Project '84 CJ-7

What a long day....between going to my friends place to pick up his truck. Driving an hour away to pick up a uhaul vehicle trailer, then a half hour across town to pick up the CJ then drive home, get the CJ off the trailer (got to use my new winch!) and then making additional space in the garage and then doing a 50pt turn on a vehicle that hardly steers to finally get the CJ in the garage....man I'm whipped. Time for some NHL playoffs.


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Easy first project, new front shackles! Seriously, what is up first on the agenda? Deciding drivetrain or finding a body?
 
^^ definitely deciding on the drivetrain while keeping my antenna up for a tub.....but I'm not opposed to getting a kit for the body in a year or so. I wish I had an extra $3k, there's a tub in Berlin, MD ready for paint. But the drivetrain is gonna give me some sleepless nights....I just have to keep telling myself in the short term that I have plenty of time.

https://annapolis.craigslist.org/pts/6156062470.html
 
^^ YES! That's why I went this route. Had I not stumbled upon this frame in this condition, I'd still be shopping for a complete vehicle. And I'd have a parts explosion in my garage.

Taking this uhaul trailer back this morning and off to work.
 
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Okay....so ANYBODY who can offer sound advice. Start throwing out ideas for the driveline.....what can and cannot be done with relative ease. This will be by far my biggest learning curve. I can appreciate the "originality" of putting AMC components in. But I'm sure there are pros and cons....likewise with getting a Chevy small block and trans and retrofitting it. Here's some factors....I'm a little underwhelmed with the specs of the AMC engines. I think the 304 is rated at ~155 HP, I'm unsure what kind of mileage I could expect....And I'm not sure about finding someone locally who can help me in a pinch. If the goal was a full on original restoration to flip for $20-25k that's something I'd find a way to do for sure. But what I really want here is a great looking CJ, tastefully built, that has a nice power to weight ratio that is reliable and will not be hard to get driveline parts FAST, and if it develops drivability issues take it to a local reputable shop get it back on the road quickly. If I go the Chevy route, who makes/sells motor mounts, adapters, etc to make the install as painless as possible. What MUST be custom made? Maybe there's a kit I'm completely unaware of. Generally, what is involved in adapting the drivetrain harness to another vehicle and it's existing harness? This is why I wanted to get out ahead of this build early because this is where I'm most out of my element. So any links, info or literature will be greatly appreciated!
 
DeJkUnlimited said:
Okay....so ANYBODY who can offer sound advice. Start throwing out ideas for the driveline.....what can and cannot be done with relative ease. This will be by far my biggest learning curve. I can appreciate the "originality" of putting AMC components in. But I'm sure there are pros and cons....likewise with getting a Chevy small block and trans and retrofitting it. Here's some factors....I'm a little underwhelmed with the specs of the AMC engines. I think the 304 is rated at ~155 HP, I'm unsure what kind of mileage I could expect....And I'm not sure about finding someone locally who can help me in a pinch. If the goal was a full on original restoration to flip for $20-25k that's something I'd find a way to do for sure. But what I really want here is a great looking CJ, tastefully built, that has a nice power to weight ratio that is reliable and will not be hard to get driveline parts FAST, and if it develops drivability issues take it to a local reputable shop get it back on the road quickly. If I go the Chevy route, who makes/sells motor mounts, adapters, etc to make the install as painless as possible. What MUST be custom made? Maybe there's a kit I'm completely unaware of. Generally, what is involved in adapting the drivetrain harness to another vehicle and it's existing harness? This is why I wanted to get out ahead of this build early because this is where I'm most out of my element. So any links, info or literature will be greatly appreciated!
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If you go Chevy route and aren't worried about forking over your whole salary, advance adapters and Novak conversions all have great adapters from Chevy to Jeep and vice versa. They sell full install kits for every adapter you could need plus custom motor mounts.

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I'll look into that, thanks for the info! I quickly checked out their site and while I don't know how expensive their kits may or may not be, that's definitely the kind of info I'm looking for.
 
