1975 Brutally Simple Daily Driver

[neohic]

 

... and the verdict is...

 

 

... red letters out! I’ve only driven it the few miles home from the tire shop but I can feel a difference. The old 32” MTRs measured to about 30.5” and these are at almost 32”. Loving the tall/skinny look too! Anxious to get it out and wind it up in third gear.

 

 

 

Met at a new friend at the tire shop today too. 

 

[Pete M]

3 hours ago, neohic said:

 

 

 

 

 

[HOrnbrod]

5 hours ago, neohic said:

 

... red letters out! I’ve only driven it the few miles home from the tire shop but I can feel a difference. The old 32” MTRs measured to about 30.5” and these are at almost 32”. Loving the tall/skinny look too! Anxious to get it out and wind it up in third gear.

 

[neohic]

Ugh... I got cut off in traffic yesterday and had to dynamite the brake pedal. Since then it pulls hard to the left. REALLY hard.  Guess my future brake upgrades won’t be waiting for a recoup from tires. 

[Wiggilez]

On 7/17/2018 at 8:02 PM, neohic said:

Ugh... I got cut off in traffic yesterday and had to dynamite the brake pedal. Since then it pulls hard to the left. REALLY hard.  Guess my future brake upgrades won’t be waiting for a recoup from tires. 

 

Same thing happened in my ramcharger, only it's to the right, I haven't looked into it yet but I'm really hoping it's a semi seized caliper.

[neohic]

The brake issue ended up being an adjuster that fell out of place. The line running to the rear was completely dry as well. This all meant that I was rolling on only one good brake.  My plan was to hit the reset button pretty hard in the front and just freshen up the rears (which ended up being just fine once having fluid brought back to them). 

 

So here’s what I did then... a few months ago a coworker was parking/scrapping a 1976 Ford F-150 that had four wheel drive, disk brakes in the front, and drums in the rear. I grabbed the 11” booster, pedal linkage, master cylinder (that ended up being bad), and proportioning valve. Fitting the giant booster assembly actually went way smoother than I anticipated! I had to reroute the fuel lines, “percussively massage” part of my throttle linkage, flip the linkage bracket upside down, shorten the pedal side push rod, and slot a couple holes. Easy, right?!... maybe for the next guy.

 

 

Here everything is in all its glory! Things are tight... real tight! A huge concern for me was what to do with the booster sharing space with the air cleaner. More on that later.

 

 

Mounting the booster assembly worked out pretty simple. Like I said, the linkage behind the booster was flipped upside down. Everything was intended to lift the booster up and over the wheel well. I needed it low to give myself a chance at having an air cleaner and to be able to shut the hood. This was easy... unbolt, flip, rebolt. The two holes to get opened up are the two on the linkage bracket that almost line up with the bottom two bolts for the pedal bracket on the outside of the firewall. A keen eye will notice that I only used the top two holes in the new bracket. I couldn’t take myself to drill the rivets and move the VIN plate. Legal? Not wanting to drill more holes? I just think the factory did a stellar job of putting it there is all. Then some simple stuff under the dash...

 

 

The factory brake light switch was retained. The factory Ford push rod was shortened about an inch and a new hole was drilled to line up with the post on the pedal. It practically mounted itself!

 

 

Lastly, I made up a couple of jumpers from the new master cylinder to the original front and rear brake lines. What you don’t see here is where the factory lines go. Originally there was a proportioning valve set up for drum/drum. My next upgrades had me thinking about retaining a prop valve or to just go without. Again, more on that later. Another thing you can see is my quick/easy fix for my air cleaner problem. With lowering the booster all I needed to do was raise up the air cleaner 1.5”. These are parts store plastic spacers and I hate them. However, they are quick/easy after all. Then this stuff happened...

 

 

... these are admittedly cheap parts. The shop I work at sells a bolt on kit that uses GM style brackets and calipers. It’s designed to be easy to install and they are! As long as the back side of the hubs are machined flat and not just machined around the lug studs, this is a true bolt on deal. Remove the drum, hub, and backing plate. Then bolt the caliper bracket on in place of the backing plate, press out the studs in the hub, press in new longer studs to sandwich the rotor with the hub, and throw on the caliper.

 

With all the new parts in place I started thinking about the proportioning valve. The original wasn’t an option and I felt the Ford unit wouldn’t be right either. With the better clamping force of the disk brakes up front I rattled the dice that the short wheelbase and the added weight of my hard top would even things out. The first rip down the road and a hard stomp of the pedal showed the fronts locking up before the rear. Press it harder and the rears followed. I think the balance is perfect!

