Is this 41 Year Old Jeep Cherokee Chief Worth Restoring?
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- Опубліковано 8 чер 2020
- Buying an old classic Jeep like this 1979 Cherokee Chief SJ can be a big project and require many hours of work and possibly a ton of cash. Did I bite off more than I can chew with this project? In this video I'll share with you some of the things I've found wrong so far, some of the things I've sorted, upgraded and some of things that I never expected to find.
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Brad: “I know a lot of you guys aren’t here to watch tailrecon for classic vehicle restoration...”
Me: “that’s where you’re wrong kiddo”
I was thinking the same thing.
Exactly. I have watch some TrailRecon in the past, but I became a subscriber in order to see this project. I’m looking forward to as much as possible. BTW: I also bought a period correct cooler for my 1967 Mustang. I love the idea of your period correct outings. I also didn’t know about the groups that do this. I hope to see some of that as well. Way cool stuff!
I am a huge fan of this build. I would like to see more of this, not just updates every now and then. Ever since I saw the video of you picking this up, I have been kinda looking for them. How many vehicles can you own before the wife looses count?
So wrong. I love rebuilds! You don't have to go Goonzsquad but watching those repairs and upgrades is inspiring. Keep up the good work!! PS. You said the jeeps name.. "Baby Blue"
I agree with the other comments. Looking forward to the rebuild and where you go with it. As well hoping you with accept the invite and go on the camping trip. Would love to see videos and pics from that. Some of us still like old school.
Love the idea of a “period correct” camp and trail run! Might throw a dash cover over the cracked one and just hide it for now. This is fun!
trjnsd I have an old COKE cooler that would be perfect for this.
Mexican blanket
I know I don’t speak for everyone but I would love to see a “restoration” series! Also I’ve seen a lot of Coleman retro camping gear lately at Bass Pro. Just an idea if you can’t get your hands on original camping gear
K C get the original, it’s not that hard
Mike Schneider true just easy saying it’s an option. I personally would prefer original myself
This is why I miss American Restoration so much with the original crew from Vegas. What a great show that was, they certainly had some characters on that show. 😎
love how you are going to use the vintage camping gear,,, excited to see more of these videos.
Wilma
"Wilma Mankiller worked for several years as a leading advocate for the Cherokee people and became the first woman to serve as their principal chief in 1985."
I just posted this thinking I was clever and scrolled down to see I’m like the tenth person to say it lol
@@brandonbrown6544 I mean... At that rate it seems like it should be the name then 😉 haha
Beat me to it! +1 for Wilma, when he rolls it we get to call it the "mankiller"!
being an old school rig, you need the white letters out. Love this Cherokee no doubt.
Yes, the white letters. They say that at 55, I'm old enough to have the white letters out on my JK.
Paul Browning I run white letters on my 2015 JKU.
White letters out on my JT. White letters always out 🤙🏻
I think the name is clear: "Senior Chief"
Wow, Chief. Camping gear from my childhood. I didn't expect nostalgia today, but here we are. Love it.
Ditto. Countless camping trips with my dad, where he'd have to hand-pump that old Coleman stove before breakfast. Got introduced to beer pancakes off one of those!
When u do the rust repair take the windshield out at the same time and do the dash. Most probally there will be rust around the windshield so it can get fixed at the same time.
Thanks for the update. Loving all the updates and future plans.
Looking forward to seeing the results.
to fix the grounding issue just go get ground cables and run one from the frame to the engine and one from the engine to the body and one from the body to the frame
She’s coming along great. And so cool you’re getting all metal and old school kitchen and supply gear. Getting them cleaned up will be such a cool project!
Back in the early and mid-80s, I had a '79 Jeep Cherokee Chief. It was a great truck. I had a 360 V-8, a three-speed automatic transmission, with QuadraTrac, with low-range and vacuum lockers. I had the transmission start to slip, and my parents decided to help me out, we towed to where they were living and got their mechanic to do the transmission rebuild. I mention this because they were living in Wilkes County North Carolina. If this isn't familiar to you, this is because the area was, at the time one of the centers of NASCAR. And their mechanic was a car owner and car builder. His shop wasn't one of the big ones, but he did run cars are the NASCAR tracks both the big ones and small ones.
