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I'm curious too about the slithery critter that fanged the dawg - Copperhead?
The big tires on the rear of the '48 have holes for studs too. We old guys can remember when just about every garage had a stud installer with an 'ammo belt" of studs hanging down.
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Man studded snow tires. I remember the sound they would make on the pavement. I also remember the drivers doing 80 mph and throwing them to the moon!
Nice work on the utility vehicle! A man has to have several achievable projects, lest he would have an empty mind.
Now about the dog eating snake?
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I spent many hours as a young kid pulling studs out so we could tool up and down the hard road, because the township commishoner would turn us in for tearing up the tar.
We don't see many snakes here at the ranch, but if I had to guess, it would have had to been either a copperhead or a rattle snake. I came home late that night and she was laying by her water bowl. Her ear was three times the size of normal, and her lip was hanging down. She can generally handle herself, so she must of been caught by surprise. The vet drained the fluid from her ear, but there is a lot of scar tissue that may not let the ear heal up properly. She can still hear a fire truck coming long before I can.
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The latest project on the ongoing saga of the parts runner 2A. A while back I came across a deal on a new set of shoes for the 76 year old heep. Considering that the nearly 40 years that the Willy's has been a fixture in the stable, it has never had a descent, matching set of tires. Well, today was the day.
This process started just after Christmas with breaking down a matching set of 15" Kelsey Hayes wheels. Some of the tires had been on these wheels for at least two generations, bearing BF Goodrich Silvertown snow tires and Firestone town and country snow biters. Since I'm still cheap, the tires were broken down by hand with the hitch of the heep, a cheap high lifter jack knock off, and three pry bars. The process took a couple of hours.
The next step was to pick any rust, and repaint the wheels. The selected wheels are tubeless, so there are no worries about using a tube with tubeless tires. The wheels cleaned up fairly well, with only minimal metal work done to touch up some pitting from some fix a flat being used somewhere in the past. The color selection was a bright red, with the initial plan being to leave the visible parts original. That plan was soon scrapped when one of the four wheels turned out to be a different shade of red. Back to paint removal. After being primed in several coats of self etching primer, a maroon was chosen to pay homage to Senior Chief's Ham's '48.
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Love the new tires. Love the new wheels. Did the tires and wheels go on the Jeep today or if that is still ahead?
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I did spring to actually pay to have the tires mounted and balanced, just because I didn't want to booger up the paint with a pry bar or tire spoon. Two wheels were not perfectly straight, but not bad enough to cause concern at under 50 mph. One needed almost 3 ounces of weight spread around the inside, and an ounce on the outside. They will go on 5he rear. The two fronts needed very little to true up.
The tires went on without a hitch, but some time was spent adjusting the front brakes. The last time the Jeep was run to town, the left front tightened up enough that it would pull hard to the left when stopping. The upper adjusters had loosened up, pushing the top of the shoes tight to the drum.
All in all, I'm happy with the results. A twenty mile jaunt through town, and around the mountain pass, all was well. The road manners are much improved with the radials. Steering was as steady as it can be. Now, all that's left currently is to go and get the registration transfered over to this state and get a license plate.
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You never go wrong with any shade of red on a Jeep ..
A new saying: "I'll be on you like red on a Jeep!"
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Looks great! That last picture is ver nice!
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That little toy looks awesome! I love the mechanically solid look.
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Just don't pay any attention to the underside of the tub. That will be a down the road project, but even then I might not fool with the passenger side. I am in love with the brazed in patch panel.
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Wow - that looks great! Love the way you did the wheels and tires. Glad to see your progress!!!
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With three weeks remaining before heading north to Toledo, it was time to prep the Heep.
The first order of business was to finally make the ride actually road legal.... After years of buzzing around town without a current plate, it was time. On a side note, there was always insurance on the 2A, even when in storage. License plates just aren't a high priority in this neck of the woods. Temp tags are often just the dealership ad tag, and are kept on until they fade out in the sun. Since I took the time to haul the Heep to the DMV, I made the executive decision to spring for a vanity tag. The tag will read 46 Heep. If I had it to do over, I would have put down Heep 46 instead because at first glance it looks like 4SHEEP on the temp tag. Not optimal since I'm not a big fan of sheep/goats at all. Hopefully the real tag will have more prominent spacing.
The next order of business was to spray down the rough side with degreaser, and give it a good bath.
After that, the new LED headlights were installed. They are much better than the original three candle powered
6 volt sealed beams.
Pictures will follow later on.
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As promised, some photos.
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Wow those lights look nice! I didn't get any sheep out of the plate gm, obvious to me the man's got a nice 46 "Heep"!
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Those are pretty bright GM, she is looking good there Buddy!!!
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I did an experiment with some Cheapo oven cleaner and the roll on bed liner that was applied to the floor, (yes, I did that, but at the moment, I thought the body was complete garbage). My intention is to pull the rubber liner up, and the other layers of paint to match the rest of the body. The oven cleaner would work better hot, so I applied it to the rubber and set it out in the 95 degree sun. After a half hour of baking, you could start to see the yellow house paint starting to show through. I blasted the cleaner off with the pressure washer to neutralize the acid, because a storm was off in the distance. Hopefully this up coming weekend will clear up and will see how much the rubber has loosened up. More to follow.
