Picking Up My First Jeep in the Next Week!

[jlysaght3]

After going off-roading in the South Jersey Pine Barrens with my girlfriend and her parents in their Jeeps, I am finally picking up a Jeep of my own: an '81 Scrambler with the 4.2L and (sadly) automatic transmission!

I'm a Ford Diesel technician at a local Ford store in South Jersey and have a number of carbureted motorcycles (Yamaha's, Maxims and a Virago). I love tinkering with older motor equipment, and look forward to the Scrambler as my next project / weekend toy.

I don't have pictures to post yet, but I can give some info on the CJ:

4.2L Straight 6, motor put in ~5 years ago
3 Speed Auto trans - I plan on swapping out for either a T5, T18, or similar
Lifted with 31" tires - the tires are about 7-8 years old but all are 13/16 and up in tread
Matching 31" spare
4-point Harness seats, front bucket seats, rear bench with 2 4-point harness belts
Soft top
Full roll cage
Metal doors installed, frame doors included
68,xxx miles
Steel cable winch (operational) mounted on the front bumper
Brand new U-joint bearings in a box in the back seat, still in original packaging
20lb- CO2 tank with airline in a welded support box in the cargo area (will convert to a N2 tank with appropriate regulators and pressure gauge)

The bad:
Two frame cracks:
1. Right front frame at the bumper, hairline crack approx 1.25 inches from the top of the frame
2. Left front frame directly above the front axle, hairline approx. 1.5 inches from the top of the frame

I have made arrangements with a coworker of mine to have my frame cracks repaired. I have plans to repaint the Jeep and slowly upgrade/replace/restore components. I plan on swapping to a manual transmission down the road too.

I'm John, and I'm looking forward to the new project and the community of Scrambler owners here!

 

[LetchcoreCJ7]

Sounds like a great starting point! Welcome

 

[gr8dain]

Welcome. Sounds like a fun project.

 

[don87401]

Welcome

 

[jlysaght3]

Thanks for the friendly greetings!

I brought home my Jeep today, in physicality only. The P.O. is working on getting the title for me - before anyone goes crazy about this know that I have known the guy for years and there is no funny business here, it just got misplaced somewhere in his Army career of relocating from base to base and he and I discussed how to get the replacement title from Washington state (he's in NC, I'm in NJ).

I did have a chance to go through everything that is in the back of the Scrambler and here is what all I found:
Soft and hard doors, in decent shape
Full soft top installed, shorter soft top in near-new condition sitting in the back
Snow chains for 1 axle
Brand new U-joints for the rear axle
Used ring and pinion gears for both axles (unsure what ratios they are, did not count the teeth)
CO2 tank in the trunk with an air line and tire inflator gauge - I will be swapping this out for a Nitrogen tank at my local welding supply distributor
Many more random items I am sure I have forgotten

I began looking over the Scrambler to get an idea of what all I need to do to it. I did take it around the block and it definitely needs tie rod ends, shocks, a new fuel filler neck hose, brakes front and rear from lot rot, and two new battieries (a P.O. had installed a battery isolator and ran the winch off of a secondary battery, it is a 9,000lb winch). It also probably needs plugs, wires, a good cleaning, and for all the gas in the tank to be drained or run through it so fresh gas can make its way in and I can get it tuned right. The fuel gauge does not work (both the original and an aftermarket one installed with a radiator fan controller in place of the radio). I do plan on throwing a basic head unit in this for FM listening, and probably a CB radio seeing as how all the wiring is in place for one.

I have a few questions for those with more experience in vehicle customization and CJ familiarity:

1. I need to replace the shocks all around, and I need to either determine the lift kit that has been installed or remove and measure the fully extended length of the shocks on it now (I would prefer to do both, so figuring out what size lift kit is installed is where I need help here).
2. Keeping the lift kit in mind, will I still be using the stock steering linkage between the Pitman arm and the Right hub, or is there a longer linkage I should be ordering? (I understand that it may be impossible to answer this until the lift height has been correctly identified).
3. What are the recommended suppliers and brands for aftermarket parts for the Scramblers? I typically trust Moog for my car suspension components - is it wise to stick with Moog, or are there better/more appropriate suppliers for vehicles with a primary purpose of off-road use?

I'm sure I'll be asking more questions as time goes on. Thanks for the input everyone!