He kept the truck for two months, and when I picked it, not only had he rebuilt the transmission, but he had decided to 'play' with the engine, and rebuilt the engine, not as a track engine, but at this time, a becoming thing was fuel efficiency in NASCAR. I won't say what the build was able to do, but as a daily driver, I wasn't getting close to the 9 mpg that the presenter in the video says he was getting.
Lastly, a comment about the offroad capability of the truck. I was working as a land surveyor when I owned the truck. One day, I and my crew along with another crew got stuck one a site and our 4-wheel drives got bogged down. During our attempts to get the trucks out of the 'stuck', our attempts were noticed by first a couple of guys with one 4-wheel drive truck and then by construction crew with a larger 4-wheel drive truck.
Both pickups got stuck. Coming to our rescue.
As it was getting late and this was long before cell phones, my wife was getting perturbed that I hadn't come home, she contacted the office and called the surveyor who we worked for and he said we should have been finished long before that. So, as she is a county girl, she hopped in the Cherokee Cheif and went to the site.
Now, where we were all stuck was at the edge of an overgrown field, but she could see us from the entrance to the property. The field was wet and full of mud, once the grass, weeds, and other vegetation was broken through, but she didn't know that. She just drove over to us. She did have to engage the locker and as she approached us, she did slow down a bit, but after seeing what had happened, she just swung around and backed up to us. Yes, we all were yelling for her to watch out, but to no avail.
She pulled all the trucks out of their 'stucks'. Even the big 2.5-ton pick-up, although as she pulled him up on solid ground she did have to engage the low-range.
When asked about how she was able to do all this, she just said she had grown up driving tractors and this wasn't all that much different from plowing a field.
I loved that Jeep. It was killed by a mid-80s Accord driving very fast and T-boned it, flipping it, sending it spinning down the road for 150-175 feet, with me in it. Totaled.
When people heard that the truck was no more, there was a bidding war for the engine and transmission. I was able to buy another car with the salvage monies.
I still wish I had another '79 Jeep Cherokee Chief, now, what 35 years later.
Oh, BTW, I've still married to that country girl.
I did a frame off on my 82 cj7 five years ago. Installed the drive train from a 79 Wagoneer including axles. I kept the Dana 300 transfer case. After several carb swaps I settled on a Quadrajet. Once I got it tuned it has been excellent. All the Jeep guys I know kept trying to get me to swap a gm drive train. Lol,no issues. Beautiful wagon you have there.
Loved the update. It is always "fun" to try and sort out what someone else has done to a rig, and figure out why and how to "make it right". We use the Coleman Cooler and a modern single burner propane Coleman stove for our trips.
I love this project! She is a beauty! And very cool to have the old camping gear... can’t wait to see more of this
I use to own a Jeep Wagoneer with wood trim, I sure miss that Wagoneer !
I wish I had the knowledge and patience to restore a vintage vehicle. Thankfully, I have you to watch. Can’t wait to watch her evolve.
Just loving the retro approach, introduces a whole new twist to the channel, which in my mind is exactly what was needed. Good call Brad, you brought it up a few notches once again! The diversity this channel can offer is unmatched.
I had a '74 Jeep Cherokee in High School and 1rst year of College. I put headers on it and a Shift Improver kit and was always 4 Wheeling in it. Put it through a lot and pulled out many, many vehicles in bad spots along the way. Only got it stuck once inside a big "slick" clay-shaped bowl, while pushing around mud that was up to the bumpers, while trying to get out. It took 2 trucks pulling at the same time to get me out. (Just to brag on it...it was an incredible off-road machine!) The only few other times after that where it came close to getting stuck...I just reached into the glovebox and switched on the Emergency Lock-Out. No more problem after that. And, those were some bad spots. Truly, a fantastic vehicle that I gave up to further my Education. Wonder still...If I made the right choice...?! Love that you are rebuilding this '79. I am enjoying looking at the Chief's unique SUV body, undercarriage and the familiar 360 ci layout. Wish they would bring it back and not change a thing!
I love all of your videos, and this latest project is no exception. You have a great eye for detail, and I'm fascinated to see what it is going to take to get this Jeep to where you want it. Keep at it, and we'll keep watching!
