Nuzzy
Well-Known Member
The History:
April 2002, Nuzzy buys a daily driven '85 CJ7 with 32 x 11.50s, 2" lift, motor/trans/axle gears all w/ less than 3K miles from a friend for $8000. Nuzzy immediately orders damn near $4K in 5 Boggers/rims, Warn full float conversion, winch, Weber carb, lockrite, twin stick, various perches and metal, etc. Nuzzy and friend work on jeep for a few weekends building bumpers, fabbing crappy shackle reverse, and so on.
October 2002, Nuzzy has changed job, buys trailer from another friend and throws a grand at it in new metal and tires and such. Then flies to Cleveland to buy a '96 V10 3500 Dodge Ram with 230,000 miles for $8000 that has never had an engine or tranny rebuild so that he can tow jeep to trails.
January 2003, Nuzzy looses job and enters into downward spiral in life that results in depression, not working, racking up huge cc debt, and so forth. Jeep takes backseat.
July 2003, Nuzzy hangs out with Weif at country concert and begins the best and last relationship of his life. Nuzzy still is a non working bum for far too long and weif inexplicably sticks by him... Jeep however remains in the far background for years to come.
October 2003, Dodge has just had a $2600 tranny replaced. Gets driven for 3 weeks and is stolen (no insurance). Recovered a month later, driven for a week, tranny goes out again and isn't warrantied. $900 and another fixed tranny later, Nuzzy gets truck back and sells it.
Nuzzy works in costco food court for a season which does not allow extra jeep money. Finally, he lands a good paying job that will afford weif and Nuzz to loosen the wallet reigns. However, instead of putting money the jeep, Nuzzy decides to begin rebuilding credit with a vehicle loan and gets the Rover. Job turns out to be highly stressful and a horrible fit and Nuzzy is once again jobless, but only for a month.
September 2005, Nuzzy lands a job where he quickly excels and is promoted twice within 3 months. He is finally extremely happy with his work, is debt free to all creditors (except for a bit to Momma :redneck
, and can finally get jeep running.
March 2006, Nuzzy needs to find someone to help him get the jeep running and address the scary steering. He posts on SNORT for first time and comes in contact with a shop owner who says he can help. Shop owner finds engine block is cracked and will need to be replace. Although orginal estimate for replacement 4.2 and steering fix is $2200-$2400, cost quickly climbs.
May 2006, Nuzzy still doesn't have jeep back. At Reiter clean-up, Nuzzy and Weif meet Bunk and Kelly for first time. Bunk vows to help get jeep ready for Memorial Day. Nuzzy gets jeep back weekend before Memorial Day with all the excitement in the world that it'll finally be running. That was short lived. Jeep does run... but vacuum lines are not connected, alternator is scarry wobbly and doesn't charge, serpentine belt is badly loose, suspension can't flex on driver side due to hitting draglink from drop pitman, axle perches were cut and rewelded, and then shimmed because they hadn't gone far enough... The end result was heavy duty crossover steering on an axle that couldn't flex and a jeep that by no one's estimate, was in running condition. Was it mentioned that Nuzzy got two broken tail lights (although the passenger side light was replaced with a TJ driver side) and a dented tailgate cause the jeep was backed into something at the shop... The final bill only came to a hair under $4000 too.
Jeep sits at Bunk's house all summerbeer:thanks Bunk:beer while Nuzzy begins gathering parts for a build (HP D44 and 9"). Nuzzy finally comes to his senses and decides not to half ass anything so he finds himself some 1-tons. Meanwhile, he has begun talking with Sam (Lincolnlock) and learns that Sam has done many a CJ build. Sam offers to help Nuzzy with the build. In light of Bunk building his own time consuming project, Nuzzy accepts Sam's offer...
July 2006, Nuzzy buys '00 CTD Dually with some goodies
to tow Jeep and function as daily driver :clappy:
So now, without further ado, the day I began to think would NEVER come is upon us. My fateful CJ will finally come alive :gunsmilie:
Here is the build:
'85 CJ7
Dana 60 front, 5.38s, lockrite
14 Bolt rear, 5.38s, detroit, disc conversion
110" WB w/ waggy fronts front and rear
42" Iroks
D300 4:1s, clocked flat, flat bellied
258ci runnin propane
Full hydro steering
Good bit o' tube
Here's what the jeep looked like as of March this year
And here it sits now
Rear comp cut is still rough and will need some more grinding
I thought the day would never come that I would start a build thread...
