FULL FRAME OFF STARTED 2/10/2011 

COMPLETED AND DELIVERED 4/1/11 (7 Weeks) Over 100 pictures of the finished product here... http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=racinrudy&P=&AID=6343571&Pres=Y Details of the build below.  We CAN do this for you!

This 84 CJ7 is a budget build EDIT: 3/17/11 Frame off restoration based on a Rudy's original rust free Jeep with an existing 10k mile 258 inline 6 cylinder crate engine.   In the upcoming weeks, you will be able to follow this Jeep from start to finish on the site. 

The Kentucky native customer has specified his wishes for a Jeep he plans on having for the rest of his life and to be a part of his family for upcoming generations.  I will be doing my best to exceed his expectations with a quality and timely build within his budget. 

The Jeep will be getting a frame off build with all new paint, suspension, bushings, tires, wheels, paint, seats, top, and numerous customer specified requests.  The steering, brakes, transmission, transfer case and differentials will all be inspected and corrected as needed. 

Please follow along as the site will be updated and if I knew how to have you subscribe to the build, I surely would!

If you like how this build goes, please don't hesitate to contact us so I may source and build your dream Jeep for you as well. 

Thank you for your interest!

Rudy

Starting Point: Rot Free Rudy's CJ7 Jeep

2/10/2011  Teardown Begins one late night in the shop

2/11/11 Sheet metal, brackets, wiring removed.  Ready to take body tub off! It's much easier to take a part a Jeep that isn't rusty.  This took me about 6 hours by myself and not a single bolt, screw etc broke.   Never even had to touch the torches to heat anything

 2/12/11 Transmission, Transfer Case, Clutch, Shock, exhaust Fuel tank, steering removal


 Self Imposed 7 Week 'Order to Completion' Proposed Build Schedule
Engine Removed
On The stand for detailing
Underside degreased.  The Black is factory primer after the caustic solution stripped off the top layers
Super Clean unrotted Rudy's CJ Sheetmetal
Body Comes off Tomorrow!





Almost done!  ...Kidding but this is the 85 CJ7 that has been in process for awhile and get delivered to the customer this weekend.  It is the same red and this new build will look similarly.  More pictures of this Jeep above in the "Jeeps in process" tab

The Orange CJ5 will be finished the week starting 2/27/11 and available for immediate sale to anyone! More info in the in process tab and then in the for sale area after that.

Update on THIS new build 2/24/11: The frame and chassis parts are @ sandblaster this week, trans and trans case should be done @ rebuilders, most retail parts will be in and the chassis painted.  Engine teardown for inspection and detailing will be beginning today. 

Body getting ready for rotessierie

Bad News;  When I took the transmission out, the pilot bushing fell out like it wasn't installed well.  I had noticed the engine wasn't grounded correctly (the block strap went from the block to the TOP of the engine mounts) and a theory is that the engine was grounding through the pilot bushing and it seemed to be arcing to the transmission.  The loose or fallen out pilot bearing caused vibration in the engine.  The vibration caused the rear main to leak so upon installing the seal, the bearings were inspected.  The bearings and crankshaft journals are worn badly.  The bearing material went through the engine and the cam looks worn.  There is also more wear at the top of the cylinders (ridge) than there should be for a 10k mile crate engine also probably due to bad harmonics.  Potentially all this damage was caused because someone didn't ground the engine well or at least incorrectly installed a pilot bushing the engine is more or less ruined. Such a simple mistake with such large ramifications.   

The "budget build" has gone awry (it is hard to build something "new" and use anything used) and a new Marshall crate engine is being installed with a one year no questions asked warranty and a 3 year 100,000 mile warranty is being purchased.  

I had no magic way of knowing all of these internal mechanical issues but I will work with the customer financially to reach a mutually agreeable solution.

In the end however the Jeep will now have an engine warranty and be more sound than initially purchased!  It is MUCH, MUCh better to find this now rather than later!

It is hard to see crankshaft journal wear with a camera but you can easily see the heat this crankshaft was subjected to.  Note the purple & blue heat marks.

