Background: I'm a die-hard Jeep guy from Miami (This SJ is my 10th Jeep but 1st FSJ). An old Cherokee has been my dream Jeep for almost 20 years. I started looking hard about 5-6 years ago but all I found was either a rust bucket or way to expensive. When one would come by that fit my needs it seemed I was either broke or timing was off.
The purchase: I finally picked up a running '76 Cherokee about 4 months ago. Jeep was yellow/white and came from NV with almost no rust at all. Interior/Exterior was all original with unknown mileage as the previous owner put in a 360 from an 83 and a manual 4 spd tranny. Originally the Jeep had a 360 and an auto. I'm still not happy with the non original engine/tranny but the plan was always to go non-original with a tricked out setup anyway. Either way, it will need some work on this setup as the clutch is new but changing gears is jumpy. I'll know more when the mechanic reinstalls the engine and takes a look at it.
Now: First thing I decided I needed to do is deal with the cancer before it got worse. I have always wanted the SJ in blue/white so I had a local body shop strip the entire Jeep, bring it down to bare steel, remove the engine and replace the couple sheet metal spots that needed replacing. The body was absurdly straight and needed very little work. As you can see, someone cut the floor to access the fuel pump. Instead of just welding it back, I'm making an access door out of it. I have a new front windshield coming in and a full weatherstripping kit (minus large side windows - can't find it so reusing the old ones). I also had the bumpers rechromed. Reanodizing the grill and roof rack is out of my budget right now but will be done in the future.
Next: After it leaves the shop I'm just going to put it back together and drive it. The plan is to do the interior next. I'll probably buy the rug shortly after getting it back and start looking at what it will cost me. Hopefully it will be done before the end of the year. I need to change the steering column to one for a manual SJ as well.
Future: re-anodize the grill and roof rack. Take the body off the chassis and clean / paint it after doing a 3-4" lift.
Far future: Pull the engine and redo it for performance and paint it.
Original photos:
After bringing it to steel and primer:
Engine out and full color change...
First shot of it two tone yesterday:
