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Thread: The Frankenjeep

  1. #21
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    I see no reason not to take a sprayer loaded with dishwasher soap to the car wash! I took the oven cleaner to the car wash but that stuff burned me when it splashed on bare skin. Dollar General sells something called Purple Power that doesn't work to bad on airplane bellies but the stuff on the transmission and transfer case is a little tougher.
    Last edited by 51 CJ3; 02-10-2018 at 06:37 PM.

  2. #22
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    I have been looking at the replacement panels trying to decide if I want to try my hand at welding body parts and I have noticed nearly everything seems interchangeable between the CJ2A and CJ3A but I don't see how that can be. My CJ3A windshield was broken out because the glass lined up with the blocks on the hood (M38 on a CJ2A body). Is the windshield mount/pivot point different between the models? Also, I have read where the CJ3A rear wheel well was different to allow more leg room but I see complete wheel wells being sold for both models using the same part number.

  3. #23
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    There isn't really any special skill involved in welding in replacement sheet metal. If you use the offered replacement sheet metal, and have good base metal, it's more important to clean and metal finish the base metal. You need to remove the spot metal remnants, and flatten the base metal to ensure that the new metal sits flush. When removing the rusted metal, it is best to invest in a good spot weld cutter. The cutter surrounds the spot weld and cuts out the circle. When the panel is removed, you just grind down the raised weld to make the surface flat. The reasoning behind using the spot weld cutter over just drilling out the spot welds with a drill bit is that you don't have to fill in the hole when welding in the new panel. Woodward Fab sells spot weld cutters;
    https://www.woodwardfab.com/product-...een-on-trucks/
    When prepping the new sheet metal drill holes along the mating surface to allow plug welding of the new panel to the existing metal. The bellow example was done using Kleecos to hold the panel in place while the seem was welded. The holes were later plug welded and metal finished.



    On a CJ2A wheel house, the dimension given is 33 1/2" on the top section. It does not give the measurement for the 3A or 3B. I am fairly certain that the 3A dimension was shorter, but know the 3B was. This was done to give a couple of inches more of leg room. Being that the side panels didn't change much until the M38A1/CJ5, the 3B wheel house would fit in with very little fabrication needed. A lot of CJ2A have had their wheel houses modified to allow for more leg room, with most being squared up with the top of the wheel house top. The tapper was removed behind the seat, allowing the seat more room to move rearward.
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  4. #24
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    Anyone fabricate their own exhaust? Where can the flange be sourced? I know there are kits available that appear to be mild steel but I was thinking it would be good to have stainless. Unfortunately, since stainless exhaust systems have become fashionable to have, the local muffler shops seem to have disappeared.

  5. #25
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    With stainless having different properties than mild steel or galvanized dipped mild steel exhaust, it takes different types of mandrel dies to form the bends. The old corner custom muffler shops are disappearing, and the few that are around aren't upgrading their equipment. I checked Google, and the question has been out there since 2012 on the CJ2A forum, but no responses. I did come across a manufacture that may be able to take your pattern, and mandrel bend to your specifications. Or, you can purchase the radiuses, and fabricate your own. Columbia River Mandrel Bending;

    http://www.mandrelbends.com/?gclid=E...SAAEgJRf_D_BwE

    One of my neighbor brought me some stainless cut offs from the local steam plant. They even cut 45's in them. I put them on an old 360 C.I. derby engine. They sounded rather good, and had good color to them after a night of running.
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    Last edited by gmwillys; 02-16-2018 at 05:05 AM.

  6. #26
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    I had considered making my own exhaust for the airplane but, having never done it before, decided my skills weren’t up to the task. Broken exhaust on an airplane will, at best, get you stranded somewhere or, worst case, cause an in flight fire. I am a little braver when it comes to trying new things on the jeep. I have a milling machine so I may be able to make my own flange but, there again, I have the tools but not the experience to use it proper and sometimes I would rather spend money than find the time to do some things.

    On another note, today I removed the improperly installed roll bar. Between the busted up fender and the rust welded bolts, it put up quite a fight.
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  7. #27
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    Columbia River Mandre Bending looks like a good source for just about everything exhaust. Thanks for the link!

    It appears the stainless cutoffs were simply welded to the existing steel. If that works okay and I have good metal close to the flange, then I should be able to get some pre-bent shapes and build from there.

  8. #28
    Super Moderator gmwillys's Avatar
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    The headers welded up alright. I wouldn't expect it to last for a lifetime, but it served it's purpose. A TIG weld with some good filler rod would have been much better, but it was an experiment to use the MIG. I was happy with the results.
    I agree, welding up an aircraft exhaust would be more troublesome than what I would want to tackle. An exhaust leak/fire at 14,000 ft. would not make for a good day. What type of bird do you have?

    The wheel wells don't look too bad. The driver's side looks rather repairable, but the passenger side may need replaced. By the time you straighten out the seam at the body, weld up the cracks, and blend it all together, you would have had it replaced.
    Last edited by gmwillys; 02-16-2018 at 05:05 AM.

  9. #29
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    I was thinking about getting a new top piece for the right side. I bought one of Miller’s portable inverter mig welders last fall that should do wonders for the left side. It makes about half of my welds look like I know what I am doing which is a huge improvement over what I was able to do with a buddy’s machine. It will also tig. I have a lot to learn about both methods but I have been tig welding longer than I have been mig welding.

    I drove the CJ3A to town yesterday without the roll bar. Losing all that weight up high sure changed the “feel” of it.

    My flier is called a Thorp T-18. It’s a small two place homebuilt airplane that cruises about 155 mph. A man who lives near Chicago built it. I don’t have a picture to share on my phone. I also have 2 non-flying projects, a Pawnee and a Cessna 150. I need to get the 150 finished and sold before I run out of money.
    Last edited by 51 CJ3; 02-16-2018 at 06:48 AM.

  10. #30
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    I remember seeing a few Thorp T-18 from when we used to go to Oshkosh, back in the mid eighties. Sporty bird, with a cruise at 155. The Pawnee has potential to be fun also.

    MIG welding just takes practice. The hardest thing to figure out is to what to do with the hand that was feeding filler rod.

    I really like the look of my heep without the roll bar. The closest I've come to needing the roll bar was actually in a grocery store parking lot, and not on the trail.

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