I've had all the Coleman accessories you showed. Seeing yours brought back a lot of memories.
Absolutely love the look yes yes yes she is worth it I’m really liking the vision your having with time period camp gear etc, I’ve had great out come with spray undercoating on my truck made a lot of difference on the noise. The new rims an tires look really good nice choice she’s 41 years old I think personally you definitely found a keeper congrats on that for sure. Great stuff brad ol baby blue is gonna be a sweet project as always be safe 👍👍👍
Really looking forward to seeing this build come into fruition. Thanks for sharing, Brad!
That sounds like an awesome trip can’t wait to see what everyone brings both vehicle and classic equipment wise
Looking forward to following this. So much fun!!👍🏻👍🏻
Couldn’t be happier that you bought that awesome FSJ. My first project car, that started my Jeep obsession was a 1979 Jeep Cherokee Chief. My 7 year old daughter at the time, and I did a full paint job in the garage and wheeled it all over Las Vegas. We ended up selling it, when we moved to Washington State. Still miss my Cherokee. I am going to get another one someday.
Brad, Thanks so much for sharing this build! I have a soft spot in my heart for these vehicles being the past owner of a '79 Cherokee and a '89 Grand Wagoneer. These videos bring back so many great memories and I really look forward to future updates. Love the way you're going to stay true to the design and also keeping the baby blue color. I think it was called Sierra Blue so I'm suggesting the name Sierra for your baby. Thanks again, Bob
It's so exciting to see you working on a FSJ! I get to watch someone do all the stuff I would do if I had money! haha
These are such great rigs. My friend had an orange one and I have wanted to buy one since his death (RIP), but haven’t gotten to it yet, but some day for sure. The wheels and tire combo looks perfect!!! Can’t wait to see some DIY videos on this project Brad!
Right on man. Love the period correct camping gear. Had all of that growing up as a kid in the 70's and 80's.
Brad plz keep making videos on this beauty beast 👌 looking forward to it
This will be amazing. I really love the front profile and the quirky rear window. Looking forward to following the restoration process
Love to hear the updates. Awesome project. I’m betting a lot of folks want to get back to the basics.
Found one similar in my neighborhood here near Pearce, AZ. Tempting! Used to own a body shop in PHX and did all sorts of classic restorations, could not take a dent out if my life depended on it, but I could paint.
AH! The memories! My very first "Off Road" vehicle was a 79 Cherokee. It had the 360 2 bbl with Quadratrac and ran like a top. I took it on a trip from Ohio to Kentucky and had my first hill climb and it went right up! I have been hooked ever since on off road. Thanks again for the memories, Brad ---- I look forward to each video you do.
Great project and a long way to go. That reminds me on my MG Midget Roadster I had 10 years ago. Endless surprises and hours in the garage. But I can tell you: The way is worthwhile 👍🏻
Congratulations. I have a!974 Jeep Cherokee S. I've been restoring it for 5 years now, absolutely love it.Some parts are harder to find than others and like everything else you can get lost in it and spend a ton of time and money on it. It truly wont be done for awhile now but it's totally worth it. Enjoy.
Man I grew up with one of those pump-up Coleman stoves. Great memories. I totally support going old school with the camping gear. Go for a canvas tent and cot!
I think is going to be an exciting project with a great and beautiful Jeep. Thanks for sharing Brad.
I want to see full videos on this Chief, love it! Great buy for sure!
Love the old camping gear!
Being born in 93, it all pre-dates me, but it’s the gear my scout troop still had when I was in scouts so it’s what I grew up using.
Especially love the Coleman kerosene stove. Lots of memories pumping one of those up!
Wow the Rig is coming along great, I love the classic camping gear great idea very nice touch to have period correct gear.
Love the Cherokee! That and the Grand Wagoneer are my favorites. Cool to see you have the old Coleman gear. I don't have a jeep, I have a 74 Bronco, but I do have the old Coleman lanterns and stoves. The motor sounds great. Can't wait to see your next update on her.
This retro gear video and camping trip will be a video really worth watching... Can’t wait!
Love the Jeep and especially the period correct gear.
All the classics gear to match the chief is awesome! Love it!!
