Project Duke - 72 J4700

I am going to try my hand at a build thread. Unfortunate its nothing crazy, just a resto mod. I've been on this site and the old site for a bit and have done everything but body work, so this could be interesting. Wife is currently going back to school so progress maybe slow. Lots of time on my hand but low on funds...... Wife is all into this one and is the one that named it Duke.

I am a Jeep person, own a built TJ minus a decent engine and had a YJ back in High School. So during covid while in-between houses and living in a **** apartment. I found a 2012 5.7 hemi in PHX with everything and I mean everything to drop it in my TJ minus the engine management. Fast forward to 2021, I found myself not wanting to touch my TJ anymore, I craved a new project. I found this 1972 J4700 in PHX around the beginning of 2022 and said **** it.

So here is where we begin..............

Have to start with the plans right! Goal is a daily driver that is easy to work on and capable. Small lift with 33s?, wife doesn't want another big vehicle and wants to keep it looking like a farm truck. Took a month to talk her into the drive train swap.

Eagle head 5.7 hemi - bump it up to around 450HP with MDS delete, cam, lifters, intake (6.4 with injectors), exhaust, and tune. Plan on running the Holly Terminator X.

Dodge NV4500

NP205

Dodge Dana 44 front for open knuckle and disk brakes on hand, swap 4.10 gear set from closed knuckle 44. Swap out to manual lock outs.

Dana 60 SF rear, 410 gears (factory), clean up and throw in a limited slip

Swap out front springs to post 74 J20 and move them under the frame to level the front, they don't make springs for pre 74 any longer.

Try and keep the 3/4 ton rear springs if I can get bushings for them

Learn how to do body work - repaint to factory color code

Original plans was to get it driving. Changed out some fluids, rebuild the steering box, and started digging into the wiring. The dana 60 looked good and the T18 had some metal but over all not bad for 50 years of abuse. Drove it around and found that something is up with the clutch, throw out bearing? It sat for 6 months and when I finally went to move it into the garage found the fuel pump was shot after all the fuel evaporated in the AZ summer. Swapped pumps and got it into the garage minus the bed I pulled off. Speaking of the bad clutch, my driveway is steep and proceeded to fish tail all they way up it due to the clutch.

So here is the photo dump leading up to tonight. Started with removing a BS aux tank and a massive farmers trailer hitch off it. Gutted the doors, the first one took a bit to figure out how the glass and small window came out. The truck is from NM and I could have filled a sandbox full of the red dirt that fell out of it. Plan on having the whole thing blasted to see how bad and how far the cancer goes.

Enjoy!

I do love a solid J truck build! Subbed

I love it, I have a '79 J-10 see heremy 79 J-10

Got the front ripped apart today. I have to say it is coming apart pretty easy. Also picked up a replacement front driver fender.

Weekly update..... Frame is down to the drive train and cab is stripped.

I ****ed up on the stand for the cab, didn't make it so the engine hoist could go under it and its too tall. Luckily it was just made out of scape I had laying around.

Got my bead blast cabinet up and running.

First order of business is figuring out how to media blast the cab. Buddy gave me a small pressure pot set up but that will take forever.

What gas tank to run, I want an in tank pump

Find front springs and start locating the dodge 44

Find a 02 down TJ or any XJ power steering box

Clean up the frame and start on the frame boxing

Nice! Love me a J-Series

Friday update...... haven't done ****.

After I got it pulled apart my thoughts went in too many directions. So first order of business is the drivetrain mock up, front axle and spring relocations. Going to ignore the cab for the time being. For the life of me I cannot locate used 74+ J20 front springs for mock up

On another note.

Scored a 97 Dodge NV4500 and should have a 205 shortly. I was originally looking for a Dana 300 and those are ****ing hard to find now days.

I remember building my TJ and getting half the parts used off the old site, cant find crap nowadays or maybe its just Az.

Ok, I suck at this posting about a build. So the photo dump begins. A lot of progress going on but you would expect that after xxxx months since I originally posted. Also doing this from a phone….

NV4500 and NP205 gutted and cleaned up. 205 has since been rebuilt. Have all the parts to convert the 4500 to 4wd, just need to pick up the rebuild kit.

Frame was stripped and painted. Moved the front spring I/B of the frame with CRJ7 spring hangers and shackles to keep it Jeep. Rebuilt the rear spring. ****ed up the mount position on the front springs, still need to adjustment them. Not happy with any of the axles I have, working on getting 44/60 set out of a J20. The idea is to keep almost stock height. I know I can get around with the cast pads on the Chevy / Dodge 44s but want to set it up SUA to start with. The rear springs got the farmer treatment prior to purchase and I pulled out 2 springs on each side. Still stiff as **** and might need to take out the 3rd set they added. Gotta love aviation, sprayed graphite lube between the springs (engine fan blade lube). View attachment 866300 View attachment 866301 View attachment 866302

This sucks on a phone!

Started the cab work in January. Both floor pans, lower kick panels and lower radius of the door openings had to be cut out. Several bullet holes patched on the fire wall as well. Floor supports where great along with the rockers. Getting ready to flip in back on it’s bottom and get the epoxy primer wrapped up

Drive train mocked up

Looked at the inflatable paint booths but they where all the wrong size. Built a 12' x 12' booth with 2 box fans and 2 house filters for the intake. Under coating and some primer applied. Shot Weco's Lumabase DTM 40 epoxy primer with a Astro's HVLP 1.5 gun. Came out pretty good for my first time. The under coating us some Canadian Company's stuff, shot self etching primer under it.

Alright back on the computer. Next step is fitting the hydraulic clutch and electronic gas peddle. Need to get the A/C heater figured out as the stock heater box wont fit with the hemi. Thinking of picking up a Vintage Air magnum unit. Core support, dash, doors will be dropped off to be blasted. I'm done trying to save money by cleaning crap myself. Have the left fender that is really ****ed up that I need to repair. Hopefully with all the bits of other fenders I have I can save it.

Plans for the Eagle head Hemi are new lifters, cam, headers, 6.4 intake, MSD delete. Would like to get it up to 500HP but I don't want to go into the bottom end. Should be around 450 as the trucks putout almost 400 stock.