Newbie Jeep questions
#41
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Newbie Jeep questions
travis <travist34removethis@hotmail.com> wrote:
> On Tue, 7 Oct 2003 15:40:21 -0400, "TJim" <jim@ranlet.nospam.com>
> shared the following:
<snip>
>> If you try to drive your Jeep the way you would drive a Baja Bug, you
>>will break things and probably flip your Jeep. (Not that driving slowly is
>>any guarantee, right, Jenn?)
> Sounds like an inside story. heh heh
See this:
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e...04ax.com#link1
-John
> On Tue, 7 Oct 2003 15:40:21 -0400, "TJim" <jim@ranlet.nospam.com>
> shared the following:
<snip>
>> If you try to drive your Jeep the way you would drive a Baja Bug, you
>>will break things and probably flip your Jeep. (Not that driving slowly is
>>any guarantee, right, Jenn?)
> Sounds like an inside story. heh heh
See this:
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e...04ax.com#link1
-John
#42
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Newbie Jeep questions
travis <travist34removethis@hotmail.com> wrote:
> On Tue, 7 Oct 2003 15:40:21 -0400, "TJim" <jim@ranlet.nospam.com>
> shared the following:
<snip>
>> If you try to drive your Jeep the way you would drive a Baja Bug, you
>>will break things and probably flip your Jeep. (Not that driving slowly is
>>any guarantee, right, Jenn?)
> Sounds like an inside story. heh heh
See this:
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e...04ax.com#link1
-John
> On Tue, 7 Oct 2003 15:40:21 -0400, "TJim" <jim@ranlet.nospam.com>
> shared the following:
<snip>
>> If you try to drive your Jeep the way you would drive a Baja Bug, you
>>will break things and probably flip your Jeep. (Not that driving slowly is
>>any guarantee, right, Jenn?)
> Sounds like an inside story. heh heh
See this:
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e...04ax.com#link1
-John
#43
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Newbie Jeep questions
travis <travist34removethis@hotmail.com> wrote:
> On Tue, 7 Oct 2003 15:40:21 -0400, "TJim" <jim@ranlet.nospam.com>
> shared the following:
<snip>
>> If you try to drive your Jeep the way you would drive a Baja Bug, you
>>will break things and probably flip your Jeep. (Not that driving slowly is
>>any guarantee, right, Jenn?)
> Sounds like an inside story. heh heh
See this:
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e...04ax.com#link1
-John
> On Tue, 7 Oct 2003 15:40:21 -0400, "TJim" <jim@ranlet.nospam.com>
> shared the following:
<snip>
>> If you try to drive your Jeep the way you would drive a Baja Bug, you
>>will break things and probably flip your Jeep. (Not that driving slowly is
>>any guarantee, right, Jenn?)
> Sounds like an inside story. heh heh
See this:
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e...04ax.com#link1
-John
#44
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Newbie Jeep questions
On Tue, 07 Oct 2003 20:13:51 GMT, John Sevey
<seveyj@no.spam.like.substance.wi.rr.com> shared the following:
>travis <travist34removethis@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> On Tue, 7 Oct 2003 15:40:21 -0400, "TJim" <jim@ranlet.nospam.com>
>> shared the following:
>
><snip>
>
>>> If you try to drive your Jeep the way you would drive a Baja Bug, you
>>>will break things and probably flip your Jeep. (Not that driving slowly is
>>>any guarantee, right, Jenn?)
>
>> Sounds like an inside story. heh heh
>
>See this:
>
>http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e...04ax.com#link1
>
>-John
Ow.
Thanks.
--
Travis
FOR SALE: '63 VW Camo Baja... $1000 *FIRM*
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2436447561
http://bugadventures.dyndns.org
Words that soak into your ears are whispered, not yelled.
:wq!
<seveyj@no.spam.like.substance.wi.rr.com> shared the following:
>travis <travist34removethis@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> On Tue, 7 Oct 2003 15:40:21 -0400, "TJim" <jim@ranlet.nospam.com>
>> shared the following:
>
><snip>
>
>>> If you try to drive your Jeep the way you would drive a Baja Bug, you
>>>will break things and probably flip your Jeep. (Not that driving slowly is
>>>any guarantee, right, Jenn?)
>
>> Sounds like an inside story. heh heh
>
>See this:
>
>http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e...04ax.com#link1
>
>-John
Ow.
Thanks.
--
Travis
FOR SALE: '63 VW Camo Baja... $1000 *FIRM*
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2436447561
http://bugadventures.dyndns.org
Words that soak into your ears are whispered, not yelled.
:wq!
#45
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Newbie Jeep questions
On Tue, 07 Oct 2003 20:13:51 GMT, John Sevey
<seveyj@no.spam.like.substance.wi.rr.com> shared the following:
>travis <travist34removethis@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> On Tue, 7 Oct 2003 15:40:21 -0400, "TJim" <jim@ranlet.nospam.com>
>> shared the following:
>
><snip>
>
>>> If you try to drive your Jeep the way you would drive a Baja Bug, you
>>>will break things and probably flip your Jeep. (Not that driving slowly is
>>>any guarantee, right, Jenn?)
>
>> Sounds like an inside story. heh heh
>
>See this:
>
>http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e...04ax.com#link1
>
>-John
Ow.
Thanks.
--
Travis
FOR SALE: '63 VW Camo Baja... $1000 *FIRM*
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2436447561
http://bugadventures.dyndns.org
Words that soak into your ears are whispered, not yelled.
:wq!
<seveyj@no.spam.like.substance.wi.rr.com> shared the following:
>travis <travist34removethis@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> On Tue, 7 Oct 2003 15:40:21 -0400, "TJim" <jim@ranlet.nospam.com>
>> shared the following:
>
><snip>
>
>>> If you try to drive your Jeep the way you would drive a Baja Bug, you
>>>will break things and probably flip your Jeep. (Not that driving slowly is
>>>any guarantee, right, Jenn?)
>
>> Sounds like an inside story. heh heh
>
>See this:
>
>http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e...04ax.com#link1
>
>-John
Ow.
Thanks.
--
Travis
FOR SALE: '63 VW Camo Baja... $1000 *FIRM*
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2436447561
http://bugadventures.dyndns.org
Words that soak into your ears are whispered, not yelled.
:wq!
#46
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Newbie Jeep questions
On Tue, 07 Oct 2003 20:13:51 GMT, John Sevey
<seveyj@no.spam.like.substance.wi.rr.com> shared the following:
>travis <travist34removethis@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> On Tue, 7 Oct 2003 15:40:21 -0400, "TJim" <jim@ranlet.nospam.com>
>> shared the following:
>
><snip>
>
>>> If you try to drive your Jeep the way you would drive a Baja Bug, you
>>>will break things and probably flip your Jeep. (Not that driving slowly is
>>>any guarantee, right, Jenn?)
>
>> Sounds like an inside story. heh heh
>
>See this:
>
>http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e...04ax.com#link1
>
>-John
Ow.
Thanks.
--
Travis
FOR SALE: '63 VW Camo Baja... $1000 *FIRM*
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2436447561
http://bugadventures.dyndns.org
Words that soak into your ears are whispered, not yelled.
:wq!
<seveyj@no.spam.like.substance.wi.rr.com> shared the following:
>travis <travist34removethis@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> On Tue, 7 Oct 2003 15:40:21 -0400, "TJim" <jim@ranlet.nospam.com>
>> shared the following:
>
><snip>
>
>>> If you try to drive your Jeep the way you would drive a Baja Bug, you
>>>will break things and probably flip your Jeep. (Not that driving slowly is
>>>any guarantee, right, Jenn?)
>
>> Sounds like an inside story. heh heh
>
>See this:
>
>http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e...04ax.com#link1
>
>-John
Ow.
Thanks.
--
Travis
FOR SALE: '63 VW Camo Baja... $1000 *FIRM*
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2436447561
http://bugadventures.dyndns.org
Words that soak into your ears are whispered, not yelled.
:wq!
#47
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Newbie Jeep questions
Hello, Travis, I wanted to put my two cents in on your question of
what to look for. I dunno if this will help but I just ended a 5
month stretch of heated looking for a YJ and I learned a couple of
things that made or broke (most) deals for me.
Rust. Rust is king. Jeeps (I'm not referring to the Jeep brand
Cherokee or whatever; in my mind "Jeep" means CJ or Wrangler) get
abused. In the north they get used to push snowplows (looks silly,
but they do it; front weighted down too much, etc) or at least get
used for transportation when the white-stuff is on the ground...with
salt. I'm not talking the talc-powder rust that isn't getting into
the depths of the metal, but the kind that bubbles up and flakes off
in 1/16th or even 1/8th inch flakes. I viewed several (up north on
vacation there) that the skid-plate under the
transmission/transfercase was missing bolt heads (not the complete
bolts...but just the heads...they'd snapped or twisted off), and huge
flakes of rust eating away at the metal of both the skid-plate and the
frame. As far as I'm concerned, we're talking the kind of rust that
would eat away at the structural thickness of the metal.
Welds. I saw at least one Jeep where the shock-mount on one axle was
welded back into place. The problem is not only has it seen it's
rougher days off-road, but what quality is the weld? Who says the
person who did it knew what they were doing and that the weld will
hold up?
Now, I saw the kind of rust I'm talking about up north (Massachusetts)
here in Texas at a dealership (used car dealership). Up north I found
an abundance of Jeeps like I was looking for and they were cheaper up
there than here in Texas. The one I'm particularly thinking of here
in Texas, which had similar rust to the northern ones, was admittedly
(by the dealer guy) an "import"..it wasn't from Texas originally. So
the rust has to be looked at for the reason that it may have been
brought in from (what I think is) the cheaper market up north. Of
course, beaches are a problem, too.
I saw rusted out floor pans, seats that used to be held by 4 bolts now
held by 3, rotors and drums that were almost nothing but flaked rust,
frames that you wonder how they held themselves up, let alone the
Jeep, and tranny/transfercase skid-plates held on by will-power alone,
it seemed.
Another important aspect for me in my hunt for a YJ was that I found a
local machine shop that stocks reman'd I-6's (long blocks) for these
things for about $700 bucks. That means, since I can swap an engine
myself, I don't have to sweat the mileage on the Jeep (for the
purposes of wondering how many miles I can get out of it before it
blows). I was able to buy a Jeep, regardless of mileage, as long as
the price was what I was willing to pay.
It took months (and lots of prayer and looking), but I found it, and I
learned some things to look for, and that I can swap engines any day I
wish for about $700 bucks. I would say to you, look for serious rust,
broken/repaired frame/suspension members, and find out what it'd cost
you to swap an engine (or transmission) if a sweet deal came along
that proved to be too sweet to be true.
HTH.
--HC
travis <travist34removethis@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<j5k4ovk67d83k15pbfclet2lhin0l6s5or@4ax.com>. ..
