Ewan's 79 CJ-5 restoration project

Windshield frame mounted and new cowl seal installed. I was going to paint and install the dash so I could lock the windshield frame down, but I misplaced my hole saw. I have a brand new dash but it is missing the hole for the tachometer.

 

Brake bracket, booster and master cylinder installed. Turns out the setup won't work with my stock air cleaner so I decided to ditch the Carter carb. I've ran the Weber 32/36 in the past with a stock setup, ran great. Since I'm upgrading the ignition and running a Comp HE Cam, I'm leaning towards the 38.

 

Dash partially installed with stock gauges. I took the speedometer apart and cleaned out out really well. I also ordered some blue LED lights to replace the wimpy little bulbs. I recall running the stock lights on my CJ7 and could barely see the cluster at night. If anyone is wandering, this is a Warrior brand dash made out of 12ga steel. Much more sturdy than the factory dash, though I'm not terribly fond of how the speedometer mounts. Instead of studs mounted to the back, I had to use some 10-24 set screws. I can't complain too much since it was free.

 

Worked on the dash again tonight, but gave up due to frustration. Passenger side windshield knob hole was way off, and the dash is so thick (12ga) the heater cables won't snap in. I ended up busting not one, but two of them. When I still had my CJ7, I used an aftermarket dash that was 16ga steel and didn't have this problem. 12ga is obviously too thick and now I'm going to have to break out the grinder. I'm probably going to run into the same problem when I install the dash lamp assemblies as well.

 

Weber 38 DGEV installed. Lots of experience with the Weber 32/36, this will be my first experience with the 38. I'm still a bit skeptical of the electric choke, I've always used a manual choke. Will have to wait and see.

 

MTS heater cables...wow, what a difference. They cost about $110 shipped, definitely a bit more expense than stock replacements but well worth it. These cables are very well made and heavy duty. Even the defroster control works with the funky linkage that tends to hang up. Oh, and they came with new push nuts which was a pleasant surprise.

 

I started wiring last night, and managed to get some wiring done today. Battery was still fully charged this evening, no leaky volts.

 

You're making good progress! It's looking more and more like my '79.

 

Nice looking jeep, I love the color.

 

Thanks, I bought it that color and it wasn't my favorite at the time, but I must say, it's really grown on me and I like it a lot now.

 

Same thing with me, original color was bright orange. At first I absolutely hated it, but eventually grew to like it. I would have left it but my original tub was rusted badly.

 

LED lights installed along with some more wiring. I'm almost completely finished with wiring, still need to figure out why my reverse lights aren't working. Voltmeter is a little harder to view, regular bulb is no better.

 

Working on putting the soft top back on, couldn't find the little plastic retainers that came with the original Whitco hardware. I didn't feel like spending $40 for NOS replacements so I came up with a cheap solution. 3/8" electrical clamps, cost me 88 cents, and fits perfectly.

 

Almost done. I still have a couple items on my list but the Jeep is ready to be fired up. Previous owner had cut the tub to fit a transmission swap, I patched it using 18ga steel. Entire engine bay is complete, however I still have the coil disconnected. I've caught the boys numerous times playing in the Jeep. Last thing I need is to spend money on a new garage door.





I put 5 gallons of fuel in, no leaks anywhere that I can see. I did however fail to hook up a ground cable to the fuel sender, I'll probably need to drop the tank to reach it. mehh

Items left to purchase:
Tachometer
Axle dust shields
Mirrors
Front seat belts
Front OEM bumper

To-do:
Finish stripping and painting drivers side fender.
Strip and paint hood.
Shorten rear drive-shaft, the one I sourced is too long.

 

Tachometer installed and working. My mirrors and other miscellaneous small exterior parts show up tomorrow.

 

Making great progress!

 

It's pretty much road worthy minus the drivers side fender and hood which currently sit unpainted. I've also been putting the registration and title off since the fees are going to be a whopper. I should be thankful I don't have emissions in my county. Oddly enough though, the Jeep had already passed emissions in the county I purchased it in. Previous owner rebuilt the carb and put a new cat on. Stock emissions equipment is still being used and plumbed correctly. Weber 38 in place of Carter.

I'll have to say this 38 was a breeze to tune, far easier the 32/36 carb I've used in the past. I can't wait to see how it drives on the road. I also had to purchase a new oil pan, the old one is now leaking like a siv. It keeps leaking from the skid plate and actually found a piece of the pan on the floor with a quart of oil.

 

Just in time for spring, looks good!

 

I gave up trying to recondition the drivers side fender. I started to remove tons of body filler to discover a mangled, rusty, pitted mess. Ordered a Crown brand fender, hopefully it matches up with the passenger side OEM fender.

Oil pan replaced and oil changed. Oil looked great, no metal shavings or milky surprises. Pulled a bearing cap, everything looks good. I also adjusted the clutch linkage and tested brakes.

 

New Crown fender arrived today, was initially scared since FedEx had a "we repacked your box" sticker. I've heard of fitment and quality issues with replacement body parts, but I have to say this fender looks great. I haven't bolted it up but it seems to be made rather well, no quality control issues I can see. Mock fitment looks good, everything lines up.