AMC CJ-7 304 V8 Jeep Suspension, all wrong and needing fixed! We can do that!
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- Опубліковано 26 гру 2021
- Well here's something that combines a number of our passions here at Lucore Automotive, Jeeps, a lift kit, suspension nightmares AND an AMC 304 V8 all in one package! One of our new customers brought us this classic very clean AMC CJ-7 for some much needed sorting out and we are more than happy to tag in to assist.
So what do we have we are fighting? Well as you'll see someone in a previous ownership has maybe used this Jeep for a bit more off road driving than the current owners are interested in. With that said though there's also some improperly set up components that made this little 4x4 Jeep a total nightmare to drive, the suspension travel was terrible, steering was terrible, stability was terrible... just generally it needed a LOT of help.
As with a lot of projects and vehicles that have gone through a few sets of hands part of OUR jobs are often times undoing or at least identifying what's been done and what a viable solution is. Just ordering and hanging parts doesn't do you any good if you don't know a baseline to work from, in addition to the fact that a LOT of parts are just straight up hard to get or impossible to get right now. At the end of the day, Rich kept after it one bite at a time to get it right and the little V8 Jeep is in MUCH better shape than it was when it showed up.
Of course there's more that we could do to improve this one, just as there is with almost everything we see, but the goal is to make it better every time you see it and we've certainly done that. This one we'll certainly call a win and happily hand it back to our customer knowing their ride is WAY better than it was when it showed up! - Авто та транспорт
If you want a cj to drive nice you need to Fab a Trac bar for the front axle ,hd steering box bracket , then 8° of caster will feel really good going down the road and in corners.
You call it mall crawler but those are the cjs that have to drive right ,they go way faster on the street than on the trails so they must handle right .
Good work, be safe, God bless you all
Well done! Your humor and explanation is entertaining, thank you!
Good tunes playing in the shop
Great video. Love when this guy does videos. He has a great sense of humor.
So glad I don’t have to do this work anymore. Love watching others do it now.
I don't have to neither but I still like dabbing around with tools
Great video. I like the little details you share. That little stuff is the important stuff. Keep up the great videos
I don’t know what music station that is in Columbus but I’m jealous Brother!!!! Boy it brings back memories from the mid 80s combined with the 2010+ memories of multiple Jeep rebuilds!!! What a fantastic combination Rich!!
Great video brother!!
PS: I think I have an extra new CJ7 steering box frame mount stabilizer (or whatever the proper name is) that I have no use for but if you think you can find a 7 to put it on, I’ll be happy to send it to ya and donate it to the cause. It’s brand new but I’m probly missing the instructions but I think you can get passed that man!! When I ordered one for my CJ7, somehow they sent me two of them instead of one which I wasn’t worried bout cause I had a cj5 and a CJ7 at the time but then I sold it before I got around to installing it, but installed it on the 7 and it was night and day difference on the steering. There is so much twist and flex to that Jeep frame with the steering box mounted on it that you will fight that steering so bad that instead of keeping it tween the mustard & mayo, you’ll turn it all into ketchup if you don’t put that reinforcement bracket on there.
Good video Rich!! Thank you brother!!!!
I have a drop pitman arm on my CJ7 and I don't recommend them. They slow down your steering response and reduce your turn radius due to being effectively shorter eyelet to eyelet than the stock arm. I will be returning mine to stock arm and doing the tie rod flip instead to get back that quick CJ steering feel.
I love those old CJ7's. Love the video too!
my cj7 had leafs stacked on the axels ,38" monster mudders ,no steering box to speak of, no bushings ,almost stripped axel splines on the rear two piece axel and a 304 that smoked more than snoop dog. took me some time to get the axels inside the leafs, poly bushings, new steering box , one piece axels, actual brakes that worked, and yanked and built the 304 to a solid dependable power level that was safe(er) and and good 33" (actual) radials. it was a deathtrap when i bought it and the previous owner daily drove it.........................................................lucky or crazy? body work was a breeze on a cj anyway. the higher you lift your cj the lower your IQ.
First time viewing and I really enjoyed your video thank you great job very interesting and I learned something important about needing to check/change the ujoints in the sides
That's great I had a 1979 cj-7 with the 304 v8
HOWdy LUCORE,
Always GLAD when you do AMC / JEEP stuff 🙂
COOP
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thats an awesome CJ
Great Video!
Should drive like new now. Great job
Man I’m better than i thought , when you had that cj up on the rack at first explaining the teardown I thought to myself those front springs are awfully wide ? They must be yj springs , and you’re gonna need the correct plates and shackle hangers . Don’t you love those little surprises .😂
Welding to cast iron you use a high nickel content rod and preheat both pieces. Most AMC blocks have a high nickel content.
DO NOT USE A DROP PITMAN ARM! Just another flex point. Instead flip the drag link at the knuckle and insert from the top. You will need to tapper ream from the top half way. Install CJ rear springs in the front for the best handling. You will need to move the front shackle mount forward. Front spring mounts will accommodate the 2.5" springs. 😉
Oh man Rich, lol, I have been here before……. Several times !!!!
It’s ok rich, every Jeep body is wavy from the factory. If you find a straight one, you know it’s been worked on big time
I agree...drop pitman is not the way to go... adjustable steering bar is a good solution.
Brother had one. Levi's edition
Another 304. 🙄 Modifying suspension if you do not know what you are doing can cause big problems. Hope the customer is satisfied.
The 258 doesn't weigh that much less than the 304. Even though the 258 in this is probably 75 to 100 pounds lighter than the pre 1980 motors. When the block and head lightening program started the blocks and heads would bust into pieces when clamped up in the first machining operation. Then the patterns had to be modified to put more meat back in. Eventually there were re-enforcing bars between the bearing webs that would get cut out. Spent 30+ years there.
Thanks, I appreciate your work and have suffered from the lightened 258. Did like the new water heated intake instead of the exhaust heated and the 2 barrel carb plate which got the autolite 2100, rather than than the crappy carter emission carbs. The plastic valve cover was a disaster.
what are those headlight covers called, and where can get them? Thanks!!
Those are the old Courser Mt tires… they have to be at least 10 years old.. 😆
Little Red Corvette, baby your much too fast. Oh yeah.
😀
The tub was on the frame backwards, and they started it from there. Pretty sure…
Awesome Jeep! Envious of the owner for sure, but for the love of God please remove those damn headlight shades 🤦♂️
how is a sign in ones driveway a "new ride" does the company for the commercial really think we are that stupid?
JustEmptyEveryPocket fixing a HEEP.
Boat: A hole in the water into which you pour money (lots of money)
👍🏽🇺🇸👍🏽
Me gustaría que lo hiciera en Español el vídeo muchas gracias
Glad I don't have that guys bill!
Fixing it right the first time would have been cheaper in the long run. It usually is.
And what's a rarer Rambler Rogue hardtop than a Hurst SC/Rambler. The 67 with a 343.
@@mpetersen6 Both pretty rare. Scrambler more value.
What do Jeep and Junk have in common? They both start with J and have the same number of letters. I😅😂🤣 I should know I have owned a half a dozen of them over the years and keep saying I will never buy one again but somehow I keep buying another one. I guess it is like drag racing a disease with no cure
One thing about Jeeps. Parts are readily available.
@@mpetersen6out of sheer necessity. 😂