If you own a Scrambler, make sure you hit my Scrambler Registry page before you go!

My Other Scrambler pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3,  Page 4,  Page 5, Page 6

Click here to see the blog-ish history of my current build: 320HP Dodge Crate motor, 4spd automatic and full roll cage.

I'm going to split this up into different portions, based on category for folks who are looking to learn from my mistakes (or maybe success) can find info easier.  Here are the major categories:

Feb 06: I've settled on parts, here's the short list and potential sources:

• 320HP Mopar Magum 5.9L crate engine  from Summit Racing

• 46RH 4spd automatic PowerMax Extreme Duty from Powerdemon

• Body-off media blasting, repair and repaint (probably will still be purple)

• Frame repair and repaint

• Interior upgrades - new gauges, seats, shifter, full soft top and back seat

• Bottom line: still runs on Propane, still Purple and still a violent V-8 rock-crawlin Scrambler!

Jan 06: Well, it's time to get back into the Scrambler.  Poor thing has languished too long, and we've decided to tear it down.  In store is a whole list of stuff, to include a Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.2L V-8, 4spd Automatic, sand blasted and repaired body, updated interior and lots of other upgrades as well.  The engine will likely be treated to edelbrock heads and manifold, double-roller timing chain, new cam to better handle running on propane.  This is a win-win because not only do I get an overdrive tranny but a roller cam engine!

Depending on how the tranny lines up with the front drive shaft, I am considering a left-side drop Dana 44 in front and flipping the Dana 300 transfer case to get away from smashing the tranny pan like I have with the 727.
Here are the "before" pictures, and I'll carry on with posting as we enter the rebuild.  The last picture is my poor TJ which hauls me back and forth to work while I make the money to afford all the stuff I'm going to buy for the Scrambler!

June 04:  Finally got the second rollbar mounted up.  Here's a hint: if you have an '82 or newer Scrambler (widetrac), get a bar from an '81 narrowtrac.  The feet of the '81 fit in between the feet of the '82, so no cutting of the horizontal tube of the rear bar.  Besides that, this places the rear bar's vertical tubes directly over the frame, right where you want a rollbar to hit.  Rough guesstimations put the airtank capacity of this setup at almost 30 gallons.  I ran out of time before I could get all the pinholes welded up, but I'm betting my on-board a/c compressor can keep up with them if I need it to.

I have also upgraded to a distributor cap adaptor, cap, rotor and wires from a 1982 Ford F-350 with a 460 V-8 ... HUGE cap compared to the AMC version, and it bolts right up.  The advantage is the increased distance between the contacts inside the cap: you can run higher voltage without the rotor bridging the gap between two contacts at once (reducing the charge going to the plug that needs it).  There's another writeup here: http://industryfigure.com/berkeley/fsj/ignition/ 

Mar 04:  Slowly working away at the pile of parts.  Added LED front turn signal lights.  Currently I don't have marker lights, but I think that's due to the crappy headlight switch I got from Schucks car parts.  I normally wouldn't "dime out" a business but I tried all 3 that they had on the shelf, NONE of them put power from the batt-hot lead to the marker lead in any switch position.  Guess I need a new car parts place if they're selling me new junk.

I found two more propane junkies (there are a few of us) http://www.alternatefuelsracing.com/ and a Purple (coincidence???) CJ-7 running propane - this guy got into a magazine, though! http://www.4wdandsportutility.com/features/4wd0402_everywrench/ 

In hindsight, I should have left one of them stock to show the difference, but I was pretty jazzed about getting something done!  An observant reader will notice the reason the new engine got put off: the new fence :O

In case you're wondering, C3H8 is the chemical makeup of propane.  It was either that or BBQJEEP but this seemed more ... cerebral. 

I got the LED lights from www.partssystems.com - the light is too big to fit in the hole in the grille.  I'd rather bust up a couple $30 lights than grind my sheet metal.  So I removed the circuit board, then used all-weather caulk to seal it into the back half of the original turn signal cup.  Don't caulk in the front half all the way around as I did the first time, it needs to vent water vapor out the bottom. It looks stock until I turn on the light.

Feb 04:  Not much has happened recently, sad to say.  However, many parts are piled up and the time is near to start work on the Scramboneer again.  Here's what it looks like right now:

I did manage to turn some wrenches on the tow rig's Dana 60 front axle.

The tie rod adjusting sleeve was stuck so bad that I had to weld a piece of angle to it then use the legs off my engine stand to pry it loose.  The pink blanket was supposed to help make the parts more visible ... not sure it worked!

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