1985 J20 Project Restore/Build

[GrCherokeeL]

Well, I ordered a new carburetor for the Jeep truck on thursday it should arrive sometime this up-coming week.

Ordering the part through my work saved me $77.50, so I'm buying a new carb for $291.50 tax already included.

It's not going to be as simple as installing the carburetor and driving huh? Gotta do all the tuning and stuff. Hopefully it won't be too difficult.

I should probably post the Grand Wagoneer and part it out already so I can get things replaced on my truck

[itselliot]

Scrap

NO way on the scrap ....
There is a plan to marry the 88 J20 with a '75 J10.......we'll be driving the blue truck onto the trailer Sat. The axles will come back after delivery.

[GrCherokeeL]

Hoping that youll get it running soon!....
The blue J truck I had talked to you about earlier is being loaded onto a trailer this Sat headed for a better future.
Keep us posted on your progress.

Me too! I wanna hear this engine again, it's been months since I last heard it. The electrical scares me though as I worry if I hook the wrong piece up I'll start the truck on fire.

I hope the better future for the blue truck isn't a scrap yard! Too nice to be junk. Sorry I couldn't buy it from you. With one Jeep, there's already a hole in my pocket, with a second Jeep, there's holes in every pocket haha With my parts Jeep (The Grand Wagoneer), I'm not making anything on it since I haven't taken parts off and tried selling yet haha.

I baby the Grand Cherokee a lot, and I think the J20 deserves just as much love. Which is why I'm still working on it

[GrCherokeeL]

Yeah, that sucks. 2150?

Yep, I'm hoping that's the only thing wrong with the engine. There is already new plugs/wires, alternator and a few other things I can't remember at the moment haha.

Going to try asking my boss tomorrow if I can use the company discount since they order from the parts store all the time. Would be nice to get a new one as soon as possible, and hopefully hear the engine this weekend.

My uncle offered to give me one of his, but they're used and I'm sure I gotta pay him for it, along with a rebuild kit so...what the hay...might as well get a new one I guess.

[itselliot]

J truck

Hoping that youll get it running soon!....
The blue J truck I had talked to you about earlier is being loaded onto a trailer this Sat headed for a better future.
Keep us posted on your progress.

[j20owner]

Yeah, that sucks. 2150?

[GrCherokeeL]

Decided to work on the Jeep truck today, I was thinking of buying a carburetor rebuild kit, along with all new brakes.

Well now that isn't happening as I figured I'd take the carb. off the engine and prepare it for the rebuild and...upon taking off the last bolt, I lifted it up and off a piece fell.

Now, I only ever had the engine start and run once. And while trying to start the engine, the carburetor had some fire come up, and after a few sprays into the carb...it started and ran.

I don't know if doing that caused this....or if this caused the fire to come up. Whichever way it was...now I gotta get a new carburetor.

[GrCherokeeL]

Took a drive over to Grandma's and looked at the J20 today



And realized I really need to get back to working on this Jeep, thought about doing it tomorrow but of course I dropped off all my tools at the automotive shop this morning.

So, instead I'll go over to the truck tomorrow and write down what tools I'll need and hopefully be able to work on it Friday and Sunday.

I'm not sure what part to tackle first.

Is it easier to keep the front end off until all parts underneath the truck are checked/replaced and I'll be able to reach just about anywhere to get the engine ready to run, or...would it be better to have everything on there and start hooking things up?

I've been itching to see this truck look complete, front end wise so I can see the Jeep grill.

If I can at least get it closer to running before mid February, I may treat the J20 to a brush guard and roll bar.

[GrCherokeeL]

I just caught this thread, Is this J truck from KujoC ? (Edit, I see it is,.....I almost owned it, but didn't have the abmbition that you obviously do!)


Just a note, I'm in Holland MI and have an 88 J20 that I'll be removing the axles from, the rest is "available". http://s1116.photobucket.com/albums/...tt/1987%20J20/

Nice project, have fun with it!

Yeah, the truck is from KujoC. I was probably the last one that asked if it was still available. Usually its first come, first serve. To this day I still wonder why he let me have it.

I am going to restore it, but for now...I just want everything back on it and have it up and running again and driveable. I'll worry about looks when that's finished.

The mistake I made was not asking him how everything else was, I honestly have no clue if the drivetrain works at all. She rolls, the engine's carb needs a rebuild, but otherwise...it sounded powerful.

Everyone tells me its a big project, and I know it needs a lot of work, but I don't see it as junk, I see it as a Jeep that wants to be brought back and put back to work

I guess that's what keeps me motivated every day.

The days that I do work on the truck, I don't think too much of it, except just another day with the Jeeps. It's a little stressing most times when I kind of want to get the cab all fixed up and looking nice, but I also think it would probably be smarter to remove the cab and bed, check out everything underneath, fix and repair, and then go crazy by fixing the body and hooking up the electrical.

Only problem with that? I don't have a tractor or heavy equipment to lift those so easily. My uncle does but..., I'm more crazy about "The Jeep Thing" instead of watching him work on a chevy, which is sometimes the only way he'll help me out.

My motivation is high, but as soon as it comes to something stopping me from working, I get frustrated.

