'85 Jeep CJ7 - Let's get this party started

[Jimmy P]

No worries, @ohiowrangler, I'm still just plugging away, and will keep updating as things get done . Property maintenance is in my way right now. I'm hoping it'll be done today and I can get back on the lighting tomorrow after work. That is dependent upon how my daughters tonsillectomy goes. It's a routine procedure, but she's going to in rough shape for about 2 weeks due to her age. Apparently it's worse the older you are when it happens. At least my wife will be able to dedicate time to tending to her. The big issue is my daughter is a pain in the butt patient

I will definitely get some pictures of her test driving when we get to that point. I don't think it will be long now. I should have already pulled it out and did some power washing, but I keep wanting to do one more thing before I move forward. I think I'll get the lights squared away, then do the power washing, then start the lessons. She's excited, I'm nervous and excited, it's all good.

 

[Jimmy P]

It's been a long and trying weekend, but I'm significantly closer to where I need to be. To start off, I was able to yank all of the lights out and started one by one working through the lights. The first order of business what to wiring up the light that had been eaten. I soldered and used heat shrink on the splice for the wince lights, and added waterproof connectors. I'm pleased with how they came out, even though I'll have to re-do them. More on that later.

After getting everything up front laid out, I started plugging things in and that's when the fun began. The drives side appeared to work correctly, but the passenger side was acting funny in all kinds of ways. The lights would just come on randomly with no consistency. I kept tracing the wires and not coming up with anything, even though everything seemed to be correct. That was, ultimately, correct. That's of little comfort after having spent literally hours trying to figure it out. I ended up calling it quits before I really broke something.

When I went back to it this morning, fresh, I started isolating the power connections and running one at a time. I ended up finding that while the housings showed grounded when I put my multi-meter on them, when hot was applied, I lost both ground and subsequently voltage. I took a shot and ran a temporary ground and wallah, the lights started working. A single solitary ground had me running around lost. Such is life I guess. With that knowledge, I was able to button up the front with one issue left up front. My passenger grill signal light turn doesn't work. It's actually a socket issue, and not wiring, so I'm leaving it as is until I can buy a new housing. I'll actually be buying the pair so I can have nice clear lenses on both sides. Regardless, the front harness is in good shape for now. This is where I'm going to have to re-do the connections I mentioned previously.

That allowed me to move on to the back. I had a short in the drivers side lamp, and the passenger side was acting unpredictably, so I had pulled them both out. Fortunately the passenger side appears to have been due to the issues from the front. I plugged the housing back in, and my initial tests revealed good connectivity. Marker, turn, and backup lights all worked. I then moved on to the passenger side. This housing was missing the connector, and had simple bullet type connectors plugged into the harness. Rather than cut the harness, I decided to do my testing with the connectors. I found the harness had parts of the old connector broken off in it, which was likely my issue. I fixed that, plugged everything in as it should be, and again my tests passed. I won't be leaving it like this. I'm going to buy a new light with the correct connector so it's done right. I could replace the connector on both ends, but don't want to chop off the connector and have it different between the two sides.

This is where my next hurdle came in. I don't have brake lights, and my flashers don't work in the rear. I'm not sure what the issue there is, but I'm relatively certain that when I figure out the brake lights that the flashers will be resolved at the same time. We shall see. And that is my next order of business. Figure out the brake and rear hazard issue.

Once I have that working, I'll be moving on to the dash. Hopefully that's not too chewed up. An uber positive thing to note is my wife is encouraged and excited for our first excursion. It's not going to happen too soon, obviously, but everything I get done gets me one step closer.

And now the obligatory pictures...

 

[Jimmy P]

And just like that, the flashers and are working...kinda

I hit up the forums on jeep-cj.com and was pointed in the right direction. It looks like my turn signal switch is due for replacement. A little wiggle here, a little wiggle there, and the lights all work. And on the replace list it goes. At least I know what it is and what needs to be done to fix it.

 

[Jimmy P]

Just a quick update. The guys over at the cj forum have been super helpful. They said I shouldn't have to replace the switch, just blow it out and work it a bit. That was contrary to something else I had read, but I can see it being the case based on how it currently feels when I cycle it.

I also placed an order for two replacement turn signals for the front. and I think I've decided to just replace the plug and forego the added expense of getting a new light. I've got waterproof connectors on hand, so that will allow that money to go to something else.

That will complete the vital exterior electrics. I'll be moving on to the interior in short order. The plan will be to clean up what's there, then add a stereo into the mix. At that point, the entire core harness should be completed and I'll be on to auxiliary circuits. WooHoo!