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The Octane 6-volt lights became available after I started the LED light project on the '48. I was not sure if the black box with the DC-DC converter would fit in the existing headlight pan from just looking at the catalog pictures. How did you work it in?
Once you've driven behind LED lights, it turns you into a headlight snob... you notice how "yellow" other lights look. BUT - you can see and be seen. Put an LED in the back end lights too - it really does help out from the other side.
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I still have to tidy up the installation of the harness. I have the converter box tucked down along the radiator shroud, but there may be just enough room at the bottom of the bucket for it to ride, and not be seen. I am wanting to only have the original looking cloth covered wires visible.
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Man you all are getting ready. Exciting! Glad to learn about the better lights.
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A few steps closer.
Once upon a time I threw down some DIY roll on bed liner down on the interior to help bind everything from flapping in the breeze. This was before I bit the bullet and ground all the paint off the exterior of the body. Knowing that the floors were pretty well hacked and in need of replacement, the bed liner was a temporary deal to fill in some rust holes to keep from losing pocket change or small children. After removing the multi layers of paint from the exterior, and falling in love with the "patina" of the Frankenstein brazed in patch panels, the choice was made to make the whole thing naked. With that being said, the endeavor was started a week ago to start stripping the layers of paint plus the layer of bed liner from the bed floor and wheel houses, (The front floors were left alone since they are sure enough cobbled together scrap pieces). Floor mats cover the front anyway, so it doesn't really matter. For the most part, the paint and liner came up, and presented the metal fairly decently. There was a lot of effort required to burr through it all, with a few spots that needed some paint stripper applied to soften up the liner. In my mind it was worth it the effort. If I get some time this week, I'll skim some mud over the holes where the hat channel rotted out the floor, but that may not be a huge priority.
The last two pictures are of dressing the steel to bring the shine back to the bare metal. The el-cheapo clear coat didn't really stop any surface rust from forming, so all of the clear coat is now removed. I ordered a product called Shark skin that is reviewed to be the hot ticket for bare metal hot rods to retain their fresh worked appearance. We will see by the time the road trip to Toledo happens to just how durable it is.
Last few things on the to-do list for this week;
Parking brake adjustment
Service brake adjustment
Coolant flush and refill
Figure out where in God's creation I put the box containing the windshield to cowl rubber seal
Pray for good weather for the weekend in Ohio
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Just in case I don't have enough to do, this little gem followed me home. The clutch is stuck engaged, and it hasn't run in a few years. It belongs to the my neighbor, and he wants it up and back in service for the fall. He has the plow, disk, harrow, and sickle bar mower for it.
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You are making some progress, looks Great!!
The weather is looking pretty good up here for that weekend gm, no rain in the forecast!!!
Yippee!!
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It looks awesome gm! I am so in awe of your desire and ability to retain as much of the original as you can. It is showing in the way that old girl is looking. It is starting to look like it is rolling down the assembly line. I love the "naked" idea. I am pretty sure so far I have not seen a true original patina CJ here in any of the shows. You are going to be something to see that is for sure.
Keep praying for good weather!
Judging from the wheels on the one man plow, it looks like it could use a little bigger motor!
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The epic road trip for the Heep to return to her roots is underway! We arrived in Toledo late this afternoon and all went rather well. The Jeep is nestled in to her berth at Bmorgil's ranch, awaiting tomorrow for the rest of the guys to arrive. If anyone is close to Toledo this Saturday, please come out to check out Jeeps 80th anniversary gathering and parade.
The photo was from last night, before heading out.
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Photos Frome the KW meet up and jeep's 80th anniversary celebration in Toledo. Senior Chief LarrBeard kept us all in line, Bmorgil used his power of persuasion to get the best position possible for all of us to join the parade through Toledo. Bmorgil's son followed up the rear with his trick Scrambler. TJones put us in awe to the attention to details on his Orange Crate. All went very well, with no mechanical issues at all.
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Walking is pretty good exercise, but pushing isn't. Last weekend the Heep was out for a 40 mile run. At a little past half way back, she coughed a little at cruise. She had my full attention, so I stopped to check the fuel filter. The element was only about half as full of fuel as normal, but it was flowing. The trip went on for another 10 miles with no issues. Now that I'm within 10 miles I get to feel pretty good that I'm probably going to make it home alright. So much for thinking. She proceeded to spit and sputter off idle. Pulled off in a neighborhood to check the fuel filter again. This time it was dry. I blew into the gas tank to pressurize the system to check for a blockage. The fuel filter filled back up. She retired and I wound her out for another few miles. Then she started to sputter out within a mile of the ranch, but of course is up hill. I changed out the filter, but it was slow to fill even with air applied. This time she wouldn't run long at all before dieing.
Long story still long, yesterday my order from KW came in with my new fuel pump, filter, and a couple other goodies. The only thing that will be needed now is to replace the line from the tank to the fuel pump. I thought I had a chunk left, but then I remembered l used it to fix the busted brake line before going to Toledo. Another trip to the parts house.