The Apocalypse is Truely Upon Us :tank:
April 2002, Nuzzy buys a daily driven '85 CJ7 with 32 x 11.50s, 2" lift, motor/trans/axle gears all w/ less than 3K miles from a friend for $8000. Nuzzy immediately orders damn near $4K in 5 Boggers/rims, Warn full float conversion, winch, Weber carb, lockrite, twin stick, various perches and metal, etc. Nuzzy and friend work on jeep for a few weekends building bumpers, fabbing crappy shackle reverse, and so on.
October 2002, Nuzzy has changed job, buys trailer from another friend and throws a grand at it in new metal and tires and such. Then flies to Cleveland to buy a '96 V10 3500 Dodge Ram with 230,000 miles for $8000 that has never had an engine or tranny rebuild so that he can tow jeep to trails.
January 2003, Nuzzy looses job and enters into downward spiral in life that results in depression, not working, racking up huge cc debt, and so forth. Jeep takes backseat.
July 2003, Nuzzy hangs out with Weif at country concert and begins the best and last relationship of his life. Nuzzy still is a non working bum for far too long and weif inexplicably sticks by him... Jeep however remains in the far background for years to come.
October 2003, Dodge has just had a $2600 tranny replaced. Gets driven for 3 weeks and is stolen (no insurance). Recovered a month later, driven for a week, tranny goes out again and isn't warrantied. $900 and another fixed tranny later, Nuzzy gets truck back and sells it.
Nuzzy works in costco food court for a season which does not allow extra jeep money. Finally, he lands a good paying job that will afford weif and Nuzz to loosen the wallet reigns. However, instead of putting money the jeep, Nuzzy decides to begin rebuilding credit with a vehicle loan and gets the Rover. Job turns out to be highly stressful and a horrible fit and Nuzzy is once again jobless, but only for a month.
September 2005, Nuzzy lands a job where he quickly excels and is promoted twice within 3 months. He is finally extremely happy with his work, is debt free to all creditors (except for a bit to Momma :redneck
, and can finally get jeep running.March 2006, Nuzzy needs to find someone to help him get the jeep running and address the scary steering. He posts on SNORT for first time and comes in contact with a shop owner who says he can help. Shop owner finds engine block is cracked and will need to be replace. Although orginal estimate for replacement 4.2 and steering fix is $2200-$2400, cost quickly climbs.
May 2006, Nuzzy still doesn't have jeep back. At Reiter clean-up, Nuzzy and Weif meet Bunk and Kelly for first time. Bunk vows to help get jeep ready for Memorial Day. Nuzzy gets jeep back weekend before Memorial Day with all the excitement in the world that it'll finally be running. That was short lived. Jeep does run... but vacuum lines are not connected, alternator is scarry wobbly and doesn't charge, serpentine belt is badly loose, suspension can't flex on driver side due to hitting draglink from drop pitman, axle perches were cut and rewelded, and then shimmed because they hadn't gone far enough... The end result was heavy duty crossover steering on an axle that couldn't flex and a jeep that by no one's estimate, was in running condition. Was it mentioned that Nuzzy got two broken tail lights (although the passenger side light was replaced with a TJ driver side) and a dented tailgate cause the jeep was backed into something at the shop... The final bill only came to a hair under $4000 too.
Jeep sits at Bunk's house all summer
beer:thanks Bunk:beer while Nuzzy begins gathering parts for a build (HP D44 and 9"). Nuzzy finally comes to his senses and decides not to half ass anything so he finds himself some 1-tons. Meanwhile, he has begun talking with Sam (Lincolnlock) and learns that Sam has done many a CJ build. Sam offers to help Nuzzy with the build. In light of Bunk building his own time consuming project, Nuzzy accepts Sam's offer...July 2006, Nuzzy buys '00 CTD Dually with some goodies
to tow Jeep and function as daily driver :clappy:So now, without further ado, the day I began to think would NEVER come is upon us. My fateful CJ will finally come alive :gunsmilie:
Here is the build:
'85 CJ7
Dana 60 front, 5.38s, lockrite
14 Bolt rear, 5.38s, detroit, disc conversion
110" WB w/ waggy fronts front and rear
42" Iroks
D300 4:1s, clocked flat, flat bellied
258ci runnin propane
Full hydro steering
Good bit o' tube
Here's what the jeep looked like as of March this year
And here it sits now
Rear comp cut is still rough and will need some more grinding
I thought the day would never come that I would start a build thread...
The Apocalypse is Truely Upon Us :tank:
