The project

Settled up on where I am going with this latest 715...

Stock suspension/axles with Selectros and 10" wide one piece wheels.

39.5 x 13.5 tires.

2 inches of cab lift(extra tire clearance and lines up the cab/bed lines).

500 Caddy, 9:1 comp/Lunatti cam/Edelbrock intake/Holley 850 spreadbore.

700R4 auto into the original T-case(for now).

Rhino-lining the underside of the bed, inside the bed and inside the cab.

Scrapping a J10 for the civvy inner fenders, bigger rad and all the civvy heat and ducts(that are worthwhile, anyway){rest of that truck[including a rhino grill "conversion"] will be listed for parts shortly}.

I am figuring I'll just post everything to this thread from here on. I'll have a webpage up soon where I can slap up a couple hundred pics of the project as we go along and I'll link those. Feel free to pick all this apart starting...

Now. :D

Sounds good, A few questions. why the civy inners and are you going to use the inner civy valance, or radiator support? If so, is the reason to mount a wider rad?
I'm trying to combine some J series parts also, strictly for creature comfort.
Thanks Dennis

Civvy inners and core support will give me a bigger rad and a battery mount. Someone told me I need them to clear the civvy blower box, too, but I haven't checked that yet.

Oh, cutting out the civvy doors for "step-thru's", too. I just like the look of that.

A FSJ heater will clear the stock M715 inner fenders. Moving the passenger side M715 core support over to clear a bigger radiator is a lot easier than swapping out all the front sheet metal. I have done it.

A battery will still fit in about the same spot as a FSJ battery even with the core support moved. The only catch will be if you are running an air compressor over there or not. I have a 396 Big Block in mine and had the battery there with no interference from the engine or the 27-1/8" Summit Aluminum radiator. I moved the battery to behind the passenger seat to clear my York powered OBA though.

The inners on the J are in better condition than the M's and I am pulling everything off the frame anyway so all I'll have extra work-wise is pulling apart the J itself(which I have to do anyway).

Go for it then. Take pictures and share what you do please.

sounds like a good plan...

I Have done the relocation on a civy support. I will do it also on the 715 support.
Thanks for the input on the civy heater stuff working with the 715 inners.
I was planning on using the compressor on an amc 360. It sounds like it should fit. Thanks.

Next to the shop sits the J10 I just got(parts listed in For Sale section). Under the hood is a good running 360 with an Edelbrock carb, hooked up to I asume a TH400 and the Q-trac transfer case. Really *needs* nothing. Pull it all out, make the mounts, stuff it in and wire it up.

Pros: Good engine. Cheap to do. It's all Jeep.

Cons: I've wanted an excuse to build a monster 500 for 20 years. With the Caddy I'll have an overdrive which isn't the case here, obviously. I'll lose the WTF? factor when people look under the hood.

Still, I'll save big $$$'s and lots of time with the Jeep mill. Thoughts?

I'd run it.

But, I'd swap the tailshaft out and run a GM t-case.... 241 probably, clocked. I hate Qtracs after having a few. UGH>

A guy is giving me a 60 and a 14blt in trade for the original axles so it looks like the Jeep 360 is going to be the choice for motivation. 456 gears, so with 39's an OD is sort of overkill and since it's all ready to go the Caddy is just resigned to the shop corner... On the other hand if I swap axles I might as well do a springover and when you add the 2 inches or so of cab lift to line up the bed lines I've got, what, 6.5 inches of lift total...? 39's may not be tall enough to fill the wheelwells...

Anyway, just looking today and it appears to me A) The M's motor mounts are close and B) that original crossmember is gonna havta go. So how close ARE the motor mounts, and isn't that crossmember a MAJOR structural issue for the 715? Will replacing it with the Jtruck crossmember be sufficient?

And what's the story on the QTrac Tcase? I've owned enough of them but never messed with one.

Take the motor mounts from the Jtruck. Find someone who builds race cars or buggies or something, have them fab up a new crossmember. The Jtruck one will work, but it's nice to have some beef in there.

Besides, you'll need more clearance for the front driveshaft anyway. ;)

Is this going to be a cab off swap?
Let me know when I 'll bring the camera and lawnchair.

Feh. Nope. If I'm doing it this way there ain't diddly comin' off that frame. :)

Seriously, I've stood there and looked and tried to decide, what do I want? A near perfect show item I'm scared to use? Or something with decent paint that runs good, looks cool and that I can run the crap out of? I'm leaning towards the latter real strong now, so what I can get to will get bead blasted and/or pressure washed, primed, painted and called done.

You can still bring the lawn chair but bring a grill and steaks while yer at it. :D

...

OK, well, I messed that up the first time...

Let's try again...

http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/2674/crap0218xv.jpg

http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/117/crap0226ad.jpg

And no, I didn't pay that much for the steaming pile. :D

Actually, that looks pretty good, man! Great deal! Looks pretty straight and it has lots of the tough stuff to find: tailgate, b/o driving light brackets, straight brush guard, top bows/window frames, etc.

Yep, that's not too bad. I don't see any shackles on the front, but they might be stowed away where they are supposed to be behind the bumper. If not, they aren't real hard to find. The Black Out driving lamp is easy to come by since they are the same on most models, even Deuces and 5 tons. Yours even still has the original front turn/parking lamps with the pesky hard to find brackets and the gerry can mount. I love the primer on the passenger front tire. Looks like the spray gun crapped out and they just sloshed it on out of the bucket, lol.

Well, the hood is just garbage. It's been stomped so much it's literally *soft*. But that's ok, the Jtruck is happy to donate. The front shackles are not there but that's ok because apparently that's not a 715 bumper anyway. The slots don't match the mount quite right. OTOH the back ones are in place. I have two of the hood BO lights.

Cab floor is shot as are the rockers. That doesn't much scare me. The bed is outstanding, as is the tailgate(one dent that's not bad enough to worry about). And you should see the driver's rear tire if you want to talk primer slop. Dayum. Interesting thing is this truck appears to have had a VERY nice charcoal grey metallic paint job on it at some point in its life. The dash and jambs still show it. I know nothing of its history, though, so anything could have happened between then and now.

Cost me $400 bucks so I'm not going to complain. :)

$400?! Nice score!

I've got an extra pair of shackles I might could sell ya if you need them.

Did you buy that just north of Terre Haute? I remember seeing one for sale on my way form Evansville to Chicago a few months ago. Just curious.

Yup, it sat in Farmersburg, on 41, for at least a month. One Tuesday morning I was headed for auction and decided to take a different route than normal. I just KNEW there was something I was supposed to find or see or something. Sure enough...

I tried to work a deal that night but the guy woudln't take $800. I just decided it wasn't meant to be and wrote it off(but never forgot it). Three or four weeks later I went down 41 again and there it still was. That same night a buddy of mine showed up and asked me if I had seen it. I told him yeah, but I just had too many things going on to pay that for it. The buddy asked me if I'd pay $400 for it. I said yeah. He said make the deal, he'd pay the difference and we'd call it even for some things I'd done for him in the past.

Turns out it was meant to be, eh? :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 2ndA

And no, I didn't pay that much for the steaming pile. :D

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So is that gonna be the name of the build? If so you stole mine lol.