Worn Rear Bearing

Cross hatching still evident but also a more than should be ridge at the top.  This engine was bored .060"

Frame & Chassis Parts to sandblast 2/21/11

Parts after Blasting 2/24/11

This is what a rot free chassis looks like.  The body mount holes aren't enlarged, there's pretty much zero pitting on the exterior metal and it certainly doesn't have the typical midwest flaking metal falling out from inside of the frame that compromises strength and integrity. 

Then Primer.....

2/24/11 Super hard industrial grade chassis black paint....This stuff is TOUGH! :)
  







Frame & differentials poised for installation 2/26/11
New Steering box with blasted & painted braketsNew BDS 2.5" Lift Kit
Kit loosely installed with new HD shackles and spring hangers
New Poly sway bar bushings

This is a plug for the best steering parts available to the consumer being USA Made MOOG compontents FAR superior to all the Chinese knock offs.  If you're going to go through all of the effort to change your steering parts, use the best parts available.
Knuckles removed and new ball joints going in
Another reason to use the MOOG parts is that they make the only ball joints where you can actually grease the upper ball joint once it's installed as shown in this picture.  These will be the last ball joints you will ever buyToday was joint replacement day.... New U-Joints for the driveshafts.  New CV (u-joints) for the front axles and a repair kit for the power steering shaft.

Both differentials were opened for insppection and they had new fluid in them and everything looked great.  Note something we like to do is re-assemble most anything non-structural with premium Stainless Steel bolts which does 2 things.  One, it looks good today AND years later but 2, it generally inhibits corrosion for easier dissasembly later.  The factory doesn't do this because it adds a lot of cost! (Note the SS bolts on this cover added by Rudy) We keep over a thousand dollars of fastener stock on hand for builds

 It's starting to get exciting! :)  The upgraded 20 gallon optional factory fuel tank installed (this Jeep was originally equipped with the less than ideal 15 gallon tank).  The 20 gallon tank looks better with its fully enclosed steel skid plate AND it the tank itself is plastic from the factory and it lasts unlike the rust-prone 15 gallon ones. We did install a new sending unit and calibrate it before this was installed. Note more SS bolts.

3/3/11 Rear Brake Overhaul;  The backing plates were as clean as the rest of the Jeep but we did have to grind the rest tabs for the shoes flat.Note the one piece axle upgrade which fixes the AMC Jeep weak 2-piece design

 The overhaul included: New Wheel cylinders, shoes and hardware.  The original drums are being turned because there was plenty of material left and the original drums and rotors are made of better metal than the replacements. Note: It is key to buy riveted brake shoes.  The ones on this Jeep were bonded and had started to 'slip' on the metal backing. 
Sway bar links added with poly bushings;  Shocks installed with new Rudy supplied fasteners with lock and flat washers to prevent long term use loosening
All 3 flexible Brake Lines and Emergency brake lines replaced with new onesSkid plate installed with new Grade 8 fasteners 
New crate engine has arrived....



Accesories getting detailed

Body progress...  All Steel original windshield frame.  Another sign of a rot free Jeep.  You'll notice it doesn't have an extra rib in it near the wiper holes like the replacement ones.  The cheapest replacement frame also looks like this but you can grab the sides and bend it with your hand as it is made of inferior lesser guage metal.




    A A few looks at the tub.  Note the inside will be professionally rhino lined. 




 



Back to the chassis... Details.  When you install a new lift kit the u-bolts are always longer than needed.  A finishing detail is to cut them to a reasonable length and sand them smooth.  Not fun eating metal dust but a job that has to be done... Before...
After...New Pinion seals...
The front wheel bearing didn't pass inspection as the roller bearings had 'browned' due to heat as a result of poor maintenance so all 4 were replaced.
It took some shopping 3 different parts stores to find any bearings worth purchasing and installing.  It is common knowledge to replace bearings and races as a pair.  Most auto parts stores are now selling CHINESE import bearings with the races available separate.   USA made Timken bearings still come as a matched set. Support your country by looking at lables.  The job you save may be your own! Previously it was mentioned the original rotors were being turned but they had too many miles on them to be saved so new ones were purchased.  To the right are the original hubs, cleaned and painted ready for useAll new top of the line (better than factory) USA made MOOG steering linkage installed.  This Jeep will handle and stop better than new 


