My Willys 3A and 3B Community
Your Projects => Your CJ-3A Project => Topic started by: Marla.the.V35 on October 04, 2021, 04:52:45 PM
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What a hitter!
While hiding out in Texas, I got the itch for another Flat Fender. I'd had one about 20 years prior when I was too young, broke, and naïve to keep it. Through borderline obsessive online admiring and searching, a mostly bone stock contender presented itself only a few hours drive away. After some back and forth with the owner, I decided to go check it out. I rented a U-haul truck and trailer and headed into the desert. I thought I was going to look at a CJ-3A, and indeed, the owner thought so too. Little did I know...
When I got it home and started really combing it, the data plate on the firewall lead me to Bob Westerman's site. Holy smokes. I'd inadvertently picked up a rare (1/1000 made), running, CJ-V35/U! I thought those headlight rings looked...different...this is where her name comes from. My wife looked at the rings and decided it looked like Marla Hooch from A League of Their Own. I get the jeep, she gets to name it ;)
Most of the "/U" parts went missing somewhere in time, but the hood, snorkel bracket, air cleaner canister, gas tank, brake master cylinder, correct military light switch, "rams-horn" frame hooks, pintle hitch, and a few other items are extant. The engine isn't original to the jeep, but is an L134 Go Devil. It runs, drives, and stops. It's got some add-ons like sears & roebuck locking hubs up front, a tow bar, a small winch, a Sears(?) half cab top, and 12v conversion. Like any good jeep, it came with some questionable stuff/problems. Just about every seal leaks, there was RTV sealant EVERYWHERE, the interior has been rhino lined, the suspension is a disaster or a disaster waiting to happen, the gauge cluster isn't original, something is bent somewhere (grill is definitely bent some and PO told me it had to be nudged into a mountain side due to brake failure), the steering had extreme slop, the fuel lines were "customized" at some point...and I'm sure there's more I don't know yet.
I really enjoyed my CJ-5 as a very young man, and then my first flat fender all those years ago (despite it being nothing near stock). I'm at a point in my life where I live comfortably enough to take on a project and do it as right as I can. My aim is to keep it running and in as close to its current, mostly stock condition as possible. This thread will serve as a chronicle of my ventures as I learn my way through doing it better this time around.
Thanks for stopping in!
-Jon
p.s. I should mention that I'm not the most mechanically inclined individual. I grew up without any kind of proper instruction, so I'm learning as I go. If just one person learns something from what I'm cataloging here, I will consider that a success.
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Brake line S-tube replacement.
After some joy riding around the block, I noticed the inside of the passenger front tire covered with fluid. Investigation led me to the steel s-tube at the top of the drum where it connects the knuckle (via a bracket) to the flexible brake line. I ordered the parts (from a big supplier) and when it arrived, pulled the wheel/tire off (careful with those right and left hand lug nuts!) and installed the new s-tube. I wasn't that shocked when it didn't fit up perfectly, but, a little convincing by sliding a 1/2" brass drift in the curve and leveraging it into position got it just about right. I made sure to give it clearance so it wasn't rubbing anywhere. We then bled the brakes (using a compressed air system) and the leaks stopped!
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My aim is to keep it running and in as close to its current, mostly stock condition as possible.
I like your approach!!!
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Passenger tie rod end replacement and Ross Steering box rebuild.
The steering on this jeep was horrendous. There was about 1/4 turn of play in the steering wheel before the tires started moving and, for lack of a better way to describe it, felt really chunky in some spots.
Tie rod end:
So I started with the most obvious, easily visible issues while researching the steering box (more on that later). I used my phone to record video of the linkages while I turned the steering wheel back and forth. Video revealed a lot of play in the passenger tie rod end, so I ordered from that same large supplier. I was actually quite pleased with the new rod end (which also came with a replacement clamp). The wheel was again removed, and the old tie rod end popped right out with minimal convincing. I've been very lucky with this jeep to not have to deal with rusty, stuck parts. The new rod end went into the tie rod, then into the knuckle. An alignment was performed by twisting the tie rod, which pushes either end out, or pulls them in, depending on the adjustment desired. I greased it with some NLGI No. 1 I'd found via Amazon.
Steering Box Rebuild:
After one of those previously mentioned joy rides, a large oily spot presented on the frame at the back of the drivers fender. Looking at the top of the box, I saw a grease zerk, and I pretty much knew the box would need rebuilding. To be sure though, I removed the fender, and opened the Ross Box. Only about a quarter of a gasket existed when I pulled the front cover. My assumptions were confirmed, it was slathered in grease. Two cans of brake clean later, and I could see two very large gouges in the worm gear. My heart sank. I won't lie, I went through a serious moment of "should I attempt to do the Saginaw conversion?" I even took a long, serious look at Herm's bolt on kit. In the end, I wanted the jeep to stay true, and any modification of that type would be a serious endeavor not only to complete (and I have no prior experience), but also to undo. It was time to rebuild the Ross Box.
I went to work collecting parts and watching videos. I admit to some naivete as I started with the big vendors first. Serendipitously, they were all out of re-pops, and I'm glad, because it probably saved me. Down the rabbit hole I went when I came to Pete DeBella, whom had a NOS worm shaft in stock. I snatched it up before I could even explain to my wife why that's important ;D I had him throw in the sector shaft kit as well. I picked up gasket and bearing kits, and everything else I thought I needed. I came across MetalShaper's youtube videos on the subject (can't recommend these enough). I picked up gasket makers, sealers, loc-tite...I've got a mini auto store going now...I purchased a 7/8" spiral flute hand reamer from Amazon. I removed the steering wheel...
Fortunately, my wheel came right off by hand. I've read horror stories about spraying for days and using pullers, but as previously mentioned, this jeep is in remarkable shape. I removed the three frame bolts, which have shims between the box and the frame. It's important to keep track of which shims were where, so I did this slowly and carefully. These are set from the factory and need to go back the same way, I'm told. The horn wire was cut, leaving enough room for re-connecting later. The drag link was disconnected using a Drag Link socket hollow ground bit (that I bought too big and ground the edges down some) from the pitman arm. With everything disconnected, I flipped the box over and pulled the whole assembly out through the floor (as is shown in the Kaiser Willys how-to video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTEHyIJmnkE).
I broke down the box into its component parts. I kept EVERYTHING until I was sure I wouldn't need it (and even then, I plan on keeping everything but the worm as emergency spares).
The outer column sleeve was cleaned/sanded/primed/painted.
The front cover (the big one on the box) was removed and set aside, being careful to keep track of which hardware goes where. The brass (or in my case, copper) washers belong to the bottom two bolts.
The pitman arm was popped off of the sector shaft (again, came right off) and the sector shaft pulled out. The nubs on the sector shaft were worn enough for me to consider it unsalvageable.
The outer oil seal was popped out, and the sector shaft bushings were "pressed" out using a hammer and a deep socket just smaller than the OD of the bushing. In hindsight, I probably could've saved the sector shaft bushings (might've been able to leave them in?), but they got a little banged up on the way out. Might still be salvageable, but I'll investigate that later.
With the top cover removed and the the shims and hardware carefully cleaned and set aside, the worm shaft required a tiny bit of convincing to come out with races and ball bearings attached. This was all done very carefully so as not to scatter ball bearings all over the shop. There were snap rings outside the races, so everything held together until I could break them down, though I'm not sure that's standard, so be careful.
The horn wire tube was popped out by very carefully using a hammer on the tube to pop it forward.
I used an entire can of brake clean and half a roll of shop towels on the inside of the box to get the grease out.
The box and covers surfaces were wire brushed, cleaned, then masked and painted (rattle can primer and wheel paint).
With everything cleaned and all parts sourced, the box was reassembled.
First came the sector shaft bushings. I carefully pressed in the new outer (long) bushing, then attempted the inner (short) bushing. As I've come to find is typical, the re-pop inner (short) sector shaft bushing would not stay in the box. I could slide it in and out with my finger. This would make it impossible to ream, so I went to Ebay, where I very luckily found a NOS bushing. It was as advertised. New, never used, required pressing into the box and needed reaming.
The scariest part was the reaming. As someone who has never done it before, this seemed like the most likely place for a screw up. I was concerned about the reamer not going through straight or wobbling/boring and taking off too much material. In the end, having the box in a vice so that the reamer was vertically oriented, going slow, and applying even turning force via a large tap wrench style tool assuaged any fears I had. Let the tool do the work!
When reaming was complete, an air compressor blew out the metal shavings (wear eye protection). I dry fitted the sector shaft. A perfect fit! Just enough room for oil, but not enough to be sloppy.
The horn wire tube was pressed back in (after a very small bead of right stuff was applied on the inside edge) and a LOT was applied to the outside.
I carefully reassembled the bearings on the NOS worm shaft. I ended up reusing the bearing cups/races (after some cleaning/polishing with emory cloth) with the new ball bearings from a kit (there were 11 per bearing). The new races just didn't sit right, and the originals weren't bad off, so I made the decision to keep them. At this point, the horn wire went through the worm, and was carefully threaded through the horn wire tube while putting the worm assembly in.
Getting the shims just right was a process! I followed Metalshapers videos and did a lot of assembly/disassembly/reassembly to get it right. I even went a step further and tested with one less 1/1000th and one extra, just to be sure I had the load on the inner bearings right. You should be able to turn it easily by hand, but there should be ZERO up and down movement! I took notes on paper of how many shims I used and their individual specs (thank goodness for micrometers!). I applied some aviation gasket maker on both sides of each shim once I was sure they were arranged to a correct tolerance before snugging the top cover down for good. Aviation gasket maker produces about 1/1000th thickness, so I did my best to account for that. I reused quite a few of the original shims since the repop kit only came with one thickness(I recall 1/7000th).
The front cover was put back on after applying some Permatex #2 on the gasket surfaces and anaerobic gasket maker applied to the two lower bolts' threads before sending them in with the copper washers . I let the gasket makers and sealants cure for 24 hours, then went overboard and applied some Right Stuff around all potential leak spots (hornwire tube, upper cover, front cover), just to be sure. I haven't seen a leak yet.
I sourced a 1/8" NPT plug from amazon for the fill hole (good riddance, grease zerk!).
While I had the drag link down, I decided to clean up the parts. I kept track of which end was which by punching an arrow into the drag link near the front denoting "forward" (this is important). I cleaned the springs and spacers, and polished all of the cups. I went ahead and polished the bell crank ball (which looked to be in pretty good shape). I bought a repop kit, but used only the dust covers and one nut. For some reason, the old nut wouldn't turn down enough to fit the cotter pin with the new pitman arm I'd bought (the old ball was worn out) but the new one did, since the grooves were cut deeper.
I put the outer column clamp over the worm and installed the assembly back in the way it came out, but without the outer column sleeve. This gave me a little more wiggle room and made reassembly a little easier. I slid the outer column sleeve down from the top ('inside' the jeep) and cinched the clamp with the bolt and sleeve groove correctly oriented (clamp bolt up, sleeve groove down).
