My Willys 3A and 3B Community
Your Projects => Your CJ-3A Project => Topic started by: Squishymonster on November 01, 2019, 11:56:42 AM
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My 53 arrived Halloween morning, along with the first snow of the year. Since it wouldn't start, I was pleasantly surprised to find a rough but functional tow bar in the cab. It is nowhere near a slop-free fit, but it did the trick for getting it towed into the barn without much hassle.
I only had about an hour and a half to get it moved and poke it a bit. It wouldn't start. Cranks, but I only got about one cylinder pop out of the whole endeavor. And unfortunately I'm about to head out on a two week vacation so this is going to be driving me nuts the whole time :)
There are several new parts under the hood. I don't know, but I get the impression that the previous owner was pumping some spare change into it trying to get it to run, and decided to cut his losses. The radiator has been rodded, the head and water pump have been serviced in some manner - they are both newly painted forest green. The block is old steel. New belt, carb, distributor, ignition switch, plugs, wires.
The carb's "cruise control" throttle and choke cables were disconnected. I can mostly make out how they work.
After cranking it a bit I started to pull the carb fuel-in line, but after getting it half off it was very clearly pressurized from my previous start attempts, so I put it back on. Spark on cylinder one was solid. Plug didn't seem wet to me, and after cranking it a few times with plug 1 out, I didn't see or smell excessive fuel in the cylinder.
There's a little nut (square head in my case) near the bottom of the carb on the side. I pulled that to see if I could detect fuel moving through the carb, but no. Behind the nut was a very small dark hole and I didn't see anything pour or spray out while cranking the engine.
I ran out of time, but inside the house I started learning some about the oil pump and distributor orientation / relationship - really neat!
This morning I quickly checked the distributor, and my cylinder 1 cable is _not_ in the factor stock location. Right now I'm thinking that I want to pull the distributor to check the oil pump notch orientation and work backwards from there.
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Is this the 53 CJ3A that was recently on CL in the KC area ?
I'm wondering because I'm hoping to find a 1953 3A that is titled in Mo.
Good Luck with it !
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I'm not sure, but it sounds possible. I found it through willysforsale.com and its currently on page 6. Title for MO so far.
My searchtempest searches never brought it up in MO though.
I ended up paying $530 for hauling to IL. Check out uship.com if you find something further than you want to drive, and can handle the extra cost.
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It almost wanted to turn over tonight, but lots of backfiring and exhaust. Way different from yesterday. Maybe the cold and sub freezing temps gave it issues. Also the starter sou ds line it free wheels and spins down after each attempt and that didnt happen yesterday.
It doesnt have a muffler at the moment. I might need to address that so the neighbors dont think I'm shooting at 9 in the evening :)
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I'm out of state for another week so there's not much I can do, or is there? I ordered a muffler, tail pipe, hangers, throttle/choke cables, Nd the shop manual - all waiting at home for my return. After I I stall the muffler, I'll check the firing order before cranking it again.
I realized with about $/0 in Harbor Freight tools I could start learning how to move sheet metal so when it comes time to patch my passenger floor / tool box I wont be quite so clueless.
Here is a WIP top and bottom lid of a "lunchbox". Flatties are basically big lunch boxes on wheels, right?
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I got home from vacation late Saturday. Sunday afternoon I had a couple of hours to work on the 3a. The 1st night I tried to start it it didn't do much at all - turned over, but didn't fire. The 2nd night it seemed completely different - it fired, and backfired loudly and often, but sounded like the timing was so far off there's no way it would run.
So on vacation I read up a lot on proper oil pump and distributor installation. First thing I did on Sunday was check the distributor. It has been installed at the incorrect orientation, I left it for now, and verified that cylinder one was wired to fire at TDC. When I saw that was correct my heart sunk a little. Luckily for me, firing order for 3 and 4 were reversed. I switched the wires and it started right up! It idled great, maybe needing a small amount of choke.
Next I needed to work out a seat. PO or PPO chopped the seat frames and mounted cloth high backs to them, they were not installed when I purchased it. Plus they were gross and rotted. I had to use the angle grinder to separate the original seat pan from the newer seat pan but I think I preserved the original pretty well.
I plopped that down loose over the gas tank, put a folded tarp on it, and sat down. I am not familiar with the transmission and transfer case levers, so it took some experimenting and a quick gear pattern search. I knew it started in neutral since I towed it to its current resting place. Pushing that clutch with no seat back is an exercise for sure... at first I couldn't get it into any gear - I could hear the gears still spinning and grinding even with the clutch pushed. Maybe it took some pumping to build up enough pressure to disengage - or something else was just stiff from non-use. After some futzing I was able to get it in to each gear properly, but it wouldn't move.
