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CJ8 Scrambled is now a garage pet

jpnmaine

Well-known member
Member
City
East Wilton
State
ME
I have been working on the Scrambler since the beginning of December. The Scrambler is an 81 and had the 151 engine with a 4 speed. I will keep the 300 and junk the rest.The focus was to get the body separated from the frame, stow it out of the way and make repairs to the frame so the body could be reinstalled for body work.IMG_20191116_113809984.jpg

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The scrambler's frame was less than desirable. Sitting in the woods didn't help. So the quest was on to find another frame and in time one was found a few towns west of me. But it was a CJ7 frame and tub that had rolled and the owner had parked out back on mill felt...frozen into the ground, with a foot of snow..what to do? Well that is another story. Needless to say the frame and tub were eventually dragged, and then plank skidded onto a beaver tail and brought home to be freed of the tub. With the two tubs side by side and a day or two drinking beer, taking measurements and trying to think of the easiest way to go about this to come out with a CJ8 frame.
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Grinder Ready. Cut Time.
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It was a lot easier to take to the blaster in two pieces. And easier to clean the insides out. The cuts were staggered, and the inside tube was opened up to stagger the seam and be able to weld a strong back to the inside or the outside frame rail.
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Originally I was going to use tubing, and slide it into each section of frame, bend up some plate steel and skin the outsides to bring flush. But I didn't like how the tubing fit internally and changed course to the strong back idea. And then bent some plate up. 3/16 plate outside, 1/8 tubing cut for the inside.
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Its getting late and 0400 comes around pretty quickly. More to Follow.
 

Pman

Busted Knuckles
Lifetime Member
City
Mount Pleasant
State
SC
Very impressed that you’re taking this on. What a great start! Subscribed!
 

MrBeep

CJ-8 Vendor Supporter
Member
SOA Member
CJ-8.com Vendor
City
Dillsboro
State
IN
Nice start. Keep up the good work:wave:
 

jpnmaine

Well-known member
Member
City
East Wilton
State
ME
Thanks all. I will get some more photos organized and post the progress.
MrBeep. I hope you are on the mend and that your discomfort is manageable to allow the things you enjoy.
Elusive. The plan is to eventually have a road worthy 8. The fun is getting there. Frame, YJ leaf conversion, AMC 20 tear down..all though...it is in really rough shape. Pumpkin has the A stamp so it is geared a little better. The front dana probably isn't any better. So I might shop around for a pair of rears as a direct replacement. With a rolling frame, the body work will follow and finally a re-power.
 

jpnmaine

Well-known member
Member
City
East Wilton
State
ME
Need to back up a little. a few pics of the 7 frame before and after cutting.
It was a little challenging because of alignment concerns once the cuts were made. Table was built flat to the frame bottom to help align the horizontal plane. String lines and corner to corner took care of the rest.


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Outside rails tacked in setting up to complete the outside Welds
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Outside rail complete, flanges trimmed back. Onto the inside.
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Fit up and final checks.
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Other side.
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I will check some frame measurements, set up for final weld and get burning. For now. Stay healthy.
 

jpnmaine

Well-known member
Member
City
East Wilton
State
ME
Finished welding up the frame rails.
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And then followed up with relocating the body mounts forward of the rear spring mounts. Original mounts on the 7 frame were behind the rear spring mounts. These were removed, cleaned up and moved forward.
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Some of the body mounts were less than desirable. 1/8" plate and a hole saw made full platforms and the rusty tops were cut off and new tops welded in place
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With the 2 body mounts relocated and the rest of the 7's frame mounts reconditioned it was time to address the final 7 frame mod to make it an 8. The rear extensions. More to follow. Stay safe and healthy.
 

jpnmaine

Well-known member
Member
City
East Wilton
State
ME
Well the Mill that I work in made national headlines. Usually its a Recovery boiler expanding at the seams that causes havoc, but this time it was a digester which is like a refining tower that burst and took out the other digester. Life's blood of the mill. Not sure if the company has pockets deep enough to tackle this. Time will tell. Highway is absent of logging trucks. Never thought I would miss that sound. Enough said.
Rear frame extensions. I originally was planning on using square tubing and bent metal, but I realized that the 8's as rusty as they were, were really still solid. So they were quickly cut off.
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They cleaned up nicely. Left the body mount intact on the extension side and glad that I did. I then looked at the gas tank cross member still on the 8 and proceeded to see if I could salvage that onto what was left of the 7. But in the end it just turned into an experiment. It was too rusty to get beyond tack welds. So more plate was bent.
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Found I was a little too aggressive on the original cuts. It would have worked but not in helping to support the extensions. So there was a need for another.
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Table set up, madness, fit up.
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This was the first attempt
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Second go around.
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And final weld up and body mount extension repairs
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Next up is repairs to the frame..It is in the area of the frame that all CJ's are prone to and that previous photos show. I am actually looking at (again) robbing from the 8. An outside frame rail cut and used on the inside of opposite side frame rail of the 7. More to come. Be well.
 
