Oh my gm you forgot the “expert idiotic” part Ole Wise one
Oh my gm you forgot the “expert idiotic” part Ole Wise one
Last edited by TJones; 03-31-2021 at 01:14 PM.
You always have to read an "Az post" a few times to be sure you get it all.
My level of comprehension must be sub par. I did neglect to include idiotic expert. Please excuse my oversight.
As a card carrying member of the mens club, I know on many occasions I feel the need to stick my foot in my mouth. Us idiots need to stick together, and will continue to give out free jeep life experiences to whomever may ask. Just keep in mind, the truth is often stranger than fiction.
#1 AZ it is time to start being honest, we All try to be as honest as we can be on this site with the "guru help" we have or know.....Originally Posted by 5JeepsAz
#2 No we have not ever heard the story about the liar and the the truth sayer Please tell us more of the story you just made up....
#3 If you are jeepers in the desert and you know your heading there wouldn't you prepare yourself for that journey??? Asking for a friend
#4 Well I probably wouldn't ask nothing because if I was going to the desert with a jeeper I would make sure I had fuel and water....
#5 You probably should know what your game plan is and where WTF your headed before you even head into the desert (with no fuel and water)
#6 We all DO feel appreciated Thanks for your compliment on our "guru help"
#7 It is only because we are older and maybe you know but maybe not, with age comes wisdom so by ONLY by our own mistakes and failures (which instills wisdom for the willing to learn) we try and spread what we consider "obvious" to us.
You asked for an answer and that's mine and I am sticking to it!!!
Alright TJones, truth is, it's an old dirt puzzler. This is the slightly modernized version for mall crawlers who get lost within a half mile of town and think they need water and gas. You and everyone here would give em some water and gas. You are right about all of us carrying it. Solution?
See, you ask either one what the other would answer. Then you do the opposite. That's the winner winner chicken dinner answer.
The truthful one, for example, would say honestly that the liar would point you down the draw a half mile to the home depot. In this case, doing opposite, you go up the draw.
The lying one would lie, and say that the truthful one would direct you go down the draw to the home depot, about a half mile. In this case you do the opposite, you go up the draw.
That's the kind of useless knowledge I carry in my head. It's occasionally amusing!
Acquisition (success!)
I went right past her the first night. Remember telling my wife – hey, just like this one, but not this one. Paint color looked like old rotten dusty spray paint. She was droopy on her springs. She had a long backside and a short nose. She was too much money. Old but not vintage. No way that this girl could be a bad axe jeep truck. She was a hauler not a brawler. No sizzle. No pizazz. No oomph. So, of course, I bookmarked her immediately. Rare bird! These things are scarce!
Internet searches of vehicles are one thing – magazine articles on builds another – and then there is what’s in your mind’s eye, your heart. Having reviewed all available J-series trucks pictured on what seemed like the entire internet; reviewed every vintage advertisement to be found in surprisingly diverse languages, cultures, countries around the world; I studied many interviews with the people who designed, built, marketed and drove the jeep truck back when. The stuff you learn!
The articles out there describe all the ways you can build: build up an old car from parts or chassis or an engine or a gear shift knob (not kidding); restore an old, whole car, replacing missing parts, return its former glory; bring one back to as originally built; find a prize jewel, get it in your claws, and keep it mint condition. The possibilities are endless. But there’s only one path you will take on this build, meander though you might.
Guess I was going for a certain look. It took me about a week or a month to figure out the model year or years I wanted. Problem was I was scouring ten webpages a night where old Jeeps are for sale right along with researching each one. That sweet new one would pop up and all my plans went out the window because I wanted that particular one right now. Then, a curious thing happened. Clarity. I knew what I wanted.
Cindy was going to be a 62-67 Rhino Chaser Grille long bed. I just liked the grille is what it was. Wanted the jeep truck stance from the early truck set up. It came from factory with a bench seat and 4X4. The end date was iffy, 1967 ish. Some folks say things changed starting in 69 or 72 – our rule comes to mind, “what’s on the jeep is on the jeep”.
Man are those years variable as to package. Worse yet, nobody knows or remembers. So what we find for sale on ebay today often has a 79 tailgate slapped together with a 69 bumper between 73 taillights – awful. I’ve even seen vintage 60’s door handles over homemade carpeted door cards. The horror!
I wanted the one before the rhino grille disappeared, before the cool 50’s Elvis lip overhang on the front windshield disappeared, before the manly chains on the tailgate latch disappeared, and as importantly before modern overdone unnecessary things like reverse light appeared (see future post on don’t fence me in), before custom cab package chrome appeared standard.
I really wanted that cool small jeep window as reference to the old Willy’s Trucks, but it turns out the larger window was an extra special – so it would have been added first on preferred packages or as a single upgrade to a base model. Said the bigger window gave you added visibility. Wrong. All it did was ignore history. It’s about as bad as the day they made the last 8 track, the day they carefully placed the final one of the series: the last old willy’s window, it was put in the luckiest new j-series jeep truck ever.
Finding her? I could find Cindy in a hundred pieces and do a humpty dumpty resto on her – get all those pieces back together again. I could find a museum quality jeep truck and be broke and never drive anywhere. Or something in between.