 

Next on my list is dealing with the caster (or lack of) in the front end. I’ve got almost 2* where 5-6* would be nice. A shim would be an easy solution but I haven’t looked all that close at the pinion angle to see where that’ll end up too. That’ll be for another day. 

 

[Pete M]

braking upgrades are always good!    

[neohic]

Something that I haven’t really done yet is to show some highlights of the interior of Pinky. I’ve got a bunch of stuff in here!

 

 

It had a rear seat when I first got it but it didn’t match the fronts and it was pretty much useless and difficult to get to. I wanted some storage space. Keeping that storage means that everything else has its place.

 

 

The spare is held in place with a simple bracket. Inside and behind the spare are jumper cables, coolant (not that it leaks or uses any), a gas can, blanket, and bikini top (come the day the awesome tin top ever comes off).

 

The jack had a couple inches cut off the top so I could fit it where I wanted. The bottom is a spare ratchet strap because I like utilizing things instead of just storing when I can. The top is a clamp I made out of tube. The amo can keeps just about all the tools one needs to work on one of these things. 

 

 

Towards the front I ran out of room between the cage and windshield frame for a stock rear view mirror. Honestly I think they look funny when the windshield is folded down. Should I take the top off I wanted to still have the mirror. Same kind of clamp. No idea where the mirror came from.

 

 

Then there’s the seats. These came out of a project at work and they’re cheap-o aftermarket replacements for first generation Ford Mustangs. They sit on a simple tube that spans the width of the body and have sliders under them... because seat sliders are needed in a CJ5. 

 

 

... and that’s about it. I wish I would’ve documented it, but the steering column has been moved up to make more leg room. I wish the original toolbox was still under the passenger seat but that’s just another piece for the future body work that may or may not ever happen. 

 

Anyhow, here’s an obligatory front end picture to wrap up a post.  

 

[neohic]

3 hours ago, Pete M said:

braking upgrades are always good!    

 

Only a couple more things to do before it’s close enough to being a part of the modern world. 

[Pete M]

not too modern though.  it simply wouldn't be the same if it wasn't just a little bit scary.   

[neohic]

Not much of an update but I also haven’t really done anything new. I lifted the hood the other day and noticed that the new master cylinder looks like it’s leaking out from the casting and the seal under the cap. All the fittings are tight but there’s enough that the paint is slightly lifted under the master. The casting does look pretty gnarly... might hit it with a file to try and straight edge it, but I can already see pulling it for a replacement. I also have been trying to figure where an oil leak was coming from under the dash. Yup!... from under the dash. Can’t believe I never thought of it until yesterday, but the oil pressure gauge had a drip at the compression fitting.

 

As for today, the wife and I took it for a little drive. The leaves are starting to turn up in the mountains. Perfect day in Colorado. 

 

 

 

[Pete M]

an oil leak in the dash.   that's a new one by me, but I imagine that was kinda common back in the day.  

[500 MJ]

That was my first thought when you said “under the dash”, I’ve experienced it before myself... 

 

So usually nice weather means you take the top off of an old Jeep like this. That’s half of the fun right? So, when was the last time you had the top off of this thing!?! 

[neohic]

On 9/10/2018 at 9:00 PM, 500 MJ said:

So, when was the last time you had the top off of this thing!?! 

 

I think I fit the top on it in February? So... since February.  Funny thing is I’ve never driven this thing with the top off in good weather! I was prototyping some parts this past winter and it was used for parts runs. 20*, no top, no doors, no cage, windshield down, and me in a big fuzzy bomber hat. Sure was a riot! Driving a Jeep like that sure makes you feel you’re ON it rather than IN it!

 

[500 MJ]

You’ve got the weather you need right now! Bikini tops are pretty cheap, try one out. You will love it and want to ditch that tin top until late fall...

[neohic]

Pinky came with a bikini top crammed under the seat and it was always on prior to the tin top. The problem is that it’s currently playing the role of “second vehicle”... rain or shine!

 

I’ve been fighting for construction of a new shop and that includes a super high ceiling with plans of a top lift. Until then, I love the hard top!!! 

[neohic]

Has anyone else noticed that the weather is changing? Its been a breezy and chilly weekend at the house and it really got me thinking about what to do with the ol’ Pinkster. Sadly, he’s been neglected over the past month or so. I was trying to think of the last time I drove it and I really had to think. Had a few errands to run today so I used it as an excuse to turn the key. Pretty good lifter clack! Reminds me that I need to change the oil as its been about 800 miles since I rolled in the new bearings.

