Y'all may remember my thread about driving the Jeep back from Montana:
http://texags.com/main/forum.reply.asp?topic_id=2066484&page=1&forum_id=34

Well, the teardown has begun! I'm not doing the work myself, as I don't have the space, and Mrs. Llama wasn't too keen to let me keep a torn down Jeep in the driveway like Sh****Aggie01's (well, I suppose Big Brother won't let him do it anymore either...)

This is a restomod, and the goal is a return to complete stock appearance with some drivetrain and safety mods (4.0 head conversion, Mopar MPI kit, one-piece rear axle, rear disc brakes conversion, hydroboost brakes).

Anyways, Here's the rolling chassis:





I like how the oil leaks really protected the frame up front:



The old head:



The body:






Overall, the Jeep is in excellent shape. Corrosion is effectively non-existent for its age. Frame is solid and clean with very minor surface rust, and the body (at least as is currently visible) has only very isolated spots where rust is apparent beneath paint. So far so good!

[This message has been edited by WundreLlama (edited 8/18/2012 5:13p).]

Very nice. Are you going to have the frame powder coated? Was it originally beige?

Was going to have the frame epoxy coated and sealed, but after talking to the fella doing the work, we decided it wasn't worth it. He's going to steam clean it, wire-brush the rust, and paint it (I forget what with).

The original color that you're seeing is "Cameo Tan." I'm taking it back to that color. Here's a pic of it before my young, dumb a$$ self painted it red:


[This message has been edited by WundreLlama (edited 8/18/2012 6:01p).]

[This message has been edited by WundreLlama (edited 11/4/2013 4:46p).]

Very nice!

I totally missed your original thread, so I went back and watched the videos; very cool!

Always liked these.

Hemi swap? They make kits to swap the 5.7 or the 6.1.

V-8s in CJs are a dime-a-dozen, so I'm just tweaking the original 258 ci./4.2 L I-6. Stock, it's reliable, and its got loads of low end torque. I'm swapping a 4.0 L head onto it and adding multi-port fuel-injection, Borla dual output headers (replacing the old Clifford dual outputs that aren't provisioned for an O2 sensor). Ideally, and reportedly, this setup should net me about 70 HP over stock (not sure on the torque gains), and provide a significant improvement to fuel economy. Before, I got about 13 MPG, with 75% city driving, and 25% over 55mph.

Also, swapping in a big V8 would mean replacing my transmission (a TF904), front and rear axles, drive shafts, maybe the t-case...$$$

The gains from tweaking the 6 are the most economical, and to me, are keeping with the spirit of having a vehicle that is still a Jeep (not a FrankenJeep).

[This message has been edited by WundreLlama (edited 8/18/2012 10:13p).]

I approve of said engine mods. Rob just likes to spend other people's money.

BigRob: Because Race Jeep.

i approve of this thread.

Who's doing the work, Is it in Beeville? The Bronco in the background is one I have never seen around.

Good start on the Jeep!

Guy doing the work is Joe Abernathy of Abernathy Restoration Services in Hye, TX. I met him at a Thunder Ranch mid-range rifle course. Good fella, good shot, and a real restoration expert.

The Bronco in the background is in for a new paint job, I believe.

quote:

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Rob just likes to spend other people's money.

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Hell, yes. I'm the auto board Obama.

I actually approve of said improvements. It's just not a build thread without an "LS9 swap" kind of addition to it.

Updates!

Took the frame down to bare metal, primed and epoxy coated it:




Axles and springs:




One-piece axle shafts and disc brakes for the AMC 20 in back:



Freshly rebuilt and painted! Original 258 block, bored .030 over, 4.0 L head swap, Mopar MPI kit (partially installed at this point), Borla dual-output headers:






Bedliner (mostly) stripped from the tub:

Awesome project! I'm very jealous as the only jeep l6 i have is trapped in an 04 gc. Thanks for pics!

I admittedly know very little about these things so ignore if it sounds stupid, but would it be a good idea to reroute the tail pipes away from the back of the tires?

Not a stupid question at all. That's actually the stock routing of the exhaust pipe(s) on the CJ-8. At least on the drivers side. I've mirrored it on the passenger side.

are you on cj-8.com by chance?

Yes I am. Same username.