The column was reattached to the dash via the brackets using the original welt.
The Pitman arm was put on loosely with a large grade 8 washer, lock washer, and 5/8" nut.
The drag link was reattached at both ends.
Steering wheel was put back on.
I filled the box with the new oil.
With the vehicle on jackstands, I backed out the the axle wheel stops and tested the steering lock to lock.
The sector tension screw was set so that the wheel drags just a little through center. Plan on noodling on this a bit and readjusting after test drives.
After some test drives, the pitman arm was adjusted one tooth to the right, then put back on, loc-tite red 271 applied, and tightened down until it couldn't be anymore.
The axle stops were adjusted to hit just before the box hit full lock.
I put the fender back on.
I'd like to say that everything went as smoothly as I'm portraying it here, but truthfully, there was way more back and forth. I had to drain the box while chasing leaks, apply sealants and gasket makers repeatedly and wait for them to cure, and had to re-disassemble parts that had been loc-tited together...I thought I had the shims right, but after mulling it and thinking on it for a day, knew it couldn't be. So I pulled it apart until it was. I got very frustrated when some of the 'new' parts didn't want to fit right, or the shims got bent while cleaning them (some of those are paper thin!) What I've written up here is the most ideal process and assumes no issues encountered. I hope it helps someone to avoid the hassles and mistakes I ran into.
Rebuilding the box was quite an undertaking, even with all of the videos, reading material, and questions I asked over various channels. There are some things I would recommend for anyone who plans to take it on:
- Take your time! Don't rush any of the rebuild in your want to get driving again.
- Don't throw away any of your original parts until you can inspect them and be sure they need replacing. Much of the old stuff is still likely in good shape, is the best fit, and is of superior quality.
- Before you put the front cover on, center the sector shaft on the worm, then use a punch or paint marker to make reference points for their alignment. Once you've got the cover on and the box full of lube, this will be near impossible. I cannot over stress the importance of this.
- Reuse your old shims if possible. New shims come in one size, which might take you farther away from the desired load than when you started. Seal these with Permatex Aviation Form-A-Gasket (#80019). For good measure, I used some Perm right stuff around the outside as well.
- I used Permatex No. 2 sealant between the front cover gasket and metal parts to prevent leaks (ask me about learning this the hard way)
- If you're not doing a body off resto, don't fill the box and do the sector shaft tension screw until the assembly is back in the jeep.
- Make sure all of your gasket sealants and gasket makers are cured before adding lube.
- Add some gasket sealer around any bolts that go through the box into oil. And be sure the copper or brass washers are on the two bottom most bolts on the front cover.
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Looks good so far!
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Suspension work begins (1/?)
With the steering stuff managed, it was time to start in on the suspension work.
I knew from the get-go that the springs were in terrible shape. 3 of them have an add-a-leaf at the bottom, one may have two at the top. The clips are floating around at best, but about half are missing and the packs are 'fanning' as a result. They're sagging on the right side (which is curious as it's opposite the normal lean...though the PO may have swapped them to even them out). I did some cursory research after purchasing the jeep a few months back and weighed the pros and cons of Crown, Omix, Walcks, custom built packs, and even considered re-arching these or finding a set on ebay. In the end, I decided Walcks was the best product for my intentions, has a better reputation than it's nearest competitors, and was within my price point. I also felt a little better getting an entire kit as opposed to building one out myself. We started work by getting her up on jackstands, then supporting the pumpkin with a floor jack. The shackles were loosened up (easier said than done...) and the pivot eye bolt removed. Some 'convincing' with a mini-sledge got things going and the shackle popped out of the bracket still attached to the spring. The u-bolts were removed and the entire spring pack came free. The shackles are toast (replacements came with the kit :) ). Some of the bushing threads are worn smooth.
Some time back, I discovered the shackle brackets at the rear were booger welded together to repair them from something terrible. Through deeper investigation, it's clear the Previous Owner got into something really rough...either bounced it really hard, dropped it into a hole, or??? I ordered 4 new shackle brackets from Walcks and plan to just swap them all. I did not opt for rivets, so these will be attached with Grade 8 hardware and the bolts cut down and painted black. When everything is tight, we'll weld the brackets to the frame and touch up paint. I also ordered 4 pivot eye bolt brackets (where the springs attach directly to the frame). I noticed the one at the spring we removed was a little bit oval and figured it best to just be sure it's done right. The shackle bracket was removed, piece by piece, by cutting the vertical parts with a cutting wheel, cutting/grinding the rivet heads off, then chiseling (carefully) to break the welds and "walk" the remaining piece off. A punch and mallet were used to drive out what was left of the rivets. Once the bracket was off, the surface rust was cleaned while grinding the welds off and getting the area flush. I primed and painted.
The rear upper shock mounts are in really terrible shape. The drivers side has been re-pinned and booger welded such that the welds are cutting into the shock bushing, the passenger side has had it's entire outer vertical piece torn off, a square nut booger welded in, and a pin run through and also booger welded. Of the lower shock plates that I've seen, the pins appear bent and may or may not have original welds. It looks like a cascade of poor trail fixes that persisted....So, now it's time for those things to be replaced. These parts have all been ordered, but, I couldn't quickly locate an upper set that was true to stock with the cotter-pin. They're threaded, so I opted to get the lower plates threaded as well. I know it's not exactly stock, but from what I've seen of the hassle the cotter pin type are, I'm hoping I can get the shocks on there without too much fuss with the threaded system.
After 6 hours of work, we'd removed one spring and one shackle bracket lol. That's some work! The kit came with shocks, but they're a hideous color of blue, so, while waiting for the paint on the frame to dry, figured I'd rough them up with some sandpaper and paint them black with a high temp paint.
