Why would the parts have to be new??? That seems like it negates more than half of what's on this board.

 

To keep the challenge equal

Maybe if people get into this then we will do one for being on a tight budget or x amount to spend on used only.

Look at it like a Christmas wish list.

 

Need a little more detail on the '7 to have a better idea of what I'd do - what engine/tranny/etc are we dealing with?

 

And what kind of shape is everything else in? Electrical, interior, etc. Is this a bone stock mint condition '83 CJ-7?

 

Thanks for supporting the post guys it has been updated
with all you will need. I appreciate you guys supporting this idea.

 

Id sell it, and buy an older not quite driveable CJ5.

then start wth engine, axle, tranny, and way more fun mods

 

I'd put every dime of the money into some SOA axles.. and they sure dont have to be new.
for $1000 you can find a set of 1 ton axles that are SOA. another $800 gives you detroits in both ends. put another $200 into new bearings and seals. that gives you $500 for steering and new rims.

 

I with ozarkjeep-

Sell it and buy a CJ5. (It's Classic!)

Kriss

 

What is point of even trying to make a post that will help newbie

 

i'm up for the cj-5 idea, but short of that i think the soa and 1 ton axles, lockers is a good one, but of course i'd do a cage before that, what good is all that lift and articulation gonna do you if your grape is part of the landscape, then there is of course engine and tranny mods, i like the 302 HO with a stick behind it (after i blow up my 258), not a big fan of the autos, but to each his own. i guess what i'm trying to say is that its all in what your mind can come up with, but if you have $2500 that you want to get rid of i will more than happily take it and do some great stuff to my ol 78 '5

 

Seeing as I'm of the boring sort, I'd start with the following:

'Cage kit - Smittybilt, $115.95 at 4WPW

Quality fire extinguisher - 2½ lb. Amerex ABC, $22.00 from United Fire Equipment

One piece rear axles - Drivetrain Doctors, $299 @ drivetrain.com

First Aid kit (well stocked) - ALS medical supply, $29.95

32x11.5 BFG M/T's on 15X8 Rockcrawlers - $771.95 @ 4WPW

Rancho stabilizer - $46.95 @ 4WPW

Max axe - $209.95 @ 4WPW

Hi-lift jack - $75.95 @ 4WPW

Hi-lift "Off-road" kit - $40.95 @ 4WPW

Recovery Strap - $29.95 @ Pep Boys

See - I told you I was boring

 

OK this is what I would do more or less with a Cj-7 with a model 20 rear and a 30 front that was mechanically in good working order (engine and tranny).
4wheel Drive Hardware #:
4wdh 1 piece axles #4103 229.95
MORE spring mounts for SOA #98104 90.00
Kentol Front cage #47987 109.99
Frame tie into kit #27686 32.75
4 wheel parts wholesalers:
CJ gear package with True trac front and detroit rear with all necessary parts and gears 1295.95
Super swamper LTB's 33x13.50 on Black rock crawler wheels 699.00

Total $2457.64
You can use the rest for welding wire and gas and misc. bolts and fluids.

Just and idea there are probably a few things that i have forgotten.

 

I won't cover all the little stuff but here's the big ones.
Prices are close but not exact.

Do a spring over. Cost about $300. includes perches, pitman arm, shocks, brake lines, t-case drop.

33" remington mud brutes. $85x5=$425 (tire shop in Houston)
or 35" for $105 each.

15x8 wagon wheels $28x5=$140+$8 shipping (summit racing).

4.10 gears or lower. about $130 per set. $260 plus installation.

Quicklocks. $180 each. $360.

Good 1-piece axle shafts for amc 20. $300 for mosser.

Ford tfi ignition upgrade. about $60.

Ford or Weber or Holley 2 barrel carb. Not sure on new prices. Ford is cheapest, Holley is about $280, Weber is about $400.

All new poly bushings. About $160.

Steering box brace. About $50.

That should be a little under $2500 if you do most of the work yourself.

 

Ok, I am a newbie and this post was very informative for me. Thank you for the info - all on one post too

Now I have a couple of questions -
1. When you talk about $300 for a SOA, what parts are you including? I am assuming that some of this stuff is fab'd up on your own? From my understanding, you can keep the stock springs but need new (relocated) perches, shocks, shock mounts, steering stuff and lengthened driveshafts. Where can I go to get all these parts for under $300?

I saw a "bolt-on" kit from Full Traction suspension for $399. Is this the way to go if I don't have a welder? I would then needs shocks, so add that to the price.
http://www.jdsoffroad.com/store/index-2new.cfm?storeid=1&makemodelid=ALL&MODELYEAR=ALL&make=ALL&field=Manufactureid&catid=29&start=1

2. For a locker, I want one for the rear that I can install myself (never done this before). I hear the traclok, power lok and ez locker are the easiest to install. Which one would you guys recommend? The axle is a Dana 44 out of a Scout II and this is not my everyday driver so I can afford to take my time. I hear some of them are coming with an instructional video now too.
http://www.4wheelparts.com/product2.asp?imseqn=1191&occlass=DETL&cat=DRI

I have $1000 to play with and I am assuming these two mods will take up the majority but I'd be happy for a while.

Next on my list would be engine mods
Rebuild carb - $50
Headers - free

just need to be installed

 

It is actually less than $300 for an SOA if you do everything yourself. The old perches can be cut off and put on top. Build your own shock mounts out of 1/4" plate welded to the axle. A t-case drop kit is nothing more than two pieces of 1" square tubing that go between your frame and skid plate, and longer bolts. Procomp 3000 shocks are $115 per set from 4 wheel parts. A pitman arm costs about $60 from 4 wheel parts but don't buy the procomp one. Use $30 brake hoses for a full size jeep on the front as extended brake lines. I dropped the upper brake line mount on the back by about 3" and put a 2" tubing spacer in between where the line mounts to the axle. This also makes it so that you don't have to bend the brake line much for it to go over the spring pack. I should get some pictures to explain this better. You won't need a new front drive shaft. I'm not sure if you will need a longer rear or not. The t-case drop makes the lift like a 4" regular lift and you don't use new shafts on those. I have a CJ-8 so the shaft is longer. I don't use a t-case drop and have never had a problem. No vibrations at all. The lift turned out to be 5.25" and 35" tires will fit.

Since you don't have a welder this lift would cost a whole lot more money. I've heard good things about the full traction lift. It would definatly be the way to go if you want a spring over.

If you have the origional carburator it is not worth rebuilding. The nearest trash can is a good place for it. Find a used motorcraft carburtor and rebuild it. I don't know much about the installation of the ford since I have a weber. Do a search and I'm sure you'll find all the info you need.

 

Thanks for the info. It was very informative and should help get me started

I have seriously thought about taking a welding course at the local college (it's amazing 3 months after graduation I am thinking about going back!) and picking up a MIG since it makes things a lot cheaper in the long run.

The carb is a Holley on a Chevy 350 so I figure it would be worth rebuilding.

 

Since we're talking about a 'where to start' scenario, Pugsley has it exactly right. Everybody who goes off road should load up on the safety items first. Extraction items second. Then go have some fun until something breaks. By that time several things will be known:

What kind of offroading you like to do.
Where you like to go.
What's the weakest link.
Whether this is something that you really want to spend a lot of time and money on.

The only reason for a newbie to dump a bushel of money into a Jeep that's roadworthy and trailworthy is if he plans to go deep into the backwoods alone where there would be no help if something broke. Not a good idea for an old hand, much less a newbie.

This is a great thread, but it's really for those who have gotten past that part of the experience; gotten stuck a few times, broken down on the trail a few times, and had a GREAT time doing it. NOW let's talk about hardware.

In my opinion, the stock axels are a weak link on almost every Jeep ever built. Premium U-joints, lockers and one-piece axel shafts might be enough. Or maybe you need Dana 60s.

 

How about a 4.0L conversion? With the money you could save in gas alone, next year you'd be set!!!!

but if thats too advanced I would agree with the simple things til you get used to the vehicle, a lot of these new people don't want to go SOA & gears from the start, if they are new they should learn the vehicle and go for some safety (cage, hi-lift) then like disconnects, maybe TBI, small lift and larger tires would definately get them in trouble!!! Hell I don't need that much to get me in trouble!!!!

I wouldn't sell for a CJ-5 though, I'm 6'4", I don't fit well in a 5, that was one of them main reasons I didn't get one.

 

starting with a GC and operational CJ-7 I would...

Build a cage tied to body & frame. (it's tube... buy it at local steel supply)
Add recovery points. (tow hooks... local 4x4 shop, local auto parts, local farm supply, etc)
Add some 32" MT tires and cut fenders to clear.
Add trans cooler as larger tires with stock 83 CJ axle gears won't yield great final crawl ratio. (get this where you get tow hooks)
I would ask why this weaker TF904 was swapped in place of the OE TF999 ...then maybe consider trading my trans cooler for one with higher capacity

I assume I am allowed to use the CB radio, fire ext, Hi-Lift, shovel, straps, chains, tools, repair kit, first aid & camp gear I already have ...because that is what I would do if this were real not hypothetical

If I were a "newbie", I would listen to the "old-bies" and get these items before setting tire on trail.

Then I would gather some friends and use the remaining $2k (or so) to buy fuel, food and campsites so I could road trip and take the Jeep out on some trails.

Maybe if I were feeling saucy I'd add a few inches of SUA lift and a Detroit for the rear.

As if you couldn't tell - I like simple. Jeep is a fine creation as is. What is point of having one if all cash and time goes to building it? Take the top off and go drive it...

 

Oh yeah, I completely agree on the safety items. I will NOT go offroading unless a friend in a another vehicle is going with me. You always should brings tow strap, shovel, spare parts (ones prone to break), fire extinguisher, and any other safety items that you can think of and have room for.

 

I agree, this post has been very helpful

Good thing for me is I already have lots of saftey and recovery gear. So I think I will go for the full cage first, then start asking all kinds of newbie lift questions

right now the spring over sounds less expensive and maybe nets better results? (I can weld)
Also I found a guy selling a used weber and a header for a 258,it will be a good price, what do you think, good idea or not?

 

I don't how experienced you are of a driver, but SOA could get you into quite a bit of trouble, that vehicle will go quite a lot of places with Just SOA & Tires, you may want to try differnt things at first to get used to what it is capable and go from there.

Disconnects, small lift, tires, grears....just my .02

 

A couple of things that I forgot to add, and pretty important ones at that - some kind of potable water vessel(s). I currently carry a couple of old forest service 1 gallon canteen packs, but a better idea would be a 2½ gallon Gott can with a mounting bracket, so if you roll you'll still have drinking water, and it won't try to take your head off in the process.

Also a throw in a slug of ¼"-½" nylon rope - say 150' or so. No particular purpose, but always comes in handy - especially when you don't have it