I messed with the transfer case levers, put the transmission in 1st, and she wanted to roll out, but kept stalling, like there was too much resistance to get even close to rolling (but there was some pull). I put the transfer case in lo and rolled right on out of the barn! I drove it in low in a big loop around the yard, then backed it slowly back into the barn. The master cylinder is completely out, so I couldn't go fast.
Getting her to drive without too much effort was really exhilarating. I shut her down and spent the next couple of hours finding the perfect seats. They are on order now. My next project is going to be installing the new master cylinder which the PO provided, and seeing what lines I need to splice or replace. I also found that 3 lug bolts on the front driver side are cut flush so only 3 are holding on - spaced every other lug. After I evaluate the brake lines I'll check the brake drums and decide what I need to order, including the lug bolts.
Oh, I also need to install my muffler and tail pipe... but I do love the old tractor sound.
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Congratulations on getting it started and running.
Keep in mind, the driver side wheel lugs were originally left hand thread. Prior owner may not have known this, thus he snapped them off while trying to remove the wheel.
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Is this the 53 CJ3A that was recently on CL in the KC area ?
I'm wondering because I'm hoping to find a 1953 3A that is titled in Mo.
Good Luck with it !
https://kansascity.craigslist.org/cto/d/kearney-1953-willys-jeep-cj3a/7010395098.html
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I kinda wish I'd have jumped on that one.
Pert nice looking 3A body on it too !
Sure could use a title and particularly hoping to get a Missouri titled 1953 3A.
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I ordered some Carbeau suspension seats and wanted to see if I could find a comfortable spot to mount them. Unfortunately I dont think I can make them work without cutting the wheel wells. Theres just not enough leg room or space to get in and out. I think the main problem is the bottom back edge doesnt match the wheel well contour so I lose 2 or 3 inches.
Some * mouse chewed around the seat belt bezel and loaded the inside up with corn kernels so now I cant return them... Death to mice!
Next I switched to master cylinder prep. PO provided an unopened master cylinder. I removed the plunger from the pedal linkage, collected all the various master cylinder innies and outies, and got everything all cleaned up and ready to install. I wasn't sure how everything fit together so I did some googling. Since the front brake line is cut I need to get a few inches of line to splice in.
I also recently ordered original fuel tank hold down hardware but my tank doesnt have a rear hold down bracket welded on. I'm curious if this tank is modified or from a different model etc. Its also up on some 3/4 inch plywood and pipe strapped in with wood screws...
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I had 1.5 hours, plus my time at the auto parts store. I assembled the master cylinder, bench bleed, and installed it. I hooked up the rear brake line. The front line outlet has a plug, and the line needs a repair spliced in, but that will be the easy part compared to what I finished. Getting the rear line flexed in was a bit of a pain bit not terrible.
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Ordered a single Smittybilt low back bucket seat for a cj5.
Spliced my front brake line and hooked in to master cylinder.
Sprayed the bleeder valves with rust disolves and tried to use a garbage vacuum pump. I'll have to get the wife involved tomorrow.
Shook 4 dozen corn kernels out of my new muffler, and test fit it. Death to mice.
I'm pleasantly surprised by how easy the bleeders are to access, and just plain surprised by how small a wrench they require (1/4). Luckily at least the back two opened easily so far.
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I installed my muffler and tail pipe.
I tried bleeding my brakes, but the left rear is pushing a lot of air, then while trying the front right I noticed one of the rubber lines might be ripped through. I think I'm going to go ahead with a full replacement including brake cylinders.
I went for another ride around the house. I drove in 4x4 lo and hi. I couldn't get it out of 4x4. I hit 2nd gear hi!
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I did actual work with my jeep today! I moved 4 bales of hay across the property over to the barn.
I read a bit about how you need to be in 4hi to get to 2wd, so even though the in/out lever was stuck more often than not, I did manage to get into 2hi for the first time. But since I still dont have brakes, I cant do much with it.
I got a couple of wrenches from the tractor store and was able to fit them over the bleeder valves on the front. Now I just need the daughter to fall asleep long enough for my wife to help.
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On a few occasions, I had to back up a few feet to "un-bind" the gears to get it out of 4WD. Experiment the next time you're spinning around in the yard.
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My one CJ5 seat came in and I got it test fitted. It gives a comfortable amount of leg room. My seat frames were already cut so after a little more chopping, the rails line up perfectly with one of the two sets of holes.
If one wanted to make some small offset plates it would be trivial to squeeze out one more inch of leg room but you'd touching the wheel well. I might go that route a bit later.
For now I want to rebuild one corner of my frame that was chopped out so I can get a 4th bolt in there.
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Since the Smittybilt seat fits well, I ordered one for the passenger side as well. I also ordered brake cylinder rebuild kits, and the rubber lines for the whole brake system since mine are pretty shot. I would still prefer to have whiplash protection, but I'll start with these.
