1958 CJ-5 going on a 1972 Chassis

[TJones]

Hang on I am sure this will be an Adventure, I might be in over my head but we will see.
I may need A LOt of help from you guys on this one!!!!

[bmorgil]

Lets go TJ! I am coming over to watch this one grow.

[TJones]

Well I couldn't stand not having anything to do after retiring so I started another Jeep Project.
I sold the "Orange Crush" to a guy and he wanted me to built a Jeep for his Son out of a Jeep he bought (local to me) from a college roommate, and that is where my story/project begins.
He bought a really Nice 58 CJ-5 with a stock F-134, T-90 and a Dana 18 transfer case that his roommates Dad restored and he wanted something with a bigger engine, power steering and better brakes on it to getter to WO better .
So my buddy and I put our thinking caps on (Which at our ages is kinda hard to do) and came up with a BrainStorm of an idea.
I knew a guy that had a 1972 CJ-5 (the first year at that time that AMC came out with the AMC 304 V8), we knew the tub was the same as the 58 tub, but the fenders and hood were 5"s longer. So that is where it all came to life.
Here are some pictures of the 58 and the 72 "Donor" I'll call it, The Owner wanted to use the 58 body bc it was almost new, so we are in the midst of putting it on the 72 chassis.
I will update you all as progress continues, I am sure that we will run into hiccups along the way but if this Forum can chime in at anytime like you all did with my Project we will getter done!!!!

Well it appears that I have to resize all my pictures and convert them jpeg format, been a while since I have posted anything1106911070110691107111072

[TJones]

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[TJones]

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[LarrBeard]

Aw man - The Orange Crush was awesome but you are on to bigger and better toys now. Working that 5-inch stretch in is going to be awesome - keep us up to date with lots of pictures of how you do it.

[bmorgil]

Well on your way TJ. That thing will be rolling soon!

[TJones]

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[TJones]

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The whole inside of the 58 tub was covered with carpet and once we pulled the carpet we found much more that needed taken out and fixed to our "OCD or ADD" liking :):):)

[TJones]

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[TJones]

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[TJones]

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[TJones]

And here is where are as of last week, I ended up getting RSV giving it to the Bride then getting it back from the Bride and finally going to the doctors on Friday and testing Positive for RSV and the Flu :(:(:( So needless to say it has been at a standstill until next week..............HOPEFULLY:confused:

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[bmorgil]

You are moving along nicely on that thing TJ! Take care of those lungs man, ya need em.

[LarrBeard]

Well, you've been there, done that, got scars to prove it on a lot of the common tasks between the two Jeeps. Hopefully you won't have the adventure with this engine as you did the Orange Crusher...

[LarrBeard]

"...our "OCD or ADD" liking .."

From a distance OCD/ADD/ADDHD can't be told from genius.

[TJones]

Well, you've been there, done that, got scars to prove it on a lot of the common tasks between the two Jeeps. Hopefully you won't have the adventure with this engine as you did the Orange Crusher...

Actually Larrbeard we did a compression check on the motor and each cylinder had 147-150 lbs of compression, and the leak down test was between 3 & 4% on each hole which surprised us both, after looking the motor was evidently rebuilt in 2021 according to a tag we found on a valve cover :cool::cool:

[56willys]

Looking good there JT! Will be a fun project for sure. And should make for a sweet driver jeep. That 304 will be nice! A thread was started awhile ago about the 58. He was looking for engine swap ideas. And hadn't posted in awhile. I was wondering what had happened. By the looks of things you do good work. This will be fun to follow along.

[gmwillys]

TJ does great work. I had the chance to run Orange Crush around Bmorgil's side forty. It was way more healthy than one would expect in a short wheelbase Jeep. It was just the other side of wicked. The 304 will be ready to go with those numbers.

[TJones]

Coming along Slowly this week with the frigid cold blowing in, but progress.

Finally go the lift kit from "Jack It" and installed over the weekend.


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[bmorgil]

Looks like a its well on its way now TJ. She will be running soon. Looking awesome man!

[gmwillys]

You're as fast as some of the car build shows, but much better quality. Very well done TJ!

