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Thread: The Frankenjeep

  1. #31
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    Well I just sent Kaiser Willys some more money. One of the things I ordered was a repair panel for the right side wheel well. Would it be considered “important” to spot weld it like original? I don’t own a spot welder but I may be able to cheat a spot weld with the tig and I can easily tack weld it with mig or tig.

  2. #32
    Super Moderator gmwillys's Avatar
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    I am too cheap to buy a spot welder, so I have to do the next best thing. The main reason is that in order to reach everything that would require a spot weld, a hobby spot welder just won't reach. Plug welding will hold as well, if not better than the original spots welds. Drill holes through the replacement metal, but leave the original metal base. Focus your heat on the base metal, then swirl in the replacement panel metal until the hole fills up. I would use the TIG myself, since you have it handy. You have a bit more control of the puddle with the TIG. Try using both, and let me know what you think.
    Last edited by gmwillys; 02-16-2018 at 02:26 PM.

  3. #33
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    Thanks for the tips. I will experiment some. I really didn't want to buy a spot welder. I may try using the stick welder. It would be tough to line up but a heavy piece of copper in the electrode clamp and another in the ground clamp may work as a spot welder. The nice thing about steel is it can usually be messed up, ground down and attempted again.

    I am looking forward to installing the repair panel I ordered but I still wonder if I should get a Repli-Tub and return the jeep to being a 3A. I don't know which would be worth more, a 2A tub with half the steel replaced on a 3A frame or a 3A Repli-Tub on a 3A frame.

  4. #34
    Super Moderator gmwillys's Avatar
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    With the market being hot for early Willys, you would get a descent return on investment either way you go. It all depends on what you want to invest.

    On my CJ2A, I try to find original 2A parts. The only aftermarket replacement parts that I've used thus far has been the windshield inner frame and glass. The outer frame was used and abused, so it took some work to make it serviceable, but it now functions well. I have no plans on selling my rig, so the return of investment isn't a big deal to me.

  5. #35
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    I think I need to put the CJ3 windshield frame back on to see exactly why the windshield broke out. It is pretty obvious the damage came from the blocks on the hood. If I remember correctly the blocks rested on the glass when the hood was raised but I pulled that frame and hung it on the wall about 6 years ago so I should take another look. If there is a difference and I decide to keep the current tub then I will have to change/move the blocks or buy a windshield assembly to match the tub I have. The windshield assembly I am using will eventually have to go back the CJ2A I borrowed it from.

  6. #36
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    The CJ3 windshield is taller than the 2A windshield. I have seen where folks have added extensions to the hood blocks to move them forward, to keep the windshield from being knocked out or scratched. People opted for the CJ 3 windshield to gain a little more head room with a top installed. I'd just assume to have the windshield down myself, but the long suffering misses.... not so much.

  7. #37
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    My CJ3 windshield frame has a lot of surface rust on it. Am I better off to sand blast it or have it dipped? If dipping is the best, what terms do I use to search for a shop?

    Had a little parts snaffu with Kaiser Willys. Amazing customer service over there. They fixed me right up, no problem.

  8. #38
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    I'm not a fan of sand blasting. I haven't tried baking soda, but I'm sure that it doesn't solve all the issues associated with blasting. Depending on the media used, the process can harden the metal, and later cause cracks to form. Sheet metal, you have to be careful with warping the metal, from the friction created during blasting. The mess is another factor. Now there is a new process out there on the market that claims to not have the issues listed above. The dustless blasting company uses water with the media to keep everything cool and dust free. I don't know what the mess would be afterwards, but their marketing shows people blasting in their driveways and back yards.....

    A good source of an at home dipping process was covered under "The Grand Willys Project". http://www.oldwillysforum.com/forum/...Willys-Project . A gentlemen from Australia is in the process of building a newer grand Cherokee drive line under a Jeep pickup. He uses a concoction of citric acid and water to strip paint and light rust off of all of his parts. He then puts lanolin oil on the metal for a protectant while the pieces await fabrication. The whole story is a great read, and Marcus is a craftsman in his metal working skills.

    I personally like to use the nylon brushes that Harbor freight and Menards sells. They can eat through several layers of paint, clean rust, and prep the surface for new paint all at the same time. I use them exclusively, because they are cheap, do not cause heat, and will cut through Bondo. With a 3/8 VSP Drill, it does not take a lot of effort to use. On average, I have used four to six brushes for an entire jeep. The nylon doesn't shoot shards of wire into your skin either.
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  9. #39
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    I have a Dewalt drill like that. Their customer service is good too. The keyless chuck didn’t work right out of the box. It wouldn’t grip anything. Twist it as tight as possible and the bit would slip if not just fall out. They gave me a choice between another keyless or a keyed chuck. It was the only keyless chuck I ever had a problem with but I opted for a keyed chuck. I figure it either had a bad part from the factory or was contaminated somehow.

    I had considered dipping the frame myself. I have been wanting to try it on some airplane parts. Unfortunately, my battery charger is one of the fully automatic varieties. I know a welder can be used but mine are inverter machines so I doubt they will work. There are some drawbacks to using the latest technologies. I will have to give the nylon brushes a try. I like scotch brite wheels on the die grinder but they don’t last long.

  10. #40
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    Dewalts seem to last the best. Although I have gone through a few of them. I average a drill for every two heeps. Once I start, I typically don't stop until I run out of items to clean. The drill tends to get hot, and the side load of the brush works against how the drill was designed to operate. The fine paint dust tends to collect around the windings, and wears out the brushes. I've taken them apart and cleaned the brushes with limited success. The springs that hold the brushes are fairly flimsy, so they need to be stretched to maintain proper tension on the brushes. There is a coating on the armature that prevents corrosion, but once you turn the armature to true it up, the armature doesn't last long afterwards. I buy the extended warranty from Lowes, but now they require the original receipt to honor the warranty. I'm hard on electric power tools, but will oil and maintain my air tools. I have no complaints with the keyless chuck. They take quite a beating, but have worked well. I have searched around for a more suitable device to run the nylon brushes, but want to keep the tool light weight.

    The electrolysis method of rust removal would be something to perfect, for an at home process. I know my old Lincoln AC/DC stick welder has a setting that plumbers used to use for thawing frozen pipes. If I remember correctly, at 75 amps, there is a circle on the dial. This is what the circle was to represent. I never knew anything about it until I was welding some out riggers on a trailer for a retired plumber.
    Last edited by gmwillys; 02-23-2018 at 10:02 AM.

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