daddyusmaximus
New member
People like photos, so I'll start out with one.
Got my new (to me) 1979 Jeep CJ5 Thursday. This is my 3rd CJ5, but the last one I had was when Regan was in office. I decided to start my build thread on the same day I took delivery, but please do not expect a complete build in a short time. You see I'm poor. Well, OK, maybe not poor poor, but I'm U.S. Army retired living off my VA disability, so there's not a lot of cash raining down on me.
My starting point is rough not only due it being a 38 year old vehicle, but the jurry rigged stuff done by others. Oh, I'll jurry rig stuff too, but there are some things I need to address. This thing was modified into a sand toy a couple of owners ago. Here's the good: She has a strong 360 under the hood with a 4 barrel, headers, a mild cam, and MSD ignition. Trans is a Torqueflite 727. Transfer case is supposed to be a Dana 20. Axles are from a full size Dodge truck, 4.88 geared and mounted SOA on 33x12.50s. They are Dana 44 in front, with lockouts, and 9.25 rear with a Detroit locker. They have 4 wheel discs brakes. Here's the not-so-good: No top, no doors, no heater or defrost, rusty spots to fix, and plenty of the aforementioned jurry rigged stuff.
She will not be a daily driver. I will use her as a weekend wheeling vehicle, but I do want to make enough changes to her to be able to take her on longer trips. I have visions of Black Bear Pass, MOAB, Drummond Island MI, and even Alaska... in 2019. Most of the time she ventures off the beaten path will be right here in good old Indiana. The Badlands Off Road Park is just an hr south of me. I'm going to do her up as a copy of an M38A1, but in desert colors like the vehicles I drove in Iraq. She'll probably get a soft top one of these days, but the plastic racing seats are going away by spring. My spine is too mangled up for anything other than good suspension seats. She is not intended to be anything other than a fun vehicle to go exploring in, and I'm not a good welder or fabricator, so don't expect to see top notch workmanship.
Got my new (to me) 1979 Jeep CJ5 Thursday. This is my 3rd CJ5, but the last one I had was when Regan was in office. I decided to start my build thread on the same day I took delivery, but please do not expect a complete build in a short time. You see I'm poor. Well, OK, maybe not poor poor, but I'm U.S. Army retired living off my VA disability, so there's not a lot of cash raining down on me.
My starting point is rough not only due it being a 38 year old vehicle, but the jurry rigged stuff done by others. Oh, I'll jurry rig stuff too, but there are some things I need to address. This thing was modified into a sand toy a couple of owners ago. Here's the good: She has a strong 360 under the hood with a 4 barrel, headers, a mild cam, and MSD ignition. Trans is a Torqueflite 727. Transfer case is supposed to be a Dana 20. Axles are from a full size Dodge truck, 4.88 geared and mounted SOA on 33x12.50s. They are Dana 44 in front, with lockouts, and 9.25 rear with a Detroit locker. They have 4 wheel discs brakes. Here's the not-so-good: No top, no doors, no heater or defrost, rusty spots to fix, and plenty of the aforementioned jurry rigged stuff.
She will not be a daily driver. I will use her as a weekend wheeling vehicle, but I do want to make enough changes to her to be able to take her on longer trips. I have visions of Black Bear Pass, MOAB, Drummond Island MI, and even Alaska... in 2019. Most of the time she ventures off the beaten path will be right here in good old Indiana. The Badlands Off Road Park is just an hr south of me. I'm going to do her up as a copy of an M38A1, but in desert colors like the vehicles I drove in Iraq. She'll probably get a soft top one of these days, but the plastic racing seats are going away by spring. My spine is too mangled up for anything other than good suspension seats. She is not intended to be anything other than a fun vehicle to go exploring in, and I'm not a good welder or fabricator, so don't expect to see top notch workmanship.
