86 CJ-7 restore-too tough to tackle?

[Mad Maxxer]

Hello! I'm new to your board. I've been looking over it since yesterday;seems like a great source of info from very experienced Jeep owners. Problem is, I'm not. For a long time now, I've wanted a Jeep & as fate would have it, I was recently able to get a one owner 86 CJ-7
for a song. Unfortunately, this older guy drove it little & maintained it less. So it needs a lot of work. I want to restore it, but am a novice mechanic. I'm willing to tackle just about anything & have a great vision for this vehicle, just not sure where to start. I have the "Jeep Owner's Bible" by Moses Ludel. He mentions a restoration manual which he authored. Anyone have experience with it? And is this a reasonable jumping off point for me? Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. I can't wait to start the transition!

 

[fireman32]

post some pics of the jeep and the forum will be able to give alot of pointers on what needs to be done first.

 

[82cj7son]

personally I'd go with a Haynes manual if you're going to get into repairs by yourself. that's just me though...

 

[TerryMason]

Welcome to Jeepz.com. Before you begin a restoration, you'll want to know what type of Jeep you want to end up with. Would you like a nice factory looking Jeep, or a modified Jeep with huge tires? Post some photos of your Jeep and the engine when you get the time.

My opinion is if you have a fairly stock CJ-7 that's not totally rusted then keep it that way and focus on rust prevention / treatment. If it's rusted out and needs a bit of everything then go ahead and build it up / modify it. While CJ-7s aren't rare, nice clean stock ones are getting harder to come by.

 

[Mad Maxxer]

Thanks so much for your replies. I have in mind staying as true to stock as possible. Body is in pretty good shape-no major rust. I will post photos ASAP.