Dads donated 1960 CJ5 project

Hello fellow Jeepers! I just inherited my fathers 1960 CJ5 project, and I thought I'd take you all along for the ride. First a little back story.... Dad grew up with MB's and Willy's wagons. He rode in his grandfathers MB while hunting, and when old enough, he bought a Willy's wagon from Grandpa too. Fast forward 45 years, after a long career with the US Forest service Dad retired. I guess with all that time on his hands he must have begun reminiscing about those fun days with the Jeeps. It wasn't but a few months after his retirement, I got a phone call from him. He had just bought a 1960 CJ5 in pieces, and needed my help to load it on the flatbed.

After we got the Jeep home and in the shop, we both realized that this was going to be a bit more work than he had expected. What was sitting in front of us was a bare frame with axles, a tub, engine, T90, Dana18, and 12 boxes of parts! The tub was rough, but fixable, However, the four banger had seen better days. Luckily, some of the hard stuff was already done. The PO had stripped the frame and axles then painted everything. He also installed new leaf springs.

Dad went to work gathering parts, and doing research. We disassembled the 4 cylinder to find that the block was cracked, and the pistons were .80 oversize already. It didn't take long to decide that it was too far gone for us. So dad began looking for something different. He found a Buick 231 and had it rebuilt. Bought an SM465, had it rebuilt, and ordered the adapter to mate it to the Dana 18. Just like that, the drivetrain was new again.

This is where the story ended for Dad. He began to lose interest in the Jeep, and every time I asked him about it or offered to help, he seemed indifferent? It seemed he had moved onto other hobbies, and he somehow knew he didn't have the wrenching skills to finish it. I must admit I was pretty jealous of dad, and a little sad. After all, he had all the makings for an awesome Jeep just sitting there collecting dust.

Fast forward again 3 years, I had caught the Jeep bug from seeing dads project, watching youtube videos, reading 4wd magazine. It was then I decided to build a Jeep from scratch! I located a frame, and soon found a flatfender tub. One night while having dinner with my parents, I brought up my Jeep project to dad. We talked strategy, and what I wanted to do with it but no mention of his Jeep. The next morning he called me and told me to stop buying parts as he wanted to give me his project Jeep!

I was floored to say the least, and humbled with his generosity. I tried to talk him out of giving it to me multiple times, but he insisted. I even offered to pay him for it, but he refused. So, that afternoon I picked up the rolling chassis, and boxes of parts. Now the Jeep sits in my garage as the weather turns cold, making it the perfect winter project. My goal is to return it to it's stock form, but definitely use the new drivetrain! When I finish it, I am contemplating parking it in Dad's driveway with a bow on top, but I may get too attached

First on the list is to finish the brake system that dad started. He put 11" brakes up front, and bought the dual master cylinder kit, so I'm ahead already. I will be bending lines, and bench bleeding soon, and will add pics. It was also decided to video the build, so you all will get to laugh at my mistakes The link for the vids will be posted as I get them up.

So with all of that said, I just want to give a pre-thank you to everyone that will chime in with advice and tips. Lets get building! Here is what we are working with.......

 

First thing, welcome to the Forum! Since your dad had a dream, I think it would be cool to build that dream for him. So set that flatty aside and put all your efforts into finishing dad's Jeep. He would be forever grateful if it showed up in his driveway as a gift. You know you'll have the opportunity to get it back in the future. Invite him over and get him involved in a few things on it he would be comfortable with. Dads aren't around forever, make it special with him.

 

Hey again folks! Sorry for the delay, I have been chasing elk for the past week and a half. Anyway, I'm back at it on the Jeep and I need some advice regarding the brake line fittings. So in the box of parts I found a 4 way brass block fitting, and from some searching, it looks like it mounts front left on the frame? (see pic). Also I'm wondering is what is the 4th hole in the block for? a pressure switch? The diagrams in the books and online are pretty vague or fuzzy. Oh, and did the 1960 CJ5 have a proportioning valve? Should I add one anyway?

The next question, is my 60 supposed to have the S line and shield on the knuckle? I didn't find any shields in the boxes, so I just put on the new flex lines that looked like they fit. Please let me know if they look too long or if any of it looks funky.(see pics). Maybe somebody could post some detailed pics of their brake line routing, fittings, etc?

I guess I'm just a little nervous about screwing up the most important system on the Jeep LOL! any guidance is much appreciated.

 

While I'm thinking about this I thought I would ask.... so I lifted the engine/trans/transfercase assembly into the frame to check clearance on the brake lines. What I found was that the oil filter is hitting the battery tray bracket. Should I cut it out and mount the battery on the firewall like later CJ's?



Also, when mounting the motor mounts, should I bolt them or weld? The frame is boxed where they sit, so I would have to insert a metal tube/sleeve for each of the bolts so it wouldn't crush the frame when I tighten the bolts right?

