After taking inventory of both free CJ-2A Jeeps I went to work making one of them a runner and cutting up the remnants of the other. The previous owner of Jeep number one said it ran, so I gave it the once-over to see why it wouldn't run now. It was missing a battery, part of the air cleaner was gone (I found it in the tool box under the passenger seat), the fuel tank and mechanical fuel pump looked as though they had been bypassed and replaced with a hokey gravity-feed tank (which was no longer on the Jeep), and the wiring was just altogether questionable.
I fished through the wiring so that only the starter and ignition wires were functioning, just in case there were any short circuits waiting to reveal themselves. I built a mount and slapped in an Optima Yellow Top battery to see if I could start any electrical fires.
No fires started, but the engine wouldn't crank over using the starter switch. I figured that the starter solenoid was shot, so I used an old screwdriver to make the connection and jump-start the engine. I poured a little bit of fuel down the throat of the carb while cranking and it fired right up, idled smoothly for a few seconds, and then died when it ran out of gas. Only after I got it running was I willing to pop for an oil change. Hey, it didn't look that dirty!
I removed the fuel tank only...
I removed the fuel tank only to find it full of rust and holes. I yanked the fuel tank from flattie number two, which is in really good shape. I gave it a quick coat of paint and slapped it in flattie number one along with new fuel lines and a filter.
I rifled through the wiring some more and found the starter solenoid was fine-the connections were simply corroded. I was actually surprised how easy this was turning out to be. After more investigating I found a few other issues, ordered some parts, and got to spinning wrenches while trying to stay on the cheap.
The original carb weeps a...
The original carb weeps a little fuel, but not enough to warrant a rebuild. Both the fuel pump and water pump looked original and were sweating more fluid than a fat girl on a tricycle in the desert. I flushed the cooling system and installed a new Omix water pump from Tellico 4x4. An Omix fuel pump (also from Tellico 4x4), some fresh rubber lines, and a second fuel filter finished out the new fuel system.
I couldn't get the original...
I couldn't get the original charging system to work, so I yanked it out and replaced it with a used generator and regulator from an F-head that a buddy was tossing in the trash. It bolted right up.
All of the important gauges...
All of the important gauges worked (speedo, oil pressure, and water temp). I found a $5 tractor volt gauge at Harbor Freight and used it to replace the non-functioning original ammeter. The lighting side of the Jeep's wiring harness still needs a lot of work, but the L-head engine starts, runs, and charges the battery.
I fitzed with the worn points...
I fitzed with the worn points ignition for a few hours before I'd had enough of the foul-smelling unburned fuel, frequent misfires under load, and overall poor performance. I upgraded to a Pertronix Ignitor electronic ignition (PN 2541), along with a Flame-Thrower coil (PN 40501) and haven't looked back since. The Pertronix ignition is by far one of the best mods I've made to this early Jeep. There are a couple of different early Jeep distributors, so make sure you get the correct Ignitor.
With the engine up and running...
With the engine up and running strong, I went to work on the rest of the drivetrain. Since it was a beach Jeep, I expected to find water in every gearbox. The T-case and tranny didn't disappoint as evidenced by this mocha milkshake draining from them. At least there weren't any metal fragments. The tranny and T-case were good to go after a flush and refill with fresh 80W-90 gear oil.
The breathers on the axles...
The breathers on the axles must have been working properly because the axles somehow avoided water contamination. I simply pulled the front and rear drain plugs and then refilled the axles with 80W-90. I didn't even pull the diff covers, since everything seemed to spin freely and there were no metal bits or other contaminants in the oil. Though I did consider welding the rear differential for spool-like traction, the durability of the stock Dana 41 two-piece axleshafts had me too worried to follow through.