My Willys 3A and 3B Community
Your Projects => Your CJ-3A Project => Topic started by: Steve on October 05, 2013, 08:53:20 PM
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Last weekend I started the process of removing the roll bar, diamond plate from the bed, and other bits and pieces.� Soon, I will restore the tub and fenders. I bought the Jeep with an understanding that ran two years ago prior to being parked. There was also a rumor that the engine had been worked on recently.The former owner died so obviously, there was no way to know any history of the Jeep. Fluids looked good and there were no leaks, so I was optimistic that it might run.
Long story short, with little effort and no experience, I got the Jeep running. After a five minute warm-up the engine purrs like a kitten. Hubs work, tranny works in all modes, no funny noises or smoke. Only glitch is that the carb seems a bit cranky, but I figure a bit of running might smooth it out as well. I am feeling lucky...time to buy some lottery tickets!
Now that I know that engine and drive train work, next weekend will start the process of tub removal. From what I have read on this forum so far, the steering wheel promises to be a real joy.� Below is a picture of my maiden voyage.
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Great looking jeep, and it runs and drives...! Don't bother with the lottery ticket, you have used up all your luck for this week...!
Start soaking that steering wheel hub right now with PB blaster or AeroKroil..I think Aerokroil is the best but it's hard to find..
I used a Harbor Freight 30305 gear puller set to pull my steering wheels. Put a bolt down the inner steering tube and rest the puller against the head...
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A super start. Most people wish for a starter Jeep in that condition. Great score.
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Boy what a great start. Congrat's.
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Looks perfectly good to me as it is.
Why tear it apart.
Just drive it and have loads of fun.
It's lots cheaper that way as well.
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You are correct that things are in pretty good shape and I could just drive it. However, I have the winter to play a bit and there are some things that need attention.
I do not plan on trying to make the jeep a car show specimen, but make it structurally solid and mechanically sound. The work that needs to be done in both regards is pretty minimal when compared to most, so I anticipate that the vehicle will be ready to roll by next spring.
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Had a few hours to spend in the shop and started the process of taking apart the body. The bolts all cooperated with a little encouragement from PB Blaster. Hardest part was dealing with the fact that certain things were welded together that should not have been.
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The front frame rails and the bumper look good....I looked at a number of jeeps where they were pretty beat up and poorly repaired....
And I see you have one of those little brackets that go from the bottom drivers side radiator mount to the fender....my jeep had one and I wondered if it was an add on or factory...looks like it probably is factory....
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You have good eyesight to spot that bracket. If there is anything else you want me to post pictures of just let me know.
The frame looks straight and solid throughout. I suspect that this Jeep has spent all of its life in the near-desert conditions of Eastern Oregon. Although I am not an expert, it doesn't look like it had a hard life either banging into things, off roading, etc.� So far, I feel lucky to have stumbled onto this particular one. Only time will tell if my luck holds....
Steve
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And I see you have one of those little brackets that go from the bottom drivers side radiator mount to the fender....my jeep had one and I wondered if it was an add on or factory...looks like it probably is factory....
Initially those brackets were included from the factory with the side mounted radiators but then later on they were eliminated.
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And I see you have one of those little brackets that go from the bottom drivers side radiator mount to the fender....my jeep had one and I wondered if it was an add on or factory...looks like it probably is factory....
Initially those brackets were included from the factory with the side mounted radiators but then later on they were eliminated.
When I was driving the chassis around I could see that lower left corner of the radiator and grill flexing and vibrating quite a bit.
I'll be sure and put the brace back when I put it together.
I wonder if they changed the radiator design or stiffened the grill some way, it sure looked like the radiator mount could fail where it attaches to the radiator with all that movement.
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The grill design did change, I'm not sure if that's when the bracket was eliminated. Seems like a good point for the change.
