akajeepjim
Basic User
Last year as I got my Scrambler "running" again for the spring, the heater core started to leak. Since I had the heater box out I decided that it would be a good time to also replace that passenger floorboard that I bought but hadn't gotten around to yet. The more I cut the worse things looked. When Covid threatened to give me some time off work I decided it was finally time to swap in the frame that I bought off Ebay 15 years ago. Once I had the tub off, I got the call to go back to work, and my garage project slowed to a crawl that took all summer and into the fall. This gave all my neighbors a chance to keep tabs on my progress as they would be out for a walk. Everyone seemed impressed that I was able to reassemble everything and actually drive it.
A couple weeks ago one of the neighbors knocked on my door and introduced herself. She said that she had a friend who "has an old CJ that's been parked for a few years," and would I be willing to help get her in the right direction to getting it back on the road again? I got the call from the friend last week and in her message she described it as a CJ longbed. I agreed to drive by after work and take a look. I was over the moon when I pulled up and realized that she had a Scrambler! She really didn't know alot about them or how rare and unusual they are. She told me about how it used to belong to her father, and she insisted that he sell it to her, which he did for a DOLLAR. She used to use it all the time to haul her canoe on top and take it out fly fishing.
She knew it deserved better than to sit and rot under the trees next to the shed. A quick look verified 83 base model, Iron Duke GM 4 cyl, 5speed. Some rust on just about every panel, and some flaking on the frame rails near the ends and at some of the body mounts. It was parked when the clutch hydraulics gave out, and it had a bad oil leak at the back of the motor and used more power steering fluid than gas. The plates expired in 09, but the next oil change was due in 02 according to the sticker in the windshield.
I spun the fan over by hand and verified the motor wasn't locked up, and that there was oil in the pan. Yanked the battery out of my Scrambler and found out hers cranked over. A little fresh gasoline in the carb and it fired on the first try. She wept tears of joy. There was a solid brake pedal still, and the tires still had air in them, so we towed it back to my house with a strap for a slow 3 mile Scrambler Parade.
My goal is to help her get it back in good enough shape to run and drive, but taking things one step at a time.
-Jim
A couple weeks ago one of the neighbors knocked on my door and introduced herself. She said that she had a friend who "has an old CJ that's been parked for a few years," and would I be willing to help get her in the right direction to getting it back on the road again? I got the call from the friend last week and in her message she described it as a CJ longbed. I agreed to drive by after work and take a look. I was over the moon when I pulled up and realized that she had a Scrambler! She really didn't know alot about them or how rare and unusual they are. She told me about how it used to belong to her father, and she insisted that he sell it to her, which he did for a DOLLAR. She used to use it all the time to haul her canoe on top and take it out fly fishing.
She knew it deserved better than to sit and rot under the trees next to the shed. A quick look verified 83 base model, Iron Duke GM 4 cyl, 5speed. Some rust on just about every panel, and some flaking on the frame rails near the ends and at some of the body mounts. It was parked when the clutch hydraulics gave out, and it had a bad oil leak at the back of the motor and used more power steering fluid than gas. The plates expired in 09, but the next oil change was due in 02 according to the sticker in the windshield.
I spun the fan over by hand and verified the motor wasn't locked up, and that there was oil in the pan. Yanked the battery out of my Scrambler and found out hers cranked over. A little fresh gasoline in the carb and it fired on the first try. She wept tears of joy. There was a solid brake pedal still, and the tires still had air in them, so we towed it back to my house with a strap for a slow 3 mile Scrambler Parade.
My goal is to help her get it back in good enough shape to run and drive, but taking things one step at a time.
-Jim
