Walkaround: Alpine Lizard CJ5 - A Tour of my Jeep Rock Crawler CJ 5 on Dana 44s and 37 Inch Pitbulls

[@merczeph79]

This has to be my favorite CJ build, so much creativity. Love that you shoved the LS into it, but kept it manual. Wheelbase stretch makes it looks perfect with the amount of lift. So simple and clean, not every jeep needs to end up stretched 20" over stock and on 42s.

[@aireddown813]

Thanks man. I really appreciate that.

[@rowlinstoned3715]

Well built rig man. Impressive CJ

[@VintageOffroad]

Late to the channel. Nice build sir! You gave me a few ideas for my current cj7 build. 👍👍🍻

[@jonstarritt848]

Great looking Jeep! The thorough walk through of the fabrication was very informative.

[@aireddown813]

Thank you my friend! Glad you liked it.

[@87runner1911colt]

Very nice build been watching on jeepforum for a few years

[@aireddown813]

Michael Bryan - Thank you! Thanks for following along at JeepForum. Sorry that I’ve sort of put that place on hold right now. I’ll get back to it soon.

[@MichaelBrown-jv4xg]

Thank you for the in depth tour! Helps me a ton better figure things out

[@aireddown813]

Michael Brown - Of Course! Good luck on your build.

[@graysoncole1896]

I know this video is older but I have a 76 cj5 and although I'd never make it a overland jeep it's still interesting to see how cool some people make classic jeeps

[@aireddown813]

Thanks man

[@northernjeep942]

Bad ass CJ man. I'm working on a YJ and want it to be a similar set up.

[@przemyslawbargiel4434]

This rig is just awesome 👏

[@aireddown813]

Thank you!

[@HardEarnedBacon]

I've definitely seen this Jeep around Sparks haha. Are you still planning to make more videos? I see you haven't uploaded in awhile.

[@aireddown813]

I plan on making more videos about my Durango build. I sold the Jeep this spring, however. Didn’t want to, but it just didn’t make sense with three kids and a wife to haul around.

[@HardEarnedBacon]

@@aireddown813 ah bummer, makes sense though. I found your channel because I was looking at shave kit installs for Sterlings then realized you live probably 10 minutes from me and just started watching everything haha.

[@aireddown813]

@@HardEarnedBacon thanks for watching! I’m meeting all kinds of people local from those videos. That’s pretty cool. I’ll be happy to get back to making videos when my life cools down a bit.

[@gordonjaggers3645]

What an impressive build. Can you please give more information on the Ford shock Tower in the front? Year and which vehicle. Thank you for providing a great video.

[@aireddown813]

Thank you for the compliment! The Ford shock towers that I used come from an 87-93 F250. I’ve seen some on F350s, but it’s not a guarantee. You can buy them new online for like $50 a pair or something. I got mine from the junkyard. They can be found attached to the front axle.

[@jimmielittle877]

Yes a very capable Jeep 🌻

[@aireddown813]

Thanks!

[@Watson21995]

what's the talkbox track while you're test driving at the end lol

[@aireddown813]

Haha. I must’ve been feelin funky 🤣. I can’t remember the name of the song. I got it from the free KZbin library

[@brandonwells373]

Great looking jeep, how big of a lift are you running ? Would like to run 35’s with as small of A lift as possible

[@aireddown813]

Thank you! The lift works out to be 4” of spring lift and a 1” body lift. Before I did the 37s, I just had the 4” lift and it was perfect with 35s.

[@brandonwells373]

@@aireddown813 great! Thanks for the info

[@justinkostelecky6201]

Awesome Jeep! I’m putting together a ‘77 CJ5 trail Jeep myself. 304, T18, D20 w/ terra-low gears, 4.88’s with 35s. I may have missed it, but what did you say you had for axle gears? Just subscribed, looking forward to seeing more of that CJ!

[@aireddown813]

Thanks for the compliments! Your Jeep sounds like it’ll be setup very well. Mine have 4.30 gears. 4.88 will be awesome for the trail. I still hit the freeway once and a while and do 65 MPH, and I’m at 3,000 RPM with 37s. If you don’t plan on doing much more than 55, your 4.88s will be just right.

[@joeh1940]

Where did u get that fuse panel from? Also what radiator did you use?

[@aireddown813]

The fuse block comes in a kit with weatherpak pins from Amazon. Search little fuse weather sealed fuse box.