> Hi y'all. I have Jeep-on-the-brain. I'm hoping to be able to buy my
> first Jeep by end of March at the latest, so I'm starting to read up
> some to get up to speed so I can make an intelligent purchase. I'm
> starting to look towards a late 70's model CJ5 or CJ7 with V8 and
> manual tranny. I have a bunch of questions that I'd appreciate input
> on from y'all and here they are... I apologize in advance if the
> fomat of this post is out-of-whack since I've cut-and-pasted some
> questions into here from different sources.
>
> I found a good page for reference numbers on AMC engines:
> http://home.att.net/~farna/amtech/engines.html
>
> Looks like both V8s 304 and 360) have enough cubic inches to put out
> some real power with the right tweaks. I'm just wondering what the
> proven "right tweaks" are for these engines. As far as lifts go, I've
> seen the spring-over lift idea. At a glance it looks simple to do...
> Looks like it would give you some really effective and immediate lift,
> too. Drawbacks to it? Probably inexpensive to do it, too. I'm lucky
> enough to have good welder and can make strong (but not pretty) welds
> with it. There are better lift options? Probably? Pointers to a
> good website that shows the installation of good lift kit with good
> explanations of what's going on as they do it? I think if I get a
> stock CJ (if such a thing still exists :-) that I'll probably only
> want to lift it about 4" and then maybe put a 2-3" body lift on it and
> maybe do some body trimming to fit tires if needed. Are the suspension
> lift kits and body lift kits something someone can do on their own in
> a garage at home if they have a "pretty good set" of tools including a
> welder? (I realize that's kind of a loaded question but maybe the
> responses to it will give me a good idea if it can be done or not or
> it it's just something to forget about trying on my own.) I've read
> what a "lincoln locker" is and why it's a "bad thing" so I'd wanna
> stay away from that. How about recommendations for good books to read
> like "Jeep Owner's Bible" (that a good one?) and also links to good
> informative Jeep websites? I loaded up over 7000 messages on this
> newsgroup and am looking over them. Not reading all of them, of
> course, but trying to read the stuff that looks like it would maybe
> answer some of my questions. Is there a FAQ or website set up for
> this group? Something for someone like me who has never owned a 4WD
> vehicle before. "Intro To Jeeps For Dummies." Like what is a
> "shackle?" Is that the bracket thing that acts as the leaf spring
> attachment point? I'd like to see a "things to look for when buying
> a used Jeep" kind of list if there's one out there. Thanks for taking
> the time to read through this and hopefully answer a couple of my
> questions.
> Travis
what to look for. I dunno if this will help but I just ended a 5
month stretch of heated looking for a YJ and I learned a couple of
things that made or broke (most) deals for me.
Rust. Rust is king. Jeeps (I'm not referring to the Jeep brand
Cherokee or whatever; in my mind "Jeep" means CJ or Wrangler) get
abused. In the north they get used to push snowplows (looks silly,
but they do it; front weighted down too much, etc) or at least get
used for transportation when the white-stuff is on the ground...with
salt. I'm not talking the talc-powder rust that isn't getting into
the depths of the metal, but the kind that bubbles up and flakes off
in 1/16th or even 1/8th inch flakes. I viewed several (up north on
vacation there) that the skid-plate under the
transmission/transfercase was missing bolt heads (not the complete
bolts...but just the heads...they'd snapped or twisted off), and huge
flakes of rust eating away at the metal of both the skid-plate and the
frame. As far as I'm concerned, we're talking the kind of rust that
would eat away at the structural thickness of the metal.
Welds. I saw at least one Jeep where the shock-mount on one axle was
welded back into place. The problem is not only has it seen it's
rougher days off-road, but what quality is the weld? Who says the
person who did it knew what they were doing and that the weld will
hold up?
Now, I saw the kind of rust I'm talking about up north (Massachusetts)
here in Texas at a dealership (used car dealership). Up north I found
an abundance of Jeeps like I was looking for and they were cheaper up
there than here in Texas. The one I'm particularly thinking of here
in Texas, which had similar rust to the northern ones, was admittedly
(by the dealer guy) an "import"..it wasn't from Texas originally. So
the rust has to be looked at for the reason that it may have been
brought in from (what I think is) the cheaper market up north. Of
course, beaches are a problem, too.
I saw rusted out floor pans, seats that used to be held by 4 bolts now
held by 3, rotors and drums that were almost nothing but flaked rust,
frames that you wonder how they held themselves up, let alone the
Jeep, and tranny/transfercase skid-plates held on by will-power alone,
it seemed.
Another important aspect for me in my hunt for a YJ was that I found a
local machine shop that stocks reman'd I-6's (long blocks) for these
things for about $700 bucks. That means, since I can swap an engine
myself, I don't have to sweat the mileage on the Jeep (for the
purposes of wondering how many miles I can get out of it before it
blows). I was able to buy a Jeep, regardless of mileage, as long as
the price was what I was willing to pay.
It took months (and lots of prayer and looking), but I found it, and I
learned some things to look for, and that I can swap engines any day I
wish for about $700 bucks. I would say to you, look for serious rust,
broken/repaired frame/suspension members, and find out what it'd cost
you to swap an engine (or transmission) if a sweet deal came along
that proved to be too sweet to be true.
HTH.
--HC
travis <travist34removethis@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<j5k4ovk67d83k15pbfclet2lhin0l6s5or@4ax.com>. ..