I'm hoping to have this truck up and running in a few months, instead of years...



That's a really nice truck, what's wrong with it that you are parting it out? Love the color, I was thinking of going with something similar to it. Original roll bar and wheels?

One of the main things that caught my interest was the passenger side mirror, and that's because mine is missing haha. I'd probably have a list of things I need, but in order to figure that out, I have to piece everything together again.

That truck is a lot cleaner then mine...

The bed picture, is that a Jeep rubber floor piece?

I love the face picture, I've been struggling to figure out what's been cut on mine (the front of the frame) to where I can't put the front end back together . The Fenders are on, but...I don't think the bumper can go on just yet.

[GrCherokeeL]

Tire carrier might, the tank wont.

Uh, seems more like the interior is the only part I'll be able to put in my truck. Otherwise I'll just have to straight out sell everything else from the Waggy.

I might be able to transfer over a few lights and such, but otherwise? A roof rack, gas tank, rear axle, more lights and such probably won't work on my truck anyways haha.

[itselliot]

J 20

I just caught this thread, Is this J truck from KujoC ? (Edit, I see it is,.....I almost owned it, but didn't have the abmbition that you obviously do!)


Just a note, I'm in Holland MI and have an 88 J20 that I'll be removing the axles from, the rest is "available". http://s1116.photobucket.com/albums/...tt/1987%20J20/

Nice project, have fun with it!

[jaber]

Tire carrier might, the tank wont.

[GrCherokeeL]

The wiring looks good. That jack is a bumper jack. It slides into the slots in your bumpers to lift one corner and change a tire. The piece you are missing is the foot plate that goes on the bottom of the jack.

Honestly, I don't like using these bumper jacks because they are unsafe and not very practical. Invest/find a good scissor jack or bottle jack to tuck behind your seat.

Sure thing , If I can find the foot plate then I'll probably try selling it on here if someone is interested in buying it.

I liked it because its 5 times bigger then the one in my Grand Cherokee haha.

Any idea if a tire carrier and a gas tank from a Waggy would work on a J20?

[lunchbox1671]

And I took apart the dash a little bit and checked out some wiring under the steering...



Also found these in the Waggy as well, I'm missing a piece though, I'll have to check tomorrow for it.



Tomorrow I'm going to look over the engine and try figuring out what needs to be done.

The wiring looks good. That jack is a bumper jack. It slides into the slots in your bumpers to lift one corner and change a tire. The piece you are missing is the foot plate that goes on the bottom of the jack.

Honestly, I don't like using these bumper jacks because they are unsafe and not very practical. Invest/find a good scissor jack or bottle jack to tuck behind your seat.

[GrCherokeeL]

You can buy universal cab lights.

I really like the big 3 automakers and their pickups. I think they are great. However, they are nothing special. Every time someone mentions classic car, people will say "57 Chevy?"

Jeep helped form this country just like any other automaker here, and the older models are becoming more and more rare. True hot-rodders/restoration enthusiasts/etc who have been doing it a long time will LOVE your jeep.

Hang out with the older guys/instructor and don't let your classmates get the best of you. Keep an open mind about their stuff, too, so you will come across as a mature person. It sounds like your classmates have a LOOONNG way to go before they mature into good mechanics...

The big 3 automakers make great trucks, I just don't care too much for them

After owning one Jeep, I rolled over pretty fast and have been stuck on the brand ever since.

I'm hoping next month I will have the truck up and running, because by that time I was planning on getting tires for it. It's asking a lot, but with a lot of motivation...I have a feeling it could happen.

I tried looking at the wiring all over the engine today, it just gave me a headache. I know I have the full service manual for it, and its been months since I've heard that engine start up. And I haven't thought much of it but...I honestly don't know what the drivetrain is like underneath.

It's all there...but who knows if its functional.

The older guys I hang out with aren't in the two classes I have this semester , which kinda sucks because they took me under their wing and taught me stuff I had a hard time learning.

I'm almost tempted to pay the two guys I know to come help me with my truck, they give me a hard time, but if I buy them beer and pay for their gas money I know they'd spend all day helping me out haha.

It's a little stressing knowing I'm going head-on with this project alone, something I've never done before. But I keep thinking about the finished result, and that's what keeps me going over to my grandma's before and after class to take parts off the Wagoneer and put parts on my truck.

I'm having a little difficulty figuring out whether or not to put the wheel wells on now, or wait until I have all the wiring figured out and organized so I don't have to constantly reach over the fenders to connect things.

I do kinda want to take the doors off so I can double check on the fenders, because I have a slight feeling some bolts could've been put in more properly...but taking a door off alone would knock the air out of me haha.

The instructor's...like to give me a hard time. One of them is a GMC guy, the other is a Ford guy. Once in a while they like to pick on Jeep, but I don't argue about it anymore.

It motivates me to work on my truck.



Otherwise, updates for today. I took the radio out of the Wagoneer, I'm hoping it'll work in my J20, because the one that came with it...I don't think came with the truck originally.



And I took apart the dash a little bit and checked out some wiring under the steering...



Also found these in the Waggy as well, I'm missing a piece though, I'll have to check tomorrow for it.



Tomorrow I'm going to look over the engine and try figuring out what needs to be done.