I picked up some 1 inch mild steel tube and 2 inch angle channel to rebuild the corner and back of the seat frame to support a 4th bolt, and I got some smaller tube to make spacers for the bolts to fit into so they can be snugged down without the seat vinyl contacting the frame. Unfortunately I won't get chance to weld this evening, but possibly Thursday evening, or Saturday.
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I got two of four rubber brake lines replaced. I also took off the rear right brake wheel cylinder because it wouldnt bleed properly. Turns out it was pretty rusted solid and took some vice and hammer work to get apart. I think I'll order replacements.
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I tried my hand at rebuilding my rear left wheel cylinder and I think it went pretty well. I had to do a lot of digging to get the old dry rubber out of the pistons, and the inside needed some sanding. I picked up a honing tool but it doesnt fit the 3/4 cylinders so sandpaper and a metal rod were my plan B.
I ordered a set of four replacements but at $30 a pop, I'm not sure which way I'll go yet. If I use the new ones maybe I'll list the relbuilts for someone that wants slightly more OEM.
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IMHO, even with the mess, you'll be happier with the rebuilds. On small cylinders, I'd use my finger and sand paper. Easy to feel and control pressure. Lots of brake fluid to rinse. Once you've done a few, it's not so bad. I once did a clutch cylinder on a Toyota out on the beach with a couple of hand tools, a sheet of 400 grit and 3 bottles of brake fluid (that was fun).
It is possible that the new ones may have lower quality parts. I ordered new (and a year later ordered rebuild kits for all 4 - have already rebuilt the rear).
Another option is you could rebuild what you have, then install the new ones. IF (I did say "if") one fails you have an immediate replacement-that you already know fits-ready to go. An opinion on your previous post: Test fit the new bleed screws into the old one so that you know. That one that was stopped up may contaminate the new rebuild so either tape or a bleed screw that fits.
just my .02 cents worth.
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I'm learning more about this machine all the time. It's so foreign compared to modern vehicles that I feel like I'm discovering operation of some alien craft.
Today I finished replacing rubber and metal lines in the front brake circuit, and bled them. I still need to swap the front wheel cylinders but couldnt get a hub socket yet.
I finally took her out for her first on road test of about 3 miles. I was so afraid I was going to get stranded and be walking home. The brakes are not too strong yet so I have some tinkering to do there. There was a whole lot of play in the steering. Lots of rattles and wheel wobble that seemed to chill out after some time. Might be due to the gnarly rotten old tires that haven't rolled faster than 1 rpm in some years.
Cruising speed seemed normal but the transmission sounds like a tractor. Took a big gravel road mud puddle in 3rd gear like a champ but I have no wipers yet. When I got home I laughed at how water apparently splashed up through the drilled holes in the bed.
I thought the clutch was bad since I couldnt downshift into first (this is where the old hats laugh). I figured it out. Who'd have guessed?
That drive unlocks a lot of 'next step' options. For one, I need to improve the brakes a bit, and also tighten the steering. I want to replace all of the fluids, and get some not rotting tires on there - pretty much continue to make it road worthy.
I'm very happy with the engine so far. I think it's running a bit lean though since it couldnt handle all of the air.
I need to track down a short circuit in the brake wiring and wire up a new turn signal lever that I ordered from KW.
This is good times and I'm happy to finally reach this milestone!
Oh, I also picked up a spare set of axles but for now they are earmarked for my 2a build. Next I need to price out suspension, and then I can drive to Indy to get a repro frame. I think the 2a will be a restomod and the 3a will be original-ish based on the difference in their condition.
Also... I noticed when parked in the barn *rear end-out for the first time that theres a noticeable lean to the driver side. I worried about that too until I did some research ;)
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I got plates yesterday and hung them today
Spindle nut socket arrived so I got my front wheel cylinders replaced and bled. Pretty much everything brake related has been replaced and with this change the pedal went from rock hard to soft. The front cylinders were rusted shut. Now maybe I'm low on fluid. I'm going to get a vacuum bleeder so I dont need the assistant.
My battery was dead today. After a little charge my starter spun but wouldnt engage. Smacked it with a hammer but no change. Put it in gear and rocked it a bit then it engaged. I think that means busted ring gear teeth but I wasn't hearing the starter click on and off so maybe... it's just the starter "clutch"
Power seems okay until higher rpm second gear where it feels like it wants to stall. I need to do a little carb tinkering.
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Unless a previous owner was playing around, I think I have an old Navy utility jeep. I'll try to attach a couple of pics after I post. The site seems to let me attach after the fact only.
I've been making progress on my brakes and decided it was time to figure out the crazy wobble. Tires are the first step. I got a set of Deestone D503 7x16 earlier this week and I'm getting them mounted tomorrow.
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Progress! I had a lot of worn parts in the steering contributing to my wobble. Check everything from tires to steering wheel.