New Warn hubs (like oem) New Premium CERAMIC brake pads (these pads will leave no brake dust on the new wheels) and Reman Calipers with anti-rattle clips so the pads won't squeal
HD Steering stablizer installed   Front assembly DONE!  Rear Brake drums turned.
Rear brakes adjusted and drums installed.... Rear assembly DONECustomer Spec 31x10.50r15 BFG ATs and American Racing Outlaw II Wheels
IT ROLLS!
Remanufactured T-176 Transmission (best of the era manual transmission).  Fully inspected and re-sealed
New Poly transmission mount and torque stud also with poly bushings 
Transmission installed 

Remanufactured Dana 300 Transfer Case



Transfer case and driveshafts installed...
Heater box work.  New Heater core going in...
Another detail item not done in many other 'frame off' builds.  Heater boxes are built in halves to allow the heater core to be changed and the halves are sealed with butyl tape (it is best described as a gummy tar tape) to fill the gaps between the fastening surfaces in the box.  The original tape is always dried out after 30 years as shown in this photo (the pile of dust and scraps to the right).  Most builders won't take this step and heater performance suffers as the heat goes everywhere but where you want it...


Engine assembly detailing...



 Custom painted valve cover to body color which will provide a nice compliment to the firewall
 New Poly Motor Mounts!
Turned Flywheel and new pilot bushing 
Engine installed 3/8/11...


Underside of the body painted...
Lots of detail work to be done now.  Filling driveline components with fluids, power steering line attachment, new rubber fuel lines everywhere, grounding fuel sending unit, flywheel inspection cover install, etc, etc... Here is one photo worthy detail of adding which is new fuel fill lines at the gas tank as these tend to dry out and cause leaks when you fill up the 1st time or next year etc...

The following is a tremendous ignition upgrade not requested by the customer but practically a 'must do' for any CJ.  It is an HEI distributor upgrade that does away with the antiquated, overly complex and under performing stock Motorcraft ignition.  This new distributor has an integrated 65,000 Volt coil and hooks up with one wire.  The old set up had a seperate control module and coil and required a snake pit of wiring to produce half the voltage and reliability.   This upgrade tidies the engine compartment, produces quicker starts, better economy, increased reliability AND has a pretty red cap all for about $100! ;)This is a simple detail worthy of mentioning that is OFTEN forgotten by people after they do an engine swap that causes numerous electrical and potentially mechanical issues.   The chassis is electrically isolated from the engine and body via all the mounts so the passengers don't feel all the vibrations of the engine.  This vibration has consequences electrically in that there is no true ground from the battery.  Therefore it is key to take the grounding strap from the engine block to the frame around the engine mount.  It is also important to scrape any paint off where the strap goes and/or use external star washers to gouge the metal for a solid electrical contact. 
Any new build needs new clutch linkage as there are many moving parts that fatigue and wear with 25+ years of use and cause less than crisp pedal movement.  The below is a complete kit just removed from the box for painting in preparation for the body returning. 

Teaser photo of the tub right after paint still in the booth... 3/10/11
Less exciting new poly body mounts prepped for body placement.  Lot's of details as the body bolts and washers have all been sanded and painted....
Details.... These were unbelievably hard to acquire stainless steel American Racing center caps.  Much better than the common marginal plastic ones or rust prone steel ones.... 
New lifetime starter... 
 
  Jeep is @ Rhino lining 3/14/11  More Photos coming soon!


Another advantage to using a Western climate Jeep is the clean contacts on the wiring and switches.  There is little reason to go to an expensive and less than perfect new harness when the original harnesses fit right and were well made. This is the dash harness shown. 
All of the dash switches were tested BEFORE the Jeep was dissasembled.  Instead of buying Chinese replacements, the original switches are cleaned and reused via a 3 step process.  This is the back of the windshield wiper switchWe first clean them with brake clean, then with a PB Blaster "Contact Cleaner" and finally a PB Blaster "Corrosion Stop" This same process is used on connectors.  Filing and or sanding is done where needed. 

