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.
 

 

 

 

 

Hand Throttle
Project Jeep CJ-7

Controlling Engine RPMs via a 
cheap as dirt Hand Throttle

Back to Project Index

 

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When I wanted to pump air rapidly in my on-board air system, it was a good idea to bump up the RPM of the engine from idle to about 1500 PRM for a good air flow out of the York.  Holding my foot of the gas wasn't a good way to do this.  

Enter, the Hand Throttle.

Now, I don't like to consider myself "cheap", rather, resourceful.  I could have bought any number of aftermarket hand throttles but like most else on this Jeep I decided to make something.  

As a kid I spent a lot of time riding my bikes all over town and many had short, stubby gear shifts.  Thinking back I thought these could be a prime candidate for a hand throttle.  I just had to find one that didn't click in large increments, rather could be moved in very small clicks so RPM didn't jump by a large range when using it.

One evening a few years back during our town's spring cleanup, I drove around looking for old bikes in the trash.  I found many and with each I checked for gear shifts that had small increments of movement.  I found several good ones and unbolted them on the scene with a few choice tools.  I also grabbed the cables and fittings that brace the cables to the attach points on the bikes.  All useful junk.

I then took it all back home and went though what I had, finding the best gear shift and some good cable.

 

Mounting to the Dash

Mounting the gear shift, now referred to as a hand throttle, had to be easily accessible but not anywhere that it might be bumped inadvertently.  

Note: Mounting a hand throttle to the gear shift, although it may seem appealing, is out of the question and simple dangerous because you are constantly moving the gear shift around can easily bump the hand throttle, applying throttle when you least want to. 

Since the hand throttle is really bicycle's gear shift it had a round clamp that would have mounted to the handlebars of the bike.  Looking for a place to take advantage of that clamp to secure it I didn't have anything stock to mount it to.  I found that the best place to location the hand throttle ergonomically was somewhere around the base of the steering column where it was out of the way of being bumped yet within easy reach to operate.  I also didn't want to drill holes in my freshly painted dash.  I found that I could use the two right-side screw holes of the steering column base-plate and mount a short piece of pipe, which I could then mount the hand throttle to.  I raised pipe away from the dash using two short wooden post that was flat on one side and notched on the other.  The posts and pipe were then mounted to the steering column cover plate with longer screws.  See diagram below and pictures to the right.

 

Routing the Throttle Cable

Using a short piece of cable that came off a a bicycle, I routed the cable down under the dash and through the firewall to the existing throttle linkage.  I Used one of the bike's cable ends that hold a cable's fixed end in place and drilled out a hole in the carburetors throttle linkage bracket.  I then used an existing hole in the throttle lever, just above the existing throttle cable to attach the end of the cable.  I left a little slack in the line so it wouldn't hold the throttle back when idling.  I made sure there was no chance of the cable getting hung up on anything.  Again, see pictures to the right for a better idea.

 

 

 

 

 

Thoughts in the Hand Throttle

The hand throttle ended up being a great idea that gives me greater control over the Jeep in all kinds of situations.  Initially it was installed to bump the RPMs up a little higher than idle so the York Compressor could pump air efficiently.  It also comes in handy when I need to work the brake, clutch and throttle such as when pulling out off of a hill or tight situation.  Its also great for bumping the RPM up just above idle while rock crawling or on slow trails.  IN many ways its much like cruise control however I never using it on the road, only on the trail.  If you have an automatic transmission, I'd recommend some sort of disconnect in case the hand throttle got stuck open for some reason.  With a manual transmission, pushing in the clutch will do the job if ever necessary.

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Project Jeep CJ-7 
Onboard Air
York AC Compressor Conversion

Back to Project Index

 

  

 

Offroad Tire Info
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How to Pick the Right
Tires for your Truck
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Tire Reviews & Info
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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
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Maxxis BigHorn Radial
Maxxis Creepy Crawler
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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