares and just cut the fenders.
I also want to build some baskets for carrying supplies. It sucks carrying gas in the back. This is a priority. I plan on two racks. One that mounts to the tire carrier and hangs over the tire for carrying gas cans and supplies for short trips (ex. cooler). A second rack for longer distance trips that mounts to the body and carrys a roof rack is a secondary goal.
Some other niceties will be the addition of an AC unit, had one and like an idiot removed it. I would love to add propane injection to it for a dual fuel setup, and apparently that’s pretty easy. Some nicer suspension seats are in order too. Of course, there’s the obligatory body work. It’s a Jeep and full of rust!
I think this is a decent start for my project. As I do some work and come up with ideas I’ll be sure to post them up. If you have any ideas I’d love to hear them.
-Jimmy
Of course, this would be worthless without pics, so here you go…