That Navy plate is unique. Have you checked the serial numbers to see if they match the jeeps?
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The Navy data plate is very cool. A batch of 3As were sold to the Navy. I doubt the PO was playing around.
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Not the best picture. I was running low on flash juice.
These are 7.0x16 Deestone d503. I knew nothing about tire size before this and I was super paranoid about ordering some duds. Seems to have worked out. These are just finger tight as I'm checking fit and have some drum work to finish.
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They look good, like the vintage Remingtons that are on the front of mine.
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I've been having trouble with something binding during take off and very randomly. I knew my brakes had a little binding and I thought that was it so while I swapped in the new tires I adjust all of the shoes. Now I know they are nice and free spinning when they should.
I was planning to test the tires today to see how much wobble they removed from the ride but something was still bound up.
I decided it had to be the transmission or xfer case. The transmission is in neutral. So I took the shift tower off and found a nice big ice block covering the lower gear set. I have a whole set of fluids for basically everything but my plan was to drive and get everything warmed up and flowing. Bow I'm going to have to let the tranny drain as the winter temps do their thing... I might try to devise some way to speed it along. I busted out the plumbers torch for a second and then decided it maybe isnt the smartest idea. Oh... maybe flushing hot water through it.
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I wasn't super excited to see what's going on around 3rd gear... I guess I'll drive it and start trying to source a donor t90 to rebuild.
Also drained nothing but clean water out of the xfer case.
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water....
in your transmission/ transfer case......
At least a tear-down to inspect would be smart. I can't imagine letting the gears sit through the winter would be good. Seems something, i.e. kerosene or GL 1 oil would be better than empty but I don't know what you're having to shuffle around in order to get to that point. I would probably want something in there to displace what's left of the water - just in case the bearings and surfaces are still in good condition, you'd at least not allow them to get any worse (that milky residue suggests the water may have been thoroughly mixed in).
What you do end up finding in there upon inspection will be interesting.
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How do people feel about filling and idling with kerosene to clean the sludge? I think I'd need to take all 4 wheels off the ground and put it in 4x4 and 1st gear.
I use a ground based propane heater in the winter so if kerosene settles like gasoline I think it's a non starter for me.
I bought a couple gallons of engine degreaser today and I'm thinking of closing it all back up, filling with degreaser and idling it off the floor. Maybe doing that twice, flushing with water then filling with gl1 right away.
I like your recommendation of displacing the water rather than leaving it on the surfaces.
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Your degreaser is probably a petroleum product, so is likely as dangerous as kerosene. Shut your heater off while you do this. Flushing with the degreaser probably won't hurt at this point, you've got to do something, right? I would not flush with water, you're using the degreaser to get rid of water, why put water back in to flush the degreaser out? Idle it in gear as you say, and let it drain overnight. Twice, if you like. ANY water still in there with any petroleum product will wind up in the bottom, the petrol will float on the water, unless it's stirred up well, then it will settle out with time. BW
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A good flusher is ATF. Automatic Transmission Fluid. Take it for about a 6 mile drive. Then drain it over night. Works very well in my stuff. When you ford water up to the headlights, it tends to get into things----LOL.
Wobbly front wheels that death wobble are almost always caused by worn out knuckle bearings and races. Lots more after that that creates play all the way up to the steering wheel can also cause the wobble. Oilly
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I went ahead with the ATF and did a 6 mile ride - my longest yet! The new tires felt great and took all of the severe bumpiness out of the ride - the old tires were really rough and I was worried up until this evening that there might be bigger problems.
This was the first ride were I felt like I was in something that works and needs improvement rather than something that isnt road worthy. Though I dont feel confident in its reliability yet.
Still so much to do though. I need to get another gallon of ATF swapped in. I need to drain and fill my diffs. Unfortunately the gaskets and steering knuckle I ordered from KW got lost by fedex so I'm going to have to buy another set while I wait for them to figure things out.
I'm also going to start focusing on safety equipment. I have a horn and signal ready to install and want to get seat belts.
Up at my parents in WI I have most of 2a in parts so unless a conveniently located and priced tranny and xfer case pop up sometime, I'll grab those, rebuild, and swap them in when they are ready. Then rebuild the 3a's.
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I got my diff gaskets this week and opened the covers today. I figured I'd find water or air but I guess luckily I found lube. Did you ever see the movie Prometheus? My gear lube looks like that. Thick, black, and metallic.
I got the mating surfaces all cleaned up and I'm going to put some new junk lube in there for some miles and just keep changing it a few times over the season to get the crud cycled out
I also have a very loose set of kingpin bushings and replacements for those. Pretty excited to see how much play those take out.
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And... just got back from another successful test drive. About 6 miles again. Wife's first ride!
Made a small distributor timing adjustment so I could reduce choke.
