CJ-7 Projects
 

  

Lightforce Lights - H.I.D. High-intensity discharge Upgrade

HEI Ignition System (GM Style) Installed in the AMC 360 V8
Getting rid of gremlins and improving performance

Installing 23,000 Volt Offroad Lights

Autogage Tachometer Installation
  

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Project CJ-7
  
Offroaders Guide
to Gearing up
for Offroad

From Basic Equipment to Well Equipped.  An extensive list guide to help you prepare your vehicle for the offroad.
  
 

  

Onboard Air
Converting a York
AC Compressor
to Pump Air


Trailering Safety and Trailer Hitch Information

 

Off-Road Truck Driving Techniques and Safety



Off-Road Lights
by LightForce Product Review / Installation.
from Off-Road Lights

 

Jeep Dana 300 TeraLow - 4:1 Gearset for the Dana 300 Transfer Case


AMC V8 Engines
From
GEN-1 Nash/Hudson/Rambler V-8s (1956-1966) through to the GEN-3 AMC Tall-deck (1970-1991)

Chevy Small-Block V8 Engines
Chevy Small-Block V8 Engines Manufactured by General Motors - Production: 1955?2002

Hemi Engine - All about the Hemi Engine

Ford Engines
4 Cylinder, 6 Cylinder, 8 Cylinder, 10 Cylinder, 12 Cylinder Ford Engines

Ford V8 Engines
8 Cylinder Engines manufactured by Ford

Ford 351 Cleveland V8 Engines
351 cubic inch V8 Engines manufactured by Ford

Chrysler Hemi Engine

AMC V8 hp/Torque, Compression & Bore/Stroke by year

Engine Size Conversion Table
Converting engine displacement from CID, Liters, C.C.

Engine Overheating Basics - 16 Common Causes of an Overheated Engine

Fan Clutch Diagnosis
How to tell if the Fan Clutch in your Cooling System is failing or has failed.

Automotive Gauges & Instrument Functions
Information they display & their importance.

 

From the
Department of Cheap   Tricks and Useful Tips

  
Ultra-Cool Hand Throttle for Free!

Jeep V8 Swap Tips

The Exploding Clutch

Radiator Protection using 6 bucks worth of material

Cracked Under Pressure - Fixing a smashed fingernail

A Cheap, effective alternative to undercoating

Home-built Saginaw Gearbox Brace for the cost of lunch!

Ammo Box Storage - Mounting Them for Quick Disconnect

Home-built Serious Skid-Plate protection for the Oil Pan for under 20 bucks!

Ramp Travel Index
RTI / Ramp Travel Index  What it is and how to calculate it, with and without the ramp.
 

 

 

 

 

Project Jeep CJ-7

Prepping the New Jeep CJ Fenders

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The goal here was to seal all the seams on the new replacement Jeep CJ fenders, purchased from Quadratec.  Why?
  

One of the biggest problems with the stock CJ fenders here in the eastern U.S. is rust.  Rust in the seams, rust behind and/or coming though the side panel, rust everywhere.   Plus they are usually beat up a little or a lot.  For that reason I didn't bother looking for used fenders.  Quadratec sells fenders for about $130 a piece which are of decent quality and everything is pre-drilled and pre-tapped requiring only a paint job (unless black is your color) and then bolt it up.

I took fender preparation one step further.  Here's a tip that I'm hoping will extend the life of these new fenders.  I had purchased some Surethane from Eastwood Company which is a seam sealer for automotive restoration.   I had used it on the seams of the  tub and noticed how extremely durable it was.  It literally took weeks for it to wear off my hands and finger nails where I had gotten it on myself when applying it.

For the Fenders I figured that if I seal up the seams with this Surethane, water won't be able to get into the seams to rot them away.  Best of all it's paintible and sandible. On the surface of the fenders I was careful not to glob it on too thick so I wouldn't have to sand it down.  In the area of the side panel, I left a small hole to access behind the panel so that I can later, after the Surethane dries thoroughly, spray some Rustoleum into the hole to better coat the hard to get to rust prone area.  To spray in such a tight spot I pull out the white spray tip of the spray paint can's red spray thinger and press in the red tub of a can of carb cleaner.  This gives me a jet-like nozzle to pin-point spray anything and get it into the hole I left in the sealer. Later then, I'll seal up the hole after it has had a good long chance to dry.

 
  

Under the fenders I applied generous amounts of Surethane to all the seams.  This will be followed by paint under the fender and  an application of Herculiner and finished on the surface with the 77 Corvette Yellow.  If my guess is correct I won't have a rust problem anytime in the near future.

  

To the right, the fender has received a coat of Herculiner rubberized undercoating in the underside area of fender where it will see a lot of abuse.  I think this should protect the fender from not only rocks and debris but water exposure and eventual rust.

