neohic Posted January 22, 2020 Author Share Posted January 22, 2020 Nothing new with the CJ but I did park next to a real nice Laredo today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 always a good day when you get to park next to an MJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted February 9, 2020 Author Share Posted February 9, 2020 Beautiful day yesterday! About 42* and sunny. My rule is if it’s at least 40* then the doors come off. Had to run to the shop so of course I parked in a snow bank... as one does. High of 20* today and heavy snow. Trying to figure a bikini top for this year that attaches only to the cage so I can put the windshield down but still keep the sun off me. So... there you go... I guess it’s an update. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted February 22, 2020 Author Share Posted February 22, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted June 13, 2020 Author Share Posted June 13, 2020 I feel as though this little Jeep got yet another extension on its borrowed time with this drivetrain. Lately I’ve been dreading the feel of the clutch and the effort and timing it takes to shift from gear to gear. Assuming that the clutch was on its way out and that was that I’ve just been sour about the CJ. On a whim I crawled under it this morning and had a look at the pushrod adjustment. “Surely it can’t have much left to give!” ... but it had enough. The clutch feels great again! I took about a half inch of slop out of the linkage. Then I rolled over to find a big drip of brake fluid rolling down the front left tire. See, back when I put disk brakes on the front it was just a kit we had on the shelf at the four wheel shop I was working at. Who knows what the brake hoses were for?! I took one off and brought I over to my buddy at the local Napa. We looked up different applications, looked through catalogues, started opening boxes, and we finally found a couple perfect hoses that were about an inch shorter than I had. Low and behold, they turned out being for a late ‘70s CJ5/7/8... go figure. In any case, the brakes feel great and my clutch is functional again. Still waiting for the other shoe to drop for the engine to yard sale on me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted June 13, 2020 Share Posted June 13, 2020 victory! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted June 14, 2020 Author Share Posted June 14, 2020 22 minutes ago, Pete M said: victory! ... for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted June 14, 2020 Share Posted June 14, 2020 victory none the less Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted July 5, 2020 Author Share Posted July 5, 2020 I washed my wife’s car today which got me thinking about the Comet wash from last year. How’s it holding up? August, 2019: Today: Meh... not terrible?... but not red either. It doesn’t have that chalky feel to it before the Comet but it obviously hasn’t kept the color. Whatever. Maybe I’ll hit it with another bottle of NuFinish... maybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 At least it can be done once a year with good results VS every other month probably. Also ive enjoyed reading the new things that come up with your CJ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted July 5, 2020 Author Share Posted July 5, 2020 2 hours ago, eaglescout526 said: Also ive enjoyed reading the new things that come up with your CJ. Been real itchy to pull the tin top off lately again. It hasn't been off since it went on to "check clearances" when the roll cage went in. I've got a bikini top but nothing to keep the rain out being it parks outside. No... it will not be going in the new shop. If anything is going to start living in there it'll be my Eliminator. There's a few companies that make trail covers which are essentially just bomber cap looking tops that the ear flaps go all the way down to the rockers. Try and find one that'll work with an early CJ though... nope. Might try and play around with a canvas tarp. I really need a soft top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted August 23, 2020 Author Share Posted August 23, 2020 Bath day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted September 26, 2020 Author Share Posted September 26, 2020 More truck stuff. As much as I’m on the fence about having a hard top it sure is handy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89 MJ Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 Did you ever decide what you wanted to do in regards to the engine/trans if/when the current ones give out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted December 4, 2020 Author Share Posted December 4, 2020 Nope. I like to think that something will present itself when the time comes. Right now I’m leaning towards moving the front axle forward 3-4”, pushing the drivetrain forward the same 3-4”, and then figure things from there. A 4.0/AX15 wound be cool. Keeping the 4.2 and going through it while putting an AX15 (or T5 from a later CJ to save a little more rear driveshaft room) behind it wound be cool too. Pretty sure I’ve ruled out a full modern drivetrain swap like an Ecotech or some kind of diesel. V8 maybe? An AMC 360 could be cool and any Jeep trans would bolt up to it. But what about a Magnum 318/360 from a Dakota or a Ram? I think I could dress one of those to give the look of an earlier engine. The bell housing changed for those too so I’d be stuck with a Chrysler auto or figure out something with Dakota stuff. I’m also pretty sure I