Not all will be electrical. At this point I think I'm ready to take the jeep out and power wash it. That means I'm also ready to start giving my daughter lessons on how to drive a manual transmission, and not just any manual, but the finicky Jeep CJ7 There will definitely be pictures of that.

 

[Jimmy P]

Today was an eventful day. I was able to get all the dash all sorted. From the dash lights to the 4x4 and emergency brake idiot lights, they all light up when they should. I'm stoked. Of course, I still have to tie and loom everything. That par for the course with all the wiring so far.

I took it one step further and started wiring and mocking up my daughters old stereo. It's old, but it works and has 2 camera inputs for front and rear cameras. That should give me everything I need for music and approach and departure help beyond my spotter. A bonus here is that it, too, is wired correctly and comes on when I flip the key to accessory. That's something I've not had in a long time with this rig. More naieve stupidity on my behalf.

I'm not sure how much more wiring I'm going to be doing before I get into some less electrifying aspects of the build. I'm going to move it out and wash it as soon as I have the opportunity.

And pictures...

 

[ohiowrangler]

Wow, I didn't know cj's could have a radio that worked normally, let alone a screen. I use to mess with my riders, I told them it was a passenger entertainment feature to try to keep it on the channel. Great work, Ron

 

[Northernlady]

Your daughter is going to have an awesome rig to drive. I just love seeing these older vehicles get a new lease on life!

 

[Jimmy P]

Wow, I didn't know cj's could have a radio that worked normally, let alone a screen. I use to mess with my riders, I told them it was a passenger entertainment feature to try to keep it on the channel. Great work, Ron

You're telling me . When I got it, it had the factory radio in it, and it worked as expected until the dreaded windshield leaks finally caught up to it. That started the cascading effect of hacking and trying to keep the music flowing.

Some have said it looks out of place, and I can agree to a point, but it works and will serve a purpose. Now to start thinking about how to protect it from windshield leaks

Your daughter is going to have an awesome rig to drive. I just love seeing these older vehicles get a new lease on life!

Definitely. She's loved it since she was a little girl, and laid claim to it very early on. I'm glad I never considered getting rid of it. It's been a beloved toy of the family for a long time, even though we let time get the better of it. That new lease on life will hopefully last a very long time!

 

[Jimmy P]

The grill signal lights came in today. WooHoo! I'm hoping to get them in tonight, which will leave me putting the seats back in so I can drive it to where I'm going to power wash it. I'm stoked

 

[Jimmy P]

The new grill mounted parking/turn lights came in yesterday, and before and after running my son to do some fundraising for the swim team at the football game I was able to pull the old lights, wire up the new lights, and re-install everything. The wiring is ultimately the same as it was before, so there are no pictures of that, but I did get some before and after pictures and the difference is like night and day.

After I finished that up, I did a temporary fix on my hatch lock that may or may not become permanent. It really depends on how well it works. Basically, the cable that goes into the hatch lock mechanism that turns to open it, wasn't attached. I'm not sure what should attach it, but it's not a through bolt. I took a .22 casing, shaved it down, and somehow got it in place. It works so far, but I just don't have warm and fuzzy feelings about it.

The seats are back in, so today will have me power washing it, and giving my daughter her first lesson in driving a manual transmission. If she can drive this, she'll be able to drive anything

Before:

Comparison:

After:

 

[Northernlady]

The new grill mounted parking/turn lights came in yesterday, and before and after running my son to do some fundraising for the swim team at the football game I was able to pull the old lights, wire up the new lights, and re-install everything. The wiring is ultimately the same as it was before, so there are no pictures of that, but I did get some before and after pictures and the difference is like night and day.

After I finished that up, I did a temporary fix on my hatch lock that may or may not become permanent. It really depends on how well it works. Basically, the cable that goes into the hatch lock mechanism that turns to open it, wasn't attached. I'm not sure what should attach it, but it's not a through bolt. I took a .22 casing, shaved it down, and somehow got it in place. It works so far, but I just don't have warm and fuzzy feelings about it.

The seats are back in, so today will have me power washing it, and giving my daughter her first lesson in driving a manual transmission. If she can drive this, she'll be able to drive anything

Before:

Comparison:

After:

Today is an exciting day for you and your daughter! I wish you much patience for this first lesson!


Sent from my iPhone using OB Talk

 

[Jimmy P]

Today is an exciting day for you and your daughter! I wish you much patience for this first lesson!

An exciting day indeed. No worries on the patience, though. I taught her how to drive to begin with, and we click very well in that type of situation.

