[SodMan]

Well I hope this picture shows up. I picked up a 1984 CJ8 today. Pretty much a stocker. 6cyl. Auto. Next week the tear down begins. Not sure how long it will take. I'm trying to decide on going for stock or going up and out with it. I might not get to drive it. When I got home my wife fell in love with it. Probably because it has A/C.
So help me with my delima. Do I leave it stock or go all out?
Well the picture didn't come through for some reason. If you want to see pics go to my albums and look under CJ8.

Note: go to my gallery to see the rest of the pics.

[Jim B]

Sodman,

Good new on the CJ8.

[92SquareEye]

i love these stories. holly has already started planning what we'll do to the old XJ that's still in the family. it has a/c too

-dave

[Rollbar]

SodMan, on Sep 28 2007, 11:36 PM, said:

Do I leave it stock or go all out?

Very nice. I could use a complete detail (pics) of the entire Jeep from head to toe, seat belt tie-in to the roll bar, frame, mounts, fuel rails, tank supports, axles etc. This will help aid in the finish of mine.

U can not hack that thing up , there were only 27, 792 made.
Here are the production totals as I know them. There are other numbers out there, but these seem to be the "accepted" amounts:

1981 : 8355
1982 : 7759
1983 : 5405
1984 : 4130
1985 : 2015
1986 : 128 <- actually 1985 leftovers.
------------------
Total = 27,792

Here is a good link to register yours or find out if it was registered - Jeep Head.com

Here is what I'm doing, I'm not hacking it up, just changing the paint scheme - CJ8 to M-170 Project. I have to wait until I can get it up here to Inverness, then I can continue w/the tub.

Here is a nice CJ8 - CJ8 Alaskan Postal Jeep. One nice thing about the CJ8 is U can carry lots of stuff when U go wheeling.

Here is another good site for U to check out - CJ8 .com

P.S. They even sell a split window for the hard top, U can find the information on CJ8.com. The split window opens almost the whole back side up so it's cooler & nice when the doors are off. 1/2 Hard top split window post & the guy's information on how to get one.

Note: There are two split windows due to two different configurations of hard top, they will send/e-mail you a template & once the rear glass is removed you can see which one U need.

[Wildbill]

That is SWEET Very nice find. I agree with Rollbar don't hack it up....... Keep it simple, maybe minor lift some 31" or 33" and that should be about it.

Wildbill

[Rollbar]

I think that would look good Bill, 2" BDS lift & a 1"daystar BL.

P.S. Where R U gonna mount the spare tire? BTW, that does not look like an original roll bar but that's no biggie.

[Wildbill]

Hey Sodman,

I just took a second look at the pic. Did you buy it from a guy in Nokomis, FL?????? My cousin has a CJ8 that looked just like that and I learned yesterday that he sold it to one of his buddies. Is that You

Wildbill

[Rollbar]

Facts and Stats About Scramblers
The Scrambler is the most undervalued jeep of them all, a true limited edition classic! Produced in limited numbers over a five year period has made this jeep potentially one of most valuable jeeps ever. A stock Scrambler in great shape can easily be valued at more than $9,000 US. There were only 27,792 produced from 1981 to 1986. The rarest of all was the 1986 Scramblers, only 128 were produced that year. (well at least they were titled as 1986 Scramblers)

American Motors Company built the CJ-8, a 103-inch-wheelbase, that was a stretched CJ7 with a short top and pickup bed with lots of rear overhang, the CJ-8 came in hard or soft-top models. The CJ8 was approximately 24 inches longer than the CJ7 overall and had 10 inches added to the wheelbase. The Scrambler was a very modest seller, but an upswing in popularity in the 1990's has turned the old CJ-8 into a very hot item with lots of room for trick modifications.

From just behind the doors forward, the Scrambler is all CJ in appearance. All sheet metal except the body tub is interchange with the CJ7 and late CJ5. A few options unique to the Scrambler were new fiberglass removable hard tops, short soft tops, a pair of great looking wooden bed rails and a bed cover. A massive 3" diameter roll bar mounted in the bed replaced the smaller CJ roll bar. The pickup part of the bed measured 5 foot by 5 foot, but only 3 foot by 5 foot was really usable. The lost space was due to the wheel wells and roll bar posts. Even with such a small payload area the Scramble was rated as a 1/4 ton truck from the factory. In soft top form it was America's only roadster pickup.