We re-use original speedometer and gauges whenever possible for the correct look for a 25+ year old vehicle 
Note the mileage on the odometer set to zero for the "New Build" which aids in tracking wear and compliments that 'New Jeep" feel.  The title will reflect "Not Actual Mileage" as it is transferred which is the legal correct thing to do when a speedometer unit is replaced. Simple things like the rubber bumpers behind the glovebox door make the fit right and keep rattles to a minimum 
New Dash lights going in + all bulbs for the backlights / turn signals etc replaced.... 
Nearly finished dash subassembly ready to be installed in the tub of the Jeep People often look at a Jeep and describe it as simple.  I would argue this is only a perception because everything is exposed.  Because everything is exposed, all of the crafstmanship is on display so in many ways, they are more complicated. The foundation of the debate is that these vehicles have all the same basic features as any other vehicle of the era excepting power accesories. The lack refinement causes some complications as they get newer and try and live in the modern world of emmissions and safety which probably led to the demise of the CJ and AMC in 1986. The below is the original engine wiring harness that utilized a computerized carburetor that never worked correctly  This next picture is after 'weeding' the harness to what is needed to run the Jeep without the imperfect transition carb.  I call it a transition carb as it was the step between the decent carbs in the 70's and the fuel injection of modern day vehicles.   The wiring on the left is what is needed to start, run and monitor the Jeep and the wiring on the left is what will be disposed of. The wiring on the left will be routed correctly and installed in the Jeep and then shrouded in new wire loom. 
Grill assembly... Note the new hood to grill bumpers that go in the holes being pointed out.  These are usually gone, worn down and broken or hard as a rock...

New Parking lamps as these are always faded and worn 
New foot pedal rubbers to match a new Jeep!  

The Jeep was picked up @ Rhino lining today and we stopped @ the gas station to get fuel for the start up where in 5 minutes, the Jeep had people circling it and asking numerous questions and positive comments. I am told by the owner of the silver Jeep @ the top right of this page it happens to him all the time as well. ;) 


...and now the building begins... I have been getting comments from enthusiasts following along with the build for their own wants to do something similar so I offer the following advice having buuilt many Jeeps. Put the washer squirter in NOW after you have cleaned the nozzles (as they tend to corrode and not work correctly).   You will NOT be able to put the squirter in after the dash is in. We also add new tubing at this time as it is always dry and hard at the ends and doesn't stretch where you need it to without replacement
Heater box installed (new butyl tape where it seals to the cowl of course so it won't leak water into the Jeep) and below a new flexible defrost duct being installed as these ALWAYS dry out and leak causing a poor performing defrosterNew Stainless door catches to be installed as the customer wanted YJ half doors added and this Jeep was sold as a soft top only vehicle  New tail light assemblies and Stainless license holder.    
Both taillights installed with exterbal star washers for grounding purposes.   Also the spare tire holder brackets installed and new fuel fill bucket.  All with SS fasteners of course. Roll bar as well A less than ideal photo of the dash heater duct work installed 


New USA made dimmer switch and floor clips
New USA factory fit Walker exhaust sytem (new from the exhaust manifold back) held in place with factory hangers for a rattle free long life!


The next step is carpentr-like as we use a square on the body to points on the frame to center the body on the frame before it is secured together with all the new poly bushings and painted body bolts.  We also use antiseize on all of these fasteners before they are tightened.  This takes a little more time than you might think.    The following is a very neat customer requested modification that the shop will probably adopt for future builds (assuming it is at least as good as factory regarding functionality). He had said how whenever he looked under a Jeep hood his eyes were drawn to ugly master clylinders so we went with a little bling... I couldn't stand to tighten ugly steel brake lines to it so I had to add SS custom bent lines to it as well... 
  