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barrys

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
City
East Norriton
State
PA
Great work.
I saw that explosion on the evening news yesterday. Amazing nobody was hurt.
 

jpnmaine

Well-known member
Member
City
East Wilton
State
ME
Didn't get as much done as I would have liked. But there is progress, small as it it is.
Oh and found these photos prior to the 7 frame enhancements...Left me pondering. The 8 had the same ailment.
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These were taken with the frame right side down, resting on the main spring hanger mounts. The 8 was missing the passenger rear but was blocked up. Same sides had same issues and gap difference was close. I chose to leave it alone when final fit up was being done. IMG_20200227_143056439.jpg
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And so it begins.
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Outside cut out for the opposite inside.
For now. Need to bring in few more wheel barrows of wood....Hopefully this will be the last of it. Momma's cold. Stay well.
 
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jpnmaine

Well-known member
Member
City
East Wilton
State
ME
Got to play a little more on rust repairs to rear passenger rail. Rough fit up.
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Liked everything except the area by the rear shock mount.
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Couple of cuts and the start of tacking pieces in place
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Cleaned up my area of discontent.
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Tack up around rear gas tank cross member and frame extension.
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Tacks complete. Weld time. Tried to replicate the original strong back. Can't say it's pretty.
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Drivers side frame extension bent plate welded in. Mocked up the gas tank skid plate for support brace hole location. I plan on using the original 15 gal tank, but will modify it so a pump can be set inside. That is the thought right now. Would like to go bigger but don't like how the bigger tanks hang so low. Suggestions are welcome.
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jpnmaine

Well-known member
Member
City
East Wilton
State
ME
Few more pics.
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Rear frame repairs complete. Next area will be at the front of the frame. PO(s) used the driver side frame horn bumper bolt hole and radiator/steering gear support brace circular cutouts as tugging points. For now. Be well.
 

jpnmaine

Well-known member
Member
City
East Wilton
State
ME
So the front of the frame has seen some tugging. Do not think it lived a sheltered life. Pics are few for it was a quick job of filling in time before night shift. The 8 frame once again donated the needed section.
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Can see the damaged circular cut out on the front cross brace. Might either heat and beat or possibly just fill the depression and ground the back side. Not sure at the moment.
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Happy with the fit.
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Cleaned up and welded.
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The 7 frame is now an 8. I am a shoemaker and will wonder what measurement I read wrong, until the tub is resting on the frame. Next up will be the circular cut outs and then onto spring shackle mods for OME YJ spring conversion. Waiting to receive one leaf spring which will allow the conversion to begin. For now. Be well.
 

jpnmaine

Well-known member
Member
City
East Wilton
State
ME
Thanks cb. Days are getting very nice. Outside work is the priority before the black flies start a swarming. My frame was loaded onto my pickup to be sent to the blaster for a final go over and it will receive an epoxy primer followed up with a flat chassis black. Be a week or two. He has a skidder in the bay getting a makeover. I am patient. With the frame gone it frees up my other vice. Field is still a little wet but it will be moving out soon and will getting washed right off. Glad I thought to close the windows when I parked it.
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It came as a basket case.
Anyhow, the Frame circular cut outs were pretty beat and originally I was thinking of heating and beating the material back into shape. I chose to fill in the depression on the top and use a cut off wheel to cut the excess material on the bottom. Free hand clean up while my son was waiting to help drag it up to the truck. He wasn't impressed but I think it was more of his worry about being late for work and my form of punishment. It will only take a second...oh and one last thing. He was a help.
Think this was the driver side. Passenger side was a little worst.
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Cleaned up
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The other side finished.
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OME36R showed up prior to the frame leaving. And I promptly pressed a bushing in it to start the YJ conversion on the front end.
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Looks nice.
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Have to do some picture organization before the next posting. Front shackle mounts have been fabbed up. Took a little time and I hope they work. Until the next time. Be well.
 

