My cj3A

[Medsker51]

I have given up on the snap ring and just pulled the tranny and t-case together. The snap ring has to do with the Warn overdrive. I just have a few more things to pull off the frame and then it's off to the sand blaster. I found a local place that will do it for $140. I figure that is worth the money. I may have them do the leaf springs also. I can't wait to get it done so I can start putting things back together. I'm thinking of powder coating the frame. What do you guys think about powder coating? Is it worth it? I've never had anything powder coated before so I don't to much about it. I mean I know the process, but not the durability etc.

Still having fun! 

[F Bill]

That is a greet price for blasting....if you have any repairs to do to your frame you won't want to powdercoat it until all that is done..

I recently painted a blasted chassis with epoxy primer (material cost was $150) and topcoated with gloss enamel..($120)....It came out very nice, and is repairable if it gets damaged. Powdercoat is tough to repair and tends to trap moisture between the coating and the metal once the film has been broken...In your climate that may not be an issue. In places like the rust belt it is definitely an issue, and many powdercoated things like snowplows and brush guards and trailer hitches actually fail faster due to this moisture trapping effect.

Also if you have any rust pitting or places you will be using a skim coat of filler on to smooth out, you will need to ask your powdercoater what  fillers can be used under powdercoat that will not get destroyed in the baking process. (If you are making a show quality frame)

[macrisel]

I agree with Bill on the frame powdercoat.� If your frame flexes very much (as in trail riding, rock climbing or even hitting a speed bump too hard) the powder coat will develop a crack and let in moisture and keep it trapped.� It is also very hard to get a frame clean enough to coat.� When you bake the powdercoat on, it causes the metal to release any oil that may have soaked in over the years......which messes up the powdercoat.�

When I did my resto, I powdercoated my wheels and skid plate on the oil pan.� The oil pan turned out great (go figure), but the wheels did not.� I stripped off the powder coat and recoated them a total of three times......and still had issues.� I finally relented and primed and painted the wheels and moved on.

Powdercoat has its place, but I would probably skip it on the frame.� I used POR 15 on my frame and have had really good luck with it.� Others on here have used Mastercoat and liked it (I didn't know about it until after I used POR 15).� Also, as Bill said a good expoxy primer followed by paint will leave a very nice finish.� Regardless, a great prep will make anything look good and last a long time.

Good luck!

[F Bill]

Mark what was the issue with the wheels? I am about to have a set done here in NY....
With blasting I see the seam between the inner and outer pieces trapping sand... if not cleaned out it can be an issue with it showing  sand particles under the paint and rust starting again there. I usually have to clean out that area with a knife and dribble lots of primer in there before painting the rims.

[Medsker51]

Thanks for the info guys. I'll skip the powder coating. I'm not trying to build a show Willys so I think I'll just try por15 or an equivalent on the frame.

[1955CJ-5]

Look at what Tim did to his frame.....I wish I had known about this stuff...

scroll down a little.....


http://www.cj3apage.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1364925701/60

[macrisel]

Mark what was the issue with the wheels? I am about to have a set done here in NY....
With blasting I see the seam between the inner and outer pieces trapping sand... if not cleaned out it can be an issue with it showing� sand particles under the paint and rust starting again there. I usually have to clean out that area with a knife and dribble lots of primer in there before painting the rims.

My wheels seemed to have a rough life.  I didn't have an issue with sand, but I did have an issue with chemicals seeping out when I baked the wheels.  I think it was a combination of brake fluid, oil, dog pee and who knows what else that was etched into the wheels.  I tried pre-baking them several times to get the stuff out, but everytime I thought I had them clean I would prep them and powdercoat them and something else would bubble out and cause the powder to orange peel, fog, or even flake off.  I was just using a coventional oven so maybe I just couldn't get the wheels hot enough.  Like I had said, I also did the oil pan/skid plate and I never had any issues with it.  I also did several other pieces on the jeep and other cars with no issues.......just the wheels.  Go figure.  A professional would probably have better luck than I did.

[1955CJ-5]

When my 55 was painted so many years ago, the then elderly fellow who painted it said that the jeep "acted as though it had been around sheep".....what he meant was there was oil on the wheels, presumably from the oil in the wool where the animals had rubbed against it, and the paint on the wheels would just fish-eye....

[Medsker51]

I know it's been a while since I updated. I went too fast and forgot to take pictures, at least any cool ones� � Here is one of the frame ready to load up and take to the sandblasters. I'm now working on cleaning the front axle. I sure hate cleaning things.� � I'm excited to get the frame back and painted. I figure at that point you start putting things back on it and start moving back up the ladder. I'll try to take more, and better, pictures.

[Medsker51]

It's been a couple of months since I checked in. Lots of playing so I haven't done a whole lot. I've mainly been working on cleaning up the engine so I can paint it. I'm finding I don't like the clean up part of the build. I'm sure everyone feels the same way. I walk out into the garage and see the engine on it's stand to clean and my Harley next to it and the Harley wins most of the time 

I hate to use you guys as my personal experts but I have a couple of problems I can't find searching. First, I pulled the distributor and oil pump without really checking how they were installed. I have the engine at TDC but I can't figure out which point on the distributor is the number one spot so I can point the rotor towards it. Second, when I paint the engine do I need to mask off the gasket areas or can I just paint them? I think the gaskets will still seal, but I'm not sure. If I do have to mask them up what is the easiest way to do it?

Thanks for everyone's help!

[athawk11]

Hi Medsker,

The distributor rotor should be pointing at about 5:00 o'clock with the #1 cylinder at TDC.

I masked off the gasket areas.  It's tedious.  Use the gasket as the pattern.  Use a sharpie to draw the shape.  Grab a chair, get comfortable, and start filling in your drawing with tape.

Tim

[1955CJ-5]

If you have a service manual reprint, the oil pump install is on page 49...

And as Tim said, the rotor should be at about 5 o'clock with #1 at TDC when the distributor is installed....If you get the oil pump in right, there is only one way the distributor will fit as the slot and key are off-set from center...(don't forget the anti-rattle clip if you have one!)

The distributor rotates counter-clockwise, so attach the spark plug leads in the 1-3-4-2 firing order with # 1 at 5 o'clock....

And, if I were to mask off the gasket area (I didn't) I would tape the whole area, then mark it using the gasket as Tim said and then cut and peal away the unneeded tape....

[athawk11]

And, if I were to mask off the gasket area (I didn't) I would tape the whole area, then mark it using the gasket as Tim said and then cut and peal away the unneeded tape....

That's a far better approach than mine.  I like it.

Tim

[Medsker51]

Thanks for the help guys. So if I understand correctly, I install the oil pump with the slot vertical and then install the distributor into the slot. This puts the number one cylinder at 5 o'clock. Is this correct? I'm at TDC.

Thanks Again!

[1955CJ-5]

The slot on the oil pump should be at about 11 o'clock, with the larger section upwards towards the head...that should give you a 5 o'clock rotor

The book recommends that you start with the slot at about nine thirty, and as you push it in the gear mesh should rotate it to about 11 o'clock.....