> Hi y'all. I have Jeep-on-the-brain. I'm hoping to be able to buy my
> first Jeep by end of March at the latest, so I'm starting to read up
> some to get up to speed so I can make an intelligent purchase. I'm
> starting to look towards a late 70's model CJ5 or CJ7 with V8 and
> manual tranny. I have a bunch of questions that I'd appreciate input
> on from y'all and here they are... I apologize in advance if the
> fomat of this post is out-of-whack since I've cut-and-pasted some
> questions into here from different sources.
>
> I found a good page for reference numbers on AMC engines:
> http://home.att.net/~farna/amtech/engines.html
>
> Looks like both V8s 304 and 360) have enough cubic inches to put out
> some real power with the right tweaks. I'm just wondering what the
> proven "right tweaks" are for these engines. As far as lifts go, I've
> seen the spring-over lift idea. At a glance it looks simple to do...
> Looks like it would give you some really effective and immediate lift,
> too. Drawbacks to it? Probably inexpensive to do it, too. I'm lucky
> enough to have good welder and can make strong (but not pretty) welds
> with it. There are better lift options? Probably? Pointers to a
> good website that shows the installation of good lift kit with good
> explanations of what's going on as they do it? I think if I get a
> stock CJ (if such a thing still exists :-) that I'll probably only
> want to lift it about 4" and then maybe put a 2-3" body lift on it and
> maybe do some body trimming to fit tires if needed. Are the suspension
> lift kits and body lift kits something someone can do on their own in
> a garage at home if they have a "pretty good set" of tools including a
> welder? (I realize that's kind of a loaded question but maybe the
> responses to it will give me a good idea if it can be done or not or
> it it's just something to forget about trying on my own.) I've read
> what a "lincoln locker" is and why it's a "bad thing" so I'd wanna
> stay away from that. How about recommendations for good books to read
> like "Jeep Owner's Bible" (that a good one?) and also links to good
> informative Jeep websites? I loaded up over 7000 messages on this
> newsgroup and am looking over them. Not reading all of them, of
> course, but trying to read the stuff that looks like it would maybe
> answer some of my questions. Is there a FAQ or website set up for
> this group? Something for someone like me who has never owned a 4WD
> vehicle before. "Intro To Jeeps For Dummies." Like what is a
> "shackle?" Is that the bracket thing that acts as the leaf spring
> attachment point? I'd like to see a "things to look for when buying
> a used Jeep" kind of list if there's one out there. Thanks for taking
> the time to read through this and hopefully answer a couple of my
> questions.
> Travis
#48
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Newbie Jeep questions
Hello, Travis, I wanted to put my two cents in on your question of
what to look for. I dunno if this will help but I just ended a 5
month stretch of heated looking for a YJ and I learned a couple of
things that made or broke (most) deals for me.
Rust. Rust is king. Jeeps (I'm not referring to the Jeep brand
Cherokee or whatever; in my mind "Jeep" means CJ or Wrangler) get
abused. In the north they get used to push snowplows (looks silly,
but they do it; front weighted down too much, etc) or at least get
used for transportation when the white-stuff is on the ground...with
salt. I'm not talking the talc-powder rust that isn't getting into
the depths of the metal, but the kind that bubbles up and flakes off
in 1/16th or even 1/8th inch flakes. I viewed several (up north on
vacation there) that the skid-plate under the
transmission/transfercase was missing bolt heads (not the complete
bolts...but just the heads...they'd snapped or twisted off), and huge
flakes of rust eating away at the metal of both the skid-plate and the
frame. As far as I'm concerned, we're talking the kind of rust that
would eat away at the structural thickness of the metal.
Welds. I saw at least one Jeep where the shock-mount on one axle was
welded back into place. The problem is not only has it seen it's
rougher days off-road, but what quality is the weld? Who says the
person who did it knew what they were doing and that the weld will
hold up?
Now, I saw the kind of rust I'm talking about up north (Massachusetts)
here in Texas at a dealership (used car dealership). Up north I found
an abundance of Jeeps like I was looking for and they were cheaper up
there than here in Texas. The one I'm particularly thinking of here
in Texas, which had similar rust to the northern ones, was admittedly
(by the dealer guy) an "import"..it wasn't from Texas originally. So
the rust has to be looked at for the reason that it may have been
brought in from (what I think is) the cheaper market up north. Of
course, beaches are a problem, too.
I saw rusted out floor pans, seats that used to be held by 4 bolts now
held by 3, rotors and drums that were almost nothing but flaked rust,
frames that you wonder how they held themselves up, let alone the
Jeep, and tranny/transfercase skid-plates held on by will-power alone,
it seemed.
Another important aspect for me in my hunt for a YJ was that I found a
local machine shop that stocks reman'd I-6's (long blocks) for these
things for about $700 bucks. That means, since I can swap an engine
myself, I don't have to sweat the mileage on the Jeep (for the
purposes of wondering how many miles I can get out of it before it
blows). I was able to buy a Jeep, regardless of mileage, as long as
the price was what I was willing to pay.
It took months (and lots of prayer and looking), but I found it, and I
learned some things to look for, and that I can swap engines any day I
wish for about $700 bucks. I would say to you, look for serious rust,
broken/repaired frame/suspension members, and find out what it'd cost
you to swap an engine (or transmission) if a sweet deal came along
that proved to be too sweet to be true.
HTH.
--HC
travis <travist34removethis@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<j5k4ovk67d83k15pbfclet2lhin0l6s5or@4ax.com>. ..
