Yup, definitely worth it. Once they're done with it, I'm having it hot dip galvanized and powder coated. Not quite a money-no-object build, but I'm spending what I have to in order to get it done within the next few months and make it last a long time. I was going to buy a new JL Scrambler next year (wife is getting a JLU Sahara this year), but decided to do this instead.
Project JPSK8 - my last build??
- Thread starter Jeepskate
- Start date
I dropped the frame and a few other items off at the dip-stripper out in Toledo on Saturday, so I should have that back within a couple of weeks. Found a small 'decoating' place right by my job, so I'm taking some of the smaller stuff that I want to have galvanized there tomorrow for stripping. New AFW body mount brackets, AutoFab AMC V8 mounts & Four x Doctor gas tank skid plate arrived last week. The engine shop is working up the estimate for the rebuild (engine sat outside somewhere along the line before I got it, so they have to go 30 over to clean it up)...keeping close to stock, just using a Lunati Voodoo cam & lifters and will probably go EFI. Have to plan a day to run up to Medina to the plating & coating shop to get the thinner items done. Looks like I'm on track to start putting it back together around mid-March, should be closing on the STX house at the end of March.
New valve covers arrived Friday along with several other odds and ends during the week (tube doors, hardware for the factory rocker trim, billet w/s brackets & dash overlay, etc). Ran out to redhancho's place for an impromptu shopping trip on Saturday and picked up a pair of '80 Laredo blue front seats (someone else beat me to the rear seat), a Laredo grill overlay, an NOS pair of parking light lenses and for the CJ-7, a NOS set of Laredo decals. Got up a little extra early this morning & drove out to Toledo to drop off the front clip & bulkhead at the stripper & pickup the frame and also swung by Bullet Liner to discuss lining the new tub & the front clip. They did an excellent job on the frame and I was surprised to find that the front shock mounts had rotted through and the frame was partially rotted behind them and in a couple of other spots. I went straight to work with it (was able to still put in a half day) and unloaded it in the welding shop for the top couple of students to work on. They'll patch it, replace both rear crossmembers, and replace the body mount brackets (a couple were completely shot, most of the rest won't survive the heat from the galvanizing process). Should be done this week, have to check in with the blaster up the street for an ETA on the parts that he has, then it's off to the galvanizer.
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Slow going on the frame due to students wrapping up their certifications, but it's coming along. Engine shop is almost done with the 360, probably have it back next week I think (I had to get a new oil pan & flexplate which held them up). Decided to crack open the wallet and get a Flex-a-Lite aluminum rad w/fan and their trans cooler and also picked up a dual diaphragm power 4 wheel disc brake setup and some misc items like poly trans mount & torque stud, bump stops, sway bar bushings, etc. First batch is back from the blaster and I dropped off another smaller batch that should be ready next week and the dip-stripper said that they're done with the front clip & bulkhead, so I'll probably head out to Toledo early Monday morning for pickup and order the new tub while I'm out there. Got word today that we scheduled to close on the new house in a couple of weeks, so we booked our travel arrangements and will have a few days in the tropics at the end of the month.
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Picked up the front clip & bulkhead and have to say that I would never do another build on a rust belt Jeep without having this done. The rust can not hide. There were areas that I thought were solid that under normal conditions I would have just had scuff sanded and shot and they likely would have bubbled within a year because of what was lurking underneath. Took a quick pick after I unloaded, will take detailed pics once the repair work starts to show what was hidden. Second batch of parts at the local blaster is done, so I'm picking those up at lunch time today. Started the next wave of Jeep Tetris over the weekend to get the big Scrambler up front and ready for Anders to pick it up and the CJ-7 up front for him to work on the new cage and a few other items while he's here. He's finishing up the axles and will be bringing them out with him.
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Been there, On the 1st cj8 build tread I showed the tub, parts and 1st frame a previous owned sand blasted and had in primer. I didn't trust it and had them dipped. Frame cam back with pin holes (after he already welded patches) and the tub had pin holes where the roll bar sat and front floors. Even driving it a few times during the summer it wouldn't have taken long to have rust under the paint in these locations. Good catch.
I should take a pic of the front shock mounts...I had to buy another set. They looked solid and were packed with sediment in the back...got them back and they were toast. The fenders are amazingly solid...need a little work, but darn good for coming out of the rust belt and the grill is solid, but the front of the hood was surprising. I'd like to keep it, but might be money ahead buying a repro, we'll see what the body man has to say.
Oops...missed an update on this thread before we left for STX to close on the house a couple of weeks ago. In a nutshell:
Ordered the new tub
Went to St Croix for a few days to close on the house
Machine shop called the Friday we were there to tell me the 360 was done, picked that up after we got back on Wednesday last week
Powder coater called while we were on our way back last Monday to tell me my parts were done and that they were shutting down their operation (plating operation is still open). so I picked those up Friday
Anders will be here this weekend to pick up the 'old' Scrambler and bring the axles, wheels & some other misc parts including a 'new' AZ rust-free YJ tub for the CJ-7 and weld up the new cage for the CJ-7 (and possibly finish the Scrambler frame if the shop students aren't done with it by Friday...need to get it done & down to the galvanizer so I can keep this train running).
Ordered the new tub
Went to St Croix for a few days to close on the house
Machine shop called the Friday we were there to tell me the 360 was done, picked that up after we got back on Wednesday last week
Powder coater called while we were on our way back last Monday to tell me my parts were done and that they were shutting down their operation (plating operation is still open). so I picked those up Friday
Anders will be here this weekend to pick up the 'old' Scrambler and bring the axles, wheels & some other misc parts including a 'new' AZ rust-free YJ tub for the CJ-7 and weld up the new cage for the CJ-7 (and possibly finish the Scrambler frame if the shop students aren't done with it by Friday...need to get it done & down to the galvanizer so I can keep this train running).
Played another round of Jeep Tetris, the frame repairs are done (just have to wait for it to stop raining so I can bring it home, then to the galvanizer), unloaded the 360, had D-ring mounts added to the front bumper, and our new house was on TV (latest episode of Caribbean Life 'Bee's Knees', last house at the end 'Buck Vista').
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Dropped off the frame & several other goodies at the galvanizer this morning. I walked back out to my trailer after checking in at receiving to find the owner checking out the frame 
Turns out he's a Jeep Junkie too and is excited to be working on it...I think he may have bumped me up in the queue since he wants me to bring it to the Chillicothe Jeep Fest in July...
Turns out he's a Jeep Junkie too and is excited to be working on it...I think he may have bumped me up in the queue since he wants me to bring it to the Chillicothe Jeep Fest in July...