Virtually all of the Scramblers mechanical components are interchangeable with the CJ5 and CJ7. The only mechanical parts that differ are those that had to be lengthened, like the drive shaft and brake cables. The wiring to the tail lights is slightly different and the filler tubes to the gas tank had to be lengthened. The standard engine was the Pontiac-built 82 horsepower 4 cylinder 151 cubic inch engine, optional engine was the 110 horsepower in-line 6 cylinder 258 engine. The 258 was the most widely used. The AMC 304 and 360 were never given as an option.

The Scramblers extended length had it's advantages. The weight distribution, 52% in front of the driver and 48% behind the driver delivered a much better ride than the other CJs. With the pickup like bed and go any where reputation, a huge number of Scrambler found there way to ranches and farms. Even today we often here stories of CJ8s found on farms with less than 50,000 miles on them.

The Scrambler or at least today's version, the long wrangler, is still being produced outside the United States. It has the exterior and interior look of the YJ.

Original Window Sticker
The CJ-8 had a $7288 base price tag in 1981, $7922 with HT and a few options. In 1983 it went up to $7563, $8392 with a few options.

The last 2 years of production saw price drops as each successive year, fewer Scramblers were produced.
A 1981 Scrambler for $10,360 on June 3 1981. Below is a list of what was on a friends window sticker. The EPA sticker estimated mileage was 17 miles per gallon.
From 1981 Original Window Sticker
Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price
7,880.00

Moonlight Blue
STD.
Black High Back Bucket Seats
STD.
P235/7515 (B) Wrangler Radial
STD.
Axle Ratio, 2.73/1
STD.
258 CID SIX CYL. Engine, 2 Barrel
136.00
Automatic/Part Time 4-WD
350.00
Free-Wheeling Hubs
STD.
Rear Trac-Lok Differential
179.00
Air Conditioning
599.00
Power Steering
206.00
Power Disc Brakes
79.00
Scrambler Sport Package, Hard Top
2,399.00
Tilt Steering Wheel
81.00
Body Side Step
24.00
Vinyl Tonneau Cover
113.00
Wood Side Rails
85.00

* * Accessory Total * *
4,251.00
Transportation Charges
200.00
Total Amount
$11,739.00

Overall Description Dimension
Wheelbase
103.4 in
Overall Length
177.2 in
Front Tread 1981
51.5 in
Front Tread 1982-1986
Rear Tread 1981
50.0 in
Rear Tread 1982-1986
Overall Height
67.6 in
Overall Height, in w/Hardtop
70.5 in
Width
65.3 in
Front Overhang
23.5 in
Rear Overhang
50.3 in
Tailgate width
34.5 in
Tailgate height
16.4 in
Ground Clearance
6.9 in
Load Space
61.5 x 55.8 x 16.4=30.4 cu ft
Fuel Tank Standard
15 gal
Fuel Tank Optional
20 gal
Curb Weight
4759 lbs

[SodMan]

Wildbill, on Sep 29 2007, 03:38 PM, said:

Hey Sodman,

I just took a second look at the pic. Did you buy it from a guy in Nokomis, FL?????? My cousin has a CJ8 that looked just like that and I learned yesterday that he sold it to one of his buddies. Is that You

Wildbill

The Jeep came from Fort Pierce. The guy put it out in his yard A.M. and The Farm Manager at our farm on Indrio called me about it. He knew I had been droooooooooling for one for years. I bought it sight unseen. All I had to go on was the pics he took for me and the integrity of the seller. It's not perfectly clean, but it is cleaner than anything I've looked at even close to my price range. It still has the original jack on the fenderwell under the hood, original breather and seats. Many smaller items are missing and it has some glass on the passenger side rocker. It drives great, no smoke and starts instantly. I haven't had a chance to pick it apart yet as Soccer Saturday A.M. then a trip to the Ga. farm. I was picking up a CJ7 for my brother here in Ga. But it was to far gone so I'm headed back to Fla. w/empty trailer.
I think my wife is going to win on this one. 2-2.5" lift wheels and 31" tires. She really likes it. I have a pic of what I wanted to do, but I suppose I'll have to wait on another opportunity.
Thanks all. J. Brown

P.S. Rollbar I' get detailed pics ASAP and send them to you.

[Wildbill]

Yea thanks sodman,

I checked out the other pics after posting and saw the tag was from indian river. My cousins was the exact color green. I still can't believe he sold it. I would love to get one someday. I'll find one at some point and hopefully in as good as shape as yours.

