When we purchased our CJ, it was in need of some dire help. We sent it off to the experts at 4Wheel Drive Hardware to help. There were patches in the floor and a shoddy power steering conversion. On top of those issues, the Jeep just didn’t run properly. We decided a complete, frame-up restoration was necessary.

Complete tear down

We started with a tear down, clear to a bare frame. Everything was sent away for media blasting, so we could see our starting point. When the pieces came back, the frame and axles were sprayed in a single-stage, gloss black enamel. We then started to reassemble the Jeep with quality replacement parts donated by Crown Automotive. Everything was worked over and replaced.

Cracked piston

We tore the engine down and found out that the number 4 piston was cracked. We sent it out to the machine shop for some machine work. Crown Automotive sent us brand-new, .030 over pistons and rings, bearings, and seals. We were then able to reassemble and reinstall the motor.

Floor work

The floor had seen better days. It was polluted with holes, patchwork, and dents. We cut it out and replaced the entire thing with brand-new panels. Both sides of the floor were then bedlined with Raptor coating to make it durable and insulated. We then sent it out for paint. We opted for a bright red base coat/clear coat.

Final touches

After the body was reinstalled, Bestop sent us a Supertop. These are the highest quality tops on the market for old Jeeps. Smittybilt also hooked us up with seats, mirrors, and hood catches.

Our Jeep rides on a 2.5” 4WDH suspension and rolls on 15×8 Pro Comp wheels wrapped in 31” BFGoodrich A/Ts donated by BFGoodrich.

Up front is a ProComp bumper with a WARN M8274-50 winch donated by Warn. To enhance visibility during night wheeling, KC HiLiTES was kind enough to hook us up with some Daylighters.

Every nut and bolt was cleaned and replaced on our CJ, so it’s now a clean showpiece. We have fondly named it East Bound and Down. Whoever wins this Jeep is a getting a really fun Jeep that’s also a nice piece of American history.