 
New tailgate seal which lets the gate seal tightly against the body and also helps minimize rattles 
Tailgate installed

Some of the little things take the longest to get done.  In this case we had to acquire gasket material and cut out 2 of these wiper transmission to windshield frame gaskets.  In original form, they appear to be leather and of course dry out.  These will stop squeaks, add a little compliance and most importantly seal out water from inside the frame Also, note a new windshiled glass as the original had an unfixable star.  New gasket as well.   It is an original windshiled frame though and adds value to the Jeep as an indicator as to how rust free the Jeep is. Windshield frame installed...
Noticice this the right time to put the frame on is when the dash is out based on where the bolts are. Also note, the special Stainless Steel serrated flange nuts Rudy keeps in stock that are similar to but better than the originals (Rudy has thousands of dollars in fastener stock on hand).  These won't rust and will allow easier dissasembly and the serrations are better than lock washers at keeping the fasteners tight.  You DON'T want these coming loose on you.  Look where  they are...
   This is a KEY ingredient in a new engine start up.  Not necc the brand but it is a requirement that you add zinc to a new engine for breaking in the camshaft and lifters.  This simple step may have saved the previous engine.   This retailer suggests you add the whole pint AND change the oil after 1000 miles.   
Inexpensive new steering column to dash bezel is a must when doing a job like this... 

Factory tilt steering column installed with original Renegade steering wheel installed.  Dash installed with stainless fasteners....

A new accelerator cable is a must

New temperature sending unit....

Rear wiring harness installed.  Note original loom shroud behind the roll bar...

Rear tire carrier installed...

A favorite upgrade is the Stainless tire stop.  This stops the tire carrier and tire from hitting the body and tail light lens when swung open...

Spare tire getting balanced with 'inside the wheel 'stick-on' wheel weights so the clear coat and aluminum on the face of the wheel is not damaged.  The box is full of the stick on weights.  The balancer reads ZERO and if you look under the hood of the balancer on the right of the photo you can see the weights inside the wheel.

Customer requested HD tube bumper with accessory receiver

New Heater cables are a must...

Installed with NEW hard to find retainer clips...

New clutch linkage installed

Steering column torn down to add a new ignition lock cylinder and clean electrical connections

Grill installed...

Back to the column... New Turn signal mechanism for installation.  This plastic piece had a hairline crack and is very commonly broken.  The plastic gets hard, cracks then the lever action gets sloppy to the point where you have to hold it on etc.  Not a fun job the first time you do it.  Little springs and clips etc...

Passenger fender installed with all its corner bracing

New Stainless battery tray.  The original one had cracked and was wearing thin from acid leaks.  This is a pretty low cost, high strength piece that you hardly notice once the battery is installed.

Installed.  Note all the fender bracing. 

New battery cable are a must as the acid corrodes them internally

Battery installed with very important body ground shown with external star washer to cut the new paint to bare conductive metal.

New starter soelenoid is a low cost replacement item that is a no brainer when going his far with a build.  It is mounted in plain sight on the fender

Other fender installed with hood.  Lots of time compromising the body lines fit before tightening.  These aren't Caddillacs and they weren't built to fit with 1/16" gaps so you have to make the best compromises you can to keep everything from rubbing and go with it.

It looks like a Jeep!

Pull the light switch and voila!  It is rewarding to see it come back to life.

Jeep hoods conveniently fold all the way back to allow great light and underhood access but if you want to own a nice Jeep and keep it nice, placing your coat, rag, shirt on the windshield frame etc is a must. 

Be aware of strong winds and bad attitudes when placing the hood up.  Place it there, don't throw it there.  Betting 50% of the Jeeps we look have a hood crease on them.  Most of those are rougher Jeeps we don't buy.

Radiator installed with new black (pink heater hose stock is shameful) cut to fit heater hoses.  Great attention is taken to get these to just the right length where they route nicely, don't kink or rub on anything.

New Radiator hoses and a new top of the line 'lever lift' safety radiator cap

Earlier in the build it was noticed the bolt-in engine crossbar was missing from the Jeep when we got it so from inventory we blasted, painted and installed one.  It is somewhat common for these to be removed for oil pan work and foolishly not re-installed.  This brace ties the frame rails together as the 258 6 cylinder is as heavy or heavier than a V8. 

With all the sheet metal and battery cables in place, it is time to check the engine before finalizing the wiring. 

A new engine should have the oil manually primed before initial start up to minimize wear.

We install a mechanical test oil pressure guage and remove the stock distributor to access the oil pump.

The photo shows a dummmy shaft installed in a cordless drill ready to go.

It is important to know which way the engine fires to know which way to spin the oil pump. Clockwise or CCW.

