New to Us 1977 CJ

NCHornet

New Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2006
Location
Mt Airy
My son and I just bought a 1977 CJ5 from a friend of mine. He has put lots of money into this thing only to realize it can really use a new motor. It has the 304 V8. He has put 3 grand into it with a new soft top and doors new tires, starter, rocker arms, fuel pump and lots of other small stuff including going thru the entire electrical system. He gave it to my son and I for $1500. I will post pics in my sig later.
My son is 14 and I have been looking for a good project for us that will be his first vehicle. We will either buy a complete long block or rebuild the current engine, but not til Spring. I thought a good place for us to start is to pull the cab and body parts so we can sand and repaint the frame and other suspension, trans, driveline parts. Thought I would linex the frame, what do you think? Very little rust on this thing, I think it is in great shape considering the age. A couple small spots on the floor boards so we will replace the pans in the area. I am sure all the rubber cab mounts are dust. I figure this will be a good project for the Fall and Winter. How heavy is the cab? Can four people lift it off?
I have never rebuilt a vehicle so I can use all the help and advice I can get.
If any of you know of a good place for long blocks and other accessories for the CJ I would appreciate it.
I do want taller back seats for saftey with shoulder harnesses, or even a 4 point harness. I would also like a Hard top or at least hard doors but don't see them listed at JCWhitney.
Anyway just wanted to introduce myself and to say in advance, Thanks for all the help.
Kevin
 
Excellent choice for your son. And having him involved in the build is a great idea.
As far as the engine goes, if you look around, you can find a used one. I seen many on here go for cheap. A 360 will bolt right up without any changes, so keep that in mind.
Let's get the language correct here LOL it's called a tub on a jeep. And yes four people can remove it with ease. Not sure I would put linex on it, but a good brushing, and some extend, and then a quality paint job will work for a long time.
Hard tops and doors for that year CJ-5 are few and far between. You can use an older hard top, but you have to change the windshield frame angle. I would go with a soft top. Being a young guy he will enjoy being able to take off the doors and top when he can.
Find a good comfortable set of seats and adapt them for it. CJ seats are known to breakdown and lean, and in my opinion, were never real comfortable at all.
AMCJEEPMAN on here has a lot of Jeep stuff as do others. Also a lot of knowledgeable folks here that can give advice and so on. Post up needed things in the wanted section. Ask for help in the newbie section, you git er done in no time
 
nice looking jeep you all got there, wish that would have been my first amc instead of the gremlin:rolleyes: but yea post on wanted things you need and you will be surprised at what you can get, there is plenty of aftermarket seats for these that are really nice available out there. 4wheeldrive hardware is a good catalog to get and they also have a website try them out for new things you want to purchase;)
 
Thanks y'all. The 304 that's in there is the original motor so I think rebuilding it would be the right thing to do. Going to a 360 is not an option, I am already worried about him with the power to weight ratio of th 304. If it wouldn't hurt the value I would install a 258 for him.
Sorry about not knowing the body is a 'tub" I will be more careful next time.
The stock seats have to go as they don't provide any upper back or head support. Is there a need for original seats in good shape or should I throw them away. There is only 1 small hole in one seat, don't know if they have been redone or just wore that well.
I will be on this forum a lot I am sure and look forward to meeting with all of you. If anybody is close to Mount Airy that would like to come up and talk Jeep one afternoon to help us get familiar with this thing I will treat for supper.
We are going to start with gutting the interior and than removing the body. I have read that you can't get to the nuts on the body bolts to put oil on, so any suggestions on getting these body bolts off would be great. I do have a impact gun.
Thanks Again
Kevin & TJ
 
Welcome Hornet, nice looking CJ!

Put the lowback seats up for sale, see if anyone bites. I agree with you, about removing them, and getting some highbacks.

You say you would put a 258 in there if it doesnt hurt the value...don't fool yourself, you're not gonna sell that are ya :D The 258 is a fine engine with tons of torque. You just need to get the fuel delivery correct; AMC never did.

Getting the tub off may be as simple as soaking the body mount bolts with PBblaster. Spray them down every night a couple days before you plan on removing the tub. The impact might not be necessary, it just might break bolts sooner!

There's quite a few Jeepers in the Winston-Salem area. Check out the Triad 4wd Assoc.; I think they still have Meet and Greets every so often in northern Winston.
 
Hey nice jeep. I live in Pilot Mtn. and work in Mt. Airy. If ya need some help just let me know. I guess the plans are to make this a daily driver jeep?
 
258 vs. V8

Personally I think the 258 is a better motor but... A nice running 258 isn't really worth any less than a Stock 304.
A 258 build would be cool
Install roller rockers and a cam
Put a 4.0L head on it (search around for that on the net lotsa info)
Put a MC2100 carb on it
Upgrade the ignition
etc.
etc.
 
yeah building a 258 into a stroker motor would be awesome. but a nice running 304 is a great choice too... You can get a good amount of parts for them from edlebrock now, they make heads and all kinds of stuff for them..
 
man that thing doesnt look like it needs anything! nice looking jeep!
 
Also, a hint for ya..

May want to remove the pic (or at least edit) with the pic of licene plate... just an FYI
 
Welcome to the board, and nice looking jeep. You'll learn a lot and have a great time with that thing.
 
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