I'm looking forward to getting the entire system replaced, and hoping it takes less than a month. I expect the passenger side pack to be an equal amount of work, and I have no idea what awaits us getting the upper shock mounts off and the replacements in.
Definitely more to come!
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Maybe you should name it... Ben Boogered. Wouldn't it be interesting to know the "history and stories behind during the PO"...
You're doing great work to bring her back to "proper presentation" and enjoyment, and SAFETY. Thanks for sharing your process and "findings" along the way.
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"Maybe you should name it... Ben Boogered."
LOL!
I would LOVE to know how this happened to the rear suspension. I know this was his hunting rig and that he used the winch and some snatch blocks/tree limbs to get carcasses into the back, but I can't imagine even the largest bull would do this...
Thank you for the kind words. Save the Willys!
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Thanks for the post on the box rebuild. We’ll I got my steering box bushings from k.w. The shaft had some scoring on both front an rear. Glad I got 2 new bushings. the new rear bushing should be ok fit wise, The front bushing slides right through. Im gonna have wait till Monday to solve this, and hope the next one fits. Was hoped to have it wrapped up on one day.
Update both bushings are not good. They both measure .99 old bushing are 1.0 front slides right through rear bushing pushed in, but could be moved. Doubt it wouldn’t spin with the shaft in place. Found a nod bushing on e bay, but it has the new part number listed in the add ?! Him what to do ? O mix Ada also has bushings, looking into those to nite.
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My shocks were also blue, black rust oleum oil based took care of that. The foam brush made them look amazing.
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“ O mix Ada also has bushings, looking into those to nite.”
If you bought from Kaiser-Willys you probabl already have Omix-ADA.
Ive always bought my bushings from Walck’s 4WD or Ron Fitzpatrick Jeep Parts. Never had that trouble.
BW
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I got mine from DeBella and the inner one didn't fit (tho I got NOS worm from him). I ended up getting a NOS bushing from quarter ton military on ebay. Good luck!
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Suspension work 2/?
Welp, my hopes to have this wrapped up in less than a month clearly didn't happen LOL. Anyways, I figure it's time for an update on the suspension work. The drivers rear is now complete, after some lesson learning...
In the previous update, I mentioned we cut the old brackets off, which left the rivets still in the frame. Since I was planning to replace them with Grade 8 hardware (in hindsight, I wish I'd grabbed frame bolts), these needed to be popped out. To do so, we used a punch and a series of hammers of varying size. This turned my arms to hamburger, and still didn't solve the rivet buried deep in the crossmember above the axle (or I didn't have a long enough punch!). My brother-in-law (whom is helping with the work, is mechanically inclined, and works at a local metal shop), suggested some carbide burrs. I purchased a double set of 1/4" burrs (tree, cone, barrel, and rounded head), which fit up into that spot with the die grinder. We ground the heads off, then used the cone burr to grind out the "carcass". I wish I could tell you I was prepared for the torque these produce when they're unhappy...but I surely wasn't. I also tried a drill with a metal bit, but after accidentally angling through the frame some, decided that was a lesser option. Finally, with all the rivets out, and all the old welds ground flush, I painted the frame, then bolted on the brackets. This took some measuring and aligning of each to the frame. I then ground the paint at the seams and each bracket was welded on. The spring brackets are welded on both sides, but access to the rear of the upper shock mounts was basically impossible with the body on, so we only did the front side and put some faith in the grade 8s holding them down. Each nut was tacked to the bolt to insure nothing was going to back out. During this time, we accidentally pierced a brake line! More on that later...
Speaking of the upper shock mounts....these are re-pops. I bought them knowing they are manufactured for a later jeep and not at all correct to the V-35. They have a threaded post that accepts a nylock nut as opposed to a smooth post/cotter pin as is original. But, the lower shock plates I could find quickly were threaded, and so for consistency, and also because it doesn't require a special tool to compress the shock bushing and slip the pin through, I went ahead with them and consider them an upgrade. I'm sure no one is shocked when I say that the holes didn't line up. So, using those same burrs and a bench vice, I went to work boring the holes out some. It's at this point I feel inclined to tell people to wear face and eye protection! While I was grinding one of the holes out, the tip caught an edge, twisted, banged around and basically exploded. Thank goodness I was wearing eye-pro and a face mask! Also, this wasn't the first thing that exploded in proximity to my face. I also grenaded a grinding wheel. WEAR YOUR FACE SHIELDS!
Shrapnel aside, everything went pretty well. There was some muscling to get the spring eye bolt into place and the rear shackle in, but everything is together on the drivers rear now. We learned a lot, and going forward I'm hoping the passenger side goes much faster. I count my lucky stars I ordered this suspension kit over last summer, since it seems parts are hard to come by now.
Now to the passenger side!
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I got mine from DeBella and the inner one didn't fit (tho I got NOS worm from him). I ended up getting a NOS bushing from quarter ton military on ebay. Good luck!
i saw a bushing on ebay, they were using the crown part number, and saying that it was nos. it was the quarter ton military guy. wasn't sure how i felt on buying it.... so monday i called kw i told mark what was up, and the bushings were .099 vs 1.00 he found a set and said they were 1.009 so they are in the mail. hope to have a update thurs or fri
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That's great! I hope you get the right stuff and are back on the road soon! I will say, I've ordered a few things from QTM and haven't had an issue yet. That said, the brake line is sitting in a box in the shop yet to be opened....
