Project, Codename: CJ; Post #:1

The first project that I'll post here is my 1982 Jeep CJ-7. For those of you not familiar with the CJ-7 it is Jeep's predecessor to the Wrangler. The CJ is a great vehicle - especially if you are handy with a wrench. The first thing you need to know about CJ's is that they leak fluids... always. You can replace every seal and gasket in the vehicle, but there will be something that will start leaking as soon as you finish. Jeep enthusiasts typically say that their CJ is simply, "marking its territory". If that is true, my CJ has claimed a large part of New England as its territory, so all other cars beware. Even with the many leaks that plague my CJ, rust is the biggest problem that I face in keeping this bad boy safe and road worthy. My friend Jon owned the CJ before me, and installed a carpet to make the CJ seem a little more civilized than it did with the interior being the same metallic brown as the rest of the Jeep. The only problem with the carpet is that it prevented water that entered the Jeep via the missing or nonfunctional door gaskets from escaping. This caused the floors underneath the carpets to be constantly exposed to water, thus turning them to that lovely compound that car enthusiasts like me dread so much; iron oxide. I despise rust so much. My poor VW beetle was plagued by it as well, and someday I will do a frame-off restoration of that, but right now the Jeep takes first priority. I'm not sure whether or not I will be able to do anything resembling a frame-off resto of the Jeep, but I absolutely have to take measures to remedy the rusty areas in the floors and prevent rust from eating any more of my poor CJ. Pictures of the rust can be seen on my flickr site by clicking the title of this post.