Stuart_Snow

Life has been busy and I have finally had a chance to go on a few shakedown runs. There are some BLM areas west of Phoenix that I can access via back roads without getting on the interstate. The jeep wants to move on out when I roll it down the highway with the 3:56 gears. I have had it up to 60 @ 2500 rpm. The steering box is worn and needs adjusting or rebuilding. Also with only the old lap belt I'm ready for a shoulder harness for better safety. I'm really impressed with how it pulls when accelerating from low rpm. Driving on the road requires all your attention and there is some body lean in corners. Did later models come with stabilizers? Off road I really like the option of a low first gear with the T-18 without shifting into low. Shifting the t-case to 4 low or 4 high required some strength. Maybe a twin stick conversion will help this. The trails are mostly old mining roads and decomposed granite which can make hill climbs a challenge. I pushed it up a steep climb for a test. It finally got steep enough that I ran out of traction with the open diffs and at the same time the carb reached its critical angle of attack and the engine began to buck and snort so I had to abort the climb. I was amazed at the torque the engine makes even at very low rpm. Maybe Howell fuel injection and some lockers are in my future. I'm researching the aftermarket parts to beef up the common fail points on these jeeps. For now I'm having fun getting to know this jeep after working so hard on it. I have had it out on a few long trips and made it back with no mechanical issues. Im getting some data on fuel burn which can run from high 12's to 14 mpg. I'm most excited that there are NO LEAKS. This make me very happy and I feel lucky to have this jeep to enjoy. The dog likes it too!

Well its been a long and difficult road to being street legal but I finally made it. Arizona Emissions testing took 4 tries but It is running just like it rolled off the assembly line in 1977. The first thing that surprised me is the inspectors totally ignored all my OEM correct emissions gear and just marked n/a or not tested for everything including my evap canister. They only were concerned with the levels coming out of the tail pipe at idle and loaded which is a dyno run at about 35mph. Gasses tested were HC Hydrocarbons and CO Carbon Monoxide. NOX was not tested. I assume because my jeep is a non-catalyst model with air injection and EGR only. I passed HC every time with no trouble which told me at least I was getting ignition on all cylinders. CO carbon Monoxide was my problem which is the result of incomplete combustion. My limits I had to beat were 1.5 percent for loaded and 2.0 percent for idle. I failed bad the first try with 3.8 loaded and 6.0 idle. I began to worry I the standard was too high for my carburated jeep. I installed a beautifully rebuild carb with new bushings from Carburetor Exchange in El monte, CA. I also verified my EGR and air injection were working. This improved my CO numbers a little but I still failed and in fact the HC number got worse but still passed. At this point I was wondering if Howell fuel injection was in my future. Back to the books I went for more study. I read in a trade article that platinum or iridium plugs can give a slight advantage when trying to pass the CO carbon monoxide test. Out came my nice Denso copper plugs and in went a platinum set. Then I adjusted the idle mixture per my shop manual.Next I backed the timing off even more than the OEM specified 3 degrees. Acceleration is pretty bad like this but I passed idle with almost no reading at all and just missed loaded by a small fraction of a percent. Since this was still failing I took it to the professional emissions guy down the street who was able to tune the final little bit out and get her to pass. I know he bumped the advance back up because my power is back but he did not divulge his secrets. I hind sight it may have been smart to start with the Pro shop who can check his tuning with his gear and then go for a guaranteed pass. I was just happy to know that this carburated engine can meet the standard. It has been rewarding to take this engine from a basket case back to original running condition. I also avoided all the wives tale advice I got from people about pouring alcohol or moth balls in my fuel tank. I'm ready to take her out to the trail and see how she does. It sure rides better then my CJ-3b. I also found some rust free doors at F/N jeep in Colorado springs. I now need to adjust my steering gear to take the scare factor out of driving this thing.

It runs! I had the distributor setup one gear too late so it was not lined up with the plug terminal exactly. All I was getting was the warm afterglow which was causing my spitting problem. It fires right up now. Turns out indeed my accelerator pump port was also clogged. Carb spray did not clear it so I used one of the welding tip cleaning wires to clear the obstruction. It idles very smooth. I ran it at about 1600 rpm for about 20 minutes to mate the cam with the lifters. My break in oil is Rotella 15-45 and I used the Lucas break-in additive with ZDDP. It looks good after the break in run and nothing leaking out of the bottom. I have a slight exhaust leak to deal with at the manifold. It sounds like a beast. At least now I can work on fine tuning things. Thank you Moses for getting me to start thinking and looking at it closer. I'll keep you posted on my break in progress.

After doing a long and careful re-build on my 77 CJ7 4.2 engine I expected it to spring to life. So far I'm only getting spitting and coughing through the carb but it did fire once for a second which gives me hope. I'll quickly run through the vitals here: Fuel system: New gas tank and lines. I have verified that it is pumping fuel to the carb. The carb is a re-build Carter YF 1 barrel. It was dirty and needed a new accelerator pump but in good shape otherwise. I used a kit from Mikes Carbs and did it my self which was pretty straight forward. I have spent a fair amount of time messing with the carb on my CJ-3b so I was familiar with it. It does appear that fuel is making down the intake but when I pump the throttle I'm not seeing anything from the accelerator pump so its coming back off to diagnose that. Ignition: Its a DUI HEI unit, I installed it per instructions and set it up to fire the #1 cylinder at TDC. I verified it is working with my timing light. Using my remote starter switch I can see the timing mark and I'm able to run it up and down the the advance markings by rotating the distributor while I crank from 0 degress to 12 or more all it does is spit out the carb. DUI recommends 12 degrees static as a starting point for racing or off road which may be a bit much for me until I get past emissions. I currently have it at 6 but have tried the whole range. My factory settings only call for 3 degrees +/-2 @500 Rpm . I'm guessing this is due to smog regulations of the day. Anyway I've demonstrated that the ignition is working and I can set the advance up and down with no results. Valve train: I spent a lot of setting this engine up and do not anticipate valve-train problems unless the springs are tired or something is sticking. I ran through all cylinders in firing order with a cheap press on gauge and got 100 psi or more on all. I do have an aircraft style differential compression tester which I intend to use once I modify it to fit auto plug threads. I did a thorough priming of this engine and verified the lifters were pumped up and oil was making it to all the rockers. So I have a flame throwing ignition system and an anemic carb. I understand that spitting can be a symptom of a lean condition but I assumed that was for an engine that is already running. I'll report back when I trouble shoot the carb and verify my compression is good when and where its supposed to be. No back firing but lots of spitting and coughing up the carb. I have kept the air cleaner on to keep flames out of my face.

I'm Calling this done. Well I guess you're never really done. I was able to bring all the emissions gear back to original condition with the exception of adding the DUI HEI distributor. This 77 jeep came standard with the EGR/Air-guard package per the sticker on the top of the grill, and no catalytic converter. I can still read the "non-catalyst" sticker on the dash. I re-built the one barrel Carter which is the low altitude type. As I understand it only the high altitude carbs and California jeeps came with a converter for this year. This engine uses a thermostatically controlled air cleaner system which diverts warm air from the manifold during cold startups. The only part I cannot find for this is the heat shroud which attaches to the exhaust manifold. I cant even find a good picture of one. Its not important now because its 110 degrees but it does get cold here on winter mornings. I had to do a little scrounging to find some of the banjo bolts for the air-pump manifold and did a little repair welding on a few of the fittings. I'm going to start a new thread now to get it running. I expected this engine to spring to life and its not exactly springing yet.

Wow! I can relate to your story about the compressor. If I do any more of this restoration work I'm moving in next door. 🙂I need to finish this jeep so I can get back to my airplane project.

Moses, The Pro Chem Ferrous Soak came in Powder form and is high in alkaline content. I filled a 20 gallon metal wash basin from the garden section and added the prescribed amount of powder. Then I heated it with a propane burner since it is meant to be a hot process. I think 160 degrees to 200 degrees is recommended. I attached wires to everything I dipped since this stuff is highly caustic it makes getting the parts out easier. You don't want this stuff on your hands. It really goes to work immediately on the grime. I scraped off the big chunks first. It was especially useful when I dipped my intake and exhaust manifolds as it really eats up old rust and all the years of black soot carbon. When done I sprayed each item with a pressure washer. The downside as I said is the messy tub of goo afterwards and no its not reusable but it is bio degradable and environmentally friendly they say. I had gotten this solution from and old engine shop guy who retired and was getting rid of everything. I think this product has been discontinued as I cant find it on the prochem website but they do have several other products similar. It sure did a great job and beat scrubbing for hours.

I was fortunate enough to find a project jeep with the T-18 transmission and coveted low first gear. I decided to go for the complete rebuild since it was out and needed cleaning. Again I opted for the Novack kit. I probably should have done this as a step by step blog with more pictures but hopefully these will help someone. #1 rule take pictures of everything you take apart before hand. #2 get a professional grade set of snap ring pliers. My CJ re-builders manual and shop manual were invaluable. With these and the Novack instructions I made it through with very few tears. I had done the t-98 on my CJ3-B several years ago so decided to dive in. When I opened the case I found things to be in pretty good shape but several years of sitting allowed condensation to spot some things with minor surface rust. My first big challenge was pulling the front bearing which didn't come easy. I about gave up but finally got a very large clam-shell style puller. The snap rings on this transmission are serious business. Safety glasses and a careful approach are required. Once I had the main shaft out I knew I was past the point of no return. I was amazed at how heavy this shaft is along with the counter shaft. This requires strong arms to hold steady during re-assembly. I really appreciated the PTO cover being off as it allowed me to hold things in place during re-assembly. Once I had everything dissembled I boiled the case in Pro Chem Ferrous Soak. For the aluminum bell housing I used the milder Citrus Soak. I finally found a use for this after doing my Corvair engine. The needle bearing installation looks intimidating but really is not thanks to sticky grease and the keystone effect holding them in place. By far the most difficult step was working on the 1rst/2nd clutch hub. It has three large ball bearings compressed against strong springs while the sleeve is slipped over. Definitely get some extra helping hands here. Don't be stubborn like me and try to do it alone. The springs will shoot the ball bearings into every dark recess of your shop trust me. My shop manual describes using the 3rd/4th hub as spacer jig on the bench to hold the assembly just right while you simultaneously press all three bearings into place and slip the sleeve over. After about 20 tries and searches for lost ball bearings I was successful. There has got to be a better way. I'll bet they had a slick jig at the factory for this. Sorry no good pictures of this. My hands were full but here is my 3rd /4th assembly and the 1rst /2nd assembly . Syncros and gears were in great shape. I was happy to get the fresh bearings so I don't regret the time and expense. I invested in a shop press since I needed it for some of the assembly. This transmission is a heavy monster. Get help moving into the press. Seeing the finished work is rewarding. I'm glad I didn't chicken out because I came real close. To finish up I needed to mate it back up to the Dana 20. I was worried about how to do this and not wreck the gasket since things are so heavy. I wound up putting to transfer case on the front of the jeep. Since the grill is off this made a nice bench. I used the hoist to lift the t-18 into place and line things up perfectly. It worked great. Everything got a coat of black pain before going back under the jeep. Final lessens learned. #1 The transfer case shift assembly will not go back on with the bell housing in place. I left it off to make it easier to get under the jeep or so I thought. Don't forget the little spring that connects to the throw-out bearing. It wont go on if the bell housing is on since it hooks internally to the housing. #2 My CJ-7 belly pan has several sets of holes for mounting to various jeep power train configurations. I failed to take note of which ones were used and had a hard time when wrestling with the tranny jack and trying to figure out which ones to use. I got so confused at one point that I was convinced I had the belly pan on backwards. I finally figured it out but should have taken pictures or notes.

