Scott's build of a 1981 CJ8 Scrambler

[WJCO]

Anyone know if I need a whole new drag link or I can just replace the joints somehow?



Tempting to just do the $330 package for drag link and tie rod but I like keeping the stock parts if I can

You can replace each piece individually, just like the JK. However, with time/miles/rust, that adjuster sleeve may become damaged when you go to remove the joints. That passenger side joint is over 2 feet long, FYI, it's part of the right rod assy it looks like.

 

[GraniteCrystal]

You can replace each piece individually, just like the JK. However, with time/miles/rust, that adjuster sleeve may become damaged when you go to remove the joints. That passenger side joint is over 2 feet long, FYI, it's part of the right rod assy it looks like.

Yeah, so at that point, might as well get a whole new drag link right? If I have to replace parts, steering seems a good/appropriate/safety-minded place to do so

 

[WJCO]

Yeah, so at that point, might as well get a whole new drag link right? If I have to replace parts, steering seems a good/appropriate/safety-minded place to do so

Yep. It would suck to be in the middle of the job planning on re-using that sleeve, only to find out you can't and now you have the Jeep all apart. I would have offered you a spare one that I have, but someone convinced me that it would be a good idea to cut it in half and use it as ball joint press adapter.

 

[GraniteCrystal]

Yep. It would suck to be in the middle of the job planning on re-using that sleeve, only to find out you can't and now you have the Jeep all apart. I would have offered you a spare one that I have, but someone convinced me that it would be a good idea to cut it in half and use it as ball joint press adapter.

Ha. What an idiot!

 

[Brute]

Congrats Scott on the Scrambler...one of the cooler CJ's that came down the pike...there is a hardcore group of owners that approach cult-like status


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[GraniteCrystal]

Congrats Scott on the Scrambler...one of the cooler CJ's that came down the pike...there is a hardcore group of owners that approach cult-like status


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Can't wait to join in the animal sacrifices.

Seriously though, I've heard there is an annual meet up in Moab for Scramblers. That'd be fun to do sometime.

 

[GraniteCrystal]

Was able to get in touch with the owner prior to the guy I bought it from. He filled in a few more details for me:

Originally the Jeep was from Texas. He bought it from a guy in Miami. While owning it, he:
replaced the entire wiring harness with a Centec harness
replaced the brake booster
fabricated the transmission cover plate
replaced the wiper motor and window seal
changed out the locking hubs but never used them
replaced the gauges

Says there was "some blow by on the engine"...what does that mean?

Apparently the guy he bought it from was a real tool who left some things out of the deal they'd agreed on so I'll probably stop my history search on this thing at that point.

 

[BananaJeep]

Would be interesting to pull a Carfax report on it. Not even sure how far back that goes lol.

 

[bigcale]

Says there was "some blow by on the engine"...what does that mean?

Blow by is in reference to the air/fuel mixture that gets past the piston rings. All engines have a little blow by, this is normally taken care of by a pcv valve. Excessive blow by usually means that the rings are letting more than normal. There are tests for it. Usually good enough to just test compression and leak down. Make sure the PCV valve and associated hoses are not clogged, if they are replace them.

 

[GraniteCrystal]

Blow by is in reference to the air/fuel mixture that gets past the piston rings. All engines have a little blow by, this is normally taken care of by a pcv valve. Excessive blow by usually means that the rings are letting more than normal. There are tests for it. Usually good enough to just test compression and leak down. Make sure the PCV valve and associated hoses are not clogged, if they are replace them.

I understand about 20% of that. Looking forward to learning the rest Thanks!

 

[WJCO]

I understand about 20% of that. Looking forward to learning the rest Thanks!

Ben nailed it. Here's a video I just found to show visually what he said. And no the guy in the video isn't Ben Don't worry about it too much unless you're burning a ton of oil or have a large power loss, it's a big job to repair and most people just live with it.

Also, here's a guy on a VW doing a random blowby test. This isn't really a super accurate way to test it, but I myself do this when looking at older cars. It is a quick visual test to let you know if you need to be overly concerned:

 

[GraniteCrystal]

Ben nailed it. Here's a video I just found to show visually what he said. And no the guy in the video isn't Ben Don't worry about it too much unless you're burning a ton of oil or have a large power loss, it's a big job to repair and most people just live with it.

Also, here's a guy on a VW doing a random blowby test. This isn't really a super accurate way to test it, but I myself do this when looking at older cars. It is a quick visual test to let you know if you need to be overly concerned:

Thanks Doug. Great videos. I'll see if I can do the informal test later and see how bad it is. Repair sounds like a pain.

 

[AZ Explorer]

Just saw this for the first time today. Congrats on the new member of the family, looks like it will be a lot of fun!

 

[GraniteCrystal]

Just saw this for the first time today. Congrats on the new member of the family, looks like it will be a lot of fun!

Thanks! I hope it's a great vehicle for us for years to come.

 

[GraniteCrystal]

Went to take the Scrambler on its maiden voyage to see a local shop so they can tell me which emissions components I'm missing. Made it a few blocks before I started a slight incline and it started immediately struggling. Engine sounds like it's about to stall out or something. Pretty much no response to giving it gas or down shifting. Drove it around the neighborhood for a few minutes to let it warmup some more and attempted again. Same result. Thoughts?

 

[Jaybird 11]

Id check the fuel filter first.

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[WJCO]

Went to take the Scrambler on its maiden voyage to see a local shop so they can tell me which emissions components I'm missing. Made it a few blocks before I started a slight incline and it started immediately struggling. Engine sounds like it's about to stall out or something. Pretty much no response to giving it gas or down shifting. Drove it around the neighborhood for a few minutes to let it warmup some more and attempted again. Same result. Thoughts?

Could be a lot of things, good be fuel pump, filter, carb. Does it have a Carbeurator or Throttle Body Injection? If it only does it on hills, it could be something going on with the float but could be accelerator pump too.

 

[fiend]

Went to take the Scrambler on its maiden voyage to see a local shop so they can tell me which emissions components I'm missing. Made it a few blocks before I started a slight incline and it started immediately struggling. Engine sounds like it's about to stall out or something. Pretty much no response to giving it gas or down shifting. Drove it around the neighborhood for a few minutes to let it warmup some more and attempted again. Same result. Thoughts?

To run an engine needs gas, air, and spark. For gas, common issues will be fuel pump (weak), fuel filter (clogged), and carburetor (dirty). For air, common issues will be air filter (dirty) and carburetor (dirty). For spark, common issues will be spark plugs (fouled, improper gaps, wrong plugs), spark plug wires (old), distributor (old, broken), coil (old, weak), and battery (old). A lot of these parts are pretty easy and inexpensive to replace. I'd recommend you just replace them since you don't know the history of this Jeep and it is old. For your particular issue, I'd consider the carburetor, fuel filter, and fuel pump.

 

[WJCO]

Could even be timing needs adjusted as well. Luckily these things are pretty easy to work on.

 

[bigcale]

Ah the carbs on the 258, I did not enjoy trying to get one to run properly. After rebuilding one, then swapping to a new one and trying to tune it to run good in town and on the high mountain passes we wheel on.

It was less painful to swap the head, intake and complete efi system from a 4.0.