Thought I had a fuel issue because I couldnt get it to run for long when warming it up for today's test... just turns out last test drive I parked it with 30 seconds of fuel in the tank (or filter). I had a spare tank on both rides just in case.
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I displaced Crunchy for the evening to make room for bumper/crossmember painting. Turned out pretty well.
My frame horns on both ends are flared out so I need to think about heating and squashing them down. The back mounting tabs were torched off at the bend by a PO. I bought a pair of weld hinges that are just the right size to trim down.
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Btw both crossmembers are from Kaiser Willys - their US made variant.
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So I think step-next is attaching the front bumper which requires a little frame smashing. Shouldn't be a big deal.
Then the rear bumper requires some new end-tabs be welded on since a PO cut the originals off for some reason.
Then I think I'm going to work my way upward - I have a new rear seat, and 4 lap belts to install. But the bed is pretty cupped, the tailgate resembles a hard-shell taco, and the right fender was welded to the bed crooked by someone's five year old. So i have a lot of work to do back there just to get the seat in, and get my spare gas can out of the rear foot area and onto the rear of the vehicle.
I bought a Harbor Freight portable hydraulic bender yesterday that I'm going to try getting the bed a little straighter with. I am also going to pick up some lengths of round and square rod to force through parts of the tailgate to bend it straight. I'll try to photo or video some of those efforts.
Also I need to swap a headlight, and wire a bunch of stuff. I could go in a hundred different directions right now since the mechanicals are working.
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Front frame bent into shape and some welds cleaned up. Bumper installed.
Rear frame cleaned up as well and straightened out enough to clear the bumper. Test fit it but I need to weld on new frame tabs.
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Oh yeah. Swapped a dead headlight.
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Bumpers installed. Tire carrier removed - mostly because the fender is all mashed and cracked underneath.
I did mar up my bumper paint a little in the back right but I can always touch it up.
I'll also try to post a pic of the taco tailgate that I want to straighten up. My goal there is to work around to the rear right fender because its attached very loosely and sagging / bouncing.
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I went for a short 3 mile ride to warm up the ATF and drained it right when I returned. The old stuff was a well flowing mud color. It definitely picked up a lot or most of the sludge but needs another round.
I also replaced the xfer case drain plug. The new one fits much better and doesnt collide with the gearing. I'll include a comparison photo of the old and new.
I mounted a gopro and get a good hood angle and recorded my ride. I was intending to get audio for people to critique but I unwittingly put the GP inside a waterproof housing so the sound didnt come through. I'll capture again later in the week.
I am pretty sure the transmission and xfer case are louder than intended. The engine sounds pretty good though.
I turned on my phone GPS and cruised at 40mph but it's fairly loud there. It's much more pleasant at 30.
During my ride my xfer case slipped into neutral while rounding a 90 degree turn. Took me a second to figure out why I could accelerate. The xfer case engage/disengage lever likes a little pressure toward the dash to keep from rubbing gears. Without pressure I can distinctly hear it lightly spinning against a gear. I will probably bungie it for now.
I also installed a new air vent as mine was missing upon arrival. I wired it shut since my adjustment clip is busted off at the welds. Still it's a nice upgrade. That little hole let's in a surprising amount of air.
The second photo is the transmission drained of ATF after the first flush. Still messy but much better. Round 2 is in and waiting for its maiden voyage.
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That plug was hitting a gear inside the xfer case and I think it's interesting that you can see the chunks of metal missing get bigger consistently in the direction it threads in.
I would test drive it in a loop around my house / yard and sometimes after stopping and starting again something would bind like the engine was under load. And the first time I installed that plug myself I noticed it physically move the driveshaft while tightening it down.
It's fixed now but I dont think I'd have ever figured it out except by accident.
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The Jeep looks great....
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I finally got around to mashing my tailgate into shape. It took some twisting and bending, and hammering a gas pipe through the upper rail. The left latch was ripped off so I did my first "for reals" body patch and it turned out pretty good. I bought my Hobart welder 20 years ago with this in mind and finally did it.
I made the latch from a weldable door hinge because I couldnt find hefty enough angle iron at the hardware shops.
Then today I dreamed up a Jerry can cage adapter because I wanted to try to mount it on the tailgate without drilling new holes. It took about 4 hours with fairly basic tools. Again, I didnt have angle iron so I welded my own. I learned some things and could definitely make a second attempt, but I'm pretty happy with how it works.
It uses 4 of the tie down holes, and the bottom has two metal loops that I bent around a piece of pipe so it latches around the bottom of the tailgate.
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Looking good! I love how the Navy registration numbers peek through. Supper cool.
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I finished installing my cj5 seat using the tilt brackets it came with. I wanted to do it without putting new holes in the bed so that meant building a custom bracket for the rear spring clip. It also seemed like a good place to put lap belts. (Roll bar planned for this summer or so.)
