Re-Introduction!! Hello all. Build #3 that wasn't supposed to be a build!!

Hi guys. Just thought I'd share my recent build. First a little history. I built then sold my 47' 2a. Why? I dunno! Stupid I guess. I then did a 61 cj5. The only thing I didn't like about it was the fiberglass body. It freaked my wife out. It was very "flexy". Next I started shopping around for a flat fender that "needs very little". I thought I found one, a 48'cj2a, in Michigan. It was Pa. title and registered as a farm vehicle. I was assured it was in great shape and paid pretty much paid top dollar. Well it was a total disaster. I ended up getting some cash back but not nearly enough. I've rebuilt or replaced everything but the axles and transfer case so far. Here's a couple pics.Attachment 3637Attachment 3638Attachment 3639Attachment 3640Attachment 3641

For some reason people who sell Jeeps feel they are compelled to lie about the condition. I bought mine at auction. I had long discussion with the auction house who assured me that it was in top notch condition. Saying one of the employees was driving it back and forth to work. When I received it had no power. The transmission and transfer case were filled with STP to slow down the leaks but bone dry. The motor had two broken pistons, a warped head and a cracked block. The clutch was toast. I ended up rebuilding every part from bumper to bumper. The only thing that was right was the body was in perfect shape. It was a 6 volt system but somebody had put in a 12 volt battery so the electric system was toast. I can never get my money out of it.

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Originally Posted by Sebastian21

For some reason people who sell Jeeps feel they are compelled to lie about the condition. I bought mine at auction. I had long discussion with the auction house who assured me that it was in top notch condition. Saying one of the employees was driving it back and forth to work. When I received it had no power. The transmission and transfer case were filled with STP to slow down the leaks but bone dry. The motor had two broken pistons, a warped head and a cracked block. The clutch was toast. I ended up rebuilding every part from bumper to bumper. The only thing that was right was the body was in perfect shape. It was a 6 volt system but somebody had put in a 12 volt battery so the electric system was toast. I can never get my money out of it.

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I truely think that half or more of these "collector car" dealerships do not know what they're selling.

Before and after pic. Paint looks good but it had more bubles in the paint than dishwater. No just thru but surface rust painted over. Water in everything mechanical. Cracked block. Pure rust pudding in bake lines. Bad!! Attachment 3642

Welcome back Dvdsjk,
That is a great fuel rear conversion 2A. Heeps are a labor of love, because we will not get rich building and selling.

Trust nobody but your own eye. I am a used car salesman's worst nightmare. The last used truck I purchased from the Chevy dealer was put up on a lift so I could check everything out for myself. Even though it was a certified used vehicle, it was found to have leaking front axle seals and a brake line that was knicked. The salesman promised to have the issues fixed by the close of business the following day, then we could close the deal. The next day at lunch the poor salesman called to let me know that he was taking it in the shorts because on a 3/4 ton, the axle had to come out in order to reseal it. That much I did know. I told him that was why I demanded it be fixed before purchase. I bet he wasn't too popular at the daily sales meeting.

It was my own fault. A little too far to drive. I really should have had a service look it over. This one hurt at first. First time I was tr

Even the wife felt bad for me. On top of it all I could not find a good block anywhere . She scraped up the cash for one of the new allied blocks I built up. Thank goodness the crank, flywheel and head we're able to be refinished. Look at the first piston I pulled. Attachment 3644

The new allied blocks look to be a fairly good deal. A brand new, better alloy composition block for the price that is often less than getting an original to pass. Too bad they couldn't find a company in the states that could pour it for a comparable price. Still sounds like a great deal.
Your wife is an understanding soul! Just remember a free heep is expensive. J-ust E-mpty E-very P-ocket.

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Originally Posted by gmwillys

The new allied blocks look to be a fairly good deal. A brand new, better alloy composition block for the price that is often less than getting an original to pass. Too bad they couldn't find a company in the states that could pour it for a comparable price. Still sounds like a great deal.
Your wife is an understanding soul! Just remember a free heep is expensive. J-ust E-mpty E-very P-ocket.

