79 JEEP Cherokee SJ Survivor

[Junior]

Dude... bought this righteous 1979 JEEP Cherokee SJ the other day. Not really a Full Size Jeep (FSJ) guy but this thing is all there and has a look and stance that just called to me. The title shows 12K miles that roughly matches the clock. The patina is super awesome and every piece of trim is there, every piece. At first I thought the front marker light lenses were going to have to be purchased, but they were in the glove box! After towing it home and staring at it for an hour, the plan is to cherry out the drive train, fuel system, brakes etc, do the interior nice and leave everything else alone. There is a bit of cancer but not much. It appears that this Cherokee has been parked for at least 30 years.

 

[Junior]

More images of how I got this thing. Notice that nothing in the interior is worn, everything is dry cracked and broken apart from sitting for decades in the heat. Note that everything in the engine bay has surface corrosion. I removed the air cleaner for these images, it was sealed up.

 

[Junior]

Starting to believe that this thing actually does have less than 13,000 miles. Check out the dealer inspection sticker still visable on the windshield and the factory AMC logo on the belts.

 

[Junior]

The engine is locked up. Attempting to turn it at the crank bolt didn't work, even with the plugs out it. Squirted ATF in each hole, let it soak, attempt to turn, repeat over and over until we got it to turn around. After banging on the starter a bit, we got her to turn over but obvious valve train issues. As you can see, bent push rods. Not sure if we did this or it was done by another guy who knows when. The engine is a bit greasy for having such low miles but we found that the valve cover was melted causing leak. Wonder if this is what caused it to be parked. Need to determine what we want to do with this engine...

 

[Junior]

Found an engine donor. Running engine in this rolled and partially parted out CJ. Clock says it has 52,000 miles. Pulled the engine from both and set them on a cart to make it easier. Obviously 1st time the Chief engine has been separated from the transmission.

 

[Junior]

The corrosion in the Chief engine from sitting for decades is unbelievable! Check out how bad it is compared to same parts on the donor engine.

 

[Jeff Furrier]

Badaaz Jr! Thats a pretty straight old Chief, should be killer when you and the boys work the magic. Let me know if you need anything, I learned a thing or 2 about the Full Size Jeeps while building the Honchos.

You better hurry up and finish it before its illegal to own a vehicle with such an insensitive name.

 

[Curtis Guise]

Awesome Junior! Can't wait to see what you do with it.

 

[Junior]

Cleaned up the donor engine.....

 

[Junior]

Sorry for the double image posting. Junior blames the China Virus... My son Jake runs a company called Impeccable Coatings. He applies Cerakote to automotive and a whole host of other parts. Cerakote is crazy corrosion resistant, and there are versions that can hold up to super high temps. Jake applied a high temp black to the exhaust manifold and a color called "burnt bronze" to the intake, water neck and valve cover.

 

[Junior]

We got that bad boy plugged in! Looks like Jewlery!

 

[Junior]

The JEEP ignition is famous for being un-reliable so an aftermarket HEI type ignition was absolutely necessary.



Check out that custom battery cable. Awesome huh?

 

[Junior]

Shit! Forgot to post up about the clutch situation. Long story short, it had what appeared to be the original clutch and pressure plate, very little wear. Recent swap at the dealer or is this really a survivor with less than 13k miles as the title states? Since the clutch shit and flywheel were in great condition, we changed out the pilot bearing, just because and tossed her back together.

Image below is evidence that the bread trick absolutely works.

 

[Junior]

The fuel tank had been removed and was sitting in the back when I bought this pile. As you can see, 2nd owner cut it open, cleaned it up and welded it back together. The work was awesome but they didn't seal it back up so of course by the time I get it, the inside is rusty once more. Mech Engineer son developed a solar powered electrolysis set up that magicaly removed all of the rust after soaking about a week. Amazing but of course I failed to get images. Regardless, we took the clean tank, sanded it, painted it and installed it along with new fuel venting and filling hoses, a new pickup and new fuel gauge sending unit.

 

[Junior]

Did you notice those OEM wheel center caps? I'm telling you, this thing has all the OEM trim, everything! Those cast alum center caps alone are worth bank! Did I mention the OEM metal tubing fuel lines were packed solid with what looked like roofing tar? Went ahead and ran all new fuel lines, everywhere using insulated caps and another fuel filter in case we still have some trash in the fuel tank. Getting closer!

 

[Junior]

Not sure if the shift knob on the end of the go stick was OEM but it was wooden and showing serious age. My brother-in-law is a master with wood and offered up his expertise in getting the know back into championship condition. Turned out incredible. So good that we will get the interior done around it.

 

[Junior]

In order to make this survivor safe to drive, we needed to address the brakes. They worked from the get go but due to rotted tires, we kept towing speeds to a CRAWL. My son Jake and I replaced all the brake fluid, installed a new master cylinder, replaced all rubber lines and new wheel cylinders. Here is a shot of new versus OEM parts we swapped.

 

[Junior]

The patina on this bad boy is amazing. Had to get a shot of it on the jack stands. Wow.

 

[Junior]

Three of four wheels had honey comb type material in the void behind the OEM wheels. Thinking wasp or hornet condos?

 

[Junior]

Holy shit! The verdict is in. This 41 year old Cherokee Chief had OEM pads and shoes with almost no wear on them. I am convinced now based on the clutch and pressure plate that appeared original with very little wear, fan belts with AMC logos still visible on them, dealer inspection sticker still visible on the windshield and a title document that matches the odometer, this 1979 Cherokee Chief Wide Track 4x4 2-door has 12,000 miles and some change. Incredible!