 

As for today, a cold breeze and the all too familiar clunks and rattles from every direction needed to stop. Went to the hardware store and grabbed some weather stripping along with scouring the junk drawer for the only roll of tape in the house. 

 

Before:

 

 

After:

 

 

Before:

 

 

After:

 

 

Slightly hoakey?... you bet! I’m not going to put any addition effort into this tub until I have a plan and a shop of my own to take care of things properly. On that note, I crammed the bikini top into the gap between the tailgate and the hatch.

 

 

To finish up the winter prep, I made sure to have my “defrost rag” waiting on standby...

 

 

... and I crawled under it to check on my fuel filter status.

 

 

See, I started running two filters after I had some issues with it stalling while driving. Over the past few months after the fuel injection swap it would occasionally die, I’d throw in a new filter, and it’d be fine for a while. Unfortunately, Pinky sat for about five years before even the previous owner let him sit. I added the super cheap plastic filter so I could keep a better eye on things. Call it a pre filter? Anyhow, it looks like I’m due for another soon. I really need to just drop the tank and clean it out.

 

As for the engine itself, I’m still not 100% confident with it. Oil pressure has slightly dropped since the bearings. Maybe the cooler weather will help with keeping better oil pressure?... a guy can dream, right?

 

[HOrnbrod]

Love the General tires Ben. Are they fairly quiet on pavement? Fuel injection still doing fine?

 

Quality plastic fuel tanks are pretty inexpensive for CJ's Ben - why not throw one of those in?

[neohic]

I’m loving the tires! Very quiet for what they are.

 

Fuel injection is still awesome. Fuel pump is loud though. An in-tank unit would be nice. Long term I’d like to build my own tank. Stock is just 15 gallons and most aftermarket (from what I’ve found) are either the same 15 gallons or a giant 30 that hangs way down. 20 sounds like a nice number!

 

I’ve got plans for this little CJ. Everything comes down to time and a place to do it. 

[neohic]

Ol’ Pinkster helped out with pulling some trees today. Prepping a spot to move my shed to.

 

[HOrnbrod]

Man, that looks like some pretty healthy grades Ben.  No grass to cut? 

[neohic]

Nope. All natural!  My long term plans are to turn my 6x12 storage shed into a greenhouse close to the house. Then my shop down the hill and another smaller shed for just storage. Getting this shed to where it needs to be will be a real trick. 

[neohic]

Been driving ol’ Pinkster more lately. I quit my job the day before Thanksgiving and this little Jeep has been more of a run around town rig. Been doing pretty good too! Must be the Lucas being circulated through and gumming things up! 

 

[amsuco]

On ‎3‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 10:38 PM, HOrnbrod said:

Yep, looks like a DJ postal. Gonna make it RHD too?  

I feel like I'm a little late to this party, but once I discovered this post I just had to chime in.  It's probably heresy to say it here, but if I could only have one vehicle it would have to be my postal jeep.  I'd choose it over the comanche.  It's just impossible for me to climb into my postal and not smile.  And that's before I even turn the key.

 

Four Wheeler magazine did a series back in the early 1990's where they bought a surplus postal and proceeded to convert it to 4x4 and make other improvements.  I picked mine up in 1996 and it became my daily driver for ten years.  I still have it, but it's not a driver anymore.  I also have another postal with a good body and frame that I found in Texas and dragged home.  The plan is to eventually turn the two into one.  Someday.

 

Driving any old jeep, or similar vehicle, like this is a kick.  But try it with right-hand drive and you'll be hooked!  It's like learning to drive all over again.

 

I'll stop gushing now and let you guys get back to the topic at hand.  That's a very nice toy you have there, neohic.

 

 

[neohic]

Been driving the CJ everyday lately. Changed gears after quitting my job at the 4x4 shop before Thanksgiving. As of this past week I’m now employed at a cabinet shop. I know... I know... I’m not exactly known for my carpentry skills. In fact, I don’t all that much care for working with wood. Since moving to where we are now a huge goal of mine was to work in the same town. See, I was driving 25 miles/45+ minutes to work... I couldn’t stand the owner anymore so that didn’t help either. Now I’ve got a leisurely .75 mile commute to work. Slightly more than I had at my bridge shop job in Minnesota where I walked to everyday. Can I walk to my new job? Yup!... that’s the plan. The weather has been bad this week though. Anyhow to circle back, I’ve been driving the CJ everyday lately.

 

 

... except today.