We like CJ Jeeps. Along with earlier flat fenders, the CJ lineup defines Jeep; it's still the classic, clean vehicle of choice for many backcountry connoisseurs. We've done a few TJs lately for projects and wanted to return to the basics and build a tough, go-anywhere CJ that would be no-frills but still be comfortable enough for highway trips to the trail. With this in mind, we enlisted the help of James Stewart, owner of Drivetrain Unlimited in St. George, Utah, to build a CJ-7 that was worthy of his shop's name.
An extremely clean '82 Jeep CJ-7 with no rust and a frame in great shape was purchased. The body was removed from the frame. so the frame could be inspected for cracking or other problems - there weren't any. It was then sandblasted and coated with POR 15 to preclude any corrosion problems that might arise in the future. The body was then completely stripped of all parts, including motor, lights, wiring, and weather stripping.
While most of the parts on the Jeep were in great shape, we wanted an almost brand-new CJ-7 as the base for our backcountry explorer. Stewart contacted 4 Wheel Drive Hardware in Columbiana, Ohio, and ordered new lights, new heater/ventilation controls and knobs, a heater motor, a heater box and core (the new core was used, but the old box turned out to be perfect, so it was reused), a windshield wiper motor and wipers, CJ fold-forward seat brackets, and rearview mirrors. 4 Wheel Drive Hardware also supplied an Optima Yellow Top sealed gas recombinant battery for installation when the project was complete.
Part of the CJ's charm is its clean, flat dash. We wanted to use a complete array of Auto Meter gauges, so Stewart fabricated a new dash, sans radio and glovebox holes, to make it look even cleaner. An Auto Meter Phantom 5-inch tachometer, a 5-inch electronic speedometer, and two 1/16-inch gauges that included fuel level, oil pressure, water temperature, fuel pressure, voltmeter, and clock were installed. The Auto Meter 5-inch electronic speedometer is a great addition to the Jeep, allowing easy, one-touch calibration no matter what gearing or tire size changes we make. The heater and ventilation controls were mounted, as were the turn signal and high-beam indicator and two 12-volt outlets for power. The finished dash turned out very clean.
The fenderwells were cut to accommodate TJ fender flares. The TJ flares afford a much larger opening, allowing for a larger tire without too much suspension lift. Custom rocker panel guards were built that go all the way under the body to the body mounts and allow pesky rocks to just slide by and do no damage. The smooth steel rear quarter panels from Off Your Rocker were cut to install rear LED lights and backup lights, as well as a TJ fuel filler on the passenger-side. Once all the parts were installed and the body was back on the frame, Adam at Drivetrain Unlimited painted the Jeep bright red, and then the interior was Rhino-lined.
It was now time to address the engine, transmission, transfer case, front- and rearends, and suspension. Drivetrain Unlimited's specialty is engine building. The company pointed out to us that many Jeeps it sees in the backcountry barely run, even though the suspension and axles are top notch. A Jeep can't travel on- or off-road without a good powerplant, so Stewart did what he does best: he built a superb engine for our CJ. He chose a Chevrolet 350 V-8 block and new Vortec heads and performance valvetrain parts from Precision Engine Parts (P.E.P.). A Comp Cam roller cam was used, and all studs and bolts came from ARP.
All engines that Drivetrain Unlimited builds are custom for each application. Ours was built for low-end torque and good street performance. Like all its blocks, this one was heated and stress relieved, align-honed, square-decked, deck-height-corrected, and bored and honed with a torque plate. The rotating assembly was balanced within 1 gram, and the crank was ground to correct factory stroke differences (indexed). Connecting rods were cleaned and magnafluxed, and new ARP bolts were installed and sized to manufacturer specifications. The Vortec heads were treated to a performance valve job with the three-angle seats cut on a Sunnen SGM-1500. Block- and head-surfacing was performed on a Sunnen HBS-2100.
