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Project CJ Rebuild - Page 3 |
| Ok, I've now got some rough bottom line dollar
figures to work with. (Keep in mind that I tried to estimate high
when I didn't have a very solid price for any item.) But before
the final decision is made, there are some other factors to
consider. I mentioned the new suspension of the TJ series on the
previous page. I'm sure I wouldn't get much argument from most when
I say that this new suspension setup has some definite advantages over the
old leaf spring system that the CJ sits atop. I use my CJ now as a
daily driver during the summer months, and would like to use it more
during the winter if it was a bit more comfortable. That's why I'm
planning on a new hardtop for it should I go the rebuild route. It's
a rough ride, there's no way to sugar coat that. I would not
complain about having something that wasn't trying to pound my kidneys out
every day on my way to and from the day job. Under the hood, the
difference between the 304 V8 and the 4.0liter inline six isn't that big
of a factor in my mind, as I'm convinced that the six is a tried and
tested performer with plenty of power for the type of rig it's going
into. Oh sure, once in a while I like to stomp the pedal to the
floor and feel the power of a fairly strong V8 getting me motivated, but
I'm getting to a mature enough age that I think I could be perfectly happy
with the six cylinder engine. (We won't mention that actual age
here.) |
| I've tried hard to come up with
other significant pros and cons, and other than the "safety" of
an airbag, I can't really find much else to consider as factors that
should be part of this decision process. About the only other factor
I found to consider was the actual project itself. If I rebuild the
CJ, there will be some period of time, likely at least 6 months, where the
rig will be un-driveable. I don't currently drive it in the winter
anyway, so that isn't that big of deal with me. There's also the
actual work, most of which I am comfortable that I can do myself or with
the help of a few friends. I actually think it would be a fairly
enjoyable project, and I'd like to be at the end of it and be able to show
the Jeep off and say "I built it myself." So at this
point, I'm leaning pretty heavily towards the "rebuild it"
option. I'd love to hear your opinion on this, so if you have
comments, or if you think I missed something important, please
email me. I'll post all comments on the page here so that others
can join in the discussion. And as I move forward in whatever
direction I go, I'll be posting more on the project here. |
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| For now, let's return
to the Four Wheeling home page. |
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