BKCowGod's 1980 Cherokee Chief Build Thread

jim65wagon

TundraBird1
This is a truly awesome build. Love the Chief as much as I did the Truck! This is (and so was the truck) one of those machines that I'd be severely tempted to buy if given half a chance!

Love the subtle and sedate style it's got going on. MMMM...brown, no one should look twice at it (unless they're a car guy type).

A well tuned carb is quite efficient, and they can work very well, especially if you take the time to freshen them up. Rebuilt a few Holleys and Q-jets way back, ya know!

BTW, paint those massive weights to match your rims! That's gotta be a stylin' issue when your at those high falutin restaurants!
 

Haggis

Appalachian Ridgerunner
This is going to be a cool rig, so much so that I'll even forgive you for selling the truck:elkgrin:.
 

BKCowGod

Automotive ADHD is fun!
Mark - good to know I'm finally turning you...

Others - this will be a slow build, because luxury retail is crap these days. If you want to speed up my build, buy suits from me! I will give you a good deal. :victory:
 

preacherman

Explorer
Todd -


Preacher - go to the tech section of ifsja and read about the Ford ignition swap. I know you just bought all the parts, but not sure if you installed or not - maybe there's still time to swap.

Doing it as we speak. I will post pics in a few day. It was super easy to get parts for.
 

preacherman

Explorer
Let me state up front that both TZ & I bleed Ford Blue. :)

There are a couple things right and wrong, IMO, with the article.
The first thing is to just start out using that TFI coil. It is worth it. Get the bracket with the coil. I used a junkyard sourced coil (& module) on my '67 Ranchero for nearly 10 years prior to my selling the car.
The second thing is that in my very first D-S II conversion (about 1987 & on a 300ci 6 in a '66 Econoline Van) I ran the module off the stock ign supply wire, so it ran just fine on ~9 volts, not the 12 volts that the author claims is critical. I would wire to 12 volts, but don't sweat it.
If you can by any means avoid cutting the mag trigger wires, do so. The maximum voltage generated by that trigger coil is ~1 volt, so any resistance in the wires is a problem. Unlike the article's author I do not solder wires except in rare instances. It is too easy to cause yourself more problems than you thought that you fixed by soldering.

On that '67 Ranchero of mine I tried an MSD 6 in place of the stock module. I even went to the trouble of making up a wiring harness that let me easily swap them back and forth (not easy, there's a wire that has to change it's connection location). This was with a medium compression ratio 302 ci with a mild cam. Other than cold start idling (no choke) there was no detectable difference in the way the car ran. I wouldn't bother. One of the IH conversions that I made in 1990 used a JY sourced module for the 4 years that it drove around here, and for all that I know it may still be using it in Alaska. The OE modules, not those in the parts stores, are really that good.

So, JY shopping list:

D-S II Distributor to fit your engine
Large Cap Adapter
OE Module with Blue plastic wire strain relief
Wiring from distributor to module (within the blue strain relief modules any will work - shop for the one that closest matches your length needs)
Plug off donor car wire loom for ignition power (cut as long as possible)
TFI coil & bracket
TFI plug (note that the wire loom from the dist. to the module has a green wire that goes to the coil negative, if the TFI plug donor is the same as the dist. to module loom donor don't cut this wire)

While you're in the JY plug in everything that plugs together to check that you have all compatible parts. The plug shapes and key locations change with the different color strain reliefs, and most JY's won't take back wrong electrical parts.

I am now confused...I am doing this upgrade as we speak on my 91 waggy. I was just going to wire the new connector just like my old connector. They are both a two wire, one positive, one neg. Are you saying I should not do that???
 

ntsqd

Heretic Car Camper
Which connector? I have no knowledge of Jeep wiring, only Ford Dura-Spark II wiring. It would be nice if the link supplied a wiring diagram.
Duraspark2-diagram.gif

While the diagram shows a ballast resistor used with the coil, I have run without one for years when using the TFI coil and not had any problem.

The two wire connector to the Ford D-S II ignition module is not a power wire and a ground wire. One is "Start mode power" and the other is "Run mode power". I've never been able to find info on the difference between them. The engine will run on either, but I suspect that start mode power is not ideal to run on long term. Most starter solenoids have an 'S' terminal on them. Connect the white wire (AT the module!) to this terminal. Note that in most Ford looms that the white and red wires are switched in the connector. That is that the plug's red wire is connected to the module's white wire, and vice versa. I don't know why, just a Ford idiosyncrasy. The module wire colors are those to go by.

Once in a great while a system will pop up that won't stop cranking when you release the key. The culprit is usually this white wire.
 
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BKCowGod

Automotive ADHD is fun!
Alrighty, time for a bit of an update-y thingie...

Today was rack installation day. The rack the truck came with is a Tad Rack by TT's Fabworks. This particular rack ties into the rails so as to spread out the load better. I usually try to keep as much stuff secured from the elements as possible, so the northern storage is more for grungy or really bulky stuff (read: recovery gear):
* Hi-Lift jack
* 2 Jerry Cans
* Sand Ladders (eventually)
* Tow Rope, some spare parts, tools, spout for jerries, etc.
* Spare Tire

A while back I had Steel Worx tack on some Hi-Lift mounts that are apparently designed for the front bumpers of Wranglers.
DSCF2849.JPG


Today I cleaned and primered the rack with a rust-inhibiting primer and then sprayed on a coat of semi-gloss Krylon. I like this stuff because it is a lot cheaper than powdercoating and I can always touch it up whenever I want.

Then I drilled a few holes and securely mounted a surplus ammo can (from Sportsmans Guide) to store recovery accessories.
DSCF2847.JPG


The jerry cans (also from SPG) are in their permanent position, but not yet permanently mounted. I will be making a bracket for them, but ran out of light and energy today.
DSCF2851.JPG


My initial impression of this setup is that, while there is more wind noise and a bit more resistance, once I finish with sound deadening it will be well within tolerable levels.

Today's total cost: $20 for paint, nuts, bolts, some angle iron, and a couple of drill bits.
 
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BKCowGod

Automotive ADHD is fun!
While armed with my Krylon, I also decided to do some touchup to the wheels and rockers. I think it really cleaned things up.

Before:
DSCF2701.JPG


After:
DSCF2834.JPG



Before:
DSCF2698.JPG


After:
DSCF2842.JPG
 

XXXpedition

Explorer
Then I drilled a few holes and securely mounted a surplus ammo can
don't tell me you drilled holes in the spare cans :elkgrin:

but seriously - i love the concept and agree fully that traveling and exploring don't have to be expensive!
thanks for sharing
sven
 

BKCowGod

Automotive ADHD is fun!
don't tell me you drilled holes in the spare cans :elkgrin:

but seriously - i love the concept and agree fully that traveling and exploring don't have to be expensive!
thanks for sharing
sven

THAT'S why they're leaking!!!!! :Wow1:

No, eventually the jerries will have an L bracket in front of them and some form of strappage going over them. Just haven't figured out exactly how I want to do it since I want to keep everything as modular and flexible as possible.
 

BlueBomber

Adventurer
have you thought of putting a piece of plastic infront of the rack to cut wind noise...ya know, like the yuppie ski racks

lemmie see if i can find a pic...

ok, no pic. but they are called "wind fairings". might cut some of the noise.
 
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BKCowGod

Automotive ADHD is fun!
It has a flowmaster 40 series and mud terrain whine. Wind noise isn't a huuuge issue. Though my dad had the plastic thing on his Benz and it really did make a difference.
 

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