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Steve,
I've been looking at the pictures again....your jeep looks like it is in excellent condition. The diffs have a little dirt but are not caked with old oil and dirt, and the knuckles look the same...some surface dirt and oil is expected, but you seem to have missed out on the heavily caked on 1/2" thick stuff....and if you managed to remove most of the bolts so far without twisting 3/4" of them in two you are very lucky....
Be sure to take multiple pictures of everything as you take it apart...and put the nuts and bolts and fasteners in well marked baggies.
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Lots of baggies for sure. One bolt today proved to be quite challenging and ended up headless and in the frame. There is a pretty good layer of crud near the wheels. Today, I encountered the first unexpected discovery.� Sometime in the past a previous owner had pop riveted sheet metal to the driver and passenger floors. (I am sure that you know where this is headed....) I pulled up the drivers side to discover what is pictured. The good is that the rust does not extend up the floor toward the pedals. The bad is that it extends a bit up the hump at the transmission. I am sure that the riveted patch on the passenger side will also reveal more bad news.
� Given that patch panels appear to be readily available, aside from the expense :-X, a reasonable solution should be at hand.
Steve
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Oh yes! I had a layer pop riveted on top of another rusted out layer that had been buck riveted in over the rusted out original floors!!
Still, your's looks pretty good.....The factory put wood inside the "hat" channels for whatever reason...so they retained moisture and rusted out....
Rather than clutter up your thread with my pictures, you can look here
http://www.cj3apage.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1360037699
And don't hesitate to ask if you have a question...
Randy
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Wow. I looked at your thread. Inspiring. Now I know what a really bad body looks like.
Somebody did a bunch of work on the body of mine while it was on the frame and the welds don't look nearly as nice as the ones you did.
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Thanks Steve...I had some good moments, and some bad ones..!
There are a few different floor panels available, and from the look of your floors you could probably just buy some steel and make your own...take a look at athawk11's thread....he even made the hat channels!
http://www.cj3apage.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1364925701
You will probably need a 4 1/2" side grinder if you don't already have one...
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Congrats on your new project and welcome! You are in for some fun times.
My M38 also came to me with a little wolf in sheep's clothing surprises. If you are handy you can make a lot of stuff yourself. The payoff is you save a ton of money but it requires a lot more dedicated time.
If you are bored sometime, check out my restore pics on the blue link below.
Brett
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Thanks guys. It is very helpful to see the various solutions to the issues that come up while working on these Jeeps. I have a long way to go in developing my skills.
Steve
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Keep going with it, you will be suprised and pleased with what you can do. Here are my pics on this site. The albums don't have much for my jeep but the pages on this top bar do. I have sometimes gotten a little discouraged with how long it has taken but looking back realize I did a lot of work and biggest drawback was lack of work space. Plus I didn't know what I was getting into so what the heck just go ahead and start
http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/showgallery.php?ppuser=689&cat=500&page=1
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Kept rolling today. Wow, as many of you have noted, the toolbox is a pain in the rear to get out.� It took forever.I managed to not butcher it too badly.
Other accomplishment was to get all of the bolts off that hold the tub to the frame. Tomorrow it's disconnecting the wiring and other bits that are on the tub.
I had ample opportunity today to spend time under the jeep looking upward.� Of course, I now realize there is more bodywork than I first thought.� One thing at a time....
Steve
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Reached a decision point today with regard to getting the tub off the frame...the wiring. I initially thought that I was going to save the wiring, it isn't too bad and looks like it was done pretty recently. That was until I went under the dash an was confronted with a bunch of electrical tape and a mishmash of wires. Time to get out the wire cutters. Not happy about the expense and time of a rewire, but not having to worry about keeping track of all the wires at this point is a plus. Getting close to the point of tub removal...
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I recommend Vintage Wiring of Maine for your harnesses. You get quality work and you get with them to get it done how you want the jeep wired. Top notch material.
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I just finished (nearly) installing a harness from Walck's. It is a well made harness with excellent fit. Best to call with your needs though as the web site can be a little confusing...