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That's great! I hope you get the right stuff and are back on the road soon! I will say, I've ordered a few things from QTM and haven't had an issue yet. That said, the brake line is sitting in a box in the shop yet to be opened....
thanks, after 17 years i have big plans for it later this summer. working on getting tires now, and a top by spring. then run the heck out it and see what needs work......
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Where are you located? I'm mulling selling my half cab top. I'll have to think on it though.
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Where are you located? I'm mulling selling my half cab top. I'll have to think on it though.
i'm in western pa. is a half cab top the same as a bikini top ? is it canvas ? i got the new bushings 2 day ( it' good to work nites some times ), they are in and reamed. how tight should that sector shaft be ? i had to tap tap mine in with a mallet. it's a tight fit ! but not a once of slop :)
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Alas, that is very far. I've attached a pic of mine with the half cab top. It's aluminum (I believe) and I think it's from Sears-Roebuck (though can't confirm)
My sector shaft slid in on it's own without hammering, but needed to be very straight and required a small amount of twisting. Yours sounds a bit tight (unless I'm mistaken and mine is too loose? :o :o)
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Jon,
Wanted to say what a really great thread this is. It's hard to believe your Jeep is so rust free (coming from a New Englander). Great score on the CJV-35/U.
I enjoy your commentary on your repairs! I look forward to the progress!
Dave
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Where are you located? I'm mulling selling my half cab top. I'll have to think on it though.
i'm in western pa. is a half cab top the same as a bikini top ? is it canvas ? i got the new bushings 2 day ( it' good to work nites some times ), they are in and reamed. how tight should that sector shaft be ? i had to tap tap mine in with a mallet. it's a tight fit ! but not a once of slop :)
Bushings in and reamed, but the shaft has to be driven in? Whoever reamed them needs to finish the job. There needs to be clearance between the bushings and shaft for lubricant.
BW
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Where are you located? I'm mulling selling my half cab top. I'll have to think on it though.
i'm in western pa. is a half cab top the same as a bikini top ? is it canvas ? i got the new bushings 2 day ( it' good to work nites some times ), they are in and reamed. how tight should that sector shaft be ? i had to tap tap mine in with a mallet. it's a tight fit ! but not a once of slop :)
Bushings in and reamed, but the shaft has to be driven in? Whoever reamed them needs to finish the job. There needs to be clearance between the bushings and shaft for lubricant.
BW
Thanks, that’s what I was looking for. It said a thousands clearance that’s pretty tight. So I’ll go over it again , thanks :)
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erf after 2 sets of bushings, i got a n.o.s. inner bushing to day ( thurs) should be here tues. an i hope to end this . why is it so hard to make new bushings ?
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Suspension work 3/?
Well it's been a while, but the rear suspension is finally complete! The rear passenger side went together over the weekend. This side went much more smoothly than the drivers side, we attached the shackle side of the spring first, then aligned the spring eye side. It took a little convincing, but certainly not as much as the drivers side did. The axle was lowered onto the spring once the spring was secured. The u-bolts and lower shock plate were done last. With the lower shock plate on, the rear shock was attached. As previously mentioned, I opted for a later style threaded shock mount pin, and I've included a detail image of the mount before welding. Everything was torqued according to spec, and the wheels were mounted. I used a paint pen to mark a line from the bolts to the nearest attached object so I can see if anything comes loose later after I'm able to spin it around the block a bit.
Unfortunately, in the process of loosening the exhaust to get at the drivers side suspension, we cracked an exhaust hanger that'll require some repair to re-hang. I'm going to wait until we fix that up before setting her down on her own feet. Then, we'll move onto the front suspension and brackets. I took a look under there the other day to see what we're in for. I get the sense, the rear will turn out to be the easier side :o
Wish us luck!
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Good looking CJ-V35!!
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Good looking CJ-V35!!
Thank ya, sir! I'm very, very lucky with the condition in which it came to me.
also, I can never seem to remember where to put the "-" lol.
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also, I can never seem to remember where to put the "-" lol.
Willys didn't even have the dash in the same place every time. CJ-V35, CJV-35, CJ-V-35 and probably other variations can be found in period documentation.
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Suspension work 4/?
Got a good amount done within the 3 or so hours I had available over the weekend!
The exhasut was re-attached. If you recall from a previous post, we cracked an exahust hanger, but were able to mend it by bending it around a similar diameter object, and welding it back together. Feels good to rescue something that is (maybe) original instead of just buying new! I painted it with a high heat paint and reattached the muffler to the frame and tightened all the clamps we'd loosened. With the exahust back together, I was able to set her down on her own feet!
I celebrated the job with some gratuitous photo opps, then jacked up the front and went to work on the passenger side. In looking at all the stuff passing through the front frame rail (wires, brake lines, fuel? ) I decided the passenger side would be easier since we're doing things a little different up front. Some time back, I asked on the board how hard it would be to get hardware (bolts) into the frame to mount the brackets. With the boxed frame up there, it would be fairly difficult. It was recommended (Rus, I believe?) to leave some carcass of the rivet hanging through, and just weld to that and the frame (since we're welding anyway). I'm opting for this method for the front brackets.
I started removal at the shackle, and much to my surprise, EVERYTHING up front came off using a ratchet and not much else (I'm still nervous about this haha. Nothing should be this easy). Using pliers, the cotter pins on the spring eye bolt bracket was removed, as well as the ones at the shocks and those were removed (I saved the washers for now). The U-bolt nuts were a tiny bit banged up, probably where PO dragged it over a rock, so a hammer was used to pound a socket on. Everything then came off with a little bit of elbow grease and a breaker bar. The shackle up front looked no worse for wear, so I'm going to save that one for a spare.
