Hey everyone!

[83iS]

Hey everyone I'm new to your forum, I purchased my 78' CJ5 for $200 from a friend of mine who was going to use it as a winter car i have plans on replainting it and getting it streetable again and from the looks of it i have come to the right place. The main thing she needs now it brakes and new floor boards anyone have any ideas as to what i could do to get started?


Kyle

[sarah]

Kyle, I moved your thread to the "introduction" forum ... hope you don't mind

Rockin' Jeep! What a steal! Got any photos of her?

[JeepGal]

Welcome to MJR!

It sounds like youve got your hands full! What a deal! Sheesh...we only thought Erik got deals like that

Anyway...where you from? And what do you want out of this Jeep? Are you intending on making it a pavement pounder or an offroad vehicle...of which there are many many degrees...

Either way, we hope we can help, and were glad you found us!

Tam

[Dukes69]

Hey Kyle! Welcome There are a good number of CJ owners on this board, so I'm sure you'll fit right in.

[83iS]

Hey!

JeepGal: Yea shes gonna be a handfull i can see it now but it should be fun. I'm not quite sure what i want out of the Jeep alil bit of both would be nice (If thats possible). I'm from New Philadelphia Ohio about 80Mi south of Cleveland on I77.

Dukes69: Thats great to hear...I'll have to get in touch with some of them soon.

Couple of questions for everyone....Where would be the best place to get new floorboards for my CJ? Also where should i start on these brakes? The pedal goes clear to the floor and wont pump up any pressure, she sat for about 3 years after being a daily driver for about 5 years. I dont know weather to start with the lines, calipers or the rear wheel cylnders?


Thanks
Kyle

[goodtimes]

Start with the master cylinder. DONT get a "rebuilt" or "remanufactured" cylinder (trust me--brakes are nothing to half-ass). The process most places use to "re-manufacture" both master cylinders and calipers/wheel cylinders is to simply wire brush the bore, clean the threads (run a tap down the hole), sand-blast them, then either paint or plate them, new seals, and send them out the door. The problem is that the bore is left in terrible shape. If there was any damage to the bore (rust--very common--, burrs, dings, etc), the cylinder will fail quickly and unexpectedly.

I could write a whole darn book on the serious safety issues of remanufacturing brake components, but you probably don't want to read it, so I will spare you.

Anyway, I would start with the master cylinder. Check to be sure it is full. If it is, and you can't build any pressure, then it is bad. IF you have a leak bad enough to cause you to build no pressure, then the cylinder would be empty by now (unless you or someone else filled it recently).

While you are at it, give the whole system a good look over......pad and shoe condition....springs and linkages in place and in good shape, no rust on the friction surfaces (clean with scotch-brite, or have them turned if needed), replace pads and shoes as needed. Check the dust seals on the calipers and wheel cylinders....if they are dry and broken, dis-assemble them and check the bore/pistons for rust, wear, etc. if there is no appreciable wear, put a seal kit in each of them, if there is alot of wear or damage, hone the bore and rebuild them-- or replace them. Check the lines for kinks, breaks, wear, cracks and other damage--make sure they are not rubbing on anything, replace any questionable lines. Flush the entire brake system. It is easy to build a inexpensive vacuum system that will make this job a breeze (can provide details if you want). Then try them out. Troubleshoot from there....you will know what you are dealing with then.

Basically, you want to get a good foundation to troubleshoot from.

Just remember, the brakes are the absolute most critical system on any vehicle. It doesn't matter how good it runs (or crawls ), if you can't stop it, you are up a creek.

Can't help you on the floorboards though.....

Oh-welcome to the site!

[83iS]

Thanks alot goodtimes ill definatly start and go from there hopfully I can get this worked out soon. The sooner this is done the sooner i get to enjoy her! Thanks Alot for your help!




Kyle

[83iS]

Well today i spent about 6 hours on body work on the CJ shes still not pretty but thats ok she just has to make it through winter looking this way. In the spring ill do more maybe but hopfully by Labor Day ill have her painted and ready to go. With the exception of the floor brakes and exhaust that is . Where is a good place to get a new windshield frame from and other various body panels?


Thanks
Kyle