> Hi y'all. I have Jeep-on-the-brain. I'm hoping to be able to buy my
> first Jeep by end of March at the latest, so I'm starting to read up
> some to get up to speed so I can make an intelligent purchase. I'm
> starting to look towards a late 70's model CJ5 or CJ7 with V8 and
> manual tranny. I have a bunch of questions that I'd appreciate input
> on from y'all and here they are... I apologize in advance if the
> fomat of this post is out-of-whack since I've cut-and-pasted some
> questions into here from different sources.
>
> I found a good page for reference numbers on AMC engines:
> http://home.att.net/~farna/amtech/engines.html
>
> Looks like both V8s 304 and 360) have enough cubic inches to put out
> some real power with the right tweaks. I'm just wondering what the
> proven "right tweaks" are for these engines. As far as lifts go, I've
> seen the spring-over lift idea. At a glance it looks simple to do...
> Looks like it would give you some really effective and immediate lift,
> too. Drawbacks to it? Probably inexpensive to do it, too. I'm lucky
> enough to have good welder and can make strong (but not pretty) welds
> with it. There are better lift options? Probably? Pointers to a
> good website that shows the installation of good lift kit with good
> explanations of what's going on as they do it? I think if I get a
> stock CJ (if such a thing still exists :-) that I'll probably only
> want to lift it about 4" and then maybe put a 2-3" body lift on it and
> maybe do some body trimming to fit tires if needed. Are the suspension
> lift kits and body lift kits something someone can do on their own in
> a garage at home if they have a "pretty good set" of tools including a
> welder? (I realize that's kind of a loaded question but maybe the
> responses to it will give me a good idea if it can be done or not or
> it it's just something to forget about trying on my own.) I've read
> what a "lincoln locker" is and why it's a "bad thing" so I'd wanna
> stay away from that. How about recommendations for good books to read
> like "Jeep Owner's Bible" (that a good one?) and also links to good
> informative Jeep websites? I loaded up over 7000 messages on this
> newsgroup and am looking over them. Not reading all of them, of
> course, but trying to read the stuff that looks like it would maybe
> answer some of my questions. Is there a FAQ or website set up for
> this group? Something for someone like me who has never owned a 4WD
> vehicle before. "Intro To Jeeps For Dummies." Like what is a
> "shackle?" Is that the bracket thing that acts as the leaf spring
> attachment point? I'd like to see a "things to look for when buying
> a used Jeep" kind of list if there's one out there. Thanks for taking
> the time to read through this and hopefully answer a couple of my
> questions.
> Travis
what to look for. I dunno if this will help but I just ended a 5
month stretch of heated looking for a YJ and I learned a couple of
things that made or broke (most) deals for me.
Rust. Rust is king. Jeeps (I'm not referring to the Jeep brand
Cherokee or whatever; in my mind "Jeep" means CJ or Wrangler) get
abused. In the north they get used to push snowplows (looks silly,
but they do it; front weighted down too much, etc) or at least get
used for transportation when the white-stuff is on the ground...with
salt. I'm not talking the talc-powder rust that isn't getting into
the depths of the metal, but the kind that bubbles up and flakes off
in 1/16th or even 1/8th inch flakes. I viewed several (up north on
vacation there) that the skid-plate under the
transmission/transfercase was missing bolt heads (not the complete
bolts...but just the heads...they'd snapped or twisted off), and huge
flakes of rust eating away at the metal of both the skid-plate and the
frame. As far as I'm concerned, we're talking the kind of rust that
would eat away at the structural thickness of the metal.
Welds. I saw at least one Jeep where the shock-mount on one axle was
welded back into place. The problem is not only has it seen it's
rougher days off-road, but what quality is the weld? Who says the
person who did it knew what they were doing and that the weld will
hold up?
Now, I saw the kind of rust I'm talking about up north (Massachusetts)
here in Texas at a dealership (used car dealership). Up north I found
an abundance of Jeeps like I was looking for and they were cheaper up
there than here in Texas. The one I'm particularly thinking of here
in Texas, which had similar rust to the northern ones, was admittedly
(by the dealer guy) an "import"..it wasn't from Texas originally. So
the rust has to be looked at for the reason that it may have been
brought in from (what I think is) the cheaper market up north. Of
course, beaches are a problem, too.
I saw rusted out floor pans, seats that used to be held by 4 bolts now
held by 3, rotors and drums that were almost nothing but flaked rust,
frames that you wonder how they held themselves up, let alone the
Jeep, and tranny/transfercase skid-plates held on by will-power alone,
it seemed.
Another important aspect for me in my hunt for a YJ was that I found a
local machine shop that stocks reman'd I-6's (long blocks) for these
things for about $700 bucks. That means, since I can swap an engine
myself, I don't have to sweat the mileage on the Jeep (for the
purposes of wondering how many miles I can get out of it before it
blows). I was able to buy a Jeep, regardless of mileage, as long as
the price was what I was willing to pay.
It took months (and lots of prayer and looking), but I found it, and I
learned some things to look for, and that I can swap engines any day I
wish for about $700 bucks. I would say to you, look for serious rust,
broken/repaired frame/suspension members, and find out what it'd cost
you to swap an engine (or transmission) if a sweet deal came along
that proved to be too sweet to be true.
HTH.
--HC
travis <travist34removethis@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<j5k4ovk67d83k15pbfclet2lhin0l6s5or@4ax.com>. ..