[@aireddown813]

Also, I used a summit brand aluminum radiator. Meant for a CJ5

[@qweef69]

Hey i have a noob question I cant seem to find an answer for on the forums. If i were to do a rodeo 44 swap on my early cj would i need anything for the brakes? Or do I tie into the preexisting lines? The jeep amc yard here in sac has a wagoneer 44 also that i saw has discs also. Is it that strait forward or am i missing something?

[@aireddown813]

You’ll need to adapt the hardlines from metric to standard. I had to re-flare the rodeo lines with a standard nut. Adapting the e brakes was a huge pain the required welding up a custom flange.

[@qweef69]

@@aireddown813 thanks! no fancy brake booster like any modern car?

[@aireddown813]

@@qweef69 I swapped in a YJ master cylinder and brake booster in long before the rear axle. Before, I had manual brakes and that wasn’t cutting it for sure. If you are disk front drum rear now, you probably won’t need any fancy upgrades to swap in the rodeo.

[@lewy1]

What seats are you using? Thinking about CORBEAU BAJA JP SUSPENSION for mine.

[@aireddown813]

Mine are the Corbeau Baja RS. I like them a whole lot

[@lewy1]

@@aireddown813 thanks they look similar to the JP except they recline, I am 6 feet and just want to make sure the back is long enough.

[@aireddown813]

@@lewy1 if the backs are anything like the RS, they are tall enough for 6’ with a normal torso, but they hang way back like they are meant for a helmet.

[@Mulisha-rules]

Where did you get the stinger and how much was it

[@aireddown813]

@@Mulisha-rules it was home made, but probably still $500. Haha

[@lewy1]

Did you do your own exhaust? I am going to be putting a 4.3 into mine and the exhaust looks tight, would like it as high in the frame as possible. On the Dana 20 did it have the 6 spline or 10 I want to do the 3.15 as well.

[@aireddown813]

Yes, I did my own exhaust. It wasn’t too bad, but it was a chore trying to make it all fit right. I still just barely rub the front driveline one the exhaust wrap. My dana 20 actually had the later model 23 spline output, but I still broke it. Went to an Advance Adapter HD output. I love the 3.15 gears, but make sure you shim the rear output shifter detent spring. Mine likes to pop out of gear, so I use a ghetto strap to keep the thing in gear.

[@lewy1]

Aired Down thanks I was concerned with the input, read something about a 6 spline input, but that might be for the bronco version.

[@aireddown813]

Oh okay. Yeah the spur gear that bolts onto the back of the tranny. I haven’t heard of too much issue with those. Mostly just use the correct nut and torque so the gear doesn’t loosen up on the tranny output. I’m also not too sure about different spline counts on them, but what you’re saying about the bronco sounds familiar.

[@cj7andotherjeeps940]

Nice rig man.

[@aireddown813]

Cj7 and other Jeeps - Thank you my friend :)

[@ExploringStillConnected]

Looking good, the fuel tank really makes me jealous. I need to learn CAD.

[@aireddown813]

Reyes Murrieta - Thanks! If you get the opportunity, you should definitely learn CAD. It’s actually pretty easy, just a steepish learning curve.

[@jonstarritt848]

Download Fusion360 and sign up for a free startup license. It's pretty intuitive and has more and better features than almost every other free CAD software. It is "cloud" based however, I know that deters some people because all of your designs and models reside on a server owned by Autodesk somewhere.

[@jamescrud]

@@jonstarritt848 Yeah cloud based is a deal breaker especially when they charge for using the software. The designs and IP (intellectual property) you come up with belong to you. Being forced to store them on their servers is a load of bullshit.

[@michaelwier1222]

I know I'm a little late, but how long did it take you to build this awesome rig? I know you did much of the fab work yourself, but what was the cost? If you don't mind me asking.

[@aireddown813]

Hey there. It took me 8 years to build it to this level. I definitely took the long route as money was always tight. As far as cost, that’s very difficult to say, but with the price of buying the Jeep included, I probably have $24K into this thing. Haha, and it ain’t even close to worth that! I did recoup a lot of costs by selling the stuff that came off it during the upgrades. With that factored in I probably have $20K in it.

[@michaelwier1222]

@@aireddown813 Thanks for the response on an old video. Eight years....that's a long time to wait to get the ride you want! Not worth it? I don't know, if you were to sell I bet you could get 30k. Ask high and go down some, that way everyone feels as though they got a deal. Thanks again for the response. I'm a new subscriber, keep up the good work.