 

[Kim Dawson]

Your '81 originally had the short shock mounts on the frame at the front and the lower mount on the plate held on by the U bolts. Sometimes people cut the mounts off the frame and bolt on the tall shock mounts or switch to wide track axles that have the shock mount on the housing. Not knowing all the details, best to just measure the travel you need and get the shocks to suit.

 

[jlysaght3]

Kim, Thank you for the input. I was afraid that would be the case.

On a side note, I think I have a reliable link to a picture of my CJ8 up finally:

 

[opelgtboy]

Hey John. Congrats on the Scrambler. There are 2 of us Scrambler owners in Glassboro and I know of one near you.

Karl

 

[jlysaght3]

Hey John. Congrats on the Scrambler. There are 2 of us Scrambler owners in Glassboro and I know of one near you.

Karl

Wow I didn't expect to find someone so close by with a Scrambler. That's good to know that some of the community is so close. I'm in West Deptford by the ShopRite on 45. We aren't more than 20 minutes apart!

 

[opelgtboy]

Wow I didn't expect to find someone so close by with a Scrambler. That's good to know that some of the community is so close. I'm in West Deptford by the ShopRite on 45. We aren't more than 20 minutes apart!

Right. Im near Kmart in Glassboro.

Karl

 

[bigwalton]

Congrats and welcome!!

Some photos of the suspension setup under the rig will help on getting everything figured out. Most of the time, a lift doesn't require a new drag link, many lifts come with a drop pitman arm, which isn't ideal, but helps make things work. If you're getting into replacing things. Let's see what you have and go from there.

If you do have a drop arm and are replacing steering stuff anyway, I'd strongly suggest going to a tie rod flip kit that moves the tie rod on top of the arms on the knuckle and going back to a stock/flat pitman arm. Helps with all the angles, raises the tie rod out of harm's way and gets you back some of the steering throw lost with typical drop pitman arms.

Sounds like you have a good plan of attack, this is the really fun bit where you make it your own while making it solid and reliable, enjoy!!

 

[Hayduke]

The Automatic trans you have is likely a Chrysler Torqflight 999, It's a solid trans and I've been running one for 20 years and I offroad pretty hard. I feel the auto is actually better for offroad use. Don't Immediately write it off!

 

[jerseyjeeps]

Right. Im near Kmart in Glassboro.

Karl

I am in Northern NJ by Lake Hopatcong but grew up near Ocean City NJ....Welcome to the boards. Keep an eye out for the Wildwood NJ Beach Jeep show Fathers day weekend, and the PA Jeeps Show in York, PA July 18 weekend. Several members with Scramblers will be in attendance. Best of luck with the Scrambler!

 

[jlysaght3]

Okay, so I had a chance to get some photos and measurements of my suspension for comparison and notes.

I measured my shocks front and rear at rest - this is with the Jeep sitting unloaded on its own suspension. Front shocks at rest are 24", rear are 22".
Also looked at the front steering - the pitman arm is a drop-down style. The links are mounted under the steering knuckles so I definitely see moving them above as mandatory - it just makes sense.

I also have some pictures of the suspension so everyone can see what has been done to lift the Jeep. I can provide measurements as needed for those pictures. I will also caption each picture (under the picture) with a description. Be aware all pictures were taken of the right side (passenger side) of the Jeep. Left side is identical.

For reference, all tires on the Jeep are 33x12.5.15.

Steering linkages. Pitman arm is a drop-down type. All linkages connected under the steering knuckles, I DO plan on moving these ABOVE the knuckles. It appears the L-R linkage is bent upwards, possibly from a P.O. impact/obstacle.

Pitman arm better view - appears to be at least a 3-4 inch drop. The ball joint at the end of the Pitman arm is shot - if I replace the whole arm and get something better I am absolutely OK with that.

Front suspension. Shock mount - at frame, right side. 24-inch total shock length at rest.

Front suspension. Shock mount - at axle, right side. Mounted to a plate attached to the bottom of the springs.

Rear suspension. Shock mounting, right side. Appears to be attached to factory shock mount on frame, bottom bracket of axle mount on rear axle. 22-inch total shock length at rest.

Front suspension, right side. Front spring mount point, for lift reference.

Front suspension, right side. Rear spring mount point, for lift reference.

Rear suspension, right side. Front spring mount point, for lift reference.

Rear suspension, right side. Rear suspension mount point, for lift reference.