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I had no idea this logo was here...
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The seat bracket looks great. Very clean job. As for the jeep pressing on the front of the tool box, yes a very cool feature. If you end up replacing your floor and tool box cut that out and save it for a wall hanger.
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Over the last week or so I've taken apart my bell crank, built up the ball with weld wire, re rounded it, replaced the needle bearings, and just got it all back together. I just got back from a test ride and wow what a difference. It's a pleasure to drive now. I went from something like 6+ inches of slack down to 1 or 2. It looks like the rest is mostly in the steering box but its definitely no longer on the needs-fixing-immediately list
Here's a post ride shot for the visual folks ;)
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Nice!
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My fuel tank was strapped down with plumbers strapping. The like-OEM strapping kit was one of the first items I bought and it has sat in the parts pile for several months.
Today I yanked the tank out, then decided to repair a couple of small sheet metal cracks in that area.
I also made a custom hold down bracket for the quarter panel. There was a bent bolt in there that wasn't being used.
I am currently waiting for the tar to dry that I used to stick the anti squeek to the bottom of the tank.
I think my tank is not original as it's missing the rear hold down bracket. I came very close to welding one on and then had second thoughts about the gas fumes left in the me tank.. I powered down the MIG then found some suitable horror stories online.
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I made it back out to finish things off. I stood the tank on end, filled it with water and did my brief grinding and welding work. It's all back together and I've made enough clearance on the floor to get my front left seat bolt in - though I need to replace the captive nut since I had to drill out the bolt and wasn't centered well enough.
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Oh man have I gone down a rabbit hole.
I bought a 12v fuel gauge, and speedometer cable. I was poking around behind the dash to see how to route everything.
I thought my choke and idle cables were in the way of the speedometer cable routing, and I have replacements so I decided to install the replacements and reroute
While doing that I realized that PO mounted the choke shaft actuator outside of its "cage" on the linkage and left off the spring. I fixed those issues then turned down my timing advance since I had been getting a light "dieseling" sounds on acceleration during all of my past test runs. I noticed that PO had only one bolt in the alternator and the brackets were not aligned quite right to allow a second. Took a mental not and moved on.
I took it for a ride like that and the acceleration and top speed were nice, but I was stalling while coming to stops.
In addition, the first time I stalled, the starter couldn't engage the flywheel so I nearly panicked that I was going to need to walk home and tow.
It did eventually start, but continued to stall at each stop.
So next step was to pull the starter and evaluate things. Found some worn teeth in two segments but not as bad as I expected. Removed, cleaned, and lubed the bendix. Made video of the ring gear for later reference.
Then I decided to start poking the carb with the immediate goal of idling with no choke. I'm slowly troubleshooting through that process.
I did find some choice high quality unicorn fuel in the bowl...
While idling the engine and messing with the idle and choke under the hood, the alternator suddenly slipped all the way into the fan... I killed the engine before it caused much problem then spent the rest of my Sunday evening recounting it with two bolts instead of one.
My fuel gauge and speedometer cable are still in the box :)
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You may want to look at Zack S post today about similar symptoms you describe and his was coil related...
Re: CJ-3B 57348 69050
« Reply #43 on: Today at 09:15:40 AM »
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I temp bypassed my secondary fuel filter with a bic pen. I can't think of anything more American than that!
I have a filter on the tank, but I wanted one on the carb. Then the tank filter was having a hard time pulling, so I put the pen in there until I get a screen filter.
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When I was troubleshooting my idle issues I swapped in my old idle jet. It improved things a bit but I had to dig further. When I tried to take out the idle well jet I didn't think that my screwdriver was going by the idle jet and I crushed it :( on the bright side (?) the idle well jet port was really gummed up, but so far I haven't got a chance to test with that cleaned and the stock diameter idle jet.
Enter Hobby Lobby amd Harbor Freight. I realized that I have a hand drill from HL and micro drill bits from HF, and it turns out the aftermarket jets are actually a wide diameter tube with a too small diameter tip attached. That makes it very easy to hand drill out. Now my jet is drilled and ready to test.
I can't quite tell if I got the right tip diameter since my OEM is crushed but it looks close and its certainly not going to be worse since it started too small.
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This... totally worked. I had to idle at nearly full choke before and was getting 18lbs vacuum. Now I'm idling with no choke and 20lbs.
I still don't know my idle RPM so getting that and tuning can happen now. I might see about getting a sticky for how to modify the aftermarket idle jets.
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Great information and update. That picture of your jeep after the test drive is iconic. The patina look of it is something I wish mine would look like when finished. So cool!
