'84 CJ7 Questions

A 6-cylinder? On a CJ?????? Completely unheardof. ;-)

How about a Chevy 350? But seriously... I went to look at it and drive it after work. It needs a repair to one wiper blade and a patch in the floor to pass inspection according to the seller. I'll talk to the inspection station on Monday. There are several holes in the floor that need to be patched. the are other rust spots in the body that will need to be taken care of too. The original

5 speed transmission was replaced with a four speed and the clutch and pressure plate replaced at the same time. The engine ran strong. Everything else is original. Soft top only, new doors. It's black and it looks baaaad. I can buy it for a $1000. What do you think? Thanks, Steve

I think that any CJ that's streetable with a little bit of work is worth at least $1K. You might want to look into how much smog equipment is missing and how much you'll have to replace/restore to register it.

Certainly check the last foot and a half of the frame for rust-through -- use something sharp like a long thin screwdriver and a hammer. Also pick up on the body by the left and right rear wheel wells to see if the tub is still firmly bolted to the frame, there are rust-through issues with both the tub and the frame mounting points. Rock the seats left/right to see if their mounting points are still solid.

Someone else will have to tell you if the 258/I6 is a straight bolt-up replacement for the I4 or not (there are, at least, no sheet metal issues with the swap), but the I6 is certainly a hearty engine.

OK, I'll check the frame and tub issues more carefully. I'm assuming that the tub can be cut and patched if it's really bad, is that realistic? Is tub lining and or replacement in my future? As for the smog equipment, my county in PA started emission testing in 12/03 and provides for an exemption for vehicles driven under 5000 miles annually, which works for me. Thanks for patience with the newbie questions.

Steve

[snip]

You're in PA, I don't know if you have the same road salt-related rust issues that I do here in icy Connecticut. I can list the places that

76-83 CJs commonly rust _here_, which might not be true _there_:

Front fenders, the outside skin of the double-walled section between the wheel well and the cowl. Replacement fenders are a stock item and bolt-on.

Cowl, outside skin at the inner brace (by the raised "Jeep" stamp).

Windshield frame, lower outside and interior surfaces. Replacement WS frames are a stock item.

Front foot wells. Repair plates are mailorderable.

Outside skin, below the door opening. Repair parts are mailorderable.

Floor seam, along the riser to the rear deck, in the middle and at both corners.

Rear deck, above each stiffener cross-piece. Replacement floor is available.

Rear wheel wells, internal baffle behind the wheel.

Rear skin, left side between the spare tire bracket and the tailgate. Repair corners are available.

Rear skin, below tailgate. Available.

Body to frame mounting points: below front seats; between frame rails for'd of the fuel tank; at rear cross member (looks like rear bumper).

If it is just surface rust and not broken through, folks here swear by a product called POR-15. It is a rust-killer that prevents further damage.

Frame:

Left side inner face, under driver's footwell, behind the mounting plate for the brake proportioning valve.

Last 18" of frame rails, both sides, beginning at the inner surface of the box and progressing to the outer section and down to the spring eye.

Rear cross member (looks like rear bumper). Heavy-gauge weld-in replacement members are available.

All body mount brackets from the cowl back. They started out with a 1

1/2" (or so) hole but become just a sharp-edged "C" shaped opening.

Frame repairs really should be done by someone who has some welding skills.

Repairing the tub depends on your sheet metal skills, pop rivets can take you only so far (been there, done that...). Of course, how long you intend to keep this Jeep is also a factor. Beware diamond-plate dress-up pieces for rotting rear corners and under the doors -- covering up rust just keeps you from seeing how bad it is getting. Tub liners only protect the inner surface of the tub, most of the rust damage is going to come up from the bottom.

If the mounting points for the tub are rotted it becomes a bigger deal. These began as captured nuts in a welded channel. Repairing them with the tub in place could become quite a bit of work.

Replacement tubs in a variety of materials are easy to order and will set you back roughly $2K-plus, but depending on how much rust you have to repair and how those repairs get made it might be cheaper to replace rather than repair. Don't forget to budget for paint. Many folks figure on spending a couple of weekends replacing a tub but quickly find a bunch of things to do "while I've got it apart". Some then spend a bunch of months and come out with a completely rebuilt Jeep, others get half-way through and then sell it to the kid down the street. Getting the tub off is relatively simple, but involves some busted knuckles and cursing. If you eventually choose to do it you should be able to get it off in a day.

You can mailorder pretty much everything you could need to repair, rebuild or build a Jeep, excluding the odd small part. F'erinstance, you can get a new heater blower or heater core, but not the heater box. You can get the 3 heater/vent control cables for the dash, but not the one that links the heater and the defroster duct. Go to and have them send you a catalogue. Get J.C. Whitney's too and comparison shop, but with Whitney read carefully and be sure that they're sending you brand name parts.

Mechanically, you're looking at a 20 year old Jeep, so there are things that will give out from time to time. Radiators, heater cores, suspension parts, clutch parts, electrical parts and the fuel tank are all replaceable and will eventually need replacement. Again, cursing and busted knuckles are involved, but it is nothing like trying to work on a new car.

I realize that I've dumped a bunch of stuff on you here-- don't be discouraged, I'm not saying that you'll end up taking this road, I'm just showing you the map on where it _might_ lead you. The Jeep you are looking at might be a cream puff that just needs a bit of cosmetic work. If you've got questions, post `em here. There's plenty of folks here that know Jeeps and like to help fellow Jeepers. We were all new to Jeeps once.

Good luck!

Thanks for the comprehensive list. I'll check the CJ out more thoroughly with the list in hand. It's not a cream puff but it just might be something I can have some fun with as a first project Jeep.

Steve