76 CJ5 project.....could use some advice.

[superj]

That is a great starting point. Way better then our 76 cj5. I am going to have to give my son my 87 yj and take this cj5 because it needs a lot more work then we could have fixed by the time he gets his license.

 

[Shewilly]

You could say you bought a roll cage and a couple seats and the Jeep came with it lol
Cant beat that price.

 

[Joseph.smith54]

Glad you mentioned that. So what is the general consensus on the 6 point cage? To my knowledge they weren't stock. I like it but I don't have any experience with them.

 

[69jeepcj]

Way, way better than a stock cage. many buy or make extension pieces for under the body to attach the cage to the frame so the frame supports the cage and not the body in a rollover. Mine is just supported by the body with large plates underneath the body supporting the cage legs.

 

[Joseph.smith54]

Way, way better than a stock cage. many buy or make extension pieces for under the body to attach the cage to the frame so the frame supports the cage and not the body in a rollover. Mine is just supported by the body with large plates underneath the body supporting the cage legs.

Makes since. I'll look for some extensions to buy. If you or anyone else can recommend some that would be a great start. I don't plan on rock climbing or anything too extreme with it but safety is always in the budget.

 

[Shewilly]

Its also a great place to put grab handles. Seems trivial, but alot of my friends arent "jeep sized" and when theyre reefing on the seat, windshield frame, or doors, trying to get up in, they can unknowingly cause you terrible grief. I wish I had one =(

 

[69jeepcj]

safety should always be #1, and mounting the cage to the frame is the safest. There are usually 3 ways to mount a cage.
#1-- Directly to the floors (mild wheeling with gentle roll overs)
#2-- Directly to the floors with LARGE plates under the body (will support complete roll over)
#3-- To the floor with support legs bolted or welded to the frame (violent roll overs) Life saver!
Just wanted you to know the options, #1, and #2 are completely dependent on your floor not being rusted out.
It is your life, choose wisely.

 

[greg92jeepxj]

Although I haven't ever installed a roll bar system on a jeep , I've always believed that a roll bar is best supported by the chassis for a solid , integral support system. No one ever drives their car or jeep with the intend to have an accident or , heaven forbid , a rollover but when leaving the pavement , we should be prepared if the event should unfortunately occur. As 69jeepcj stated , it's your life , choose wisely. Yes , our first responsibility is to ourselves and second to everyone's life around us that a rollover or accident can affect and third to our jeep that we worked so hard on and put so much money into . We must not forget this . I do ask that is properly mounting a rollover bar , which the law requires for good reason , to the body is as effective as solidly mounting to the chassis ? We have seen jeep bodies separate from frames whether from bad rotted body bolts and rubber mounts disinigrsted and neglected or just violent crashes .
A.J. Foyt put it best ; " at high speed , anything can happen ". So , the question remains , is it best to mount to the body or to the chassis ? I would guess that is an individual question dependent on needs . If you wheel offroad moderately with the intent if just reaching your destination and not with speed , maybe body mount will be suffice if the trail is not considered dangerous with sharp sudden changes causing extreme overladen grade change fore and aft , bow and stern concerns of instability . I use those terms as they sort of fit even though we're not speaking of watercraft. I haven't done any off-roading lately but any I've done in the past always involved wooded area that is of course untame and certainly unpaved therefore unlevel as you all do. So , from one second to the next , potential rollover was ALWAYS on my mind , especially when I was driving a '78 jeep cherokee that I did not consider as agile as a CJ or YJ.
Just wondering if my thoughts and concerns are warranted in this discussion . Perhaps warrants its own thread ? Your input welcome.

 

[Joseph.smith54]

Thanks guys and gal. It is a topic of its own but a relevant one that everyone should really think about. I do believe I will mount mine to the frame with the use of extensions. Just seems like it will hold the tub more solidly and become more solid of a unit. Might make a thread later about it if I can't find one. Well, back on topic. Got the body off today. I spent a good portion yesterday making sure all bolts were off and no wires, tubing, or lines were still connected. I just pushed it in the driveway to wash off the frame. I didn't pressure wash it before I started which meant it had tons of debris in the frame from the previous owners Mudding and not cleaning it properly. Lots of dirt in the frame and lots of nuts from squirrels storing for the winter also. The PO also botched the frame a couple of times from I'm guessing an accident and making an opening to get to the skip plate fasteners. Here it is. Tell me what you think.