I cut the brackets off, and realize now, I was being too delicate with getting them off the frame in the rear, or perhaps expeirence is kicking in lol. I cut the welds much more efficiently this time, and using a hammer and chisel, was able to bang them off very quickly using more force compared to how the rears went. Granted, the front is more accessible...Also, not having to remove the rivets is a tremendous time savings. The less time I have to spend with the die grinder and the burrs is extra lives in my book lol.
The axle bump stops were obliterated up front. The passenger side one is cracked through and missing entire chunks or rubber. The drivers side is literally just the metal plate remaining. I bought replacements for these, so pulled these off the frame and was extremely happy that everything turned 'freely'. However, there was quite a bit of rust underneath each, so I'll be sure to clean those up extra good and paint them. The design doesn't look great, tbh...there's s small indent in the metal backing plate that looks like it will allow water to pool and sit. Not that I'm planning water crossings any time soon, but I'm left wondering if there's a better solution than just allowing it to sit in there. In any case, I'll be sure to paint extra thick through there, and also apply a thick coat when everything is back together to form a barrier.
Next steps will be to remove the upper shock mount (which will require removing the fender), cleaning and prepping all of the surfaces for welding.
Something to note: When I had the jeep set down, I was tightening the rear lugs and heard a peircing metallic rubbing/scraping/screech-y kind of noise. Assume the studs are spinning? Likely something that'll have to be addressed soon.
Thanks for reading!
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Suspension work is complete! I'll have a detailed write up coming for the remaining work, but I'm so excited, all I can do is drive it around right now!
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Suspension work 5/5
The front suspension came apart fairly easily and replacing the brackets and springs was a pretty straight forward affair. As previously mentioned, we left the headless rivets in place so that we could weld to them and this worked out great (and I wish I'd done this around the rear too!). To be sure the welds in the rivet areas had enough "meat", we used a drill to bore the openings of each bracket a bit, much like you would counter sink a hole for a screw in wood (hope that makes sense). The brackets were welded on and the springs mounted up in a manner that was almost too easy. So I should've known...
Where we ran into trouble was with the upper shock mounts. I've mentioned a few times that I ordered some threaded mounts from a big supplier that listed them as compatible with jeeps '47-'64(?). Shame on me....the rears mounted up fine, but the fronts see-sawed due to the curvature of the frame. It was decided shimming would be best, and the original mounts were cut up and ground, eye balled, ground again, ad nauseum until the fit was perfect. The whole thing was welded down along the outer edge, as well as the rivets in the holes. I'm happy with the outcome, despite the mis-fitment, to now have shocks that don't require a special tool to replace. That hardware will need to be painted though....
At some point, while no one was around the jeep, one of the heads popped off one of the spring eye pivot bolts in the rear. You can imagine the flood of emotions....however, I was happy it happened while the jeep wasn't being driven. I called the supplier and it was an issue he was aware of (why he didn't contact purchasers in that time frame is beyond me...). I then scoured the internet and all suppliers for a set of NOS bolts. I wasn't able to find any listed for the 2/3A, but I was able to locate a set for the MB. I asked around (here included) if they'd fit, and the data suggested the answer was most likely "yes". I ordered 4 of the non-torque reaction spring kind (be careful if you end up going this route and they're sold as a set), and after a shipping mix up with repops, I finally received the correct bolts. In the end, I'm pretty sure they're NORS not NOS, but I measured them out and I'm satisfied with them. The steel also felt heavier than all the other bolts I'd received from vendors. If you're keeping count, 1. Orignal repops from supplier, 2. replacement repops from same supplier (one of which mic'd out same as original "bad" repops), 3. higher quality repops from another supplier (marginally better than #2.) I compared the NORS against my own take-off. While the grease channel depth was greater than my take-offs, they were much shallower than all of the other repops. I deemed them to be good enough and installed them and feel confident and happy getting the right parts. I mocked up the pivot eye bolts in a 3D software I have available to me, using the measurements I took with the micrometer.
Finally, everything was ready to go back together and I could drive it! I'll just air up the tires since they've been sitting a while...hey...what's that hissing sound?
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Various small fixes/projects/repairs
Frame horn fix
There was a crack from the inner edge to one of the ram's horn bolt holes on the driver's front frame horn. A channel was ground following it, then welded up and cleaned and painted.
Brake line replacement
If you recall, we accidentally punched a small hole in the long rear brake hard line while doing suspension replacement work. I ordered a new one from QTM (ebay) that came with a front and rear. My brake light also isn't working, so I purchased a replacement NOS switch and a repop (I figured a spare doesn't hurt). Boy, that master cylinder is hard to get to! We went in through the top, since the fender was already off, and detached the steering box (since I'd rebuilt the box last year, I was very comfortable with this). In hindsight, had I realized the splash plate came off so easily with two bolts (one through the steering box and one through the master itself that mounts it to the frame), we'd have gone that way instead, and in the end, we did anyway. We pulled the brass fittings off the front of the master to clean them and replaced the brake light switch with a NOS switch for the MB. Not sure that's stock to the V-35, but the connectors from the wiring loom were female to the switch's males. I was pleased that the long rear line seemed to fit together fairly easily. The kit came with the front line too, and I figured, might as well replace it now. However, the front line just wouldn't mate. Since there wasn't anything wrong with the old line, we just put it back together then filled and bled the system. Previous Owner installed a reservoir up near the hood using the V-35's original vent tubing, so thankfully, this was pretty easy to fill. Brake light still doesn't work (d'oh!), so a multimeter is en route...