[@aireddown813]

@@michaelwier1222 Thanks for subscribing! You know the funny thing is I liked building this rig as much as wheeling it. I really like the problem solving and fabrication aspect. If I didn’t, it certainly wouldn’t be worth it to make a rig by hand over so many years.

[@michaelwier1222]

@@aireddown813 You did a fantastic job! Wish I had the knowledge and skills to do what you have done. Take care, be safe.

[@jqcj5]

Could you provide more info on the air compressor manifold? I've been looking for something clean and simple like that.

[@aireddown813]

The manifold is a CNC part made by a friend of mine. I’d ask him about it, but he was just involved in a head-on collision and he’s in bad shape. When he gets a little better, I’ll bug him about potentially getting one made. I can answer any functionality questions, but he can make it however you want.

[@jqcj5]

@@aireddown813 That would be awesome. Hope he pulls through okay.

[@joeh1940]

@@aireddown813.I would be interested in a manifold piece to... jeep is killer

[@aireddown813]

@@joeh1940 he’s back from the hospital, I’ve been bugging him about making some. He’s down, but he’s been busy.

[@michaelcastillo1474]

thxs for the video... where did u get your top from, I have a 77 cj5 also

[@aireddown813]

No problem. It’s just a basic super top. I got it from summit racing.

[@michaelcastillo1474]

@@aireddown813 cool thxs

[@jasontaylor6341]

Nice rig man! I have a 77 cj5 on full width tons. Looks like we are neighbors? I’m of north Los Altos and vista. We should go wheelin some time.

[@aireddown813]

Nice man! Sounds like a bad ass rig. We should 100% go wheeling.

[@jamiepope919]

You mentioned about a Canadian company that has something to do with the steering stabilizer do you happen to remember who that is? Also do you remember what year of Astro van you got that Pitman arm from?

[@aireddown813]

Northwest fab makes that piece. I wish I remembered the year Astro van, but when I was looking, I just found the one with the pitman arm that stuck straight down and operated in a pendulum like swing. I think all those are the same. My most ballpark guess is early 90s

[@jamiepope919]

Thanks man ... hope I can figure out this steering problem with me Jeep ...

[@aireddown813]

Jamie Pope -Good luck man. I fought so many issue to get mine dialed, keep at it and don’t give up. After figuring out all of the steering components and placements, the final thing I had to do was buy new tires and that finally cured my death wobble.

[@jamiepope919]

Aired Down yeah I’m going to Change up a couple things with my Jeep after watching the video on your front end ....I appreciate your video and your help ... and god dame your Jeep is nice btw

[@aireddown813]

@@jamiepope919 Thanks Homie!

[@romanjimenez4378]

I love your Jeep my friend, would you be so kind to tell me the size of your tires? 🙏🏻

[@aireddown813]

Thank you very much! The tires are 37 inch diameter. The size on the side of the tire is 37x12.50R17

[@romanjimenez4378]

@@aireddown813 thank you very much my friend! your Jeep is very nice! I have a cj5 71 in the project, I would like to make it like yours 🙌🏻

[@jeep534h7]

This is an awsum build "little Pup" is a 94 YJ that I am installing a Mercedes OM617 into I also have a Jeep T18 and model 20 running into a 9 inch ford which I installed disc brakes on I am very interested in the Fuel Tank would it be possible to get a copy of the drawings I have access to a variety of applications as well as acess to a 4 X 8 CNC Plasma table I am Currently setting up the rear suspension and would like a little strech thank you archie

[@aireddown813]

That’s sounds like a great build! I think a 9” is a fantastic rearend for a CJ. I hate to be like this, but we plan on selling that fuel tank soon, so I don’t want to share the files, but I can get you some measurements if that helps.

[@jeep534h7]

@@aireddown813 hmmmmm radious and radious to back of tank

[@jeep534h7]

We had been talking about doing a behind the seat with a sump through the floor

[@aireddown813]

Jeep534 h Honestly that’s what I’m going to next. I want to stretch the rear axle back another 10”, and the gas tank will have to go.

[@jeep534h7]

I did the fab work on the oil pan and paid a professional to tig weld it up lol

[@gunsandgears4218]

Please come help me build my Jeep and get it on the road/trails. I’m over my head!!!!

[@aireddown813]

I know the feeling! There’s been so many times when I’ve wondered WTF am I doing here, but you gotta eat the elephant one bite at a time.

[@chrismarinock520]

Videos to long. Intros to long. I'm out