Building 'saint', My 67 Cj-6

I finally picked up my new project yesterday evening. (A little background info can be found in my intro thread: New Philly Jeeper | ECJ5 (earlycj5.com))

When we got to the seller's place, my friend and I tried to start the old truck up again with a bit of spray in the carb, and though he rumbled a bit, he still wasn't getting any go-juice. So I tabled that investigation for the time being and instead we pushed him onto the trailer with the seller's tractor. Too easy. About 40 minutes later we arrived safely at my Dad's farm, which will be its new home for the foreseeable future.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to work on it last night, so I'll be looking at next weekend as the official start of my build. On that note, my plan for next Saturday is to strip and assess. Going to remove the half-cab, clip and tub and check the extent of damage. I'll remove all the wiring, original and otherwise, and the aftermarket lights/accessories that are on the cab and bed. I'll pull the tank and remove the rest of the fuel system as well. Brakes are already out, so I'll strip the rest of the lines, and check out what I'm working with at the wheels.

Oh yeah, and his name is Saint now. Or Clyde, depending on who you ask.
Anyway, that's all for now!

 

I’d recommend getting it running and moving under its own power if possible before stripping it and assess the mechanicals so you know what you are up against in that regard. Too many people strip down a Jeep just to find if they’d evaluated it first they would have gone a different direction “if they’d only known”. Could save time and money in the future.

 

I definitely hear ya Nick, and I'm inclined to agree, but at this point I think the amount of work required to just get it drivable is enough to justify stripping it down temporarily. I forgot to mention the leaf springs, but they're shot, so I'll be replacing them as well before I put the tub back on temporarily and test out the drive.

That being said, I'm basing my plans off the assumption that the tub is relatively simple to remove and remount. And admittedly, I may be spoiled after it took an hour and 4 bolts to pick the cab on my Pop's truck.

 

If it wanted to run... get it running and have some fun.

 

To clarify, I'm not opposed to getting it running before I strip it down, and if it's a quick fix then I'll definitely try to get it going to confirm it's firing nice, but looking at my options I just don't think it's worth a ton of work to have it simply sitting there looking pretty and idling for a bit. Without brakes, springs, and a radiator it's not going to hit the road/trails for a diagnostic run anytime soon, so I'd be stripping it down immediately afterwards anyway.

I'm not one to argue with practicality though, and if the more experienced jeepers on here think it's a better idea to work around the body for the time being then I may end up doing so. I personally just don't think the juice is worth the squeeze at this juncture.

Thanks for the input by the way guys, it is greatly appreciated, and it forces to me pause and think a lot more than I'm accustomed to haha.

 

In my mid 20s, I purchased three Intermediate CJ5s (This is when I knew I had a “problem”). I completely disassembled the better two to make a really nice Jeep. I got as far as sandblasting the frame when project creep set in. A year later I sold it all, probably for a loss. I don’t regret much in life, but I do regret selling those Jeeps. For this reason I vowed that any future projects would never leave a Jeep down for more than a weekend. If a transmission needed a rebuild; I would buy a second, rebuild that one while the Jeep was still on the road. A Jeep that pops out of 2nd gear is a lot more fun than one stuck in the garage. With no pressure to get it done, the rebuild of a component is/was fun. This is just my experience, YMMV! Good luck with your project whatever you decide.

-blalp

 

If this is your first willys I would get it running, shifting, steering, and stopping. Bare minimum to prove it is viable and worth the time and money. Then list the problems biggest to smallest. Take the top issue and research. Get the parts sorted out then tackle it don't worry about anything else until that line is done. Enjoy the improvement while you research the next item. Wash rinse repeat. I've been here a little while and I have only three items I'm worried about right now. There are two big projects that are not getting any attention until I'm done with what's cooking now.

 

I agree with the others. I've got a Jeep that's been completely torn down for a quick rebuild for over 25 years now. But I also have 3 other Jeeps that ran when I bought them but needed work. I've done many weekend projects improving them and they are all nice running Jeeps now while being fun in the process.

Anything you fix now will already be done if you tear it apart so there is nothing to lose. Another advantage to getting it running is seeing if you even like the thing. If you haven't lived with one of these old Jeeps before it might surprise you. They are late 1930s technology with commensurate steering, suspension, and brakes. They are very crude and really don't like going much more than 60 mph. A bunch of us love them like that. If you don't, then a whole 'nother list of projects pop up like YJ springs, suspended pedals, power disk brakes, Saginaw steering, ...etc.

Get it running. Figure out what you like and don't like. Only then tear it down.

 

I say drive it before you strip it.

 

Can't wait to see what you do next Love that Dauntless engine!!

dne'

 

Looking forward to following along with your project! Congrats on the purchase and welcome to the forum!

 

Thanks all! I'm looking forward to starting tomorrow. With all the responses on here, I decided to appease the masses and delay the tear down since I'm going to be waiting on parts anyway. I'll work out the fuel issue and get the engine running (knock on wood). If all goes well I might take it out for a light lap around the farm to feel everything out, but it still doesn't have brakes, so I may just put it on some stands and run it through the gears while it's off the ground. I'll take a look at the brakes next to fill out my shopping list there. The master cylinder was already pulled by the PO, and I'm expecting to have to replace much more than that. But who knows? Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised, and things will be in decent condition. In any case, I'll remove everything that's not in working condition or serviceable, and base my brake upgrades on those findings. I've already decided to stick with drums, I'm just not sure if I want to go up a size yet. After evaluating the brakes, it's just going to be cleaning and inspecting the rest of the cj, while making notes of all the critical items I'll be purchasing for my first parts shipment.

And of course, I'll be taking many, MANY pictures throughout the weekend for posting here and future reference.

 

Good choice to fix and then evaluate from there.

 

x2

 

Update?