I really dig the body decay on yours. Not that I enjoy rust, but I like the genuine barn find/survivor look. ...then I saw this come up on FB today and thought of your build:
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1066041500608628/
I really dig the body decay on yours. Not that I enjoy rust, but I like the genuine barn find/survivor look. ...then I saw this come up on FB today and thought of your build:
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1066041500608628/
cghstang_chris said:APEowner said:This build reminds me of the book Year of the Jeep by Keith Robertson. I read it multiple times as a kid.
Thanks for sharing this. I just read it over the weekend. It took an inter-library loan to get it since only a couple of public libraries in Ohio still have it in their catalog.
Thanks for mentioning this. I've got 1000+ automotive books, but not this one. I checked for a used copy on Amazon and paperbacks go for $98, hardcovers $324! My library can get it via inter-library loan, too, so I've got one coming.
Nick keeps on grabbing my new parts and working on the continuity before I have a chance to take pictures. Below is a catalog picture of the correct style, brand new tail lights I ordered.
While Nick took care of the continuity of the exterior finish, I dealt with the wiring. The new lights come with these light duty wires that are the wrong colors (and not cloth covered).
I started using my new supply of cloth covered wire to make them correct. Both lights get a red with one white tracer for the tail light. The left side gets an orange for the stop/brake and the right side gets brown for stop/brake.
Ford licensed Lucas bullet connectors for a long time and I figure since Ford made Jeeps, too, I could use Lucas connectors on this Jeep in key areas. So I terminated the other ends of the wires with Lucas connectors.
We kept the taillights shiny and new on the inside.
And once again, Nick worked his magic on continuity of finishes.
We're not trying to fake the patina--as you've seen, 95% of this Jeep is real. If we don't keep the continuity with the new parts, they'll just stand out.
These don't stand out and totally fit the part. Thanks agian, Nick!
We're not trying to fake the patina--as you've seen, 95% of this Jeep is real. If we don't keep the continuity with the new parts, they'll just stand out
Agree 100% with this approach. Few thing make me cringe more than the obvious "hit it with 40 grit and call it a rat rod" kind of faked patina. Bury your rust in clear coat to "preserve it" and I'll straight up ugly-cry.
But this is different: To honor the history of this Jeep (while keeping it running and driving) requires you to hide your work and hide it well. Good thing you have a skilled friend to help pull it off... taken together the gas tank and rear lights are just superb. In pictures at least, those totally look the part and don't seem the least bit fake.
Enjoying watching this ship of Theseus from the cheap seats. Carry on!
Okay, hive, I'd like to ask for some help here. You may recall there is a noise from the left front (item 11 on the punch list). I pulled the left front apart to investigate and everything is looking pretty good.
I'm still learning all the trivia and tricks with these Jeeps. There are three types of axle shaft/u-joint setups: Bendix, Spicer, and Rzeppa. My Jeep has the Rzeppa setup, which looks similar to a CV joint on so many other cars. There is no play in the balls/cage/etc.. There is a slight bit play at the splines between the axle shaft and the CV joint which I believe is causing the noise.
Parts are not generally available for the Rzeppa axles and the parts suppliers are telling me to switch to a Spicer-style axle. Prices aren't too bad--$150-200 depending on supplier and availability.
So, here are the questions:
In reply to Carl Heideman :
This is really funny timing, because about two hours ago I was watching an episode of Dirt Every Day Extra (Season 22, Episode 465, August 2018, Old jeep Front Axles and Steering Joints), and Fred was discussing these axles specifically. He has several flatfenders and was explaining the different front axle shafts that you might find. He was in the process of a similar refresh on his "Garden Jeep", a CJ2A. He is keeping it stock and just doing what's necessary to make it run and make it safe.
In the process of tearing down the Dana 25 on the front of his '46 CJ2A, he had a U-Joint axle on the driver's (long) side, and on the on the passenger side he found a Bendix Weiss joint. I won't try to recap the whole seven minute episode, but he said that the short side was generally the most likely to break, and it might have been replaced at some point. His plan was to run the Jeep with the two different styles and see what happens.
If you have access to Motor Trend On Demand, check it out.
Fred mentioned a company called RCV (Rockford Constant Velocity) that makes this style of joint.
