I have to admit that I find myself day dreaming of my Jeep or follow on projects while I am in Afghanistan. I went home for a few weeks of leave, and while I was not able to work on the Jeep as much as I wanted because I was having to fix things around the house, I did get a bit accomplished.
I gathered up the transmission and transfer case and had them rebuilt. The shop did not order all of the parts that they needed and as a result I did not get the transmission back until after I had to go back to Afghanistan. Oh well, I will mate the motor and transmission when I come back for Christmas and bolt it to the frame.
I put a quick coat of paint on the wheels. I did not put a lot of effort into the wheels because I intend to replace them at some point in the future. Next it was off the a used tire shop to get some rubber. Once I was able to put the wheels and tires on the frame I used some wheel dollies that enable me to push the Jeep closer to the wall and out of the way when I am gone, and away from the wall when I am home so that I can get to the areas I need to work on.
The donor Jeep was a pretty close match to the original, but there are a few small details that are not the same. I had to cut the original bits out and weld them into place on the donor body. I also cut out a really bent up portion of the body and welded in a nice new flat sheet of metal. It all needs a lot more work, but it was really nice to get back home and push the project forward.
Enjoy the photos!