Windshield vent
I'd bought a windshield vent latch stop (the hoop part) from a gentleman named Terry Bistrovich I'd come across in Facebook groups. Mine was missing when I bought the jeep, and he makes replacements on a jig in small batches. I got a vent latch handle from Walcks and we finally got around to welding the bracket on and buttoning it all up. I ground the handle some so that it "locks" from the inside and can't be opened from the outside.
Battery Bracket
My brother in law took one look at the deteriorating rubber that was holding down the battery and crafted a new battery strap from some scrap metal to match the rubber (which we ground down to fit between the battery and the new metal strap.) Looks pretty good!
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As I'm sure you are all aware, the jeep sort of has a way of telling you what the next project will be....
I guess we had a little too much fun bouncing around in the desert and now I'll need to replace the windshield lol. Woops...I suspect the hoodblocks aren't correct. They're not quite tall enough for the wipers to clear, and I think they don't allow the strap to fully arrest the windshield frame, allowing some jostling. I'll be looking around for a correct set, or might try to convince my brother to make a set....If you know the correct measurements for 3A blocks (I'm assuming the V-35 used the same and there's not a difference between these and the M-38?), I'm all ears!
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Oh darn, bummer with the windshield glass. Though not correct, I used small lengths of hood welting on top of the blocks to add some padding. It helps too when leaning the opened hood against the top of the windshield edge. To hold the welting down, I used small screws in the depressed center of the welting into the wood.
Despite the damage, I'm jealous of you guys who have all kinds of terrain to putter through.
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I hadn't considered welting! perhaps I'll try that. I think I need to definitely find correct blocks tho. What's there is clearly not correct. Won't hurt to check the surface between the blocks and the hood too. I'm sure there's some water getting trapped in there.
The desert has been fun! Eventually (soon?), I will be returning to Southern California, and open nature to putter around in will become much less accessible. :(
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Do you have a photo of the hood block from the side showing how the windshield frame sits on it?
Anyone else with a stock CJ-3A please post a photo of yours so we can compare them.
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To be honest I simply lowered the windshield as far as I could without anything hitting anything else. I then took a measurement from the hood to the frame where the blocks sat and made a set up. I spent a few too many hours myself looking at images online for the correct block and came to the conclusion that there were more than one style or size used and decided that whatever I made would be OK.
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I wasn't really concerned with the exact shape of the hood block, but rather with which part of the windshield frame contacts it. From the break it seems like perhaps the rubber retainer is resting on the hood block instead of the soft top channel.
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I wasn't really concerned with the exact shape of the hood block, but rather with which part of the windshield frame contacts it. From the break it seems like perhaps the rubber retainer is resting on the hood block instead of the soft top channel.
Oooh, here is the issue. Previous owner removed it to mount a hard top. A replacement was on my list. Looks like I'd better accelerate that and add it to the windshield order :/
EDIT: As promised, photos
Looks like kaiserwillys has a NOS channel available. How would this normally be attached? Welded? Rivets? Bolts?
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I think that might be your problem. I have that channel and it is that that sits on the block.
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Looks about right. P.O. strikes again :/. Looks like I've got my next project lol
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In the mean time, you could always 'notch the blocks', or add a 'pad' onto them, to lay on the windshield frame and to miss the rubber seal and glass area to be able to ride the trails and desert until the new "replacement windshield channel and/or frame" and glass come in.
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Moving day back to California (for a while?) is fast approaching, so I've put Marla projects on hold in lieu of enjoying some drive time. I've been doing a fair bit of bumping and bouncing around in the nearby desert and generally having a blast.
I've done probably the nerdiest thing I can think of; I created a youtube channel for Marla. You can check it out here if you're interested in seeing a (mostly) stock V-35 tackling some small obstacles.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqN6tmhXfZ-W0s4HdckDeqQ/videos
We've put a little over 100miles on since replacing the speedo/odometer! Not sure how much was put on before the new unit, but I'd wager +40?
While we're on the subject of driving Marla, I did encounter some death wobble/shimmy today on the road back at around 45 or 50 mph. It was pretty terrifying, and since it didn't do this before the suspension swap, I'm concerned we've introduced some changes to the geometry. In any case, I'll step through the checklist to see if it's anything else that can be more easily solved first. Since 45-50mph isn't a foreseeable thing in the near term, I don't think I'll be getting to it right away. Needless to say...the event has left me shook up (yup, puns)
Happy driving!
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Wow.
What a few years it's been, huh? A lot has happened between when I last posted and now. We had some life changes in our family, followed on by a serious health issue. But everything is much better now, and we're back to 100%! The events of the last few years put a small hitch in the plans with Marla. The original plan had her moving to the Los Angeles area much, much sooner. But hey, what's life without a few good challenges? :)
I'll do my best to catch this thread up to speed on all things Marla!
- I flipped over the bumperettes to the stock position
- grabbed some reproduction data plates from Dataplates4U (can't sing their praises enough!) I made a youtube video for the unboxing (https://youtu.be/OXmfrfKd-KA?si=y4Hbz91uHzV_wYyP). Really impressed with the quality and happy I could find rare plates for Marla. I installed them using rivets (instead of screws. Hey, I don't need them walking off ;) )
- I had a carb rebuilt by Vintage Jeeper and got that installed, bent a new fuel line to get farther away from the manifold too
- Marla got a new internally regulated Delco 10si 3-wire alternator (was an externally reg'd motorcraft). This got a correct 5/8ths pulley zipped on, and a new correct 5/8ths belt was installed. I decided on 3-wire so that I could be charging at startup, and not have to hit an RPM threshold to excite the alt. At this time, I figured it was time to switch over to a volt meter and do away with the ammeter. While I dislike removing NOS and stock parts, for safety and clutter reduction, it just made sense. To make the 3wire alt work, I removed the old on/off style keyed switch and push button combo in favor of a 4post/3position ignition switch. This afforded me a setup without diodes and less complicated wiring runs. I also installed an internally resisted coil from Vintage Jeeper and new plugs and wires from same. All of this allowed netted me considerable reductions in the amount and complexity of wiring in the jeep. The entire load is no longer running through the dash, and the jeep just feels "strong" now when it runs! I'm pretty proud of myself for getting it going again. The last time I attempted to wire a jeep, it never ran again!