 

To the right the side panels of the new fenders needed a little bondo to smooth out the spot welds.


 

Here's another little tip.  The area of the fender just behind the wheel-well has a panel spot welded over another panel.  I always see Jeep CJ fenders rust out here.  I think the reason why this happens is because water gets trapped between these panels and rusts out the panels .  In addition to sealing up all the seams in the fender, I left a small hole at the top of the inside of the fender in this area (see picture where I'm pointing out the location of the hole.  After the sealer dried I sprayed a good deal of Rustoleum spray paint down this hole to coat the rust prone area.  Then after giving the paint time to dry (a few weeks), I sealed it up with silicone.  Hope it helps keep the rust away.  I also coated the inner area of the fender (inside the engine compartment) with Herculiner rubber coating.

 
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Project CJ-7
  
Prepping the New CJ Fenders

Back to Project Index

 

  

 

Offroad Tire Info
Tire Terminology
Wheel Terminology
How to Pick the Right
Tires for your Truck
Truck Tire Info
Tires - What Hits What Fits
 
All Terrain  Mud Terrain
Tire Reviews & Info
Mud Terrain MT Tire Reviews
All Terrain AT Tire Reviews
Super Swamper Bogger
Super Swamper SSR
Super Swamper SX
Super Swamper Vortrac
Interco IROK TSL
Super Swamper LTB
Super Swamper TSL
Super Swamper TSL Radial
Super Swamper Narrow
Interco SS-M16 Swamper
Thornbird TSl Radial
Thornbird TSl Bias
Thornbird TSL
Parnelli Jone Dirt Grip
BFGoodrich Krawler
BFGoodrich MT T/A KM
BFGoodrich MT T/A KM2
BFGoodrich AT TA KO
BFGoodrich Mud King XT
Bridgestone Dueler MT
Cooper Discoverer ST
Cooper Discoverer STT
Cooper Discoverer ST/C
Firestone Destination MT
General Grabber MT
General Grabber AT2
Green Diamond Icelander
Ground Hawg Mud Tire
Hankook Dynapro MT
Hankook Dynamic MT RT01
Hercules Terra Trac MT
Hercules Trail Digger MT
Kelly-Springfield Safari DTR
Kelly-Springfield Safari MSR
Kumho Road Venture MT
Kumho Road Venture KL71
Kumho Road Venture AT
Dick Cepek Mud Country
Dick Cepek F-C II
Dick Cepek Fun Country II
Dick Cepek Fun Country Nylon
Dick Cepek Fun Country Kevlar
Mastercraft Courser MT
Mastercraft Courser HTR
Mastercraft Courser HTR Plus
Maxxis BigHorn Radial
Maxxis Creepy Crawler
Maxxis Trepador
Maxxis Buckshot Mudder
Maxxis MA-SW
Maxxis M-8080 Mudzilla
Maxxis MT-754 Buckshot
Maxxis MT-753 Bravo
Maxxis MA-751 Bravo
Maxxis MA-S2 Marauder II
Maxxis MA-S1 Marauder
Maxxis MT-762 BigHorn
Nitto Mud Grappler
Nitto Dune Grappler
Nokian Vatiiva MT
Pit Bull Rocker Extreme
Pit Bull Maddog
Pit Bull Growler
Goodyear Wrangler MT/R
Pro Comp Xterrain
Pro Comp All Terrain
Pro Comp Mud Terrain
Pro Comp Xtreme AT
Pro Comp Xtreme MT
Toyo Open Country MT
TrXus Mud Terrain
TrXus STS All Terrain
Mickey Thompson MTZ
Mickey Thompson MTX
Mickey Thompson Baja Claw
Mickey Thompson Baja Crusher
Competition Claw
Dunlop Mud Rover
Yokohama Geolandar
  

Latest trips Offroad
... trail reports with the Project CJ-7
click here.

Sounds System, Raised the Rear Seat
Storage below and a great place to mount 6x9 Speakers for Great Bass ... In a Jeep!

York AC Compressor Conversion.  What used to pump Freon, now pumps compressed air to the front and rear bumpers.  125 psi,  2 gallons of storage, air fittings at the bumpers, enough CFM to power air tools!.  Click Here for more  Details

 

Dick Cepek's 2008 F-250 Super Duty Project Vehicle ? Project CRUSHER


Warn X8000i
Winch Installation


ARB Air Locker Install
Jeep Wide Track Axles Swap

 
Mud Tire Reviews

Building a Garage?
Need a Garage Plan?
 


Reader's Rigs and Seriously Stucks!

 

Jeep Trans Swap Info
T-18A Transmission Rebuild & Short Shaft Conversion