I recently rebuilt my Dana/Spicer 20 transfer case from my 77 CJ-7. After 100,00 plus miles it turned out to be in remarkable shape internally, but outside it was a greasy mess. I decided to use the Novack rebuild kit. I just happened to have a 5 gallon bucket of Pro Chem ferrous soak which took all the hard work out of cleaning the case. This stuff really works! I used a large steel tub and a propane burner for heat. Gloves and safety glasses are required as this is a highly caustic solution. It eats away rust, scale, paint and grease in short order. The downside is you will have a tub of black smelly water to deal with afterwards. The rebuild was straight forward thanks to my CJ rebuild guide and my 1977 shop manual. Trial fitting and walking through each procedure mentally helped eliminate mistakes. There is a certain sequence to follow which I stuck to for the most part. Setting up the front output shaft end play was a critical step which takes time and patience. A magnetic dial run out gauge really helped here. I think Novack makes a billet unit to replace the shims and help eliminate leaks. I used lots of sealer on the shims. The one place I ran into trouble was installing the new Novack super hard intermediate shaft. "super hard" describes the installation process as no amount of persuasion from my dead-blow hammer could force it all the way into the bore on the front of the case. I finally found a socket that fit this bore size and gently lapped the bore with some super fine lapping compound. I did just enough to get the shaft to go in all the way. I did not have a shop press at this point but got one later when I did the t-18 rebuild. I was disappointed with my Novack instructions as they did not mention rebuilding the tail shaft assembly at all other than final assembly where it just says to reattach it. I spent a lot of time on this step setting up the pre-load with the various shims. A lot of trial and error was required here but getting it right is critical so i stuck with it until I was happy. I used Permatex ultra-gray on both sides of all gaskets and sealer on any bolts that are exposed to the inside of the case. I'm hoping for no leaks. I'm happy with the results as the unit turns freely and has proper pre-load on both outputs plus its nice and shiny now to boot.

I have a question about spacing between my fan and radiator. The old radiator was not salvageable and had a thin cross section and the fan used a 1 inch spacer. The new replacement is an aluminum replacement and much thicker. I plan to keep my original fan and using the spacer is not an option. There is now 1-3/16" clearance between the fan and radiator. I don't know what is optimal. If this jeep had a shroud I don't have it. I guess I can make one or find an aftermarket one.

I have made some more progress. The engine is finally in and I'm slowly going thru the checklist of making sure everything is done. I decided to take time out to rebuild the T-18 transmission and Model 20 transfer case since it was all out and needed cleaning. I will try to make a separate post about that as it all turned out good. I had the clutch rebuilt and resurfaced the flywheel and added a new pilot bushing. Everything was torqued to specs and threadlocker was used. I had a little trouble getting her in and had to use a load leveler and extended hoist but its in. I still need to rebuild the carter carb. In the meantime I'm getting ready to prime it and study my DUI ignition instructions. I used the ARP thread sealer on the #11 head bolt. Just taking my time to make sure I don't forget something like putting the oil in.

Moses, My replacements are the MPR-333 9.622. I re-measured everything and assuming I use these new push-rods this is what my pre-load would be. 1 - .042/.042 2- .042/.052 3- .042/.052 4-.032/.032 5- .042/.032 6-.052/.042 My block deck and head were resurfaced. The reworked head came with this project and I'm not 100% certain if seats were replaced or ground. I'm glad you had me check this as I was not aware the lifters had limits on pre-load. Stuart

My comp cams tool arrived in short order. It's nice having a Summit warehouse nearby in Nevada. I went to work on the #1 cylinder which I already had setup at TDC. I adjusted the tool for "zero lash" finger tight only carefully making sure the lifter plungers were not depressed. Using my new Melling push rods as a reference I found the the exhaust valve measurement was .040 shorter and the intake valve measurement was .050 shorter than my new Melling pushrods. If I understand you correctly this lifter pre-load of .040 and.050 on these two valves is with-in tolerance but slightly on the high side. I will check the rest and see what I get.

Moses, Thank you. Your Vlog on push rod measurements is timely. Since my seats and valves were re-ground and not replaced and my head and block surfaces were cleaned up I should look at this measurement before proceeding. I'll look at getting the Comp Cam measurement tool since I have time. The lifters are still dry, I'm glad I waited to prime this thing. Have a Happy New Year! Stuart

I checked with ARP tech support on my experience with reduced force midway through the pull up to 100 Lbs on the head bolts. They did not have any concerns as long as I got up to 100 lbs and went slowly which I did. One of the other parts missing from this project were the push rods. I was able to source some from Melling which were specific to my particular engine configuration. The rockers needed a lot of cleanup work but appear to be in good condition otherwise. This engine uses the aluminum rocker bridges. I was skeptical of their use but they have worked for the last 40 years and 118,000 miles. After verifying my push rods were properly seated down in the lifters I torqued these down very slowly and evenly to the specified 21ft lbs. Items like the fuel pump, Spark/EGR vacuum cto switches, thermostat and housing have been sourced through NAPA-online which I've had good luck with.