66 CJ5 Rebuild

Yet another Jeep rebuild. My intentions are simple, but somehow that's not how it ends up.
I'm starting with a 1966 CJ5 powered by none other than the Buick 225 V6. This Jeep has lived in Arizona it's whole life, which I like.
Very little rust with a good body and frame. Original running gear include T-18 4 speed tranny, Dana 18 transfer case, and stock axles. Some mods include 2" leaf spring lift and 2"
body lift.



I started a blog with all the pictures I have taken, but this forum is a lot easier for fellow Jeepers to post questions and comments.
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Looks very good.

 

Here is a shot of the inside. I have already done some fabrication for new seats and steering. I will have to post that work towards the end of the build when I put it back together. I placed Rhino ATV seats on custom mounts attached to the roll cage.The passenger seat flips forward for access to the original tool compartment. I also replaced the sloppy steering column with a 3/4" DOM steel shaft with several heim joints.

Next up is the tear down.

 

I may re-locate the horizontal bar that you see running across the dash. I'm thinking about placing it closer to the dash above the windshield hold downs. This location worked well for the steering shaft mount, but I'm not crazy about how it looks.

 

Now for a picture without the tub. I didn't plan my disassembly well because there was mud everywhere due to a last minute trip to the local mud hole. I should have waited on that one...Ooh well. I did label all electrical connections prior to removing each item. I will be replacing the electrical system with a 12 circuit fuse box and my own wire.

Also on the list of things to do: disc brake conversion up front, 11" drums on the rear, locker on rear diff and 2 chamber master cylinder...But for now its time for frame repairs.

 

Now its time for some fabrication. I started on the front frame rail. The steering box mount needed to go along with the front bumper. To remove the front bumper I used my handy Hypertherm 900 plasma cutter to remove the original "rivet" style attachments. I used the sever style tip on the plasma cutter to cut away at the top of the rivet and then a regular tip to remove the rest. You can see the holes on the foremost part of the frame rail where the rivets used to be.

I will fill in the small holes with weld and make plugs for the larger holes. Then I will grind the weld down for a smooth look. Next is the new steering box mount and to box the frame rails up front.

 

Here is another look at the diver's side front frame rail. I removed the
old mount and all the junk that was hanging on the frame rail.


Here is the junk I removed with the plasma cutter


Not pictured is the weld repair I made to the steering box. One of the mounting holes was damaged. I used my trusty TIG welder to patch the mounting hole. This box is the three mount design.

I used 3/8" thick plate to make a sturdy steering box mount. Before I removed the old mount I took measurements to ensure the new mount would be in the same place. I first used a piece of cardboard to make a rough shape of the mount. I transferred the cardboard to the steel plate and made my cut lines. The plasma cutter made the cut and a belt sander smoothed out all the edges.


Here is the finished mount with a triangle shaped gusset on the outside edge of the frame rail. Also notice the welded holes on the outside edge of the frame rail.


The final product. To match this side I used 3/8" thick plate to finish off "boxing" the frame rail. This allows for a smooth finish. I used grade 8 bolts for attachment and locking nuts to hold it in.

 

looking good!

 

Here is the Passenger side front frame rail. I used 4 inch wide by 1/8" plate for boxing the frame rail. Simple upgrade, yet adds a lot of strength in this area.


Next is the front bumper. I wanted to design a bumper based on the original. I bought a piece of 5 inch by 3/16 inch channel iron. The 5 inch channel fits over the foremost part of the front bumper with 1/4 inch on top and bottom to spare. The length of the bumper is shorter than original at 42 inches. I added 4 gussets on each side of the frame rail seen here.


I used 4" by 4" angle iron for these gussets. I cut the angle iron into 4 inch wide pieces and then used my plasma cutter to give them shape. I welded the frame rail to the bumper before I added the gussets. The outboard sections of the bumper are "boxed" for additional strength and for design purposes. I cut the front of the bumper at an angle and added steel for a finished look.

I made some mounts for D-shackles and a tow bar. For the D-shackle mount, I used 3/4 thick plate. The tow bar mounts are made with 1/2 thick plate.


I repaired the mounting locations on the tow bar instead of buying a new one. I used 3/8 thick cold rolled steel for this repair. I cut out the bad sections an added the new steel. All TIG welded of course.


Here is a view of the bumper from the front.

 

Looking good, good welds.
Terry

 

Thanks Terry

 

I am in Chandler(202 and McClintoc), i would like to see in person how you are doing things,
It might get me some insight on how to procede on mine.

Besty regards
Terry

 

I boxed the area near the rear shock mounts. I left enough room to access the bolts for the body mounts that are located near the shock mounts. I used the same 4 inch wide by 1/8 inch thick flat plate. I also cut a half circle shape on the forward section for looks.