> Hi y'all. I have Jeep-on-the-brain. I'm hoping to be able to buy my
> first Jeep by end of March at the latest, so I'm starting to read up
> some to get up to speed so I can make an intelligent purchase. I'm
> starting to look towards a late 70's model CJ5 or CJ7 with V8 and
> manual tranny. I have a bunch of questions that I'd appreciate input
> on from y'all and here they are... I apologize in advance if the
> fomat of this post is out-of-whack since I've cut-and-pasted some
> questions into here from different sources.
>
> I found a good page for reference numbers on AMC engines:
> http://home.att.net/~farna/amtech/engines.html
>
> Looks like both V8s 304 and 360) have enough cubic inches to put out
> some real power with the right tweaks. I'm just wondering what the
> proven "right tweaks" are for these engines. As far as lifts go, I've
> seen the spring-over lift idea. At a glance it looks simple to do...
> Looks like it would give you some really effective and immediate lift,
> too. Drawbacks to it? Probably inexpensive to do it, too. I'm lucky
> enough to have good welder and can make strong (but not pretty) welds
> with it. There are better lift options? Probably? Pointers to a
> good website that shows the installation of good lift kit with good
> explanations of what's going on as they do it? I think if I get a
> stock CJ (if such a thing still exists :-) that I'll probably only
> want to lift it about 4" and then maybe put a 2-3" body lift on it and
> maybe do some body trimming to fit tires if needed. Are the suspension
> lift kits and body lift kits something someone can do on their own in
> a garage at home if they have a "pretty good set" of tools including a
> welder? (I realize that's kind of a loaded question but maybe the
> responses to it will give me a good idea if it can be done or not or
> it it's just something to forget about trying on my own.) I've read
> what a "lincoln locker" is and why it's a "bad thing" so I'd wanna
> stay away from that. How about recommendations for good books to read
> like "Jeep Owner's Bible" (that a good one?) and also links to good
> informative Jeep websites? I loaded up over 7000 messages on this
> newsgroup and am looking over them. Not reading all of them, of
> course, but trying to read the stuff that looks like it would maybe
> answer some of my questions. Is there a FAQ or website set up for
> this group? Something for someone like me who has never owned a 4WD
> vehicle before. "Intro To Jeeps For Dummies." Like what is a
> "shackle?" Is that the bracket thing that acts as the leaf spring
> attachment point? I'd like to see a "things to look for when buying
> a used Jeep" kind of list if there's one out there. Thanks for taking
> the time to read through this and hopefully answer a couple of my
> questions.
> Travis
#49
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Newbie Jeep questions
Hello, Travis, I wanted to put my two cents in on your question of
what to look for. I dunno if this will help but I just ended a 5
month stretch of heated looking for a YJ and I learned a couple of
things that made or broke (most) deals for me.
Rust. Rust is king. Jeeps (I'm not referring to the Jeep brand
Cherokee or whatever; in my mind "Jeep" means CJ or Wrangler) get
abused. In the north they get used to push snowplows (looks silly,
but they do it; front weighted down too much, etc) or at least get
used for transportation when the white-stuff is on the ground...with
salt. I'm not talking the talc-powder rust that isn't getting into
the depths of the metal, but the kind that bubbles up and flakes off
in 1/16th or even 1/8th inch flakes. I viewed several (up north on
vacation there) that the skid-plate under the
transmission/transfercase was missing bolt heads (not the complete
bolts...but just the heads...they'd snapped or twisted off), and huge
flakes of rust eating away at the metal of both the skid-plate and the
frame. As far as I'm concerned, we're talking the kind of rust that
would eat away at the structural thickness of the metal.
Welds. I saw at least one Jeep where the shock-mount on one axle was
welded back into place. The problem is not only has it seen it's
rougher days off-road, but what quality is the weld? Who says the
person who did it knew what they were doing and that the weld will
hold up?
Now, I saw the kind of rust I'm talking about up north (Massachusetts)
here in Texas at a dealership (used car dealership). Up north I found
an abundance of Jeeps like I was looking for and they were cheaper up
there than here in Texas. The one I'm particularly thinking of here
in Texas, which had similar rust to the northern ones, was admittedly
(by the dealer guy) an "import"..it wasn't from Texas originally. So
the rust has to be looked at for the reason that it may have been
brought in from (what I think is) the cheaper market up north. Of
course, beaches are a problem, too.
I saw rusted out floor pans, seats that used to be held by 4 bolts now
held by 3, rotors and drums that were almost nothing but flaked rust,
frames that you wonder how they held themselves up, let alone the
Jeep, and tranny/transfercase skid-plates held on by will-power alone,
it seemed.
Another important aspect for me in my hunt for a YJ was that I found a
local machine shop that stocks reman'd I-6's (long blocks) for these
things for about $700 bucks. That means, since I can swap an engine
myself, I don't have to sweat the mileage on the Jeep (for the
purposes of wondering how many miles I can get out of it before it
blows). I was able to buy a Jeep, regardless of mileage, as long as
the price was what I was willing to pay.
It took months (and lots of prayer and looking), but I found it, and I
learned some things to look for, and that I can swap engines any day I
wish for about $700 bucks. I would say to you, look for serious rust,
broken/repaired frame/suspension members, and find out what it'd cost
you to swap an engine (or transmission) if a sweet deal came along
that proved to be too sweet to be true.
HTH.
--HC
travis <travist34removethis@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<j5k4ovk67d83k15pbfclet2lhin0l6s5or@4ax.com>. ..