Now for the tractor.... Yep another project that followed me home, but it is mine this time. I haven't figured out all that it needs, but at the moment it may need the engine gone through..... So if anyone has a 50 horse Ford 3cyl diesel that they don't need a fortune for, let me know.
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I’m on a mission now gm, there are a lot of excavating companies up here that have old ford backhoes sitting around the back yard with trees growing up through them. I’ll see if we can find ya something.
That is a pretty common motor in a lot of different Ford tractors.
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I've got one, but I need it on my Ford Tractor! I like the bucket loader gm, that will get some work done.
That filter looks pretty nice on the Heep. How old was the fuel pump gm?
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Well, at least it didn't quit in the parade in front of all of those cheering onlookers!
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I have a Ford 3400 in my barn that needs a little love before I sell it. I bought it at an auction to use but it took about 2 years before I had a usable tractor. Auctioneer started it, raised and lowered the bucket and rolled it forward and back. Looked okay but when I went to load it it would not steer. The steering pump was burned up because the lines from the reservoir were plugged and the steering column had to be rebuilt. Also had to rewire it because the mice had been at it and the tractor hydraulic pump had to be replaced. I need to pull the seat and the big plate it rides on to fix the 3-point settling issue but I can use the tractor without doing it so I haven’t done it yet. The very first task I used the tractor for when I got the steering fixed was to lift the front of the CJ3A to pull a flat. When I bought the tractor I didn’t have a concrete slab to work on, let alone a shop. There is a 3400 down the highway that has a backhoe on it that hasn’t moved it probably 20 years. I thought about looking into it but last spring I bought a little John Deere with a loader and backhoe. It’s not strong enough to lift my brush hog but it does everything else I need and I don’t really need to brush hog anymore anyway. I like the 3400 but it’s time for it to go. I could use that money for some Jeep parts.
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The old fuel pump was installed somewhere around 2003. It was an Advanced Auto special. It still pumps, but is weak. Senior Chief, you are correct in saying that it was a good thing she didn't conk out at the parade. That wouldn't have been fun.
I've been around Ford tractors all my life, and spent several years working at a dealership until they became New Holland. I've had them torn apart from one end to the other, so I understand them pretty well. I have the service manuals in the bottom of my tool box as well. Plus the parts were generally universal through the 3cyl version. TJ, let me know what you find. Jeff, let me know what you want for yours? Much like Heeps, it doesn't hurt to have a couple laying around for spares.
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The next project for the Heep is to add a back seat. This Heep has never been fitted with a seat, so there was a couple of things that needed to be done before the installation can begin. First 75 years of crud had to be blown out from under the front hold down straps. The second was to pop out the blanks that cover the rear mounting catches. The covers are formed to the body tub much like an electrical junction box. A hammer and a punch is all you need to pop them out. The new catches for the rear legs fit well, and we're of really good quality. Kaiser Willys did well in sourcing them. The seat frame was is a Omix repro, and it was a bit out of square, and it took some tweaking to get it to fit in the mounts. Some of the difficulties came from the Heep itself with the bed being beat up as well. The seat covers and foam were pretty straightforward. Some stretching and clamping was needed to get everything in place. Neither the canvas or the seat frame was drilled, so you have to mark and center punch for the holes for the screws. The seat belts are a lap racing belt that can be quickly unhooked from the mount to keep out of the sun and weather. There are eye bolts that remain in the floor that the belts hook into. The eye bolts have a three inch fender washer to prevent the bolt pulling through the body.
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Love those "seat belts" gm! Those seat catches were hard to get a couple years ago. I had to wait a while. I ordered from two different places and there was definitely a cheap one and a nice one.
LarrBeard is familiar with "panic at the parade", he lived it in my Jeep. If it wasn't for his coffee cup.....
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The seat belt latches look like what belongs in my 1942 Piper Cub (L4 Grasshopper). I don’t know if the FAA would allow the quick removal option but it would be handy because the front seat belt can interfere with the rear seat rudder pedals.
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Those are "Sit down, buckle up, shut up and hold on" seat belts!!!
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I originally was looking for an vintage aircraft look, but I went with the quick release option for times I don't need them, they can be folded up and put in the tool bin to stay out of the sunlight.
Since the weather was decent, the Heep traveled just shy of 100 miles this weekend. If the rain holds off on Thursday evening, she'll get to go on her second parade for the year in one of the local Christmas parade. We found a bunch of LED battery powered Christened lights and various other ornaments to add some flair.
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Looking Good gm!!!
Those belts are the best for sure!!!
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The Heep covered in lights in the parade is a required photo.
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I haven't decided on whether I'm going to trailer it, or drive it. To drive it would take around an hour over back roads, through some questionable neighborhoods, in order to not get run over on the high way. But I will get some photos and post. As of this morning, there is a 20% chance of rain. Maybe it will be like the Toledo parade and only get three sprinkles on the windshield at the end.
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May it never rain on your parade gm!