For induction, we wanted to use Street & Performance. The company has been around a long time and has become famous in the street rod, hot rod, and high-performance venues for quality fuel injection, harnesses, and other components that set high-end vehicles apart no matter what they're designed to do. Stewart ordered a new Street & Performance Ram Port fuel injection, which is designed for fast-burn aluminum and cast-iron Vortec heads. S & P adapted the technology from its famous small- and big-block Chevy multi-port fuel injections. With the same design characteristics of the multi-port units, the Ram Port maximizes the performance characteristics of the new heads. The new Ram Port has a lower profile than its older multi-port siblings. Using the new LS-1 24.9 injectors, the compact design is ideal for Jeeps or other 4x4s using Vortec heads. To make the installation simple, Street & Performance ships the Ram Port fuel injection with wiring harness, a GM computer, a fuel pump relay, a MAP sensor, a check-engine light, an ALDL diagnostic link, an oil pressure backup system, and a manual fuel pressure gauge. Street & Performance billet Vortec valve covers and shorty-coated headers with oxygen sensors were also used. Once everything was assembled, the engine was mounted in the frame using Bomb Proof motor mounts from M.O.R.E. A DynoMax Ultra Flow muffler and Super Converter catalytic converter complement the Street & Performance-coated headers and make the 3-inch exhaust system really work.
Drivetrain Unlimited built a fresh Chevrolet 700-R4 four-speed automatic tranny. The lock-up torque converter was retained and still works as stock. We like lock-up converters on the street because fuel economy is greatly enhanced. The transmission line pressures were increased and everything beefed up so the transmission would perform well in tough environments. Behind the transmission, an Atlas Highlander transfer case from Advance Adapters was installed. The superb, gear-driven Atlas has proven itself throughout the four-wheeling world. We like it because it allows us to choose High or Low range front- and rear-wheel drive and High and Low range four-wheel drive so we can get into and out of every situation. The Atlas comes in a number of conigurations. We chose a left-hand drop to better clear the 700-R4 tranny pan and installed it using the mounting holes that clock the T-case up for ground clearance.
We wanted front- and rearends that would be overkill for our application. We also wanted the Jeep to live up to its name. Wimpy axles wouldn't do. At the time of the buildup, Stewart was a dealer for Tera, and he recommended that we look at the Tera 60R high-pinion front- and rearends. The heavy-duty third members feature reinforced bearing caps, a ductile iron-cast cover, and provide more ground clearance than a Dana 44! Some early Tera 60Rs had reported oiling failures. Tera came up with an engineering change that ensured oil would get to the pinion bearing, so no more worries. The heavy-duty Dana 60 axles should withstand the toughest abuse we can dish out. Up front, Stewart chose kingpin knuckles for the 60R, so we would have no problems no matter what backspacing we chose in wheels. 5.13 gears and Detroit Lockers were installed front and rear from West Coast Differentials, which is a great company to work with. We ordered the wrong Detroit Lockers for the Tera 60R. The 60R with 5.13 gears uses a Detroit designed for 4.10 or higher gears. We didn't know that. Once we discovered we'd ordered the wrong parts, a call to Gary at West Coast Differentials had the correct Detroit Lockers at the shop the next day.
For suspension, we broke no new ground. We chose Rubicon Express 4.5-inch Extreme Duty YJ leaf packs with Bilstein gas-charged shocks from All Pro Off Road. The Rubicon Express springs allow plenty of articulation yet control weight transfer well on steep climbs and off-camber situations. All Pro now offers complete Jeep suspensions, as well as its great Toyota suspensions. We chose the company's Bilstein shocks because the people at All Pro seem to understand shock valving better than anyone we've found. The 4.5-inch springs and 1-inch body lift from M.O.R.E. easily clear the 37x12.50R17LT Goodyear Wrangler MT-Rs mounted on 17x9-inch Mickey Thompson Classic II alloy wheels with Champion bead locks.