My Willys 3A and 3B Community
Rambling, Malarky, Rants, Etc. => Rambling, Malarky, Rants, Etc... => Topic started by: RandyA on February 13, 2012, 04:04:24 PM
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OK...I have wanted a CJ for most of my life...finally found one in my price range...read cheap....it will never be perfect in someone else's eye...but I am starting to fall in love....cue music...now the problem....I have been happily married to ol whats her name for 37 years now...I have only owned Beuhla for about a year and a half...and I have allready spent more on that jeep in that short time frame than on the lady who lives in my house, in all those years...so....my question....should I buy a new wiring harness for Beuhla...or install that dual master cylinder I have been looking at??? Thanks for your expertise...
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The first thing you should do is start hiding the receipts. :o
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I'd say "I don't know what you mean.", but I'd be lying through my teeth.
Wife dislikes jeep too....mostly cause it more resembles a pile of rusty parts than a jeep, but it's her fault. I remind her that if she only let me spend more $$$, I'd gotten one that didn't need so much work! �;D
I've heard that a boat is a hole in the water into which you throw money. Clearly said by someone who is not restoring a vintage jeep! :D
And yes.....keep only half the receipts where she can find them......
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as for receipts...used to keep them in a cigar box...now i have moved on too one of those christmas jobs that would rent as a small apartment in most countries...I use the cigar box to throw the boss off the scent.... ;)
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Randy, just rewire it yourself. It doesn't have to be a loom, The wiring diagram is easy to follow and you can tape the wires together or use nylon wire ties. It's cheaper and just as good, AND, any wire can be replaced with little trouble if needed.
I have a friend that likes guitars. Over the years he has collected over 50 guitars. At the beginning he would carry an empty guitar case out of the house that his "NEW" find would fit in. Later that evening he would come home from "playing guitar with his friends" with the old case and a new guitar. Later he would sneak the new case in. He got by with that for many years but she finally looked it the room he was hiding them in. It turned out she wasn't to mad about it because she knew he enjoyed them and they were still worth a lot of money.
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Moral to Carlsjeep story,"Learn to play the jeep" ;)
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Hmm...Maybe there is a market for a "jeep hiding case"........I guess you could use an enclosed trailer to do the same thing but how do you introduce a new enclosed trailer to the equation?
SImpler to be single. Heck I have saved thousands on chocolate and flowers. ;D ;D
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Well, Larry the collector is now divorced but not over the guitars. His wife teaches piano for U of L college and he is an airline pilot. Music or guitars did not part them.
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Valentine's Roses from 1800FLOWERS.COM $89.50, Kaiser Willys order $176.00. I just hope her order came before mine. I can't wait for her birthday so I can buy her something nice, about a suspension overhaul kit in value....
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Do yourself a favor and get a painless wiring kit, it will make you want to jump off a bridge way less than any other part or component that I ever bought.
Or do the brakes first, that way you don't crash thus no longer having a jeep to work on.
As for hiding money pits... I can't really help you there. I am single at the moment, and the only other lady to boss me around about expenses (Mom) likes my jeep quite a bit.
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I am lucky my wife has her daddy's 1960 Chey 3/4 ton stepside longbed we have about $12,000 in paint, new wood bed, tires etc. But it was her daddy's that he bought new and he has since passed. I sold my Honda 650 rincon and bought a 1946 CJ2A #72643 for $1500 with intentions of using as a farm jeep and rebuild it going forward. Every time I buy a part or due some swapping you would think I was pulling HER teeth. If I was you 1. hide the receipts like someone else mentioned or 2. Do all the grocery shopping and always write the check for $20-$30 over and put it in your Willys fund(she taught me that trick). But if your wiring is holding up I would go for the duel MC safety is important in these rigs. good luck :)
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A friend of mine had the "three day rule". Buy it, bring it home and leave it in plain sight for three days, if she doesn't say anything about by then, when she does ask you can always say "that ol thing, its been here forever". And never ever ever show a receipt...
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DESTROY ALL RECEIPTS AFTER PART IS BOLTED AND TESTED :-X
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...and I have allready spent more on that jeep in that short time frame than on the lady who lives in my house, in all those years...so....my question....should I buy a new wiring harness for Beuhla...or install that dual master cylinder I have been looking at???
There's been a lot said about the pros and cons of building or buying the wiring harness in the Tech Talk portion of this site. �I believe you'll get plenty of guidance there. �I, too, have been quite interested in installing a dual master cylinder but haven't found one that quite meets my expectations. �Have you found one you would recommend? �
As far as keeping the wife in the dark about the expenses, I guess I'm really lucky. �My wife has enjoyed being close to every step of my Jeep project. �She's often worked along side me with it. �She's almost always on board when ever the Jeep hits the trails (as you've seen in the pics of so many of my posts). �She also enjoys driving whenever she gets a chance.
(http://i389.photobucket.com/albums/oo336/calvinhunt/MtnJeepin003.jpg)
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Calvin, I am sure my beautiful bride will enjoy riding in my mistress as much as your wife enjoys yours...I like the color of your Jeep...it kinda matches mine except mine is 40% yeller and 40% rust.....the missing 20%...... is missing....As for the master cylinder changeover...I am thinking that set up that Herm offers....I think I am going for the harness from Walkes, just mainly for the ease and being able too install a little quicker...Thanks for all the advice guys....appreciate it....
