Messages

1

Once You've Joined / Re: Hello from Northwest Colorado

« on: October 08, 2014, 01:52:52 AM »

Life's lesson...hmmm...you're color blind? Grin

Sorry I was feverishly typing and missed this, it looks blue to me.

I forgot other people could see this as I posted it.


Here's where the real body work took place The cowl was crushed about 4" the fender was nearly touching the tire and the hood was crushed and torn where the windshield frame went through it. Port a power under the cowl w/ fender ball and it pushed out sorta.
Then a 10 pound sledge made short work of the fender, and I turned the hood over on my floor and beat the snot out of it with the sledge. Then welded up the tears and shot it.



Then some Beechwood 5 1/2" seat cushions and a used Bestop finished it up.

�

Next part of lesson:I have built Jeeps that I labored on and poured money into and obsessed over for months and years, till I wanted to give them away. That is why craigslist is always full of other peoples projects and that great build thread you follow religiously on any site you are a member of just disappears. I know this thing is a mess but no one else seems to, except you people. So again if you're losing steam or you think your work doesn't measure up to what you see others doing, I proudly posted these pictures for the whole world to see. Build it safe, but build it, drive it and enjoy it, you're probably your own worst critic.

2

Once You've Joined / Re: Hello from Northwest Colorado

« on: October 08, 2014, 01:14:33 AM »

The driver side was just split open and less rust so I was able to save the drain.



At the rear I was in the middle of painting when I realized I hadn't even covered the draw bar, so I just painted it.

3

Once You've Joined / Re: Hello from Northwest Colorado

« on: October 08, 2014, 01:03:55 AM »

The seam under this door was split all the way from top to bottom, and you could stick your fist thru the rust on either side of it. You can see I didn't even bother with the drain hole on this side.



Funny story about the windshield props on the hood, I called my dad with some dimensions and he made and installed them. When I saw his work it dawned on me it had never had them, so he didn't know which way they should mount.

4

Once You've Joined / Re: Hello from Northwest Colorado

« on: October 08, 2014, 12:52:08 AM »

Back to the pictures, I welded new floors in on both sides.



The rear floor was pulled away from the inner fender wells on both sides from tailgate to seat and you could see the tires thru the gaps. Floor jack and a 2 x 4 narrowed the gap and a welder closed it then I covered the entire interior with herculiner.

5

Once You've Joined / Re: Hello from Northwest Colorado

« on: October 08, 2014, 12:43:29 AM »

Ol blue is the roll-over tested 49 I inherited from my dad a couple years ago.

My mom bought it in the early seventies from the next door neighbor (he kept his 47 2a) and gave it to my dad for fathers day/birthday, it was sky blue and rust and it had been rolled and sort of repaired? New windshield frame and glass, change oil, drive. My dad drove it to work every day rain or shine for 15+ years, never had a top, heater on high and loving life.

 Then in the mid-nineties he retired and stopped driving it, told me he was going to restore it. I assumed he enjoyed working on Jeeps as much as I do. Fast forward 15 years and now prostate cancer has slowed the glacial like progress on the "restoration", and I finally realize the joy of working on Jeeps has skipped dad, and hit me with a double dose. I go down for a visit, it's about 200 miles, rent a trailer and drag it home.

 It was mid-February and in addition to a full time job, I worked 8 hours every night and two weekends and then I drug it back home. Using mostly junk and parts I had lying around, I freed the motor, rebuilt the knuckles converted to disc brakes because I never did that before and a 1 piece tie rod.

Finished the re-wire my dad started changed all the fluids and started on the body work. Cut out rust, weld in steel, hammer dents, weld cracks and a thin coat of mud. I painted it in my 40 degree garage at 11:00 at night w/ a $30 epay gun. Then I drug it back home, when I showed it to my dad in the middle of his street he was speechless, and as I continued� to point out the flaws and rough body it was like he couldn't see what a mess it was, and none of his friends and neighbors could either.

 As before he drove it every chance he got until the prostate cancer spread to his spine and he couldn't work the clutch. Then I would go down and drive him around every few weeks or so, and still nobody we met could see the flaws in this thing. I would point them out until my dad got made and told me to stop.

 So part of the lesson is this; I built it in three weeks with very minimal cash outlay and I enjoy driving it nearly as much as any project I've built, 6 years later it still gets thumbs up and turns heads, even though the tired old motor can't get out of it's own way.


Next part of lesson: If you seem to lose momentum on your project, maybe you bit off more than you can chew, I clubbed this thing together after 15+ years sitting and it is a joy to drive, and looks as good as the night I finished it.

6

Once You've Joined / Re: Hello from Northwest Colorado

« on: October 07, 2014, 11:08:44 PM »

Now for the life lesson I learned some years ago and promised earlier in this thread.

This Is "ol blue"




See

7

Once You've Joined / Re: Hello from Northwest Colorado

« on: October 07, 2014, 10:56:52 PM »

One more of rear corner, it's really not that bad should push out fairly nice.



Last one with doors on patiently waiting it's turn in the project line-up.

8

Once You've Joined / Re: Hello from Northwest Colorado

« on: October 07, 2014, 10:51:39 PM »

Just to show the body isn't perfect, bent pass. side fender.



Driver side rear pushed in, red menace bubbling thru on pass. side rear body mount.

9

Once You've Joined / Re: Hello from Northwest Colorado

« on: October 07, 2014, 10:44:07 PM »

Clean dash w/ no extra holes and the heater.

10

Once You've Joined / Re: Hello from Northwest Colorado

« on: October 07, 2014, 10:42:17 PM »

The times I've used atf/acetone before (2) it worked just by pouring it straight in, I have not tried directing it toward the pistons. Thanks for the suggestion I'll try that this weekend.
At first glance I also thought it was originally luzon red, but I've actually decided it was Cyprus green poly. I can't believe how complete the red repaint under the black was.


For you guys and gals in the east.
Solid and rust free foot wells and the hat channels are also very nice.



Just surface rust in the toolbox no daylight coming thru from underneath. and what's left of the original green on the under side of the lid.

11

Once You've Joined / Re: Hello from Northwest Colorado

« on: October 07, 2014, 06:16:13 PM »

Thanks for the welcome, I like pictures also, so here are some from my files along with a few words about my A's and one very important life lesson I learned a few years ago.

This is my newest JEEP a 51' A model with a very straight and solid body and a nice Koenig hardtop.
How it looked when I drug it home.



Fairly complete motor.



In this view you can see the only real rust issues the fender supports on both sides are gone and the inner fenders both need repair, I have 1 brand new support to weld in when I start on this Jeep.



The motor sadly is seized I dumped atf/acetone down the holes and put a socket on the crank w/ breaker bar and a bottle jack but no movement yet, I may pull the head this winter and see what it looks like inside.

12

Once You've Joined / Hello from Northwest Colorado

« on: October 06, 2014, 04:21:28 PM »

Hello all,
I recently acquired my second 3a, a 51' model to go along with the 49' I inherited from my dad when he died.

13

Announcements / Re: CJ3B and DJ-3A forum ask us to be part of us.

« on: April 09, 2019, 10:19:03 PM »

I own both so obviously I am in favor of the change.
The 3b page has been the standard that all JEEP
web sites are measured by and combining them makes the flattie "fix" easier to take care of. 1 stop shopping as it were.