 

Thanks Warloch, that's what I was thinking. I can fab something up, I just wasn't quite sure because I have yet to see another 60 with this battery tray setup. Also, what do you think about not running the brakeline shields on the knuckles? I looked at the OMIX brakeline kit for the 60 CJ5 and it comes with the S lines, but my Jeep didn't have them when I got it? Should I return everything to stock, or should I just run flex line (that I already have) straight to the drums like in the pics?

 

Sometimes I read a thread like this, I go out with a flashlight to look at my Jeeps. My '69, V6 Commando has a firewall mounted battery, my '61 3B has about the exact same battery tray as yours. V6 conversion. Probably 5" of clearance between the filter and any part of the battery tray.The engine in mine was done with factory V6 mounts, I don't know how much it would change the engine location on yours.

 

Thanks uncamonkey! That tells me I had my height all wrong. I have done just about all the reading on this subject that my little brain can handle, and am finding that there is no exact measurement to go from? As long as the fan doesn't hit the radiator, hood closes, and it's not on the firewall I'm good to bolt it in place? I will put it back in this evening, and post some pics of what I think will work. Again, thanks for the advice

 

Awesome! Thanks for your reply. The flex lines in the kit seemed a little long for the front, and I had to keep them twisted to stop them from rubbing. I will flex the suspension and see what happens. Also, I am trying to figure out if I need a proportioning valve on my system? I can't find one in the boxes of parts, so I'm not sure if it ever had one? If it does, does anyone know where I can pick one up? Again, many thanks in advance to all the gurus!

 

That's a great question? I have not looked at the reservoirs inside the MC, I guess they could be different sizes. I think he must mean the WC's? I will check and confirm.

 

The MC chambers are the same size.

I will now have to pull the drums to look and see what my father installed. Then I will make the decision on adding the prop valve.

 

Hi again! Sorry for the long delay in updates. The holiday and my daughters B-day took all the Jeep time. I ended up giving my now 14 year old daughter a room makeover as part of her birthday gift, so I was busy framing, drywalling, and painting. Anyway, I did some more brake work yesterday. I finished bending lines, and finding fittings. I have to tell you that most of the time was in gathering the correct parts! However, I am still missing the correct brakelight pressure switch, and rear 3 way tee. Can't seem to find a switch that fits the 4 way distribution block? I ordered 2 different styles off the web, and they both turned out to be metric. I will sort that out tomorrow. The Tee is readily available on eBay, but I just couldn't wait to try out the brakes. Oh, and I did change the rear wheel cylinders yesterday too! Also, the rear WC's are smaller than the front, so I will not be putting a proportioning valve in unless absolutely needed.

I also found some time to drop by my dads place to pick up the fenders and hood. I want those on hand when I drop the motor in place. I am concerned that the new Holley carb won't clear, and I need to set my radiator height. As you can see from the pics, it is starting to look like a Jeep again! Looks like it was originally green, so maybe it will go back that color. Any opinions on that?

Sorry for the cluttered shop, I am still going through all of the boxes of parts that came with this monster! Also, if you guys catch any of my work that looks questionable, please tell me! I am new to Jeeps, so this is a learning experience.

After I locate and install the pressure switch, I will lower the drivetrain in place to see if any of the brake lines need tweaking. There will be LOTS of pics of that process I promise

 

Got the brakes and lines finished, and I decided to drop the engine/trans into place to see if there would be any fitment issues with the new lines. This is where I am hung up now. It looks to me like the clutch lever and the brake pedal will interfere with each other. I don't really have much to go off of, and I used the search option on this forum to find pics but no go. I will keep looking, but for now what do you guys think about the placement? Do I need to lose the e fan, and move the engine forward?

 

Looking at the pictures, I would recommend switching to a pusher fan for the radiator and then move the drive train forward 2~3 inches and to the passenger side about 2 inches. This will probably require the removal of the battery platform and associated factory engine mount. This will require moving the battery to the firewall. Remember, every inch forward you move the drive train means an extra inch for your rear drive line which only helps to reduce any nasty angle issue with it later.

But yes, your current clutch/brake arrangement is unworkable as every time you step on the brake you will release the clutch Ideally you need to adjust it so that the clutch cable is inboard of the brake pedal. And so that the brake pedal can move freely without hitting the clutch arm. It also looks as if you may run into issue with the firewall with as far back as your drive train is sitting in the frame.

Oh the joys of fab and re-powering

 

Thanks for the reply! I noticed last night after posting that the grill was leaned back a few inches toward the engine. I will move it forward tonight, and show what I come up with. I have been really contemplating removing the battery tray/engine mount. One member checked his Jeep for me to see if the tray would cause issues, but he said it had plenty of room. I don't have the tub here at the house yet, so that has made things difficult. I will likely have to get it on there to double check everything. Any thoughts on welding or bolting, or both the engine mounts to the frame?