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It's already set up with hardened valve seats and standard piston bore. Oh and freeze plugs . You do have to "clean the block" in ice cold water due to flash rusting . I found one large piece of casting from water jacket. This is my first bare block build and it went really well!! Attachment 3664

Is anyone reproducing the F 134 block? They must have been thousands made yet you cannot find one. I had to have my block welded up by a company that specializes in welding blocks, at a considerable expense.

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Originally Posted by Sebastian21

Is anyone reproducing the F 134 block? They must have been thousands made yet you cannot find one. I had to have my block welded up by a company that specializes in welding blocks, at a considerable expense.

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They say that they are working on it.

Looking at the valve spring squeezer - does anyone still have a set of asbestos backed gloves to let you adjust valves with the engine running?

The asbestos protected your hands from the hot exhaust manifold - but a set of gloves like that would probably be illegal now.

I have a set. They work great, but they are getting worn out. One day they'll figure out that fiberglass is just as bad for you. If you take a Geiger counter over Pelagro's gauges on his A1. The radium that was used to illuminate the numbers has a half life of 1,600 years. No problem for the operator, but not recommended to crack one open.

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Originally Posted by gmwillys

If you take a Geiger counter over Pelagro's gauges on his A1. The radium that was used to illuminate the numbers has a half life of 1,600 years. No problem for the operator, but not recommended to crack one open.

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My former professional nemesis, Collins Radio Company, designed a magnificent high-frequency receiver for the Army in the 1950's, the R-390A/URR. Modern digital signal processors match it, but only match it - not do better. Pelago knows that radio, unless I am badly mistaken - all of us used it at one time or another.

For some reason the Army decided that the audio level meter and the signal strength meter needed to glow in the dark. And, the solution was radium and phosphorous. When the receivers were taken out of service they were collected into a large pile at one site and the two meters were removed, notwithstanding that they were hermetically sealed meters that you could store for years under 6-feet of fresh water and never get a drop of water in them.

The audio level meter was a VU meter, which has no exact replacement for the ballistically damped and compensated meter movement. Bureaucratic overkill.

Not much has changed. On post, we have a large variety of tracked vehicles. This ranges is from M113, M60 AVLB (armor vehicle launch bridge), M109 Paladin, M992 FAASV, and the M1 Abrams main battle tank. Most of the radio sets, crew stations, and overall interior of the vehicles hasn't changed from the early sixties. Even the M1 carries over a lot of the same equipment. With that being said, there is a lot of add on equipment that brings the vehicles up to the 21st century, with the capability of battlefield awareness (reduction in friendly fire incidents). But the main systems are still the same.

In talking about the reproduction engine having casting slag or sand, that isn't too uncommon. The dealership I worked at through college had a fleet of rental Kubota tractors. We pulled a brand new tractor into the shop for its first service. When the oil was dropped, something fell into the drain pan. After fishing it out it was discovered to be part of an engine casting. To be more specific, a portion of a cylinder wall. The piece was machined on one side to include cross hatching, but the other was porous. The service manager called our regional Kubota service rep, and was told that this was not uncommon. He went on to say that if the piece of equipment was running fine, to leave it alone. We being curious decided to spring for an oil pan gasket to at least see how bad the damage was. Upon removal of the oil pan, it was discovered that the piece could not have come from this particular engine. Everything proved to be correct and not damaged. We buttoned the pan back up, and finished the service. To my knowledge, the tractor never did have any problems.

"Everything proved to be correct and not damaged. We buttoned the pan back up, and finished the service. To my knowledge, the tractor never did have any problems."

Seriously,this is always one of the questions when we are working on old Jeeps. If it is working do we leave it alone, or do we work on it until we break it?

There is no one correct answer and everyone has to be willing to live with their decision.

That's another reason it's an adventure!

The biggest determining factors of trouble on vintage engines would be oil pressure, rod noise, and compression. Low oil pressure doesn't necessarily mean a worn pump. Cam and main bearings would cause a drop in oil pressure when warm. Rod knock would come from over speeding the engine for extended periods of time, (45 mph cruise is best, just because a heep will run up to 55, doesn't mean it likes it). Compression will be either worn rings, or in my 2As case, a hole in the center of the Piston on #3. The moral of the story is that don't always put all your eggs in one basket. If you find evidence of a problem, trace it to ground to ensure the problem is really a problem. As LarrBeard said, fix what's wrong, but don't work on it till it breaks.