'69 CJ5 makeover

I had a guy finally fix my hood after letting it collect rust for quite a while (full story here: http://www.earlycj5.net/forums/showthread.php?94173-Bad-day ), and I went ahead and decided to have the whole thing repainted. There were quite a few ripples and dings all around, TONS of scratches, and the engine compartment looked like ****. Soooo....

-main bodywork fixed, entire outside repainted, including the tailgate, dash, inside the grill, etc.
-fenders re-welded to front end (rattled against the headers loudly whenever idling)
-hood DENT fixed, as well as entire hood being bent back into shape to allow proper closing again (one side tweaked when the hood popped out of one hinge and twisted)
-engine bay repainted, including fenders
-wiper motor linkage finally fixed by threading a bolt and nut in to allow length adjustment (PHEW)
-roll bar, mirrors, latches, hinges, wiper motor cover, battery tray sandblasted and repainted black
-fenders, steering column, seat mounts, turn signal, oil bath cleaner repainted black
-headers and mufflers powdercoated in black
-tailgate plates for retainer hook cut off and new plates welded on (to allow me to actually use the hooks)
-new windshield due to clumsy workmanship on behalf of the painter >_>
-stereo hole cut and bracket added, to be completed soon
-holes for old soft top re-welded, and I went ahead and had them drill new ones so they could paint the holes when done
-brand-new black Supertop in the garage!

A replacement to the crappy cardboard glove compartment will be here in a month, as well as new boots for the transmission and transfer case. I still haven't figured out a good boot for the brake pedal, clutch pedal, and accelerator, but I'm looking (not to mention the clutch pedal arm scrapes the sheet metal whenever I shift). All in all a cosmetic job. I still plan on removing the powertrain this winter to repaint the engine, add an HEI, and fix a few leaks, but that's going to have to wait. Then fix the brake lights, upgrade to disc brakes, Saginaw steering, overdrive...these projects never stop! Just Empty Every Pocket indeed.

Anyway, if anyone cares, here are the pics I have so far. I don't have the equipment or time to do all this myself, but I'm pretty excited to get it done, and it should be worth the money.

(I know the order makes no sense.)

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Preliminary sanding and body filler on the tub.






Corrosion on the headers and oil bath cleaner.





Freshly primed.



Battery tray, hinges, and latches after painting.



Fenders, hood, and back end after sanding and body filler.







Headers after powdercoat treatment.




Muffler prior to uninstall, hanging from one pathetic mount.



Body after prime, before paint with masking off.




New slot cut for stereo head unit. Hope I don't regret this...



Fender freshly painted and clearcoated.

 

Looks like you are making great progress, Thanks for the detailed write up and the pics.

The brake and clutch pedal wear out their pivot holes. They do not have bushings that can be replaced, but there are a few options: Buy new re-production pedals, but these will have to bent to fit. Or take your old pedals in to have them machined out and lined, or there is a write up on this site somewhere about a willys band-aid repair- apparently Willys realized the design was deficient and created the band aid years ago to reduce the side play of the pedals which leads to the scraping.

You can also convert to the hanging pedals that were used in later cj's which is a much better design. There are some threads on this site about that too.

Keep up the good work.

 

I had thought about that mod; of course I'd be plugging holes in the floor that's rhino-lined, which wouldn't be easy to make it look good. Are there any benefits besides the absence of said condition?

I had temporarily fixed it by squeezing a rubber grommet into the hole and lining it with lithium grease, but it's hard to get one to fit right, and it pops out quite often.

 

The pedal shafts used to have a round rubber disk on them that would supposedly seal the hole they run through. Mounted on the shaft under the floor, with the pedal in the up position.

 

The hanging pedals are on my wish list because they make it easier to convert to a hydraulic clutch which is also on my list. Not to mention the PITA it is to have to open the floorboard to check the brake fluid level, etc.

 

I don't have to open the floorboard to check the fluid; my MC is mounted on the frame just forward of the pedal hinge; although, I have to slide under the Jeep, pop the top, and hook my finger into it to check the fluid. But it works.

I switched to the chain linkage when my bellcrank linkage snapped, and I've been happy with it so far. So I'm not sure if I'd gain anything other than aesthetics (better action)? I still have my clutch return spring mounted on the arm underneath the left side of the Jeep near the tailpipe (which is wrong), and it's a bit of work fighting that spring to depress the clutch. It works fine, but I wonder if there's a better solution eliminated by switching to hanging pedals.

 

My 71's clutch pedal and linkage is a bit of a rig, partially home-made. From the factory it came with a cable linkage, but it only lasted a few years- a poor design. My dad owned the jeep at the time. He temporarily rigged up the clutch pedal bell cranks on the pivot arm using reverse logic to eliminate the need to have a second bell crank. This temporary rig has lasted 37 years now.

All that to say that yes, my clutch return spring used to be a beast too. It would wear out my left leg on long trips. So I re-drilled the clutch pedal arm so the spring attaches to it about 1" lower than original, made a big difference. You can kind of see it here, it is the only photo I could find and I am work right now, so I can't get another.

 

That's an idea. I actually have to stretch my spring a bit to get it on in the first place, which is part of the problem. My spring is probably too short for where I have it. Technically aren't they supposed to return using tension within the clutch itself, negating the need for an external spring?

 

I'd have to look in the service manual, I am not sure

 

My clutch pedal always comes back with or without the spring, but without the spring, it wont come back all the way.


Jeep looks good so far! I'm not sure on the radio cutout, but I'm sure it will look great when it's done!

I wish my air cleaner looked that good! Mine has begun to turn brown from rust, so now I rub some clean oil on it. :stout:

 

Yep, its original. After thinking about it, if you don't have the spring, the weight of the pedal would always be pushing against the throw out bearing, so its good to have it.