jpnmaine

Well-known member
Member
City
East Wilton
State
ME
So this is a continuation of making up front shackle hangers for a YJ leaf spring conversion that I have wanted to do for some time. I didn't buy a kit of someone else's hanger although I do like what is offered and they are an option. I started by ordering a used YJ front shackle mount for 10$ just to kick it around and see what would develop. The front frame rail is to narrow for the hanger to just be welded to. However, the back of the frame where the rear hanger would mount was; but that will be later. Reading many forums on this conversion process I took the liberty to just drill out the rivets. I didn't want to drill a larger hole in the base plate for the rivet to fit in and felt an additional hole for a bolt couldn't hurt.
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Using the CJ's front hanger as a template a new base plate was made.
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Playing with the YJ hanger to see how it would best fit in the new location of the frame. The bent tabs that would have wrapped down the sides of the frame were eventually cut off.
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and even the remaining crease on both side were eventually removed as the design evolved. This would set the hanger down closer to the base plate and in my mind when burn time came around I would have better control on penetration. But first there was a need to address how the front bumper would be bolted to the underside of the frame, so that was tackled next. 3/8" plate milled to the bumpers thickness.
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The shackle hanger's curvature in relation to the plate's bumper bolt hole will not allow a bolt and nut set up..no room. A beer or two later and an idea was born. The jig.
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A carriage bolt.
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Drilled and tapped
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Cut flush with a cut off wheel
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Dry assembled
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A week later the other YJ shackle hanger arrived.
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jpnmaine

Well-known member
Member
City
East Wilton
State
ME
Last pic really shows how the hanger fits to the plate. Originally I was going to leave the crease and V weld the crease and base plate. But as I looked at how it really fitted up the crease was not necessary, it would have bulked up the sides and make it more noticeable. Trimming it flush fit it to the side of the base plate and made it look cleaner.
Tack up. Needed to have the rivet bolt in place. More on that later. I also know the limitation of my welder 1/4" no problem 3/8" it will do it but I start to question penetration and it just looks cold. So propane and an IR gun was used to heat the assembly up to 300 deg.
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Second tack up and preheat.
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Finished product
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Clean up and my Ima moment.
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Using different bolts for different anchoring points. Rivet bolts go down through more material so the bolts need to be longer. Grabbed one of the short bolts that were meant to bolt to the frame. This rivet bolt and nut combo will be just that. No room for a lock washer. Nut will have full engagement without it. I did think of cutting the hanger off or trimming the back side to get it out. Some other time.....sure.
Thats how it looks. Flat chassis black in the future.
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Leaf spring.
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Ordered three more OME's and two more YJ shackle hangers for the rear. Only oddity I see is how the leaf spring hangs from driver side to passenger. The spring pack does not land in the same spot. This is the drivers side and I had to pull the spring over to the left for it to center. Passenger side very little. Back does the same on the same sides. Although the rear hanger mounts are not centered on the frame rail like the fronts are.
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Getting late. I will show what I mean in next post.
 
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jpnmaine

Well-known member
Member
City
East Wilton
State
ME
Busy Summer..Hate to see the days get shorter; sunset is 1902. Poked away on the frame when the days were wet or a little too warm (hot). But I won't complain...know what's coming.
It is painted and ready.
20200809_193528.jpg hung some stuff on it to slowly get the parts and pieces out of boxes and start freeing up space. 20200809_193544.jpg
YJ shackle mounts installed
20200903_110609.jpg Front, rear 20200903_110643.jpg and a hung axle. 20200907_073519.jpg 20200907_073553.jpg Needed to shave a little on the differential for the ubolt, but not much. Caster angle has been a thought, not sure how the YJ leaf spring conversion affected it and I never measured prior to disassembly.
Next up should be pics of the Dana 30 build. Long story short..I thought I had narrow track axles (1981 build). So picked up a front wide track..only to find I had one. The new one had a lunch box locker so all was not lost. Original carrier and axle housing was used..all new ring bolts, bearings and shims.
 

jpnmaine

Well-known member
Member
City
East Wilton
State
ME
Dana 30 rebuild pics. This is an excellent DIY article.
20200724_124612.jpg read it a few times before the undertaking.
20200711_142447.jpgOrdered a rebuild kit and measuring shims.
20200711_135633.jpg An empty carrier.
20200724_115331.jpgGetting inner pinion race ground and prepped to measure pinion depth. 20200624_113422.jpg Depth set.
Moving onto set bearing preload.20200624_120051.jpg 20200724_120421 (2).jpg
30 uses shims to set load, the 20 uses a crush sleeve. Like the shim set up better. Will do shims for the 20 when the time comes.
This is ready to go in. Trial bearings and shims installed. 20200624_113511.jpg
 
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