- City
- Ooltewah
- State
- TN
I've been meaning to build a thread here for almost a year. This thread is post-build, so it will be pretty brief. I'll make it pic heavy since we all like pics, after a short intro and mod list.
My history with Jeeps:
I got a 1967 Kaiser CJ-5 when I was 17 years old. It had a 4 cylinder with a manual 3-speed transmission and Gumbo Mudder retreads.
I upgraded to a 1977 CJ-7 Renegade a couple of years later. It had the 304, automatic, tilt, air, hardtop, ps, pb, and even cruise control. I drove it through my college years, then I bought a more practical car when I started working full time and got married.
I was in my late 30s when I bought a 1981 Jeep CJ7 Renegade. It had the inline 6 with a 4-speed. It ran well, looked good, and we enjoyed driving it (mostly just in good weather with the top off) for around 10 years before selling it.
The next year I bought the Scrambler (17 years ago). It had received a partial restoration by Toy Box Jeeps in Holly Hill, Florida. As far as I could tell, Toy Box did good work, but the PO had run the Jeep hard afterwards. At the time I bought it, it had a few small rust holes in the tub (floor pans and rockers). It had a SBC 350 and a TF999 automatic transmission. The drivetrain was always reliable, but it felt a little tired from the start. I knew I would rebuild the Scrambler at some point; my life finally slowed down a few years ago, so I started the tear down.
The plan:
From the time I first saw a CJ7 Laredo, I wanted one. I could have bought a new one in '85 or '86. My wife and I were both working full time, but we were new homeowners, and I was just too practical at the time to pull the trigger.
So now that I'm old and not very practical, I decided that I'd rebuild the Scrambler as a Laredo Edition (or SL Edition). I wanted the finished product to look more stock than modified, at least with the hood closed. Exceptions, other than functionality, would be Wrangler half steel doors and a full-length soft top that I'll run year-round (with the window panels removed in the warmer months).
Here are some of the mods, in no particular order:
1. Complete drivetrain from Novak - 5.3L Generation III (LM7) with a 4L60E automatic mated to my rebuilt Dana 300 with twin sticks
2. Dual Exhaust with mild Borla mufflers
3. Dana 489 rear differential from East Coast Gear Supply
4. OME 36R springs front and rear
5. Crabtree Tool shackles (stock length) and hangers
6. Bilstein shocks
7. Chief Wahoo rear crossmember (the only deterioration on my frame was around the tub mounts. The mounts on the rear crossmember were the worst.)
8. Blazer heater
9. H1 steering box
10. Borgeson steering shaft
11. Wolfe Lower Steering Column Bearing
12. Tom Woods front and rear driveshafts
13. OEM Clock refurbished by Instrument Services
14. OK4WD drag link flip
15. SpeedHut gauges and GPS Speedometer
16. BFG T/A KO2 32x11.5
17. Fuel lines from AN Plumbing
18. Brake lines from Inline Tube
19. Dirt Worx rear bumper
I had picked up a lot of oem parts over the years (most of which I refurbished). I got Laredo seats, a leather grab bar, a leather steering wheel with the Laredo horn button, side steps, rocker moldings, spare tire carrier, fender mount jack, plastic front frame cover, Jeep storage box (not sure if or how I'll use the box), and 5 chrome 15x8 wheels with chrome centers.
The frame, rocker moldings, side steps, spare tire carrier, jack, and lots of smaller pieces were powder coated in a 'black anodized' color. My boat trailer was all I had to transport the frame to powder coating; it worked. I was able to load it and unload it by myself.
My mechanical skills have always been limited. I studied lots of work done on this site. Thank you to the mechanically inclined for the pics and write ups! I was able to handle assembly of the rolling chassis. I considered taking on the body work and painting. Out of everything that was lacking (equipment, space, skills), space was the biggest issue that sent me looking for a local body shop.
The hangers, shackles, springs, etc. - my first experience in doing this type of work. Now that it's done, I think it went pretty well. The toughest part for me was tying the H1 and bracket into the driver's side front hanger. One of my original weld nuts broke off. I fished it out and fished in a new grade 8, flanged, serrated nut that I had to hold in place with a coat hanger while I lined up all the pieces. I got lucky; the new nut bit and all bolts were torqued to spec.
This was the second time in my life to use an engine hoist. The first time was when I removed the old 350 and TF999 during the tear down. Here's a pic just before I gave up on my initial attempt to set the driveline. The hoist piston was hitting the front crossmember of the frame and the engine was still close to 2 feet short of the mounts. The pic doesn't show the leveler, but I cranked the leveler from one end to the other and was still way off.