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Love this string! Just what a new Willys fan needed!
Dan ;)
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Welcome D, if you own a Willys you just landed in Jeep nirvana... If your CJ3A is not running make sure your computer is, you'll be on it a lot. As a fellow new guy I can tell you that you will need to know at least 3 things to get started:
#1 Bringing a new CJ3A to these pages is like bringing a new baby home to the family. It can have 3 toes and be crosseyed and everyone here will tell you how beautiful it is.
#2 Learn PhotoBucket
#3 Learn PhotoBucket
Others will help you start you Willys ...
PS #4.. Read between the lines, besides having some very smart people here there is also some people with histories as rich as the Willys CJ3A.
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Amen brother!!!!!!!!! �
�I picked it up at the local bone yard sittin out by the road. By rights she should be a parts doner but I have a vision!!! Don't we all? �Rusty as all get out, Brand new looking goodyears if you ignore all the weathered cracks. Came with a plow minus any way to lift it. Plow frame is still under my little cutie.
Even has what I've searched to be a Koenig Cab. It stops just behind the seats not the all the way to the tail gate version. �
First evening home was a real treat. My 19yr old son was at his auto tech class so I started without him. Soaked the head with WD around the plugs didn't even give it a try the way they looked. Been there-Done that. �checked the dip stick and was surprised to find a fresh batch of nice clear oil. Gulp! Why would this be? Found 93 chaulked on the radiator shroud. Last oil change me thinks. Tossed in a 12 volt battery. Then a toggle switch with resistor to the coil. About then sonny boy rolled in from school. Time to turn it over! �Pulled the plugs, all snapped loose just like I planned. Layed them on the head to see about spark. Had junior give it a shot with the foot pedal and it turned over like nobodys business! �No Spark though. Pulled the cap which looked good inside and made my way to the points. Didn't think the green stuff was factory so I scratched them clean with my pocket knife and gapped them as best as I could remember a match book thickness. Still no spark, Put them back in to see how she would turn over with compression and tossed a little fuel down the carb for good measure. Much to our surprise she fired! �Original fuel pump had been abandoned and an electric pump had been added but nolonger functioned. �Can anyone say gravity feed!!!!!!!! Put the can on the radiator and sucked some fuel to the carb. Still cant believe it ran. �warmed it up a bit and then started pushin in the choke. It idled down and purd like a kitten. � STill at half choke so I'm guessin the idle circuit will need some attension! �What a riot, were hooked!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://s1255.photobucket.com/albums/hh625/DanErikson/?action=view¤t=Willy3.jpg
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Great story, Dave. Can't wait to hear more!
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I had to respond to this thread... humor and some good Jeep advice combined!
Rule #1: When you get married the 2nd time, be sure she owns a Jeep! (It worked for me.)
Rule #2: Explore options for alternative shipping addresses for your parts. It may save you tax if you work in one state but live across the border like me. It also keeps the parts boxes (and receipts / packing list) off the front porch. You know... out of sight, out of mind!
Rule #3: Tell her that you are restoring a piece of American automotive history and be sure to show her how much that Willys sold for at the Barrett Jackson (sp?) auction out west!
My wife accepts my Jeep addiction, but she also refers to my CJ3A as "the blonde *" (read: other woman), however, I like to refer to the CJ3A as "Old Yeller!"
I like my Willys Jeep for a lot of reasons. She lets me take a ride whenever I want. She doesn't care if I leave the garage door up or down. She doesn't get mad when I look at other Jeeps. She doesn't get mad when I look under the hood of my buddy's Jeep. She actually likes the calendars and magazines with photos of other Jeeps.
(I can go on...!) �;)
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The resto saga continues!
�Well, she runs! Next step,lets go for some gears. �Sonny boy stepped on the clutch pedal but all he could get was some grind. �Ouch! Hate that sound. �Called it a day. �Chatted with a few buddies at work and we all agreed the pressure plate must be stuck on the flywheel. Gotta pop it some how. �Before we parked it against the nearest tree we decided just try rocking it. �Sonny boy #2 was home from college so he jumped in put it in gear and stepped on the clutch. My mechanic trainee and I started pushin and pullin, SNAP and she rolled free!! �Fire it up! �She moved in all gears and the trans feels nice and tight. �Clutch felt pretty good too with plenty of pedal. �Everybody took a turn makin the 8' trip back and forth in the garage. �Found one issue though, NO BRAKES. � The next day we thought it was time for the 100' trip back and forth down the driveway. Turned out she works in both high and low ranges. �Back to the garage to the jack stands to test the 4WD! �All worked well.
Now she �sits on the stands with all the hubs pulled and brakes stripped out of her. Shoes had a bunch of meat on them so we left them hang.
Now we're waiting for the tax return to replace all the hydraulic parts of the brake system. �Got all the parts already on the wish list!
Thank goodness for all the stash some cash ideas you guys have perfected!
�Dan
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Welcome Dan,
Enjoying your posts already. It's great to relive past experiences through someone else. As BMIC stated a bit earlier, Learn PhotoBucket. We'd love to see some pics of your new acquisition. Being born in the BC (before computers) myself, it was difficult to master the technique, but I did. With your young sons at home it should be a since.
Again, welcome.
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Dan...good stories...also good memories your making with your sons...sounds like you have all ready adopted a new member ....with a Willys logo....good luck with your project....