- I scored a bunch of gas cans, and a bracket, but installing them is a project still in the works. I'll keep you all updated :)
- I grabbed an M38A1 style rear tire bracket from a very nice gentleman down South of me. So Marla's spare has been moved around to the stock position. I also broke apart a repop M38 style reflector, cut a hole in the backing, and snuck a nice flat LED light from a Harley in there. As part of the wiring effort, I added this as a brake light in the tire bracket!
- Recently I was cruising marketplace and came across something that seemed too good to be true. Front and rear axles out of an M38A1 (I'm noticing a trend here lol) D25/D44 both with a traction device in the diffs! I also grabbed a rear seat from the same seller! I have plans for the '44 that might mean I won't get to use much of what's in there. Time will tell...
- Finally, the biggest news, is that we bought a house in the Los Angeles area, and we were able to move Marla down finally! I've got a ton of work to get her more mechanically solid, and registered (I misplaced the title!) but once those hurdles are behind me, I'm looking forward to exploring some of the fun trails around here.
Thanks for reading along! I know it's been a while, so if you've been patient with me, bless you!
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More images that wouldn't upload from previous lol.
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Nice seeing some progress! I remember finding and following you on Instagram years back, but I guess Instagram's algorithm didn't want me to see the newer posts...
My Dad and I did something similar for the taillights of my 3A, Stock taillight on one side, LED under a reflector in the other....
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Love those CJV35s!!!
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Nice seeing some progress! I remember finding and following you on Instagram years back, but I guess Instagram's algorithm didn't want me to see the newer posts...
My Dad and I did something similar for the taillights of my 3A, Stock taillight on one side, LED under a reflector in the other....
Yeah, the algorithm got really wonky at some point after I joined. I was seeing a lot of posts from great accounts I follow, but suddenly, I stopped getting updates from them. I keep it pretty active, so check in often!
Thanks for following along with Marla!
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Got the gas can mounted to the tail gate with spacers I'm happy with, and the strap riveted together!
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Over the weekend, I sold the half cab hard top (and doors) to a gentleman that had asked for it all the way back in '21 or '22 when I first started posting pics of the jeep. Off it goes to live a new life atop a different jeep! It's a little bitter sweet, but I know it will serve him better than it will me. Also, it's nice to see Marla in her best configuration; Topless!
I finally opened up the axles I picked up a few months ago to get a closer look, and...oh boy!
both axles have 5.38's (huzzah!)
the Dana 25 has a Power-Lok and looks pretty darn good inside. The diff cover is HEAVY. Might be cast iron? it's thicker than the 44 cover by almost double and much, much heavier. Makes the 44 cover feel like aluminum soda can!
the Dana 44 rear has a Gleason Torsen Differential, so I'm super excited about this find! (I mean, these axles would've been great on their own, but this is like extra scoops of ice cream, nevermind a cherry on top!)
The gears look phenomenal in both. I didn't see any pitting or blemishes in either, with the exception of some small amount of surface junk on one part of the '25 ring gear that scrapes off pretty easily. Someone has definitely been in the 25. There's a polished part on the back of the ring gear with a set of etched initials and some paint splotches likely used to help track a starting point when counting bolts or some such. One thing is for sure though, the clips on both axle's ring gear need to go, with the 25 looking much worse than the 44, but not by much. I found broken clips (teeth?) in the bottom of the housing.
I'm left deciding how to proceed on these axles (but deffo won't be letting them go! Sorry yall! ;) ) . Neither has brakes, or backing plates, or any plumbing. The knuckles are removed from the front axle (I did grab them from the seller, though), and both really need to be blasted and painted. Someone welded the steering stops >:(. With the 25, I really only want the traction device (well, and the cover!). I'll keep the rest of the axle for spares (believe they're spicer joints buy will look tomorrow or someday lol). I'm not sure what's involved with getting that LSD out and into the axle currently under the jeep....
Ideally, I'd like that 44 under the jeep. But as far as how to build it remains a big question....Vintage Jeeper offers a pretty serious strength upgrade for the 44 that takes it from 19 spline two piece tapered shaft semi-float to 30 spline flanged solid full floater. You know...for monies lol. Not sure how heavily I'll wheel it enough to warrant that amount of upgrade, though. Also, going to 30 spline means the torsen diff won't be usable as it's 19 spline (I think? I haven't been able to slide the shafts in...). So, I may end up just running it as is (after a small refresher, probably). I don't foresee treating Marla so rough on trails. Having LSD front and rear for piece of mind is very nice, in the light wheeling I've done in West TX, I've wanted for at least one axle with a traction device.
Finally, I'm also not the most experienced shade tree mechanic, and rebuilding or reconfiguring axle parts seems daunting, but like anything else I've done with this jeep, it's a fear/anxiety/unknown I'm looking to overcome! I'll probably have TONS of questions, but this will not be a speedy build.
Anyways, that's where Marla's at today!