don’t want to go bigger than the engine it already has. The issue really comes down to the transfer case. A Dana 300 makes sense as it’d keep the front axle on the passenger side and there are short and long factory options. It’d mean a bit of work, but I wouldn’t be opposed to swapping the front differential to the driver side and using a NP231 with a short fixed output shaft. The 231 wound run quieter... which wound be nice too as I really want to make this a good driver. Totally cutting apart the front axle wound just be another step as I want to cut the inner C’s from the tubes so I can rotate them back for more caster... again, to make it a better driver. This would also make anyone who would notice say “HU?!” Then YJ springs? Keep the current springs? Suppose I could move the rear axle back too but that’d mean some body modifications. I could get an easy 2-3” more wheelbase but I really don’t like the look of CJ5s with cut up rear wheel wells. My OCD would want to cut the sheet metal and move the wheel openings. I won’t stretch the body because that’d mean cutting the hard top too. Then if the wheel wells get moved then I might as well do all the metalwork needed on the tub... rockers, floors, cowl... might make more sense to use a better tub? But then what about the wheel wells? Do I have room for the fuel tank in the rear if I move the axle? The snowball here can keep rolling for miles. I love the simplicity of this little Jeep and I think the more I do to it the less it has that charm. The very LAST thing I want to do is get to the point that it’s super nice... that’s usually when I loose interest in a vehicle. I like the crappy paint and the terrible bodywork. The floors aren’t terrible but the hat channels underneath are gone. Anyhow... a question like that always turns into a mental dump for me. The bottom line comes down to a dream of mine to take this thing on a real road trip. Do I need a modern transmission for that? Do I need decent paint? Do I need softer springs? Nope, nope, and nope. I do need a reliable engine and the comfort to know that everything behind the engine is solid. Edit: that turned into a wall of text. Here’s a picture I just took for those who hung in there through all of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted December 4, 2020 Share Posted December 4, 2020 I mean, that sounds like a fun project but it also sounds like it'll be in the barn for maybe quite a long time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted December 4, 2020 Author Share Posted December 4, 2020 Agreed. That’s also why I don’t want to make it super nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89 MJ Posted December 4, 2020 Share Posted December 4, 2020 What you were saying makes sense, plus, when you get the MJ up to the house, you will have 2 vehicles to drive so you don't need to worry about being perfect mechanically (although it is nice). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted December 5, 2020 Author Share Posted December 5, 2020 Honestly that isn’t an issue for me. I work three blocks from my house and we take my wife’s car anywhere we need to go that’s farther than walking distance. I go 3-4 months between filling the fuel tank! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted December 5, 2020 Author Share Posted December 5, 2020 More truck stuff. This little CJ gets it. Might’ve had a visibility issue at the one stoplight between my house and the lumber yard. I’m starting to think that a low profile roof rack might be in the cards down the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted December 12, 2020 Author Share Posted December 12, 2020 ... I’m out of eggs. It’s 15° outside but the CJ seemed to be the right choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89 MJ Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 9 minutes ago, neohic said: ... I’m out of eggs. Bomber hats are the best. Is that a Carhartt coat? I love my Carhartt, or Farmer Gucci as my mom calls it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted December 12, 2020 Author Share Posted December 12, 2020 Indeed. I live in Colorado but I’m from Minnesota. Bomber hats and Carhartts are the only way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeatCJ Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 Any thought about a T177? Bolts up stock to the 258 and D300, shorter than every 5 speed, tougher than a T-5, simple.to build, works great until you want to travel at Interstate speeds. Swap it in, then if you decide to go to a V8, you still have enough transmission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted December 13, 2020 Author Share Posted December 13, 2020 8 hours ago, BeatCJ said: Any thought about a T177? Bolts up stock to the 258 and D300, shorter than every 5 speed, tougher than a T-5, simple.to build, works great until you want to travel at Interstate speeds. Swap it in, then if you decide to go to a V8, you still have enough transmission. I’ve probably thought about every combination of factory Jeep engine and transmission combo. The T176,7,8 transmissions are pretty good in terms of gearing and strength. I wouldn’t turn one down if I were to find a good complete drivetrain that’s just ready to drop in. The problem comes in with overdrive which is really what I’d like. I’m not stuck on a V8 either. Again, if a complete donor were to come along... Decisions, decisions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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