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Thanks! I like how scrappy it looks. Especially with it's "black eye". It's like when the shuttle or a capsule comes back to Earth with the burn marks all over it - you know it's been places :)
I'm thinking that I'd be perfectly happy keeping the paint in its current condition and having everything underneath mechanically sound. The only issue is that I have some areas with split metal that need repair, and that hood needs a good bit of shrinking. I'll try to shrink from the underside, but there will probably be heat discoloration afterward :(
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I've been making progress on the carburetor operation, and made a video of the engine running for Scoutpilot to evaluate. I'll post it here as well. (Thanks Scoutpilot!)
All previous rides mentioned in this thread were with almost full choke due to various carburetor issues, so my insecurity in my own ability to eventually address those issues has weighed on me a bit the whole time. Now it feels great to have made it past that obstacle.
As for an update, after I drilled the aftermarket idle jet and had a good idle, I found out the next day that it revealed a new issue with the accelerator pump circuit, which was also being masked by the choke. This turned out to be much easier to track down. The pump could not take its full stroke due to a couple internal restrictions, so on acceleration and deceleration its movement was significantly delayed and shortened. I got that fixed up, and then took the video. It's a bit long. only jeep geeks might find it interesting.
Right after the video I went for the longest test drive yet. Still plenty of other issues to work through, but at least for now, none of them are engine related. I am starting to think about suspension so the jeep doesn't sound like a truck full of scrap metal when I drive over the bumps in our farm roads. I also have some aftermarket floor seals and covers to install to try to isolate some of the noise to the underside.
I also have my 48 CJ2a "pile" up in WI at my parents. I am starting to think more and more about just turning it into spare parts for the 53 since there is no title or frame, but we will see. I'm planning a trip in a couple of weeks to snag a bunch of it. At very least, the transfer case is going to get rebuilt and will make a temporary home in the 53 later this year (?)
Now maybe I can get back to installing that new sender and gas gauge :D
https://youtu.be/JWnSThHfhF4 (https://youtu.be/JWnSThHfhF4)
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Brought my analog wheel wobble checker for a ride today. It looks like just the rear left has wobble. I have it up on jack stands now, checking things out, but a storm rolled in.
Now that I have bumpers (did I ever post that?..) I can get the wheels off the ground a whole heck of a lot faster with the high-lift. It's a real treat. And I can fit the jack stands where I'd otherwise have to lift with the bottle jacks.
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I'm trying out JB Weld steering wheel repair.
After this cures tomorrow, I will start sanding and see how it works out. It was in pretty rough shape.
After patching with putty, I spread the liquid version over all of the exposed plastic since most of it is delaminated and rough to the touch.
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Wow, that's a lot of JB Weld. If not "quick set", it must have taken forever to fill in those spaces. I think I would have used the Marine resin based body filler with fiberglass strands for the gaps and JB for the cracks. Great JB W commercial if it holds up. I hope you'll share the final product.
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Just finished a custom receiver.
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I'm at my parents for the week and finally brought my trailer up to scoop up the 48 CJ2A engine/trans/transfer. The plan is to rebuild these one by one and swap them in.
In other news, my custom reciever bent my bumper a bit due to the weight of the hay on my trailer. I'm going to plug in a heavy piece of channel to beef it up a bit.
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Long break due to lack of funds for transmission / xfer gear sets.
Finally decided I don't need much cash to do body work.
Rear Lower "skirt" was all smashed upward. Rear right quarter panel was half ripped and twisted off from tire carrier related stress, and a PO crap welded it back against the bed flange two inches low and lopsided. Finally decided to cut the welds and tackle it. It's almost in the right spot now. Bodywork is still lumpy but it's structurally sound.
Next step: flatten the bed enough to line up the flanges properly and plug weld.
Also hand fabbed a Rear body mount bracket (and killed another vice)
As usual I'm having a hard time posting the photos. I'll try again tomorrow.
Really having fun with the body work and light fab. Trying to figure out how to undo this mess is a fun puzzle.
Now that things are a bit straighter, the rear body is 1/2 inch off the cross member. Trying to make sense of that considering the bed is sagging a solid inch...
This is somehow related to the body lean.
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Oh yeah. I realized why I can't remove my tailgate without removing the hinge bolts: the hinges are strap steel someone twisted around some rod and then sawed in half :p. Cast iron eplacements are waiting in the parts pile.
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This is a nice milestone. Finished prepping and patching this inner corner on the rear right bed opening. Lifted and twisted it into place and welded the split framing back together. It's holding the angle on its own, but I still need to put on the body to cross member mounts, and weld about half the right side bed to fender flange - after straightening.
This is all working toward a straight corner to mount my Bestop too.
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It took two or so weeks of prep but I finally unwound the various body damage enough to fix the main problem - the rearear right fender being welded on at the wrong angle and height.
My bed is still pushed down, but I was able to get the flanges very straight amd plug welded from inside the wheel well.
I did some shoving of the bed to get it "more flat" but it is way off still.