APEowner said:This build reminds me of the book Year of the Jeep by Keith Robertson. I read it multiple times as a kid.
Wow. Yes! I did the same thing. Great story, and relatable as I was quite the ADD daydreamer in school.
Years later I found a paperback copy that was re-titled simply as "The Jeep". I may even still have it somewhere in a box.
In reply to Woody (Forum Supportum) :
Thanks for the tips. I don't have Motor Trend on Demand, but I'll see if I can find that episode somehow. It's funny you mention RCV as I'm a the advisor for Hope College's FSAE team and our car uses RCV axles and hubs. Many FSAE cars use either RCV or Taylor Race for axles and hubs.
This lovely Jeep is not a series 1 E-type, so fix it correctly is on a sliding scale. Any evidence of hacks carried out by previous owners? If so then in that spirit I'd vote for #3 followed (or maybe not) by #4 after some undetermined period of time.
Also I think "field repair" has a nice ring to it. I call it "jerryrigging" but that's just personal preference. Nothing succeeds like success!
Love reading all this. My grandfather owned the Willys distributorships and dealers in part of the country when this Jeep was sold. I've been wanting to build up a CJ2A for a hunting vehicle.
I spent some time replacing the wiring to the front lights. The parking lights were fitted with a single filament bulb and I'm converting to a two filament bulb so I'll have turn signals in the same light housing.
The holes for the bulb socket were a little undersized for the new socket,
so I embiggened them with a Unibit.
I used this dual-filament socket from NAPA.
I again threw away the wires that came with the socket and set it up with the cloth covered wiring. For this section that ran under the radiator, I couldn't save the old covering so I used some leftover covering from a Ford job I did awhile ago. With a little dirt, it will blend right in.
I had to use a mini 1157-style bulb, which turn out to be pretty hard to find. I'm going to try to get some amber bulbs instead of clear since the parking lenses are white.
I sourced period-correct headlight sockets from Rhode Island Wiring and redid the headlight wiring.
I ran most of the wiring through the nasty old covers so Nick won't have much to do except dull down the sockets.
The two dangling wires are for the turn signals. I'll put another little connector bar below the one for the headlights for those. I'll also be replacing the old wiring on the other side of the connector bar of course.
Even with all of the old, scary wiring, everything works!
I just noticed the coil springs on the shocks up front. Are those maybe part of the plow setup...intended as "helper" springs?
ClemSparks said:I just noticed the coil springs on the shocks up front. Are those maybe part of the plow setup...intended as "helper" springs?
That's what I'm assuming. I'm leaving them for now. By the way, the shocks are normally held in at the bushings with split pins, but this Jeep has bent nails installed by someone long ago instead. Field repairs...
jerrysarcastic (dork in training) said:
"This lovely Jeep is not a series 1 E-type, so fix it correctly is on a sliding scale. Any evidence of hacks carried out by previous owners? If so then in that spirit I'd vote for #3 followed (or maybe not) by #4 after some undetermined period of time.
Also I think "field repair" has a nice ring to it. I call it "jerryrigging" but that's just personal preference. Nothing succeeds like success!"
So I took jerrysarcastic's advice and put the axle back together to see how it holds up...if it gets worse I'll take the welder to it.
I did notice this cool tag on it when I took it apart.
Half done.
And back together.
I was going to bend up a new set of brake lines, but Peter DeBella Jeep Parts sells a pre-bent set for $98 so I couldn't pass that up.
The set included clips and the correct coverings on the lines. Nice!
It's kind a shame to replace this front line that was clearly a field repair. But it had some signs of weakness, so it had to go.
I only had to make minor tweaks to make the lines fit. That's $98 well spent.
In reply to Carl Heideman :
Where was that cool Rzeppa Joint tag found? I can see what it does, but I can't figure out where it does it. Or did you leave it off when you reassembled the hub?
Woody (Forum Supportum) said:In reply to Carl Heideman :
Where was that cool Rzeppa Joint tag found? I can see what it does, but I can't figure out where it does it. Or did you leave it off when you reassembled the hub?
That tag goes on the back side of the hub assembly.
There are two C-shaped castings that bolt to the backside of the hub with 4 bolts per casting and seal it from the elements. The tag goes to 2 of the bolts on the front side.