[TJones]

Well we sprayed the underside of the tub yesterday with gray raptor and letting it cure now then flipping it over to get ready to setter on the chassis

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[bmorgil]

Coming along nice TJ! That thing will be road worthy very soon.

[56willys]

Looking great! You are making progress fast.

[gmwillys]

Looking great!

[TJones]

Finally got the 58 tub set on the 72 chassis yesterday with a little help from the lift!!!


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[test1328]

Hey TJ, what color did you paint that tub? It looks very similar to the original color of my 61 CJ5 and I've been trying to identify it. Thanks!

[bmorgil]

Looks real clean TJ! That thing will be under power very soon at the rate yo are going!

[TJones]

Test1328 it was already painted and he didn’t want us to paint it, but I just dropped the original fender off today so the body shop could get the paint matched up to paint the 72 grille, 2-new fenders and new hood for the 72 CJ5.
This is kind of a miss-match of parts and years to make one:cool:
As soon as I get the paint code from the paint shop I will getter to ya!!!
I guess he has a camera that takes a picture and tells what colors and how much to blend to match it:rolleyes:

[gmwillys]

The paint match cameras work really well. I had to have the right front fender replaced on my Monte Carlo that was painted silver metallic. They put the scanner on the fender and it matched perfectly. The scanner makes concessions for paint fade, because the original factory paint code was too dark.

[TJones]

I should’ve mentioned this Jeep is supposed to resemble the OSU color scheme when we are finished with it, so we left the body gray and the full cage (when completely built), the wheels and some other pieces/parts are all going to get powder coated the scarlet red color.

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[gmwillys]

Could be worse, could be Alabama colors?

[bmorgil]

Aw come on gm.... Coach Saban is gone now! I love the colors, Go Bucks!

[Jafopt]

Aw come on gm.... Coach Saban is gone now! I love the colors, Go Bucks!

I agree wholeheartedly!

[gmwillys]

Yep, the reign is over. Time for the Bucks to have a chance.

[TJones]

Making a little ahead way this week, got the top frame all mounted up, tilt steering column installed, motor set in with headers bolted on and the clutch/brake pedals mounted up with the clutch linkage situated where it is supposed to be verses where it was in the 58 CJ.


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[TJones]

Now it's time to take the windshield and plate we made for the dash to mount the tilt column and get them powder coated to match the windshield frame hinges.

Mounting the rear bumper up to hold the spare tire is going to be nothing short of an "Engineering Nightmare" only because it was designed to fit a 86 YJ..............

Full Roll cage fab starts next week mounted to the frame in 4 spots.


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[bmorgil]

Top notch there TJ! Looking very good. That is going to be one nice setup that's for sure.

[TJones]

Well we got the rear bumper/ spare tire carrier mounted this past week along with most of the cage bent and tacked together, sending the cage and windshield off to get powder coated later this week.

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[test1328]

Very nice work! I'd be interested to see more on how and where you're attaching the cage to the frame. Also, more details such as the size of tube and how you're routing the cage within the body would be nice to see. It's a little hard to see much detail with the small pictures.

[TJones]

I’ll get some close up pictures tomorrow of the 4 places of where and how we are connecting it to the frame.
Had to do a little engineering to make sure we can remove it once it’s all built so we can remove it to getter powder coated and if someone wants to take it out later.
The tubing we’re using is 1.75 x .095 seamless.

[gmwillys]

Sweet cage TJ. Looking great!

[TJones]

Here are some pictures of how we fastened it to the frame;
Looking from the driver's side to the passenger side, the front we out another plate on the firewall side to bolt up to the inside and cut a piece of tubing to weld to the body mount on the frame and the back (behind the seats) we put a piece of 2" x 4" x 3/8"T square stock across the top of the frame rails (welded to the frame) from side to side and and bolted our plates to it.

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[TJones]

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And we did the same on the driers side, Kind of hard to explain without actually seeing it in person but you can't say I didn't try to:rolleyes:

[bmorgil]

Nice tubing work there TJ! That thing is coming along great.

[51 CJ3]

This looks a lot better than the holes through the floor my CJ5 had.

[test1328]

Thanks for the pictures, TJ. Looks like excellent work!