I also discovered the extent of a poor repair to the left frame towing bracket - its welded on just in the totally wrong spot and angle. But it's going to be pretty hard to solve with the body on, so I think it will wait for now.
Next steps are to bolt everything back together, and probably take a shot at a more elaborate rear seat bracket that can be taken out without tools.
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Looks like you've got plenty to keep you busy! I can see where some reinforcement on the new hitch would be good (maybe even spread it out to the frame rails).
Keep up the good work!
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Lookin good!
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This is sort of a non-update...
When I bought the 53, I put the purchase, transportation, and the full round of initial parts on a credit card. I gave myself a 4500 budget - close to what I thought I could get by selling my 2011 KLR650. It's been two years. I've been carrying the CC balance since. I finally just followed through with selling the KLR yesterday evening - a sad day for sure :) But it does feel good to have one less set of wheels cluttering up the brain, and having a little more mental focus on the CJ.
I had not registered the KLR since 2018, and only put a few miles on it since to keep fuel moving through it and make sure it stays operating well. I decided to sell it and switch to a CJ when our daughter arrived - knowing that my days of taking the wife out for back road cruises were over for a while, and we'd need a 3rd seat in the near future!
Speaking of seat - I need to bend up a new rear seat frame and I FINALLY found a not too expensive tubing bender that works. I tried the Harbor Freight pipe bender and hate it for this task (which it was not designed for). It had been very hit or miss, and I'm not a big fan of wasting material until one happens to come out right.
So next steps are to design a new frame, bend and weld it. I am considering the idea of making the rear seat reversible. The main thing is when I had to unbolt the previous custom seat frame it was a little too much of a PITA to get to the bolts - so this time I want to make it easy to pop in and out - closer to stock, but still with a reinforced seat belt bar, and of course with the belts, it needs to be mounted to the floor strong enough to actually hold together if there was an accident.
I got the body straight now, which means the tiger top can go on, which means I can figure out dimensions for a roll cage. But I can't bend a roll cage myself, so I think I'm most likely going to get a pre-formed kit that just needs welding.
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I too tried a couple of times for my roll bar with a HF bender. First bend perfect, but twice the opposite bend would flatten some. Same with a different size pipe. The smaller top bar pipes, I ended up cutting the two errors off and welding together the good sections to make one, and to not waste everything. I could never figure out what made the difference, and finally had a 'pro' (?) bend a desired one-piece roll bar, an expensive-one for me. He made it too wide, so it had to be "cut and spliced" and there went my desire for a one-piece roll bar. When I got it home to paint, I found that even the "splice ended up sliding back and forth in the tube and useless. I had to cut and drill and locate the splice tube and re-weld it all up myself. I wish I had gone the "kit" route... cheaper and for tighter corner turns too. Live and Learn...
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I wanted to rebuild my rear seat mounting system and frame so that it could be easily removed for hauling hay with the tailgate down. I finally got a workable tubing bender that can handle up to 1 inch. I designed a custom frame that uses the original mounting points in the bed, and fits in a similar fashion. I made custom rear pins or studs that bolt into the rear seat retaining clip holes - I don't have the original retainers, and didn't want to spend what "they" are asking. So I made the studs fit up inside 1 inch tubing and they will use 1/4" through-pins to secure.
Everything came together really nicely, and I'm happy with how the CJ5 vinyl seat mounts to it. I could not retain the tilt forward functionality - or at least not without more effort than I wanted to expend, but it is fully removable without tools. It sits slightly higher and further back than previous, so I'd say leg room is maximized without having the seat in a weird spot.
I'll get photos soon.
It's all back together except I still need to reattach the muffler - I need to come up with a better way to mount that too. I had the compression fittings on there that kink the outer tube, and the stupid things were jammed together permanently. I had to cut a slot in one tube to get them apart, and I want to make that easier to get apart for next time I need to do maintenance under the bed.
I also made some custom rubber body mounts for the two bed mounts - I think they are the only two functioning on the whole vehicle ATM.
I pulled / repaired a minor but annoying dent and split in the rear left quarter panel that was contributing to a very slight amount of the rear body sag. I have nearly all of the major body damage straightened out at this point - at least rouged in, and I'm really happy with it. I think I'm 100% ready for the Best Top install, and just in time for Fall.
In my efforts to hunt and destroy rattles, I pulled the left and right windshield frame topper strips out, and they are being repaired. One was screwed in, and the other was held on by one weld, so it was jiggling all the time. I mangled one of them a good bit, but almost have it back into shape. It's going to require some MIG finesse to repair properly though - some really light beeds so I don't have to destroy the track with a grinder afterward.
I'm feeling like next steps might be repairing some of the bigger rusted spots in the floor - my 2.5yo daughter loves to climb around in the jeep while I'm working on it, and I'd like to get rid of things that could get her snagged up.