Sidelined

For the moment the Jeep project is on hold. I am trying to figure out what is wrong with our VW TDI at the moment. The signs point to shoddy work on the last timing belt change by a shop that suspect also stole my $200 code reader for the car.

However, I was able to get a few things accomplished that I have not posted. These photos are several weeks old. I just have not had the time to do anything lately and I feel that I will have to put in some overtime on the Jeep soon. The good news is that I think that I have sold/swapped parts from the 1966 CJ5. So far it looks like I will get the frame, motor, transmission, transfer case, and springs out of the yard very soon. I will get a bit of money for the springs, but the rest will be swapped for a F-head, transmission, and transfer case. I know that the F-head does not work but I can snag parts off of it as I need them. It is my greatest hope that the transfer case and transmission are in good condition and that I can save $300 on a rebuild kit!

Enjoy the photos! See if you can figure out which photo Mike took for me.

Every man should re-build a car at some point in his life.

Yeah, you heard me. All of you sissy men out there that have looked at a rusting hulk of what was once a thing a beauty, that was crafted in America, and gave a generation or two hours of joy and years of mobility, but you shrug your shoulders and shake your head because you cannot be bothered to breath life back into that old heap.

I am really just giving the few of you that may happen to read this a hard time. I do really feel that every man should know enough about cars to turn a wrench should their car break down on the side of the road, but rebuilding an old car may just be beyond the abilities of some. Lord knows that I have picked up a trick or two during the process of rebuilding this Jeep!

Here is the deal, I spent the day working of several aspects of this project today. I had to keep bouncing from task to task because I was waiting on paint to dry, the welder to cool down, or having to preform some other random task. I did have a friend stop by and lend me a hand in flipping over the frame. This allowed me to touch up a few welds on the under side of the frame, shoot some paint at areas that had not been painted yet, repair rusted bits of the bumper, and weld in some support straps on areas of the frame that I feel have weakened over the years.

I also became sick of tripping over all manner of disassembled engine parts, so I began the process of putting the engine back together. I made sure to save the bolts from the tear down and keep them in their order so that I could replace them when the time to build came. I did get the head and oil filter casing on, but not much else. Tomorrow is a mother day and I will try to make more progress on the whole project.

Enjoy the slightly artistic photos. It is damn hard to take photos of yourself in "action" shots using a timer. You try not tripping over all the crap on the floor or the frame with a welding mask and gloves on. It is far to late to go back and proof all of this and I am dying for some sleep.

So much going on.

Though it has been a while since I updated this build blog I assure you that I have been making progress bit by bit. The problem is that between the family, work, and school the going as been a bit slow.

A friend of mine helped me to remove the front and rear end from the frame, and with a lot of time and effort I sand blasted the entire frame. The frame now sits in my garage on blocks. I have taken a short section of hose, slit it along its length, and duct taped it to each side of the rear bumper. There is a good reason for this. It tried to cut through my leg! The edge of the bumper is razor sharp and put a gash in my shin that was deep and wide enough that I had to use super glue (no stitches for me thanks) to close the gash. A friend of mine also fell victim to this rogue frame.

For the most part the frame is shaping up. I have used a lot of high temperature block paint to paint the frame. It is cheap, holds up well to rock chips, and I can respray it with ease if I need to do so. I began the process of boxing in the frame and it is going well for the most part. I just wish that I did not weld like an ape with two fingers. I will admit to not leaving a space for the skid plate mount when boxing the frame in, but it is my greatest hope that I will be able to use a magnet on a telescoping pole and drop the bolts in place from a space I left open for another bolt.

My grandmother just sent me $200 as a contribution for the Jeep build (note:Friends and family, matching contributions would be nice! :-P). I should be finished with the frame soon, although the front bumper will require some heating with a torch and beating with a large hammer (BFH). Once the frame is ready I will order a transmission and transfer case rebuild kit. Once that has been rebuilt it will be time to drop the motor, transmission, and transfer case into the frame. Alas, I am getting a bit ahead of myself.

Enjoy the photos.