Also keep in mind, I've heard of Colorado not passing a Jeep on emissions or something because of the year mismatch between engine and Jeep. It was an old CJ7 with a newer Chevy engine in it. Couldn't get registered so I passed on that one.

Before pulling the trigger on anything, I'd call your DMV, get someone who knows their stuff, tell them your plan, get their name and email, and have them put in writing that you'll be good to go.
 
The amc engines in stock form are lacking a little. The good news is that they are cheap, they bolt in, and it is easy to bump the power up. Youll be starting out with it on an engine stand, so it will be easy to hop it up a bit. Amc engines have very lazy cams, so just throwing a cam in one really helps. The stock heads flow rather well. An aftermarket intake helps some. Top it off with a holley 470 or bolt on efi and you have a respectable little package. You can take it a step farther with a cdi style ignition, but the factory motorcraft stuff isnt bad. The last 360 i picked up i only gave $150 bucks for and that was with a th400 trans, so they are cost effective.

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GraniteCrystal said:
Also keep in mind, I've heard of Colorado not passing a Jeep on emissions or something because of the year mismatch between engine and Jeep. It was an old CJ7 with a newer Chevy engine in it. Couldn't get registered so I passed on that one.

Before pulling the trigger on anything, I'd call your DMV, get someone who knows their stuff, tell them your plan, get their name and email, and have them put in writing that you'll be good to go.
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Okay thanks. I'll definitely place a call or stop in at one. I happen to live about 5 mins from the DMV. My state trooper neighbor has been helpful in providing a VIN to a frankenjeep. So he may or may not know a little about that.
 
I'm a bit surprised that of all the availability of parts for these CJs, including no shortage of major body components that new doors aren't available from a company like Omix? Unless I'm missing something. A pair of salvageable doors is something that is definitely on my "to find" list. The kid said he would really like the option of having a roof and doors. I can't say that I blame him....so would I.
 
I THINK I'm gonna purchase this "new - old stock" set of door shells I came across. I don't have anywhere near the funds for a driveline purchase and I really haven't made any decisions or am anywhere close to making one in that regard. Getting these shells will give us something to focus on and get our feet wet as a primer.
 
After slumming on the couch for a few evenings and doing some digging, at the moment I'm leaning towards a Chevy LS conversion with a 4L60e trans. There are adapters to mate the Dana 300 transfer case to the trans and while I haven't seen it in practice in person, this seems to be relatively easy to hook up the wiring harness. There's certainly no shortage of the 5.3s or 4.8s and remanufactured transmissions are really affordable....I'm a ways out from making a purchase but I'm feeling good about this route. On the surface, this approach appears to offer what I'm after which a decent combo of power, efficiency and reliability with relative affordability. Thoughts?

Since the purpose of this project is not an all original show piece, so far I haven't been able to wrap my head around AMC components for what my goals are.
 
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DeJkUnlimited said:
After slumming on the couch for a few evenings and doing some digging, at the moment I'm leaning towards a Chevy LS conversion with a 4L60e trans. There are adapters to mate the Dana 300 transfer case to the trans and while I haven't seen it in practice in person, this seems to be relatively easy to hook up the wiring harness. There's certainly no shortage of the 5.3s or 4.8s and remanufactured transmissions are really affordable....I'm a ways out from making a purchase but I'm feeling good about this route. On the surface, this approach appears to offer what I'm after which a decent combo of power, efficiency and reliability with relative affordability. Thoughts?

Since the purpose of this project is not an all original show piece, so far I haven't been able to wrap my head around AMC components for what my goals are.
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I would think as long as it is done right with the cats and sensors and computer, you should easily beat the original factory emissions as well as pass the visual inspections. They are good reliable motors and parts are easy to get. While it hasn't been mentioned yet, you should be leagues ahead in terms of fuel milage. The 360 I ran in my 77 Cherokee averaged about 6-10 mpg. A 5.3 in a light weight CJ-7 should get you at least in the 25mpg zone if I'm not mistaken.
 
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