A few other questions, though. I assume that you don't have to worry about the under seat gas tank if you're using a 72 chassis? Seems like the tubing would interfere with that if that was the case. And, likewise, I assume you're mounting your seats to the tubing frame and that is the purpose for that framework?

[TJones]

Yes test exactly.
The tanks on all the 72’s are mounted between the frame rails in the rear and the seats do mount to the frame we built and we had to lower it from the original seat height due to the owner is tall so we tried to get it lower so his noodle didn’t hit the cage and could easily see through the windshield.

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[gmwillys]

Looking great TJ! The seat tubes and cage are as professional as they come. The seat position looks perfect for his height.

[TJones]

Here’s were we mounted the cage in the front to the frame.

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[bmorgil]

That is a nice setup for sure TJ. The frame to roll bar connection is critical to a proper functioning roll cage. A nice 5 point harness hooked to the bars and that cage, should do a heck of a job of protecting the driver as much as possible.

[gmwillys]

Looks good to me. Good Job TJ.

[TJones]

Made some headway this week with the decent weather yesterday and the day before, got the AC unit half installed, Rhino coated the inside of the tub, picked up the wheels at the powder coater and dropped the cage and windshield frame off to get done.

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[bmorgil]

Looking sweet TJ! Moving along nicely. So the Air Conditioning is going to be hooked to the helmets?

[TJones]

I don’t think they are racing the Baja 500 bmorgil so there’s no need to hook the AC to their helmets :cool::cool:

[gmwillys]

Oh man T.J. She is looking wonderful! A/C in a CJ, why not? Our YJ doesn't even have air.

[TJones]

Made some more headway this past week on the 58-72 CJ, got the cage back from the Powder Coater, exhaust completed and starting on the wiring nightmare!!!!

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[TJones]

A few more..........
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[bmorgil]

That is a premium build there TJ! Very clean. That cage turned out great.

[LarrBeard]

Did you do a ceramic coat on the exhaust? I wish I had done that on the '48 - cast iron rusts - yuckk.

[TJones]

Thanks Bob!!!

[TJones]

No we didn't Larry, they didn't have any gray ceramic so we just painted it with High Heat paint.

[56willys]

Great work TJ, that Jeep is looking awesome! Air conditioning in a CJ is quite the luxury. Very nice work on that cage!

[gmwillys]

Looking great TJ. Absolute craftsman!

[TJones]

Thank You Guys!!!!

[TJones]

Well getting closer to firing the Ole Girl up next week!!!!
Got the wiring almost completed , AC unit mounted and new skins picked up after the wheels got powder coated.

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[gmwillys]

Those are some good looking kicks!

[56willys]

It's always exciting when you near the first startup!! It should go about anywhere with those tires!

[bmorgil]

Oh man TJ...... almost there. Nice wheels man!

[TJones]

Got the "Light Bar" :cool::cool: all set back in and bolted down yesterday!!!

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[bmorgil]

Light bar, Hahaha! That should definitely hold the lights. Officially when you hooked it to the frame, it became a "Roll Bar".

[gmwillys]

I really like the "light bar mount" design and execution. Well done TJ.

[56willys]

Looking good! That will be the world's strongest light bar mount!!!

[TJones]

Got the seats all mounted with belts this week along with a storage box in the rear !!!

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[bmorgil]

I love the look of that thing TJ! Gonna be hard to part with that one.

[gmwillys]

Looks outstanding TJ. I can't wait to see what your next project is going to be after this ones done..

[TJones]

I may take up knitting or crochet on the next Project :confused:
This one bout wore me out!!!

[bmorgil]

I may take up knitting or crochet on the next Project :confused:
This one bout wore me out!!!

I don't think you have a neutral gear TJ! I foresee more projects in your future. Perhaps a Willys Gasser with a few thousand horsepower?

[gmwillys]

Yes! I vote for the Gasser. Now that's a vision I can't picture. TJ knitting? Nope.

[bmorgil]

Here it is... I am sure I saw TJ laying under this with a camera. I wonder what hes up to next.... https://www.autoevolution.com/news/jeep-rat-rod-looks-like-a-rogue-soldier-has-hemi-power-140771.html#

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[56willys]

A gasser would be really cool, say a little 671 blower atop a 392 hemi with a Lenco. I had a crazy idea to get a fiberglass cj5 body and build a little drift jeep. With either a turbo rotary or an LS. Put some wide body fenders and some aero. Might be kinda cool!