Nicely done love the polish looking bumper and the direction your planing is absolutely stunning im really excited about this rig too!
I love it. I’m total nerd for old camping gear too! perfect touch! Be so cool to see that rig roll in to camp and start breaking out the classic Coleman gear 😁
Love seeing this project as a subject of your videos 👌👊
More to come!
@@TrailRecon can't wait!
TrailRecon I just bought my son a 79 cheif . It’s red and white. I’m trying to find affordable interior parts for it.A headliner padding for floor dead because my feet get so hot driving. Is there a good cost affective place to look.
Such a awesome idea! Love the flash back in time with the older gear! I remember pumping up white gas Coleman stuff as a kid! Look forward to seeing one of these trips!
I can’t wait for this build!
So happy your keeping the blue.
His what?
Man, the Chief is AWESOME! One day I will get something and restomod. Hopefully by time I do there is still some left.
Savannah looks great! Can't wait to see how it turns out after the upgrades and would like to see her all finished.
Amazing vehicle!!! And that vintage stuff.!!!! Man!!!!! A lot of old memories from my family camping everywhere!!!
Jason from Maryland here
Looking good, not overly aftermarket, and.... I did the same thing with my old stocky, period correct camping gear! Classy touch
Nice job Brad. The older Jeeps are so cool.
Love the classic equipment perspective great idea
Awesome project can’t wait to see the finished product.
Welcome back Brad !
Classic Jeep full of classic camping gear, sounds like a fun time waiting to happen. Just add a lake and a fishing pole.
Great video. Love the classic camping gear
Your “cold start” made me laugh Brad. Cold start in So CA is what, 60’s? Just bustin’ your chops bud. 😜
As for your fuel pump dilemma, these FSJ’s have a tendency to vapor lock on hot days and high altitudes due to the fuel vaporizing at lower points as elevation increases. To remedy that I installed a small electric fuel pump right at the tank on my BIL’s Cherokee Chief years ago which resolved the issue. The electric pump fed the mechanical pump which prevented the large pressure drop as it is easier to push fuel than pull.
You could simply wire in two small electric pumps (one for each tank) to feed the mechanical and merely wire it through a double pole double throw switch to select supply tanks.
Just a thought.
By the way a FSJ is on my radar also as a retirement project but I want to run a modern powertrain for power and efficiency.
Mike
I like your suggestion, and may have to look into some low pressure pumps to offer a little assistance.
Great suggestion, we used to use a pre feeding low pressure high volume pump with a pressurized catch tank.
I think most EFI setups require electric fuel pumps so you might want to look into what is included/required for your future setup.
Not a bad plan, but I have another thought for when you go fuel injected. I put the Howell kit on my YJ and loved it, so I think it is a great way to go. The first thing I noticed though was that since the main gas tank had no baffle (fuel injected vehicles usually do), braking, turning , or accelerating with less than 1/2 tank could starve the fuel pump and kill the engine. I solved it with an old Road Race trick we used to call a surge tank. A tall skinny tank of about 1 gallon mounted up in the left rear fender. One electric pump with a return line filled that surge tank (with a return line to the main tank). The main pump supplied with the Howell kit pulled from surge tank (return line from the throttle body goes to the surge tank). You could drive that thing straight up a wall without fuel starving. Also found out that the stock exhaust put enough heat under the Jeep to boil gas in the tank at high altitude (or high temperature). With that system I never had any vapor lock even after 8 hours on the Old Ore Road in Big Bend. Let me know if you want more details.
I dig the era correct gear! Very cool Brad! Excited to see the video on that trip when you get to it!
Owning a basket case 83 Cherokee Pioneer myself, I am really looking forward to seeing a continued build log and updates as this cream puff comes together! Lookin good so far!
That is beautiful!! What a great project!!
Love the old Chief keep showing it
great looking jeep. looks like a blast to tinker with. the old camping gear brings back a lot of memories. enjoy
Thanks! It's honestly become some therapy for me just tinkering in the garage with it.
TrailRecon had an old CJ I did the same to. Loved it. Look forward to seeing more of this build. Cheers
Great vid. Love those old retro keeps.
I like the idea of having period correct gear for the rig. You will get to experience how things were done back in those days when it comes to outdoor living back in the day. It’s going to be a great experience.