There was literally 90 degrees of play at the steering wheel and the bellcrank was the main culprit. The shaft was worn and the needle bearings were short many, many needles. The bellcrank would wobble nearly an inch when the steering wheel was turned. This kit takes care of most of the problem.
The ball on the end (when not covered in grease) is supposed to be round like a basketball and mine is more like a football. It connects to the drag link with an adjustable joint.
With it all buttoned up and adjusted, I'm down to just a little bit of play.
I also finished the hard brake lines and bled the system. So it stops and steers again. Back to wiring.
Nick was over tonight. Here's a big photo dump of lots of little things.
Nick adding continuity to the brake lines.
I think these outside mirrors are cool, so Nick made a new one look old and put it on.
Changed out the shiny phillips head screws for proper oval head slotted screws with better continuity.
And I worked on roughing in the wiring for the front lights and horn. Most of it will get wrapped in friction tape as original.
More progress on the wiring:
I finished the horn/headlight/turnsignal/parking light wiring on the left front. I'm going to save Nick the work and throw dirt on it myself.
I've used a lot of these Heavy Duty Turn Signal switches from Speedway Motors. They work well and last. Nick made my new one look old.
I found mini 1157-style amber light bulbs for the front.
And the rear brake, turn, and parking lights are just right.
Please let me know if I'm boring you guys with all of the detail I'm putting in this build thread. I've seen so many bad Jeep websites, YouTube videos, and message boards that I thought I'd try to put some good pictures and (hopefully) accurate information out there for someone else (and to remember what I did).
I think most Jeep message boards are a lot like riding lawn mower message boards (It wouldn't start, so I put plugs in it and it still won't start. Should I rebuild the engine?).
Anyway, here are some details:
On the left is the original headlight switch. The curvy thing behind it is a circuit breaker. With the original harness, Jeeps have no fuses. Many circuits are completely unfused. Several others get their power from the headlight switch and I guess that's why there is at least a circuit breaker. It looks like it self-resets as it's got points on a bi-metallic strip. I replaced it with a Napa HL6049 universal switch that I use on a lot of old cars. I'm putting a 4 fuse fusebox in the Jeep (unswitched headlights and starter button; unswitched horn and brakelights; switched ignition, switched fuel gauge, turn signals, and accessories) so the fuse on this switch is redundant. To maintain continuity, I'm using the Jeep knob instead of the white one. I had to rethread the new switch shaft from 10-24 to 10-32 to for the knob. I also had to file two parallel flats on the retaining shaft as the hole in the dash was keyed that way and not round. I'd rather cut up a replaceable switch than an original dash.
There were several light sockets in the dash and elsewhere and I rebuilt the guts and found 12V versions of the bulbs.
I've got this kit of parts for light sockets made up of pieces from British Wiring, the Brillman Company, and Rhode Island Wiring.
I taped the harness with Friction Tape. It's available at a lot of big box stores, etc.. Here I'm partway into the tape job.
Here it's all finished up.
I buy the expensive 3M (Money Money Money?) from Napa for about $10/roll.
I just had to add this. I bent the tabs on the horn relay cover and took it apart. It was like brand new inside, so I'm reusing it. I wish I would have taken a picture of how clean it was. As rusty as this Jeep is on the outside, it's got such great bones. I can tell that many of the fasteners I've loosened were last tightened at the factory, especially with the wiring.
Not boring at all, I'm loving all the updates.
Definitely don't stop posting details and progress! I'm enjoying it. And sharing things like part numbers on Headlight Switches and Friction Tape are super helpful. Or just the general parts that have worked well for you. I might not need it today, but I'm sure happy I saw it here and can hopefully remember to find it here again ;).
Sometimes I feel like an overbearing fanboy if I post too many accolades on a build thread I like. I'm sure others do also. But we sure do enjoy this one!
Also, I'm a bit of a detail nerd when it comes to stuff like the wiring and plumbing (not that anyone would know based on a casual glance at any of my projects). I can't stand settling for cheesy options that are commonly used and will go to great lengths to do something "right" on a project that is otherwise oh-so-wrong. So I'm very appreciative of your sharing of info on how you are doing stuff right on this project.
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