Looking great TJ!

[gmwillys]

That there is a good use for the Jeep Commando, although they are starting to gain a slight bit of traction in the collector world... as long as it's a Hurst Commando.

https://www.hagerty.com/media/magazine-features/this-four-wheelin-1971-jeepster-hurst-commando-has-been-in-my-family-since-new/

[TJones]

That is a Great Article gm, after reading through it I dug a little deeper into other articles about Jeeps and found this Gem that Bob may be able to relate too or may even know about!!!!

https://www.hagerty.com/media/automotive-history/j10-jeep-prototype-extended-cab-truck-restoration/

[bmorgil]

Wow that is a great story. I did see the "unicorn" at the Jeep fest. One of a kind is for sure! I remember during that time my Dad bringing home various prototypes of the Jeeps. He was always testing out new power train ideas. I am sure there are more examples of factory one of a kind Jeeps out there.

[gmwillys]

I read that story through a Facebook post a while back. That would be a cool thing to have in the inventory for sure.

In thumbing around the interwebs, I came across this road race CJ for inspiration, although I question the effectiveness of the air to air intercooler;

https://appleton.craigslist.org/bar/d/brillion-47-willys-jeep-wrangler-9000/7733103606.html

[bmorgil]

Definitely got the "approach angle" on the intercooler wrong! Hahaha, maybe the idea was it will be running with the front wheels way off the ground most of the time.

[TJones]

For Sure, I’m not a big turbo guy but isn’t the air to air have a purpose to cool and not just look pretty to operate correctly????
I stick with the 6 and 871’s to make power!!!!

[56willys]

That extended cab gladiator is super neat. So glad it was saved. Many moons ago when I was a very young whipper snapper, the local vintage truck dealer had a crew cab J truck. That thing was really cool, being full four door. But it really needed a 6bt cummins....

That little willys hot rod is pretty cool, but the intercooler is not really doing anything. I can see if they were keeping the grill visible. But their sacrificing some horsepower, that's for sure.

[gmwillys]

For every good Jeep rat rod, there are an equal or greater amount of awful ones.

[TJones]

Here we go guys!!!

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[bmorgil]

And there it is!!!! If you build it TJ, they will come.

I m still laughing at those "Rods" gm!

[TJones]

I’m not real sure but you 3 guys have Created a Monster on this site!!
Look at the people visiting and watching!!!!

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[bmorgil]

I saw that yesterday TJ. I am not sure what happens there. Every now and then its off the map. It happens every time someone brings up the G.O.A.T. story.

[gmwillys]

It's all about the GOAT!

[56willys]

Now yesterday there was almost 4,000 people online. You folks have the knowledge, It attracts those of us that don't. I think alot of people (myself included) have gotten lots of well needed help from you folks. Thank you!

All it takes is one dead goat in the way of a heater...

[gmwillys]

4,000 seems like a bit much for views, being that we are kind of hidden away at the bottom of KW's website.... But we do like it that way. The Facebook forums are mostly wastelands of keyboard commandos berating other people's rigs. It takes all kinds to make this world go round, and if you are happy with your rig, then we are happy for you.

[TJones]

4,000 seems like a bit much for views, being that we are kind of hidden away at the bottom of KW's website.... But we do like it that way. The Facebook forums are mostly wastelands of keyboard commandos berating other people's rigs. It takes all kinds to make this world go round, and if you are happy with your rig, then we are happy for you.

Damn gm you are right up there with Larry as far as putting words together to get your point across:cool:
It’s almost like poetry!!

[bmorgil]

I agree TJ, well said gm.

[56willys]

Damn gm you are right up there with Larry as far as putting words together to get your point across:cool:
It’s almost like poetry!!

Yea, if Gm and Larry keep it up they'll have the youngster breaking out Merriam Websters Big Book of Words to understand their posts! Jokes aside, keep it up guys, a little willys poetry keeps life exciting.

[gmwillys]

Senior Chief has taught me everything I know. There is a "Blazing Saddles" Slim Pickens quote that comes to mind, but I'll keep that one floating around in my head.