All your pictures didn't open for me at first....now I see you have an alternator. I think that any harness from Walcks will be for an original 6v jeep with a generator.
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Thanks. Yes 12V. I have the 6V in a box that came with the Jeep. Probably going to leave it 12V, but don't have to decide right now.
Steve
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Got the steering wheel off last night. I used a gear puller that I both from Amazon (Professional Automotive repair 14pc Gear Puller set) that was about $25 bucks delivered. The bang when the wheel finally let loose was impressive to say the least. On to the next challenge.
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They get pretty well stuck!
I put a little anti-seize on mine this time, we'll see if it helps...
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Got the tub off of the frame. The good news: frame looks to be in excellent condition at least from a first look standpoint it doesn't appear to need any work.
The bad news, the tub might not be worth saving. Firewall, dash, and cowl, are generally fine. Floors need work, but are doable. Power wash revealed original paint colors that don't match between floors and rear bed. Rear bed was poorly replaced sometime in the past. Between rust, support replacement, poorly done Bondo, sheet metal welded on top of side panels around rear of jeep on both sides, and more "fun" items, the cost involved in replacing everything, from the floors back (toolbox might be salvageable) gets pretty darn close to a replacement tub. Not an easy call, but at the moment I am leaning toward purchasing a new tub. Taking this path doesn't feel quite "right," but given what little there is to work with and my limited skill set, it may be the best course.
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Be sure to do some research on the replacement tubs.
MDJuan is working to improve them.....
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Good advice. Reading the MDJuan thread on this site has been helpful. It looks like a number of improvements to the tub have been made very recently, although it looks like some issues still need to be addressed.
Steve
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That is a tough call. I was dead in the water for a bit after I got my frame and running gear all done. I was torn between a repro tub and this was in 05 when pretty much all comments were negative and fixing one up. I ended up getting 2nd jeep and that tub was used along with lot's of pieces from Classic enterprises, some pieces bought and some made. I'm glad I did it and if you get a good mig welder and have a good air compressor you have a good bit of the battle won. Classic has a lot more repair items now as he listens pretty good to what customers needed. I would encourage you to try and do your own work and just do a careful evaluation of things.
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One thing at a time. I decided to learn more about the Cutlas hubs and see if they were going to work. Took them off and they were filled to the brim with nastily, dirt-contaminated grease. Somehow, my fumbling around me met with success in getting them apart. The same nylon bearing as shown in the tech tips on this site, but a completely different design (seems to be the precursor to the one shown in the second flyer in the tech tips).� Nylon bearing was in good shape as was everything else. I think that are going to work for another 50 years.
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After posting the pictures, I noticed the 9-69 mark. I would guess that this is the manufacturing date.
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Engine and tranny are out in one piece. A bit scary to have it swinging around in the air.
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Canyon Run!� Runs like a champ.� Couldn't have done it without the help of forum members. Thanks to all.
***modified by quebecjeep, flipped pictures***
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Nice jeep. You below the equator?
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Nice work Steve....Those repro tubs do look great once the bugs get ironed out....
I'm sure someone can flip that picture for us......
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Eastern Oregon. The town in the distance is La Grande.
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Steve,
It looks beautiful, but I must protest.� There is a whole lot missing between...
"Engine and tranny are out in one piece."
and...
"Canyon Run!� Runs like a champ."
;)
Tim
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Steve,
It looks beautiful, but I must protest.� There is a whole lot missing between...
"Engine and tranny are out in one piece."
and...
"Canyon Run!� Runs like a champ."
;)
Tim
LOL I was thinking the same thing! I posted roughly 4 million questions during my overhaul and Steve goes from yanking the engine to a Canyon Run in a handful of keystrokes� :o
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Sorry. :P I didn't document stuff much at all with the camera. Most of my energy was spent posting my experiences with the replica tub and body parts. Also, most of the winter my fingers were too greasy and/or frozen to take pictures. I think that the majority of the weekend days working on the jeep were well below freezing in the shop.
Steve
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