There is no wonder to why don't get anything finished. I have taken on yet another Heep project. This one should be a fairly quick turnaround, but who am I fooling. At least it runs, drives, and stops on its own. It does need some frame rust repair though. The subject is an early '90s Wrangler.... Not even close to a Willys.
Day 1. Pull the fuel tank and check the inner frame and crossmembers. Pull the front bumper off, and check out the front frame rails. The passenger side was damaged, and the driver's side was soft at the tie down point. I purchased a kit with all the normal frame rust spots patch panels. The kit is all Lazer cut, and are of good quality. The fitment was descent, and gives enough room to weld in around the crossmember and the steering box mount bolts.
The rig isn't in too bad of condition, but there was a design flaw that carries on to this day. The frames do not have any real drainage holes. This frame was packed full of mud in the areas of rot.
I know the feeling on my own projects. I took on this one for a retired gentleman that had been turned away from everyone that looked at it. He was in fear that he would have to scrap it. I like lost causes, so I jumped at it. It would have been nice if I would have waited to finish my garage expansion project before starting this one. Oh well, the Wrangler project will pay for itself plus a little extra. That's better than I usually come out. After the first of the year, then I have an engine replacement on a first generation Pathfinder. It was discovered by my Son in Law that even hunting rigs require oil to run any length of time. I'm not looking forward to that, because I really don't like working on modern vehicles.
Admire the skills and the willingness. I'm learning it's as much a match between people as it is matching up parts to a vehicle in resto. All about fitment
If you want to see real skills, Google the grand willys project. Gojeep is a true Craftsman.
The weather was too nice to stay at work today, so I decided time was better spent on the heep project. The spare tire holder had two stripped studs. The driver's side frame rail is all trimmed and three sides welded up. Next will be some added interior fish plates and a couple of good coats of heavy paint before the bottom rail is welded in. UPS dropped off the transfer case skid plate reinforcement/mounts, so they were cleaned and primed.