Strode 1982 Cherokee Laredo Build

**Strode** · #1 07-10-2012, 02:16 AM

I bought my 1982 Cherokee Laredo in the fall of 2011, and I'm finally getting around to posting a build thread about it.

I previously had a 1980 J10 that I bought new; the first truck and only 1 of 3 cars that I ever bought new. It was a 258 6/4 spd/208, and I loved that thing. I've had 10 4WD trucks over the years, and my J10 rode & drove the best.....(Except our 2005 GC, that rides really nice

)

I've loved FSJs ever since, and always wanted another and have always been on the hunt for a good one.

I found this truck on Craigslist. It was bought new at Strode Motors in Brighton. The story was the guy I bought it from bought it from the original owner. It was a nice running rig when the 2nd owner bought it. The 2nd owner gave it to his middle aged daughter to use. Her teenage son got ahold of it and trashed & blew it up in 1 night. It sat for years until another son put a used short block in it to get it to run. It didn't run successfully, and sat for more years, until they sold it as is. I bought it for $1200.

It's never run for me. The engines supposedly ran for awhile, but it wouldn't start for me. In addition, the guy said the trans was busted too, as when he "rebuilt" the engine, it wouldn't stay in gear to move, and would pop out.

I liked it because it had very little rust; only the rear fender flares that I could see. Everything else was solid; never painted, never wrecked, no grinds/scratches underneath.... And it was dead stock. I needed a project that I could do a little bit at a time on, and I didn't have any money to throw at it....Ha.

It also had the original window sticker, and 66K miles on it. I pulled my username from the dealer and the serial number 55182 and the year.

As it sat when I saw it:

**Strode** · #2 07-10-2012, 02:19 AM

I got it home & in my garage.....

mud89 · #3 07-10-2012, 02:22 AM

Congrats !
Thanks for the window sticker

**Strode** · #4 07-10-2012, 02:22 AM

**Strode** · #5 07-10-2012, 02:24 AM

It was undercoated at the dealer, and the fender wells were pristine...

**Strode** · #6 07-10-2012, 02:29 AM

I started, you know.....taking it apart a little

Found these keys under the carpet.

**Strode** · #7 07-10-2012, 02:31 AM

**Strode** · #8 07-10-2012, 02:34 AM

The rear window didn't work, of course, and POs had been hacking at it. I took all that stuff out.

**Strode** · #9 07-10-2012, 02:36 AM

**Strode** · #10 07-10-2012, 02:43 AM

I took pictures of EVERYTHING *

*I will come to find out as I put it back together that I really didn't get pictures of everything, but just enough things to confuse me.

I have taken 1500 pictures so far. Back in the day, when I was restoring Mustangs & GTOs, we didn't have digital cameras. I would take pictures of what I thought I needed, then send the film in for development, and by the time you got the pictures back, you'd find out the detail all got washed out in the flash or it didn't focus. And then it was too late.

These digital cameras rule. You can even use them to see around corners.

**Strode** · #11 07-10-2012, 02:44 AM

**Strode** · #12 07-10-2012, 02:49 AM

The interior without carpet. I was pretty pleased at this point.

That on the passenger side was about the extent of the floor rust.

I'll say it again and again: I have no idea how some of you guys in the rust belt do it. I admire you for dealing with real RUST. I've seen your work, and it's beyond me how you wouldn't just give up.
I'd just find a new hobby. Or only buy your FSJs from out west here, where rust isn't RUST

**Strode** · #13 07-10-2012, 02:52 AM

It had the original spare up under there.....

**Strode** · #14 07-10-2012, 03:06 AM

I knew that the engine was crap, and the 727 may or may not be crap, but the transfer case was definitely hosed. With the trans tunnel off, it was easy to pull the TC and see what was what. And it was bad.

I'd never rebuilt a transfer case before, but with this forum and some other links, I figured it out.

Again, I took lots of pictures to tell me how it went back together.

This is the magnet. Think there might be some damage in here?

**Strode** · #15 07-10-2012, 03:10 AM

Starting to get down to the bad things....

**Strode** · #16 07-10-2012, 03:17 AM

The planetary gears looked exactly like those Playdo machines that squeeze out the Playdo in a star pattern.

I shopped on the internet, and new planetary gearsets were $$$$ hundreds. So I got another 208 from FN Jeeps in the Springs for $150, and tore that one apart. I used the best from both cases to make 1.

I found that rebuilding a 208 is fairly straightforward. It took some trying to get it to seal, but I got some help on this forum and did it right: Really good gasket sealer, finger tight until it sets, then moderate tightening. No more drips.

**Strode** · #17 07-10-2012, 03:20 AM

I figure the teenager had the transfer case in 4wd on dry pavement while he was successfully blowing up the engine.

**Strode** · #18 07-10-2012, 03:26 AM

I removed the side rear window glass and found a couple little rust spots under the weatherstipping.

Since I don't trust my spot welding skills to put in a new channel, I put in a little plug weld and filled the hole with lead. Shouldn't be a problem anymore.

I put a little POR-15 silver on top of that, then I'll epoxy prime/seal over that.

**Strode** · #19 07-10-2012, 03:31 AM

**Strode** · #20 07-10-2012, 03:34 AM

I did a thread about fixing the heater box.

http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showthread.php?t=151042

I also cleared 6" of leaves & debris out of the side vents.

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