> Hi y'all. I have Jeep-on-the-brain. I'm hoping to be able to buy my
> first Jeep by end of March at the latest, so I'm starting to read up
> some to get up to speed so I can make an intelligent purchase. I'm
> starting to look towards a late 70's model CJ5 or CJ7 with V8 and
> manual tranny. I have a bunch of questions that I'd appreciate input
> on from y'all and here they are... I apologize in advance if the
> fomat of this post is out-of-whack since I've cut-and-pasted some
> questions into here from different sources.
>
> I found a good page for reference numbers on AMC engines:
> http://home.att.net/~farna/amtech/engines.html
>
> Looks like both V8s 304 and 360) have enough cubic inches to put out
> some real power with the right tweaks. I'm just wondering what the
> proven "right tweaks" are for these engines. As far as lifts go, I've
> seen the spring-over lift idea. At a glance it looks simple to do...
> Looks like it would give you some really effective and immediate lift,
> too. Drawbacks to it? Probably inexpensive to do it, too. I'm lucky
> enough to have good welder and can make strong (but not pretty) welds
> with it. There are better lift options? Probably? Pointers to a
> good website that shows the installation of good lift kit with good
> explanations of what's going on as they do it? I think if I get a
> stock CJ (if such a thing still exists :-) that I'll probably only
> want to lift it about 4" and then maybe put a 2-3" body lift on it and
> maybe do some body trimming to fit tires if needed. Are the suspension
> lift kits and body lift kits something someone can do on their own in
> a garage at home if they have a "pretty good set" of tools including a
> welder? (I realize that's kind of a loaded question but maybe the
> responses to it will give me a good idea if it can be done or not or
> it it's just something to forget about trying on my own.) I've read
> what a "lincoln locker" is and why it's a "bad thing" so I'd wanna
> stay away from that. How about recommendations for good books to read
> like "Jeep Owner's Bible" (that a good one?) and also links to good
> informative Jeep websites? I loaded up over 7000 messages on this
> newsgroup and am looking over them. Not reading all of them, of
> course, but trying to read the stuff that looks like it would maybe
> answer some of my questions. Is there a FAQ or website set up for
> this group? Something for someone like me who has never owned a 4WD
> vehicle before. "Intro To Jeeps For Dummies." Like what is a
> "shackle?" Is that the bracket thing that acts as the leaf spring
> attachment point? I'd like to see a "things to look for when buying
> a used Jeep" kind of list if there's one out there. Thanks for taking
> the time to read through this and hopefully answer a couple of my
> questions.
> Travis
what to look for. I dunno if this will help but I just ended a 5
month stretch of heated looking for a YJ and I learned a couple of
things that made or broke (most) deals for me.
Rust. Rust is king. Jeeps (I'm not referring to the Jeep brand
Cherokee or whatever; in my mind "Jeep" means CJ or Wrangler) get
abused. In the north they get used to push snowplows (looks silly,
but they do it; front weighted down too much, etc) or at least get
used for transportation when the white-stuff is on the ground...with
salt. I'm not talking the talc-powder rust that isn't getting into
the depths of the metal, but the kind that bubbles up and flakes off
in 1/16th or even 1/8th inch flakes. I viewed several (up north on
vacation there) that the skid-plate under the
transmission/transfercase was missing bolt heads (not the complete
bolts...but just the heads...they'd snapped or twisted off), and huge
flakes of rust eating away at the metal of both the skid-plate and the
frame. As far as I'm concerned, we're talking the kind of rust that
would eat away at the structural thickness of the metal.
Welds. I saw at least one Jeep where the shock-mount on one axle was
welded back into place. The problem is not only has it seen it's
rougher days off-road, but what quality is the weld? Who says the
person who did it knew what they were doing and that the weld will
hold up?
Now, I saw the kind of rust I'm talking about up north (Massachusetts)
here in Texas at a dealership (used car dealership). Up north I found
an abundance of Jeeps like I was looking for and they were cheaper up
there than here in Texas. The one I'm particularly thinking of here
in Texas, which had similar rust to the northern ones, was admittedly
(by the dealer guy) an "import"..it wasn't from Texas originally. So
the rust has to be looked at for the reason that it may have been
brought in from (what I think is) the cheaper market up north. Of
course, beaches are a problem, too.
I saw rusted out floor pans, seats that used to be held by 4 bolts now
held by 3, rotors and drums that were almost nothing but flaked rust,
frames that you wonder how they held themselves up, let alone the
Jeep, and tranny/transfercase skid-plates held on by will-power alone,
it seemed.
Another important aspect for me in my hunt for a YJ was that I found a
local machine shop that stocks reman'd I-6's (long blocks) for these
things for about $700 bucks. That means, since I can swap an engine
myself, I don't have to sweat the mileage on the Jeep (for the
purposes of wondering how many miles I can get out of it before it
blows). I was able to buy a Jeep, regardless of mileage, as long as
the price was what I was willing to pay.
It took months (and lots of prayer and looking), but I found it, and I
learned some things to look for, and that I can swap engines any day I
wish for about $700 bucks. I would say to you, look for serious rust,
broken/repaired frame/suspension members, and find out what it'd cost
you to swap an engine (or transmission) if a sweet deal came along
that proved to be too sweet to be true.
HTH.
--HC
travis <travist34removethis@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<j5k4ovk67d83k15pbfclet2lhin0l6s5or@4ax.com>. ..