This engine is CW.

This photos shows the drill installed in the distributor hole and the test guage showing about 70 PSI of oil pressure

With the engine primed, now it is time to install the afore mentioned HEI distributor and new spark plug wires. 

We had already put in new spark plugs and gapped them to a wider .045" to take advantage of the hotter iginition.  We selected a little colder heat range plug as the engine will have more spark and higher compression than stock.  Only time and testing will allow the perfect spark plug to be selected. 

We found a single wire to hook up the distributor that had 12 volts when the key is turned to the run position AND when cranking.  We then plugged it onto the distributor.  One wire hook up is so clean. 

We poured a little gas into the carb and a few timing adjustments and it started right up!  We only let it run for a second or two but is sounded perfect.   

Before we broke then engine in, the fluids were re-topped off.  That includes coolant, power steering and oil.  It is a good idea to fill the power steering early and let it 'fill itself' as starting a pump dry is hard on them.  If you let it trickle in a little each day, the whole filling process is not an issue.  This is similarly done with the coolant. 

We added an additional quart of oil today and noticed how slow it was to fill and realized the aftermarket valve cover front holes are not the same.  One hole is baffled so the PCV will not draw oil in as it evacuates the crankcase pressure.  The other hole is open to the valve train and more well suited for filling...so we switched them.

We took the engine through its break-in today which is about allowing the camshaft and lifters to match themselves.  We ran the engine @ just over 2000 rpm for about 25 minutes with no issues, leaks etc.  She sounds great!

Installed customer selected front bumper

Also custom guage cover

New SS hood catches installed. 

Note, that hood catches have a long and short slot and are directional.  Not direction as to what side they go on but directional by how far out they can be held away from the hood.  The long slot should allow the catch to sit AWAY from the hood when it is open so it doesn't get caught under the hood when closed.  I think some of the chaeapest catches do not have this slot.  These are Crown brand

New washer bottle (with pump switched over) and new coolant over flow bottle 

Bottles installed look good!

You may have also noticed the tidy wiring...

This is a detail Rudy has always tried to follow with a new build that might be a good one to adopt.  You will occasionally hear about restorations burning up in a shop while no one is there.  This may happen as loose ends in wiring are 'in process'.  We have the practice of not tightening battery terminals until the Jeep is tried and true.  We store the Jeep with the negative cable pulled when it is unattended.

Another detail of a new front Jeep frame cover shown installed...

New top if the line customer requested 2 tone fold and tumble rear Bestop brand seat with whiplash protecting headrests about to be installed

Installed with new seat belts.  We use the factory super reinforced existing bolt holes for the seat belts and the seat wherever possible.  Any bolts than need installed that cannot use the existing Jeep supplied holes are given large plates underneath to spread the load in case of an accident. 

The seat belts are only put into the original Jeep supplied bolt holes. 

This is another reasone to start with a rot free Jeep as so many of these old Jeeps have severely compromised floors to where the seat mounts and seat belt mounts are in rust weakend metal.

Front seat brackets installed waiting for the new rear matching front seats to be installed...

This is a really nice upgrade from stock to the more modern seat sliders...

Matching, reclining front seats installed! 

3/24/11

Tomorrow is the due date for completion I had set earlier in the build and while we are well on course and could meet the delivery, we are going to take an extra week for detailing and some final test and troubleshooting.  

Today we installed new front seat belts to replace the questionable originals.  It seems to take forever to install these without any twists in them...

The customer speced out the top of the line Tuffy security console for valuables.  These are great products well worth the money.  I have had experiences where thieves took other items but didn't even try to get in these boxes

...but 1st, we must install the shifters, new new boot and new knobs to ensure we will have clearance when the Jeep is shifted.  Note a Rudy special transmission tunnel cover painted in body color to contrast the black Rhino liner.  the stock color for this era Jeep would have been black. 

The detail of new knobs is well worth the minimal expense

All items installed with stainless fasteners... And now the Tuffy console can be secured...

New wiper blades are obvious but replacement wiper arms are also a great idea as the tensioning springs wear out that hold the arms against the glass.  These new ones will proved better wiping at speed.  Jeeps have such bad aerodynamics that the wipers want to lift off the glass so these will help.

