cj7 q's

Joined: 04 Aug 2005 Location: gold coast

hey guys drove a cj7 today with 400ci v8 it went realy well but the steering was so light and lacked any feel whatso eva, can anything be done to change this?

and i also notice it has a extremely long and thin front drive shaft compared to rear short and stuby are these prone to breaking? and dose the auto gearbox ever get hit as it has no bach plate under it?

cheers

Joined: 25 Nov 2002 Location: Sydney

steering is very light on all of them how much did it dart around on the steering none of them steer expectional but they can be made to behave themselves with good tie rod ends, soild steering bax brace and the right front end geomtry

the skiny front drive shaft is normal mainly for clearence on the front pan it will be pretty heavy walled section and is fairly well protected so normally not an issue although 400ci changes the equation some what

the stock bash plate should cover the vitals of the gear box but will act like a big anchor off road due to the shape

Joined: 04 Aug 2005 Location: gold coast

it has no bash plate under gear box but has one under transfer case,

so take it to a power steering joint to have it checked out?

Joined: 25 Feb 2005 Location: Brisvegas

I have heard this from many CJ owners.
Negative caster wedge plates helps to increase the negative angle. This is what cenralises the steering.
Wide wheels does not help either.
My Cj was a shocker when I first got it, but have improved it a hell of a lot since.

Joined: 04 Aug 2005 Location: gold coast

yeh that might help is it somthing u can do yourself or have it odne profesionaly.

tho the car is running 35 claws

Joined: 25 Nov 2002 Location: Sydney

They are extremly senstive to Castor angle changes.

you can correct this by degree shims and is a pretty easy job if you know what the current castor angle is

CJ steering in a nut shell

1. Have realistic expectations as they are not great but can be made to work well
2. Have someone turn wheel back and forth while watching steering shaft, pitman arm and tie rod ends looking for any sign of play
3. watch the steering box for movement and brace if needed
4. correct ALL sources of play any little bit adds up to causing problems
5. get wheel alignment and ask for actual castor measurment NOT the differenial from what they think is stock.
6. shim to acheive 5 to 7 degree
7. then after this it should steer pretty well and then look at a decent quality steering dampner maybe even a return to center type such as the 4way one do not do this first as it will mask other problems

Joined: 20 Jan 2005 Location: Gold coast

its an unfortunate fact with CJ's that the following are good rules of thumb

the brakes are great , unless you wanna stop.

the steering is good , unless you wanna turn.

the seats are comfy, unless you sit in them.

the wipers are fabulous, unless it rains.

but the upside is that you will always beat the other 4wds up the hill. offroad the CJ is king

Joined: 04 Aug 2005 Location: gold coast

hahaha

i like that

good tips tho it's still outa the cj7 or the 40 just the 40 is cheaper and has better suspension.

will let u's know what i end up with in 2 weeks

Joined: 29 Nov 2002 Location: Sydney

known 2 wrote:

hahaha

i like that

good tips tho it's still outa the cj7 or the 40 just the 40 is cheaper and has better suspension.

will let u's know what i end up with in 2 weeks

every man and his dog has a 40. Now a CJ, that's just a little different.

Joined: 25 Nov 2002 Location: Sydney

known 2 wrote:

hahaha

i like that

good tips tho it's still outa the cj7 or the 40 just the 40 is cheaper and has better suspension.

will let u's know what i end up with in 2 weeks

there is a reason the 40 is cheaper and they always will be The Finger

My 4yo points out 40's at the lights and yells out "fake jeep" or "try hard" lol lol not sure where she learnt that one

armsup

serriously though I am very biased but I have had a CJ7 for 8 years now and as long as you can do the work yourself they are the best SWB 4x4 from the 70's & 80's ever produced and off road still leave most 4x4's wondering how that old thing can drive up that

Beside they have that look that gets looks from the ladies even when near a $100000 sports car

Joined: 04 Aug 2005 Location: gold coast

haha yeh i just get looks from punks in skylines when i drive my 80 series.

the thing that worries me about the jeep tho is i'm not very mechanicly minded so i usualy pay people to work on it for me but hopefully that will change,
and parts for the jeep are guna be hard to find same with mods

Joined: 04 Feb 2005 Location: Mel-bourbon

Mods for Jeeps are plentiful.. In fact, Jeep probably have the largest range of mods worldwide. Just look in a Warn catolgue and you'll notice what I mean.

Joined: 04 Aug 2005 Location: gold coast

i meen spare parts wise they are a rare sort of car,

what parts are prone to breaking when running twin locked diffs? axels, maybe front uni joints?

Joined: 25 Nov 2002 Location: Sydney

known 2 wrote:

i meen spare parts wise they are a rare sort of car,

what parts are prone to breaking when running twin locked diffs? axels, maybe front uni joints?

There are 4 decent suppliers of parts both new and 2nd hand in Australia

a number of parts are also interchangeable with Australian parts if you are reasourceful at searching parts catalouges.

as to mechanical minded

I dont think I am but I just completed a engine swap using a 95 cherokee 4.0L with MPFI and a computer controled 4 speed auto

my advice

1. research before pulling anything apart
2. be realistic in what you can and can not do but dont be too scared by it all
3. have friends or contacts that will assist you if you get in trouble and will help you on the big jobs so you can learn from them

Dont take this the wrong way cause I know nothing about you but saying this to try and help your decision either way it takes a certain personallity to enjoy owning a CJ one who is prepared to do the leg work and research is resourcefull and will give things a go. If you dont think you fall into this you may love your CJ but wil get to the love hate point with it and will end up selling it out of frustation.

If you are this sort f person but owning any early Jeep with give you huge pride and enjoyment

Joined: 04 Aug 2005 Location: gold coast

so what ur trying to say is that they are a pain in the ass to own and it takes a person who is truly pasionate about his jeeps and knows how to fix them to own one?

Joined: 21 May 2004

known 2 wrote:

so what ur trying to say is that they are a pain in the ass to own and it takes a person who is truly pasionate about his jeeps and knows how to fix them to own one?

Join a club and you'll have no problems, there are plenty of guys in Aus that are passionate about Jeeps and know everything there is to know. Just look at the few guys that have replied on here.

As for rare, only here (and not that rare), there are several places that will get in anything you need for a Jeep from overseas at good prices.

Basically if you're just after a 'car' then dont get a Jeep, any Jeep.

Cheers
Steve

Joined: 04 Feb 2005 Location: Mel-bourbon

except new ones Steve, they drive and handle like cars! LOL

Joined: 25 Dec 2007 Location: st louis,mo

I having the same problem and just started on my cj5 jeep. It steers great until about 40 mph. then it will just turn to to on side or the other without any notice. It is hard to recovery after this jerk to on side or the other. I have put a 2" left on the front and rear. I have also replaced the tie rods, and steering box. I have put 31 tire on it as well. I know the caster is problem the problem, but my question is how much caster. Is there some table or standard that tells you if you left it 2" and 31 tires you must change the caster to ?????