> Hi y'all. I have Jeep-on-the-brain. I'm hoping to be able to buy my
> first Jeep by end of March at the latest, so I'm starting to read up
> some to get up to speed so I can make an intelligent purchase. I'm
> starting to look towards a late 70's model CJ5 or CJ7 with V8 and
> manual tranny. I have a bunch of questions that I'd appreciate input
> on from y'all and here they are... I apologize in advance if the
> fomat of this post is out-of-whack since I've cut-and-pasted some
> questions into here from different sources.
>
> I found a good page for reference numbers on AMC engines:
> http://home.att.net/~farna/amtech/engines.html
>
> Looks like both V8s 304 and 360) have enough cubic inches to put out
> some real power with the right tweaks. I'm just wondering what the
> proven "right tweaks" are for these engines. As far as lifts go, I've
> seen the spring-over lift idea. At a glance it looks simple to do...
> Looks like it would give you some really effective and immediate lift,
> too. Drawbacks to it? Probably inexpensive to do it, too. I'm lucky
> enough to have good welder and can make strong (but not pretty) welds
> with it. There are better lift options? Probably? Pointers to a
> good website that shows the installation of good lift kit with good
> explanations of what's going on as they do it? I think if I get a
> stock CJ (if such a thing still exists :-) that I'll probably only
> want to lift it about 4" and then maybe put a 2-3" body lift on it and
> maybe do some body trimming to fit tires if needed. Are the suspension
> lift kits and body lift kits something someone can do on their own in
> a garage at home if they have a "pretty good set" of tools including a
> welder? (I realize that's kind of a loaded question but maybe the
> responses to it will give me a good idea if it can be done or not or
> it it's just something to forget about trying on my own.) I've read
> what a "lincoln locker" is and why it's a "bad thing" so I'd wanna
> stay away from that. How about recommendations for good books to read
> like "Jeep Owner's Bible" (that a good one?) and also links to good
> informative Jeep websites? I loaded up over 7000 messages on this
> newsgroup and am looking over them. Not reading all of them, of
> course, but trying to read the stuff that looks like it would maybe
> answer some of my questions. Is there a FAQ or website set up for
> this group? Something for someone like me who has never owned a 4WD
> vehicle before. "Intro To Jeeps For Dummies." Like what is a
> "shackle?" Is that the bracket thing that acts as the leaf spring
> attachment point? I'd like to see a "things to look for when buying
> a used Jeep" kind of list if there's one out there. Thanks for taking
> the time to read through this and hopefully answer a couple of my
> questions.
> Travis
#50
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Newbie Jeep questions
"Ow" is right. Fortunately, she's fine, although a bit broker than before.
One of the first mods you might consider is a decent roll cage. One of our
club members flipped his CJ last winter (on the road), his stock cage
collapsed, and he spent months in the hospital. He is still recovering.
--
Jim
--
98 TJ SE
90 SJ GW
http://www.delawareja.com/gallery/JDJeep98
"travis" <travist34removethis@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:nf86ovsegsk4lcdvt3sq03icc5mi8mu1oj@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 07 Oct 2003 20:13:51 GMT, John Sevey
> <seveyj@no.spam.like.substance.wi.rr.com> shared the following:
>
> >travis <travist34removethis@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >> On Tue, 7 Oct 2003 15:40:21 -0400, "TJim" <jim@ranlet.nospam.com>
> >> shared the following:
> >
> ><snip>
> >
> >>> If you try to drive your Jeep the way you would drive a Baja Bug, you
> >>>will break things and probably flip your Jeep. (Not that driving
slowly is
> >>>any guarantee, right, Jenn?)
> >
> >> Sounds like an inside story. heh heh
> >
> >See this:
> >
>
>http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e...rame=right&th=
3a45a9b6d0fbd68a&seekm=fbb6bvcuk7hdqfq1kp14gp2f8dv ej4s2su%404ax.com#link1
> >
> >-John
>
> Ow.
> Thanks.
>
>
>
> --
> Travis
> FOR SALE: '63 VW Camo Baja... $1000 *FIRM*
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2436447561
> http://bugadventures.dyndns.org
> Words that soak into your ears are whispered, not yelled.
>
>
> :wq!
One of the first mods you might consider is a decent roll cage. One of our
club members flipped his CJ last winter (on the road), his stock cage
collapsed, and he spent months in the hospital. He is still recovering.
--
Jim
--
98 TJ SE
90 SJ GW
http://www.delawareja.com/gallery/JDJeep98
"travis" <travist34removethis@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:nf86ovsegsk4lcdvt3sq03icc5mi8mu1oj@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 07 Oct 2003 20:13:51 GMT, John Sevey
> <seveyj@no.spam.like.substance.wi.rr.com> shared the following:
>
> >travis <travist34removethis@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >> On Tue, 7 Oct 2003 15:40:21 -0400, "TJim" <jim@ranlet.nospam.com>
> >> shared the following:
> >
> ><snip>
> >
> >>> If you try to drive your Jeep the way you would drive a Baja Bug, you
> >>>will break things and probably flip your Jeep. (Not that driving
slowly is
> >>>any guarantee, right, Jenn?)
> >
> >> Sounds like an inside story. heh heh
> >
> >See this:
> >
>
>http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e...rame=right&th=
3a45a9b6d0fbd68a&seekm=fbb6bvcuk7hdqfq1kp14gp2f8dv ej4s2su%404ax.com#link1
> >
> >-John
>
> Ow.
> Thanks.
>
>
>
> --
> Travis
> FOR SALE: '63 VW Camo Baja... $1000 *FIRM*
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2436447561
> http://bugadventures.dyndns.org
> Words that soak into your ears are whispered, not yelled.
>
>
> :wq!