My history with Jeeps:
I got a 1967 Kaiser CJ-5 when I was 17 years old. It had a 4 cylinder with a manual 3-speed transmission and Gumbo Mudder retreads.
I upgraded to a 1977 CJ-7 Renegade a couple of years later. It had the 304, automatic, tilt, air, hardtop, ps, pb, and even cruise control. I drove it through my college years, then I bought a more practical car when I started working full time and got married.
I was in my late 30s when I bought a 1981 Jeep CJ7 Renegade. It had the inline 6 with a 4-speed. It ran well, looked good, and we enjoyed driving it (mostly just in good weather with the top off) for around 10 years before selling it.
The next year I bought the Scrambler (17 years ago). It had received a partial restoration by Toy Box Jeeps in Holly Hill, Florida. As far as I could tell, Toy Box did good work, but the PO had run the Jeep hard afterwards. At the time I bought it, it had a few small rust holes in the tub (floor pans and rockers). It had a SBC 350 and a TF999 automatic transmission. The drivetrain was always reliable, but it felt a little tired from the start. I knew I would rebuild the Scrambler at some point; my life finally slowed down a few years ago, so I started the tear down.
The plan:
From the time I first saw a CJ7 Laredo, I wanted one. I could have bought a new one in '85 or '86. My wife and I were both working full time, but we were new homeowners, and I was just too practical at the time to pull the trigger.
So now that I'm old and not very practical, I decided that I'd rebuild the Scrambler as a Laredo Edition (or SL Edition). I wanted the finished product to look more stock than modified, at least with the hood closed. Exceptions, other than functionality, would be Wrangler half steel doors and a full-length soft top that I'll run year-round (with the window panels removed in the warmer months).
Here are some of the mods, in no particular order:
1. Complete drivetrain from Novak - 5.3L Generation III (LM7) with a 4L60E automatic mated to my rebuilt Dana 300 with twin sticks
2. Dual Exhaust with mild Borla mufflers
3. Dana 489 rear differential from East Coast Gear Supply
4. OME 36R springs front and rear
5. Crabtree Tool shackles (stock length) and hangers
6. Bilstein shocks
7. Chief Wahoo rear crossmember (the only deterioration on my frame was around the tub mounts. The mounts on the rear crossmember were the worst.)
8. Blazer heater
9. H1 steering box
10. Borgeson steering shaft
11. Wolfe Lower Steering Column Bearing
12. Tom Woods front and rear driveshafts
13. OEM Clock refurbished by Instrument Services
14. OK4WD drag link flip
15. SpeedHut gauges and GPS Speedometer
16. BFG T/A KO2 32x11.5
17. Fuel lines from AN Plumbing
18. Brake lines from Inline Tube
19. Dirt Worx rear bumper
I had picked up a lot of oem parts over the years (most of which I refurbished). I got Laredo seats, a leather grab bar, a leather steering wheel with the Laredo horn button, side steps, rocker moldings, spare tire carrier, fender mount jack, plastic front frame cover, Jeep storage box (not sure if or how I'll use the box), and 5 chrome 15x8 wheels with chrome centers.
The frame, rocker moldings, side steps, spare tire carrier, jack, and lots of smaller pieces were powder coated in a 'black anodized' color. My boat trailer was all I had to transport the frame to powder coating; it worked. I was able to load it and unload it by myself.
My mechanical skills have always been limited. I studied lots of work done on this site. Thank you to the mechanically inclined for the pics and write ups! I was able to handle assembly of the rolling chassis. I considered taking on the body work and painting. Out of everything that was lacking (equipment, space, skills), space was the biggest issue that sent me looking for a local body shop.
The hangers, shackles, springs, etc. - my first experience in doing this type of work. Now that it's done, I think it went pretty well. The toughest part for me was tying the H1 and bracket into the driver's side front hanger. One of my original weld nuts broke off. I fished it out and fished in a new grade 8, flanged, serrated nut that I had to hold in place with a coat hanger while I lined up all the pieces. I got lucky; the new nut bit and all bolts were torqued to spec.
This was the second time in my life to use an engine hoist. The first time was when I removed the old 350 and TF999 during the tear down. Here's a pic just before I gave up on my initial attempt to set the driveline. The hoist piston was hitting the front crossmember of the frame and the engine was still close to 2 feet short of the mounts. The pic doesn't show the leveler, but I cranked the leveler from one end to the other and was still way off.
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