An action photo!  Of course the washer squirters have been repaired to work but are also correctly adjusted to approriate aim...

New Bestop soft top with 2 piece soft doors and tinted rear zip out windows new in box and ready to install...

Soft top on safari style...

With tinted windows zipped in..

The original visors were desert torn and floppy.  New visors were a must for a build like this...

The customer wanted half hard doors for his new Jeep so I acquired a nice rust free set from one of my sources...  These still need the trim painted.

The restoration isn't complete without a freshened up spare tire jack and holder.  The Jeep didn't have a jack so we rounded one up and had it blasted when the chassis was being done.
Another detail we had been waiting on was the special clip for the HEI (High Energy Ignition) distributor.  The common backyard way to do this is just a female terminal stuffed in there that will eventually loosen and fall out.  This one clips into place securely.
Both the jack and the clip in place.   You can see the clip on the right hand side of the photo and the jack at the bottom left tucked away under the battery...There are 3 vent tubes we routed with new lines for both differentials and the transfer case.   Each go to a unique place above the water line if the Jeep is driven through high water.  One is on the firewall near the valve cover, another next to the radiator and the last tucked away in a nook above the tail light. 
A new antannae was needed...
The last customer speced item was matching nerf or step bars...
Installed...

The flares will be on it soon after we finish a final wet sand and buff of the paint.  Leaving them off has made the final clean up easier...
3/30/11This should be the last update of the build... Flares installed!

The following dark picture isn't as dark as it could be.  This Jeep came without underdash lights from the factory which is pretty inconvenient.  The customer has allowed a little extra time so it gave me time to install a set from one of our parts Jeeps...

The following is something new we're trying which is a clear decal at the kick entrance of the Jeep instead of running the Rhino line all the way out or adding the inadequate ss guard that aren't long enough.   This clear strip should add some protection while not detracting from the beautiful paint. 
Also, new JEEP decals...
There were a handful of items we decided to reuse at the beginning of this build, the most dissapointing was the engine (which we replaced) and hopefully last one to dissapoint is the carburetor which was running rich.  The super improved ignition system handles the rich condition but why not make it go away if you can so you can to maximize economy and performance?   The Weber carb isn't a bad way to go and is light years ahead of the electronic Carter but it has a weak seat for the float bowl.  It likes 3 to 3.5 PSI of fuel pressure and the stock fuel pump will be 4 to 5+.  This causes fuel to push past the seat and a rich condition so all the following was purchased to regulate down this excessive pressure.

And installed...

the Jeep was completely torn down and rebuilt with all new suspension, steering and tires so it is absolutely a requirement to get an alignment.

Hoping for a little sunshine before the customer arrives Friday AM to give this Jeep a proper photo shoot as it is a gorgeous machine! :)

We had to work out one final issue of the fuel guage not reading properly.  Remember how we tested the float earlier?  It STILL had the smallest leak apparently...What you see is fuel inside the float which could (will eventually) cause it to sink and give you a false empty reading.  This was only one problem though.  After numerous hours, it was detirmined that the fuel sending unit rod was bent incorrectly and was hanging up on the side of the tank as it went up....sigh.

On the bright side, when installing the tank with the body off, there was time taken to consider that it may have to be removed while the Jeep was assembled. 

This little series of details made this job less painful as the hose clamps were rotated so the fill lines could be reasonably accessed with the body in place. 

We had also made the fuel pump supply line and return lines longer than needed so there was room to lower the tank a reasonable amount which GREATLY helps.  Just be careful not to pinch the lines when you re-install the tank.

Slack in the lines shown here...

And how we supported a tank filled with 20 gallons of fuel here...

And finally a complete frame off build after 7 weeks shown here...4/1/11 (started 2/10/11)

100+ photos coming in a link here soon...

Next up is a 20k+ original mile refurbishing on an original 83 Renegade!

New Build 2010 @ Good Guys Car Show Columbus, Ohio.  This Jeep Sold on the 1st sunny day of the show.

OVER 100 photos of this build here...

http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=racinrudy&P=&AID=6188845&Pres=Y