Wildbill

[SodMan]

There is one in Monticello FL. I have seen it sitting and stoped to look at it. Original paint. I left a note last year and they never called me. Another in Camilla Ga. That was parked out front. I didn't have time to stop. When I came back by on the way home it was gone. When I get home and have some time I'll post a texas rig that is my dream to build.
Thanks for the complements on the one I picked up. You would die if you knew what I pd for it. CHEAP!!!!!!

[82cj5]

beautiful scrambler. i would keep it pretty stock. just some minor upgrades like the 2-3in suspension. something like that you dont want to molest too much. its beautiful the way it is.

[JeepinIan]

IMO, lift it beyond the ability for the wife to get in all the time, this may cost you repairs to another vehicle's a/c.

[Big Papa]

Or you could build one to look like this...

[92SquareEye]

this is one of my favorites. it was built by painless wiring in the early 90s. i saw it come up on ebay about 5 years ago and there was no way i could swing it....but this would be a great project. if you need a hand, i have a sawzall....



-dave

[LostJ]

thats a nice cj8
looks very clean, i'd leave it stock since you have that badass cj7 for offroading

but if you do decide to jack it up, I'll take those stock steelies off of your hands

[SodMan]

Well I appreciate all the imput. Looks like there are plenty of options.
So far;
Brakes and all assoc. hardware.
Wheel bearings and seals.
Steering wheel.
Procomp 4" SUD lift.
Shocks/Steering stabilizer.
Skyjacker quick disconects.
Radiator overflow bottle.
A little paint here and there.
Hallogen headlights.
Key switch assembly.
Head to toe exhuast.
Elbow grease
New pictures in my CJ8 picture gallery

[Rollbar]

Seen the pics, looks good.
1. Is this a 4" lift ?
2. What size tires,33" ?
3. Can U measure from the ground to the bottom of the frame & also to the bottom of the tub where the door is ?

Thanks,

[SodMan]

Rollbar, on Dec 29 2007, 09:48 PM, said:

Got any recent pics Sodman? R U documenting the build?

I just added some pics of a ride we took today. The pics are in my this and that folder. Also some new ones in the scrambler folder. I didn't get to drive the CJ8 as the girls took it over. What a perfect day!!!! We had a blast. It's so dry up here we had a hard time finding any mud. Still a good day and not much cleaning to do. The Scrambler hasn't had much done lately. I've been busy with end of the year stuff at work and trying to shoot one of Santa's raindeer. I am laying out a plan on what I want to do. Part numbers, paint color etc. It is great fun to drive. I realize I need to put a new steering box on my CJ7 after driving the Scrambler. Wow does my CJ7 wander.

[SodMan]

I installed a 4" Procomp lift that gave me 4.5" of lift. Front bumper 24.5" clerance, rocker under door 25.5" and rear bumper 25.5". Also Procomp shocks. Very stiff compared to the Skyjacker softride on my cj7. I am installing a vintage Warn 8274 with JEEP stamp winch( I found one new in box). I'll use Warn bumpers front and rear. I'm hoping with those additions and my gear it will soften the ride a little. I went cheap on tires w/ buckshot mudders. 33"x12.5"x15" I'm only running 10lbs of air in them and it drives great. I dropped some tunes in it last week. Pioneer head unit w/ipod in the glove Eclipse in pods under doors and an 8" kicker behind the seat. I powered them w/ a 400watt continuos 4 way amp. Wow! Technology has come a long way. It's not show tunes, but in that little cab it works for me. I'm slowly gathering parts, some metal panels, stock roll bar, weather stripping, wing windows, dash pad, window cranks, New AC and altenator brackets, etc. I hope to have everthing together to tear down and paint is 6mos. or so. looks like I will go with Garnet red to match my CJ7. I hope to be able to trailer the cj7 behind the cj8. What do you think"

[Rollbar]

Ya, that's my plan to trailer the 7 when needed. In doing so I will install the air ride helpers made by Firestone.

This is something else I want to do, it takes up the whole opening & w/the doors off it opens up the cab.
Note: U must remove the glass first & template the curvature of the fiberglass top to get the correct split window. CJ8 Split window CJ8 Full Hard Top

[SodMan]

I like the split window. I've looked at them before. I'm still looking for a factory roll bar. I found one in Salt Lake city and one in Michigan. But no one that will help me get it shipped down here. I'll just keep looking.

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