 

[greg92jeepxj]

From the photos , the chassis dosen't look,too bad for its age compared to what we hear of jeep chassis damaged and rusted and rotted out. If it measures up to service manual measurement specifications , all the crossmember rivets solid , body perches and all welds solid , and passes the ball peen hammer test ( a good shot and it sings ) I would say take a heavy wire wheel to the pitting and rust and should be ready for priming and metal preparation . If there is a service near to you that can acid dip ( or whatever it is called nowadays to be environmentally correct ) , that would be a great step to thoroughly clean the chassis for a good metal prep , prime and paint job. Yes , there products that folks are just applying right to the metal as is , like Eastwood sells , but I kind of like the idea of starting fresh on a nice chassis like this so it will literally last for ions ! Just don't know what they get for that kind of service where you live . But peace of mind can be priceless if it comes down to it . Of course them spring shackles got to go in favor of areal lift kit , but that's for another day. May not have to get dipped , got a feeling a member who's restored their chassis previously may have a good and less expensive way . Real happy it looks as good as it does . Just had that feeling looking at the jeep as a whole that it wasn't totally driven like they stole it. As for the extra holes poked in the side for access , well , that can be welded up with some metal of the same gauge without much problem. My only question , which is always someone's question at this stage is , how's the inside of the chassis on the inner frame rails ? Hard to see that but we always want to know if rust is working from the inside out. The only way I know to stop that rust dead is the acid dip and rust inhibitors that the folks that perform this service usually provide . Last place I remember that did this work nearest to me was a truck,and bus rebuilder . That was some time ago but these services should still be available for restorations . Worth a phone call anyway. I know you want this jeep to be all it can be , just figured this would be a great opportunity to do so since all is left is to undo the leafs and what lines are left . They'll get replaced but you'll need them long enough to compare replacement to whether they're pre-bent ordered or you do the bending , they're the best model the replacement after for proper fit. Well , I feel better that you got a pretty good chassis to start with !

P.S. - forgot to mention the left and right front repair job that will need to be addressed with a frame replacement section . Not too bad else considering though . The rear sections look good !
By the way , I dig the camaro under the car cover !

 

[superj]

Looks way way way better then mine

 

[Joseph.smith54]

While im waiting for my engine to be complete, I'm looking for a local frame shop. I hope I can get it dipped. If not then like you said Greg, wire wheel and elbow grease. Just looking at it, it seems pretty solid. All in all I'm pretty satisfied with it. I will be bringing the body to a friends body shop sometime this week I hope. I'm actually moving way faster through this build than I was planning. I'm hoping to be able to crank it up and run the engine a while by mid summer. Maybe not driving but at least running.

 

[greg92jeepxj]

Hope a frame shop can accommodate your needs , financially too , would like to see you be able to preserve your CJ for many years to come ! We got to save jeeps like yours ! If you got a buddy who has a bore scope with light , you can get a peek inside the frame rails . Maybe someone can sand blast inside the frame rails and a epoxy coating good for steel or weld through primer or whatever coating is recommended with the interest of preventing rust inside the rails with a coat of good paint to help , inside and out. It sounds like I'm asking a lot to preserve the inside of the chassis rails but we all have seen frame rust away and some were from the inside out .
You got a real nice jeep and if we can , now is the time to save it from rust and make it something that will last well into retirement years and who knows , future generation !
I appreciate you moving at the fast pace in this restoration , when folks stop dead in their tracks , that's when the project goes bad or ends sometimes. That's what happen to me and my brothers '68 chevelle SS396 . Still angry over it ! Don't want it to happen to you .

 

[superj]

i got that wiring harness i told you guys i ordered. it is super sweet. i will try to remember to get some pics for ya'll but ez-wire is the brand and i am really impressed with how it is in the box.

in case you need one also

 

[Joseph.smith54]

Thanks Superj. Please do keep me informed on the wiring. The big news so far on my body and frame. I have found a place that will strip the body and frame, Ecoat them, and then I can have them powder coat the frame. All this is depending on price of course. www.metalfinishings.com . I will be going up there tomorrow to get some price estimates and get information on the process. If I can get this done for the right price, I will be estatic. Having them Ecoated will make them last for years and years.

 

[69jeepcj]

A friend of mine had his impala frame powder coated last summer and it cost $400. Personally, unless this is going to be a show jeep, or you are going to keep it forever, I don't know if I would go through the powder coating and Ecoating. Id just take it down to bare metal, primer and paint it, then maybe bedline, or undercoat it. I could see doing it if it was a super rare classic car worth thousands. JMO thinking of $$$$

 

[Joseph.smith54]

Went by Metal Finishings today. They had a few high profile restorations in there and a large facility. Larger than what they need but the part of town they are in it can be afforded. They showed me a CJ7 tub that was just stripped to bear metal so apparently someone in the local area is doing this the same as I am. A bit rich on the price side but maybe that will slow me down on this project. The $50 here and there are killing my bank account but if I consciously save money for each of these then I'll feel like I got something for my money.
So, prices are as follows:
Frame stripping $335
Frame E-coat $375
Frame Powder coat $350
Body stripping $675
Body E-coat $1050

 

[superj]

The frame prices seem cool. The body ecoat gave me a heart attack

 

[Joseph.smith54]

Me too. But, in the long run it is worth it. Ecoat gets in every crevice, nook, and cranny on the body and protects from rust.

 

[superj]

Cool