Keep up the good work, this is my favorite of the FSJ. Jeeps mark their territory.
Love the Globe and Anchor. Semper Fi!
love that custom radio, nice touch!
I'm really happy with it!
@@TrailRecon Nice, it looks awesome for sure. You know for that crack in the dash, you could use fiberglass resin and mat to repair it, and then paint it right in the vehicle if you're super careful about masking everything off. Might be a good first project to get done before you go putting expensive upholstery and other touches in there.
So cool. I can't wait to see some trail videos.
I found an 81 Jeep Pioneer with the 6 cylinder and Chrysler 747 transmission in it in the late 80's. Pulled the motor out and had it rebuilt .040 over with a Clifford Research camshaft in it. When I reinstalled it I put a Clifford intake and split header on it. I decided to use a 500 cfm Holley two barrel instead of going with a four barrel. The transmission was rebuilt with stronger clutches and shift kit. The transfer case was in very good condition so I left it alone. I added a two inch lift kit and installed a set of Chevrolet 6 lug 4wd wheels complete with the caps (painted over of course). I went with a set of 31 inch tires. It was a four door with light blue paint. And it had air conditioning which really comes in handy in Georgia! I loved that truck but somebody came along that wanted it a lot more than I did and paid what I told him I had to have to part with it. Now I wish I had told him it wasn't for sale. What you're doing brings back some old memories. Hope you enjoy yours as much as I did mine.
I had a 1972 wagoneer and it had the weird driver side headlight issue too. Also had lots of wiring gremlins. Ended up getting rid of it for another project. Love the chief!
Thank you,I really enjoyed watching this!
Those American Racing rims are perfect. I've had my eye on those myself. That Jeep is perfect in so many ways.
I just checked the channel for a new video a little before you dropped this one. Stoked to see the Chief upgrades! I’ve always leaned toward “eye roll” names for vehicles lol, so the first name that comes to mind is “Cherry.” 🙂
Hail to the Chief! Awesome rig...YES I want to see a classic restoration on this channel. I'm sure I'm not alone. Keeping the original color is an awesome idea. What is the shirt your wearing? Snazzy threads man.
That going to be sharp when you get it all done the new wheels and tires made a big difference!!!! Looking good 👌👍
Thanks!
Giving the jeep some love. That's what it needs
Like the tires, but absolutely love my Cooper S/T Maxx hybrids. Definitely recommend giving them a try on any of the vehicles that spend much time on the road. Loving the new build!!
Brad good choice on the Howell fuel injection, you'll appreciate when yo travel from SD to high altitudes. Some carbs adapt, most don't. I like the way your restoring it keeping it close to original.keep us updated.
I think the retro camping gear is so cool! It takes me back to when I was a kid. I'm sure my parents still have their 100lbs Coleman 6 person canvas tent if you want it! I can't wait to see were this build goes. As for her name....how does Minerva sound. Minerva Hoyt almost, single handedly saved Joshua Tree and Anzoberego from destruction before they became protected parks. It definitely fits your desire to preserve our amazing parks and natural areas. Thank you for all you do!
Can't wait to see it on a mild trail !
I'm excited to go get it dirty!
Lookin' Good, Brad! Name Idea, The Master Chief.
Love this thing. Great update.
Love the vintage Jeep. We’re building a ‘71 Bronco for the trails and have some vintage camping gear from our Baja trips in the 70’s
Love this old truck & the series. The period camp gear made me smile, as we used a single burner white gas stove on all of our early camp trips years ago. There is a lot to be said for minimalistic camping: not much to carry & almost no set up time. But we were young then. Couldn't do that now, need my amenities 😜
I'm looking forward to the old school camping trips!
LOVE this rig! She looks like a Blue Belle, to me.
WOW love it and the retro camping stove and Coleman lanterns are cool man !
Love the vintage gear.
Great build! I love that thing too
my parents had most of that stuff think my dad still has the stove......thanks for the update brad and the walk down memory lane.
Call her Bonnie! Love the retro camp gear!
Lots of fun ahead!
Cool got something to watch after work 😁👍👍
I had a used copper/ rust Cherokee Chief 2 door in the Early 2000 loved mine!