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Finally bought a scrambler. '81 Iron Duke

Quixote Kid

Member
City
Terlingua
State
TX
Currently own a '77 CJ5 and have enjoyed the heck out of it for the last 1.5 years. But I needed more leg room and more room for tools, coolers and such while out on the trails of west Texas.

I've looked at almost every ad on CL, FB and any other place I could think of to find an 8 over the last few months.

I was looking for something I could use as a daily driver and a weekend trail Jeep. I commute 35 miles to work each day through the chihuahuan desert of west TX near Big Bend National Park. I have 7 miles of fairly rocky dirt road, 13 miles of bumpy county road and the rest at 70mph state hiway.

While this wasn't exactly what I was looking for, it's what was available and what I could afford. A little rustier than I prefer and it has a carb issue and occasionally pops out of 2nd gear, but I think I can work with it.

My skills are NOTHING like what y'all are doing, but my end goal is to have a daily driver that I enjoy, doesn't strand me in the desert, and if it gets some desert pin-stripping from mesquite thorns I don't care.

I'll have a ton of questions just to figure out exactly what I have and some ideas on how to move forward fixing it.

So to start with it's an '81 scrambler with the Iron Duke 4 cyl, 4 speed. Immediate goals are to get dry rotted tires off, and put new wheels/tires on, and fix carb/fuel issue so I can make it a daily driver, get it to pass TX inspection and registered/tagged. It was registered in NM.

Lastly, to get this purchase approved through the family accountant (lovely wife) I had to agree to sell the CJ5. It'll be a sad day to see it go, but I know that ultimately I'll enjoy the 8 more in the long run.

IMG_0735.PNGIMG_0736.PNGIMG_0737.PNGIMG_0739.PNG
 
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Belizeit

CJ-8 Member
Gold Member
City
River Ridge
State
La
Looks like a good bones scrambler. I like the wheels also. Once you do some work on it, it should be a good one.
 

masscj2a

Rebuilding America's Jeep
BENEFACTOR
Gold Member
Lifetime Member
City
Ware
State
MA
Welcome and have fun with your 8. That are a little bit of work, but once done, it's awesome.
 

HighSierra CJ

Scrambler Enthusiast
BENEFACTOR
Gold Member
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Ducor
State
Ca
Currently own a '77 CJ5 and have enjoyed the heck out of it for the last 1.5 years. But I needed more leg room and more room for tools, coolers and such while out on the trails of west Texas.

I've looked at almost every ad on CL, FB and any other place I could think of to find an 8 over the last few months.

I was looking for something I could use as a daily driver and a weekend trail Jeep. I commute 35 miles to work each day through the chihuahuan desert of west TX near Big Bend National Park. I have 7 miles of fairly rocky dirt road, 13 miles of bumpy county road and the rest at 70mph state hiway.

While this wasn't exactly what I was looking for, it's what was available and what I could afford. A little rustier than I prefer and it has a carb issue and occasionally pops out of 2nd gear, but I think I can work with it.

My skills are NOTHING like what y'all are doing, but my end goal is to have a daily driver that I enjoy, doesn't strand me in the desert, and if it gets some desert pin-stripping from mesquite thorns I don't care.

I'll have a ton of questions just to figure out exactly what I have and some ideas on how to move forward fixing it.

So to start with it's an '81 scrambler with the Iron Duke 4 cyl, 4 speed. Immediate goals are to get dry rotted tires off, and put new wheels/tires on, and fix carb/fuel issue so I can make it a daily driver, get it to pass TX inspection and registered/tagged. It was registered in NM.

Lastly, to get this purchase approved through the family accountant (lovely wife) I had to agree to sell the CJ5. It'll be a sad day to see it go, but I know that ultimately I'll enjoy the 8 more in the long run.

View attachment 68753View attachment 68754View attachment 68755View attachment 68756
As far as carb issues, I would start with the fuel filters. There is a fuel filter inside the carburetor where your fuel line comes into the carburetor. A lot of people are unaware of this filter. That would be the first thing I would check.
Good luck with your new project, and congratulations. Looks like a nice jeep !
 

Rosco1974

Scrambler Junkie
BENEFACTOR
Gold Member
Lifetime Member
City
Oklahoma City
State
OK
Congrats and welcome to the party.

Definitely tires, but I think those wheels are money. What wheels are you thinking?
 

Quixote Kid

Member
City
Terlingua
State
TX
Thanks everyone for the welcome. I'll have a lot of questions and hope to gain some insight and knowledge from y'all.

IMG_0747.JPG

Because we were in El Paso we decided to spend the night. Where we live we are 80 miles from the closest town and 2.5 hrs away from the closest Walmart, so while we were 'in town' we managed to get some grocery and other shopping done and then visited with a friend who was in EP this weekend.

I'm fairly certain I will sell the wheels, do y'all think they are worth anything?

I have traditional white wagon wheels on the CJ5 with 32" BFGoodrich K2O all terrains and I'd like to just move them over to the 8, but since the 8 is all stock not sure they will fit without rubbing.

I also stopped at O,Reilly's while I was in town. They didn't have the carb filter in stock but did have a see-through inline filter. Got it and that'll help me at least determine if fuel issue is before or after. My gut is telling me that carb is gummed up because PO says it sat for almost 3 years. He also said he had carb rebuilt before it sat. I'll find out more tomorrow once it's daylight.
 

Belizeit

CJ-8 Member
Gold Member
City
River Ridge
State
La
With that Marshalls in the background I was thinking you were in downtown Marfa. :)
 

Quixote Kid

Member
City
Terlingua
State
TX
With that Marshalls in the background I was thinking you were in downtown Marfa. :)

Haha, on the way home we did go by the Marfa Prada store. Started to pull over and get a picture of the scrambler in front of it, but there was too many hipsters in skinny jeans taking selfies there.

IMG_0754.JPG
(Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)
 
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walkerhoundvm

Just trying to stay upright
Lifetime Member
City
Cave Creek
State
AZ
The wheels are worth what someone will pay for them. I had a junk yard wanting $400 for a set (I passed), but I think $200 is a little more reasonable. Too bad you don't have a matching spare. Do you know what width they are? You just might want to hold on to them... New buyers typically regret selling off parts - ask anyone here.

Those 32s will be a tight fit on a stock suspension. They'd be happier with at least 2.5"s of room, and the jeep would look better too :)

Good luck on this one - it's a great start but it'll take some work to make it the daily driver you're wanting. Maybe even an engine rebuild or swap.
 
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ag4ever

Average Nut
BENEFACTOR
Gold Member
Silver Member
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Richmond
State
TX
If you decide to do an engine swap, your bell housing is the same bolt pattern as a SBC.
 
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