Next up is the rear bumper. My goal for this project was to design a rear bumper that would be extremely strong yet look good. It needed to hold up against recovery attempts and be able to equip a swinging tire carrier. I didn't want to attach the new bumper to the old one, so I removed the old metal, which, was bad anyway.


And the bumper removed


I used the same technique for removing the heavy duty rivets that hold the original bumper on. My plasma cutter earned its keep for sure on this project. I also welded the unused holes on the rear frame rails.

 

I wanted to do more than just box the rear frame rail, so I added a piece of 2.5 by 1.5 rectangle tubing to the inside of the frame rail. This piece will also be a mounting point for the new bumper.


Driver's side rear frame rail. I boxed the frame after I added the rectangle tubing. I didn't box the entire rear section because I need access to the frame rail for running the fuel line. I will be making a custom aluminum fuel tank mounted in the rear.

 

Here is the finished rear bumper. I used 1/4 inch thick 4 x 2 tubing. Again, I wanted a stout bumper that could hold up against anything. The original bumper was twisted from pulling out a friends Jeep. This bumper features two mounts for D-shackles. I made them with the same 3/4 thick plate and 7/8 inch holes. I burned those in hot with the TIG welder and I actually ruined my power cable doing so.


I cut the ends of the bumper for looks and clearance from obstacles. I used 1/4 inch plate to cap the ends that I cut then I welded them on and ground down the welds to make that solid appearance.


I designed the same gussets for the rear that I used up front. I first welded the rear bumper to the tubing that was inside the frame rails. I think the 4 gussets will add a lot of strength to the rear bumper. I placed the shackle mounts directly in-line with the center of each frame rail.

 

Sorry i can't make it there this weekend,my grandson is having his first bday..
Next Sunday for sure.
Man those welds are looking good, you do excellent work, do you do this for a living?
Regards
Terry

 

@ Canuk...I used to weld for a living, but now it's just a hobby.

I started working on the master cylinder while I wait for my aluminum fuel tank parts. I'm planning a disk brake conversion for the front and 11" drums for the rear. I didn't want to keep the original single reservoir master cylinder, so I bought a two reservoir unit from a 1977 CJ5. I think this is a good safety upgrade and easy to do with the tub off. Here is a picture of the original set-up


Before I removed the original MC, I used a piece of scrap steel to mark the placement of the push rod. This will allow me to place the new one in the same spot. I used a different piece of steel to mark the height of the original MC. With these two reference points and several measurement, I was able to put the new MC in the same spot as the old one.


Old and new MC. The new master cylinder was purchased from Autozone here in Phoenix. Part # M1292 and ran $28 including core.


Time to remove the old master cylinder mount. I wanted to keep this mount, but that was not possible. Another job for the plasma cutter.

 

PieLut:
It just so happens i have an extra D44 with 11" drums, i am going to use the limited slip thats in it and get rid of the locker, driving around town makes the tires squeal. Maybe we can do some bartering, maybe do some welding for me??
You can have the drums and backplate etc.
Whats your thought?
Regards
Terry
PS:
Are you a pilot? If so we have something in common.
A&P and pilot myself.

 

I have completed the mount for the new dual reservoir master cylinder. I used 3/8 inch thick plate for the mount and the triangle gusset. The mount has two 7/16 threaded holes.


Another shot with the MC mounted


From above




I wanted to keep the support for the brake/clutch pivot point. The original support did not work, so I had to make my own. I used a 2" wide by 1/4" thick plate for this support. The one end has a 1" hole for attachment over the pivot tube and the other end has a 5/16" hole for mounting.


I added a small tab welded to the MC mount with threads for attaching the support brace. The brace and tab do not interfere with the brake pedal and the end result looks good so far.

 

My aluminum fuel tank arrived this week and I'm excited to get started on it. I decided to go with an aluminum tank because I like the fact that aluminum doesn't rust and it looks good unpainted. I researched the notion of buying and cutting my own tank, but It was about the same price and easier to have someone else make it. I found Boyd Welding out of Florida. They make custom fuel tanks and they have all the aluminum weld on parts that I needed. I had them make me a 24 x 16 x 12 tank from 1/8" 5052 aluminum. They made two U-shaped pieces which will make the rectangle. I had them send it to me un-welded, which, saved me $70. Here is a pic of the tank right out of the box.

The tank should yield about 20-21 gallons.


Here are the additional parts that came with the tank. There are two pieces of aluminum angle for mounting the tank, each 12" long. 1 piece for the filler tube 2" in diameter and 6" long. There are three 3/8" NPT weld on bungs. These will be used for the vent, return, and draw. The large diameter weld on bung is the mounting flange for the sending unit.


To simplify things I bought the sending unit that Boyd offered. It mounts to the flange I bought and it's designed for custom applications. From what I read in the instructions, I cut the support arm and float arm according to a chart. The chart is based on the depth of the tank.