We got out relatively early this morning and did a quick power washing of the undercarriage, and then pulled it back in the garage to flush and bleed the brakes. We thought that it would be a good to be able to stop assuming she were able to get going

After we finished up with the brakes we began. Now bear in mind, she has ridden a motorcycle, so the concept of a clutch is not foreign to her. She let out on the clutch and took off, no problem at all. Twice in a row at that. The squeals of delight and ear to ear smiles were priceless. She's got a long way to go, but we spent about 2 hours laughing at the starts, stops, stalls, clutch popping, and bucking. Just like with any of the other journeys we've taken, it's all about building those lasting memories

All was not fun and games, unfortunately. I did find that my radiator is leaking, so another repair to go on the list. We've got a few months to work through the driving lessons, the repairs, and the upgrades. Plenty of time.

And, of course, this would be worthless without a picture for posterity.

 

[Jimmy P]

Yesterday was a relatively light day. I added loom to the engine bay to pretty much finalize the under hood wiring project. It's a whole lot less than what was there before, and it definitely cleans it up. I need to find some way to attach the loom to the firewall and fender liners, but this is pretty much the way it's been since I bought it, so it'll come after some other more important fixes and upgrades.

I also started some fabrication of a rear electronic panel. It's going to sit on the passenger fender and will house a negative bus, part of the stereo, two fuse panels (one keyed and one not), and a couple of charging sockets for the rear. I don't have any pictures of that because right now it's just a piece of plywood that I keep laying things on .

As part of the stereo layout, I started looking at mounting options for the rear speakers, which will actually be on the roll bar. I've got a good idea of what I'm going to do. More on that later, when I actually get close to it.

Here's the current state of the engine bay:

 

[Northernlady]

An exciting day indeed. No worries on the patience, though. I taught her how to drive to begin with, and we click very well in that type of situation.

We got out relatively early this morning and did a quick power washing of the undercarriage, and then pulled it back in the garage to flush and bleed the brakes. We thought that it would be a good to be able to stop assuming she were able to get going

After we finished up with the brakes we began. Now bear in mind, she has ridden a motorcycle, so the concept of a clutch is not foreign to her. She let out on the clutch and took off, no problem at all. Twice in a row at that. The squeals of delight and ear to ear smiles were priceless. She's got a long way to go, but we spent about 2 hours laughing at the starts, stops, stalls, clutch popping, and bucking. Just like with any of the other journeys we've taken, it's all about building those lasting memories

All was not fun and games, unfortunately. I did find that my radiator is leaking, so another repair to go on the list. We've got a few months to work through the driving lessons, the repairs, and the upgrades. Plenty of time.

And, of course, this would be worthless without a picture for posterity.

That is awesome! What a fun way to bond with your daughter!


Sent from my iPhone using OB Talk

 

[Jimmy P]

That is awesome! What a fun way to bond with your daughter!

Totally! We actually do a lot together. We like to joke that she's my first son. She's typically the first one to volunteer to go with me when I do anything...except hiking. She loves jumping on the motorcycle and blasting down the back roads, or going exploring on 4 wheels. Building a lasting relationship, for sure!

That said, we're hung up at the moment. I've discovered that I need to replace my motor mounts, transmission mount, and torque arm. I'm guessing one failed during my last major trip, and the rest suffered failures on the way home. I didn't really notice until we were doing some start / stops. I plan on ordering the M.O.R.E. bulletproof options to fix it, hopefully for good.

 

[Jimmy P]

Now it's a party...

Parts are in. I guess I forgot to post that I had actually pulled the trigger and ordered them.

What you're looking at here are a new torque arm, torque arm bushings, polyurethane transmission mount, and M.O.R.E. bombproof motor mounts. This should, hopefully, resolve my clunking issues while upgrading the components so they will last a good bit longer than OEM replacements.

I started soaking the bolts in penetrating fluid when I made the order, so I hope that'll make it easier to get them out. Don't worry, I'm under no delusion. I know that this will likely be a pain in the butt. We'll know soon enough. I'm not sure if I'm going to start this evening, or first thing in the morning. Either way, I hope to have the lot done by the end of the day tomorrow. Again, we shall see...

 

[ohiowrangler]

Great work, I've been busy. I hate it when life gets in the way of fun, Ron

 

[Jimmy P]

Great work, I've been busy. I hate it when life gets in the way of fun, Ron

Life has a funny way of doing that, doesn't it?

 

[ohiowrangler]

So very true, broad shoulders, thick skin, I can take a punch. Just another day, Ron.

 

[Justin Forrest]

Nice work on the wiring. I seldom have patience for it. That's well loved Jeep.