So old jeeps fall into categories such as: parts of a vehicle, donor vehicle, truck for modernization only (no longer original), and truck for historically accurate restoration (oldie but goodie but not a beauty), barn find in original condition (not minty yet, could become minty fresh), and original condition (garage queen to keep as a prized possession). Good to know your starting and ending point – gotta have a plan, man… I went for survivor. These are the cars that survived in original condition to current day, but they will need work, they aren’t necessarily perfect, so you can be expected to modernize somewhat. A driver vehicle more than a mint restoration, was my understanding. And I had that bookmarked one, which fit the bill.
I’m looking for a couple of years model of vehicle, a whole vehicle running and driving but not perfect. I found her. What’s my problem? Well, I was just then awaiting the price drop on the new jeep gladiator. Being a vintage resto man by now, when the price dropped and it was a dollop of what I won’t pay ever that much for a truck – decision was made. I emailed the guy immediately. What happened then was a series of funny errors. I did not have the cash on hand. I was planning to divert some income to this project, but with no car to buy, I kept doing the sensible thing like paying upkeep on my life. I’m the type who spends cash, not credit. Learned it the hard way. But it’s the good and right way. So I would pile up 5 grand, but the seller wanted ten so it didn’t fit timeframe. That’s the thing about this deal – it’s people. It is all about people.
I should mention “J” at this point, may he rest in peace. As said, I would need a team to help with this build. First off, I need a person who knows the car business, and who knows me. I found this guy, probably been in some bar fights, maybe even more trouble, but a man of faith, cared about his daughter, and then this happened. I watched him broker a deal with a mom who had a baby on her hip – the husband standing there needed the car to get back and forth to work. “J” took it all in.
They owed more on the repair than they had. They could not pay him for his repairs without the car to earn money, which meant getting back and forth to work for the man in this traditional family. So young, that family. So beautiful, the family. He looked into the baby’s eyes, then the mothers. I saw this. He made it work. I swear I watched the Father at work in that moment. When “J” gave the man of the house his respect, restored his dignity, gave him the keys to the wheels, understood he would maybe get paid in full on earth but he was paying his way for the next life by his good work with that family. It was more important to “J” to respect people, than business. We discussed it in exactly these terms after.
If he could restore sanity to that madness, he could help me restore my truck. Everyone who knows me knows I can be troublesome. Well, me and “J” had that sameness, an understanding. Troublesome, but good for the go. Funny, the last thing he ever did was save me 3 grand on a paint job, just because he could. Why? I have no idea. He just up and told me how to save 3 grand. Then he laughed and that’s about the last I saw him. He’s in a better place now. Just know he was there before the truck, during the truck build, and he has a permanent ride along. Damn opiods. Tellin you. Just like my own brother on the cocaine in the 80’s. Make that two riders, both hell raisers, with me in Cindy, my daily driver, as we cruise around looking for some situations to rectify, or just have us some plain old fun.
Anyway – the money will be in the budget post – but you need cash right now if you are a have not, unless you are a have, then you do wire transfers – either way any hang up in the money busts a deal. So I did not have the cash to buy Cindy. I only needed 6 grand, actually $5,800.00. I didn’t haggle – it was an honest price for a survivor. I had 5. But that extra 800 was 30 days away. So I emailed back and forth with the owner.
What I heard amazed me. He’d hold it for me – wanted to sell it to someone who would do with it what I planned. That’s the truth of these deals. One guy didn’t want his truck in my hands – turned down thousands extra. Another guy sells it to me for list when he has better offers, cause he only wants it done the way I will do it.
But me being me – here I am with an 18 hour trip to go get this truck, 8+ there, 8+ back, loading and stops. I don’t even know the address and I’m an hour out in a UHAUL with a car hauler that is costing me a grand. I tell the guy on the way there and he says, oh, thought I gave you my address last month! I know. Foolhardy. But I wanted that truck and asking his address wasn’t the thing to do, until he was sure I was in range. It worked. Anyway – he parted with the truck, counting his money three times real slow, telling me this and that. He drove it up on the car hauler. She actually looks like a jeep in person, down the block. A real jeep truck. A vintage jeep truck!!! I had jeeps clearing lanes of LA traffic when I needed to get from the 15 to the ten interchange, I had em stop and pump fists, one jeep followed me for miles just loving my Cindy.
I got back to town middle of the night and when I lit her up any car guy in three city blocks heard her 60’s throaty roar. My god, that sound. Like a movie. She just woke up the whole neighborhood and made herself known. She backed up off that hauler like a tarantula. Damn that felt good. I had never driven a vehicle like this. Too tired to go round the block even once, I eased her in. That sound though. That feeling like your fingers on the wheel are the wheels touching the ground. This Jeep truck, my Cindy, is home.
Once again, I was drivin Jeep!
Last edited by 5JeepsAz; 04-17-2021 at 02:28 PM.
Ownership
I woke up the owner of a cool jeep – one that would get better and better each day, as I learned what I had. They let me across the border with the truck no problem. The title, registration, a insurance rider, all the papers I had paid for, went unused. But, I had a deadline to get to the DMV.
See, on another thread we are joking about Forward Control Jeeps being homely. This triggered the memory of standing in line at the DMV trying to register Cindy. They had FC’s in the computer. They did not have Kaiser Willys Jeep Trucks. Self impressed as I was for knowing what FC meant – the DMV clerk was equally impressed I am sure – also true I was new enough in the game to *not* know Cindy was a J-Series, never even asked the clerk to see if that was in the computer. That seems unbelievable.
But it’s true. I did not know what she was legally, out of state title & Registration was no help since whatever it said wasn’t in the computer either. When put on the spot, by somebody who needed to click a button so I could officially own a truck, I could have said any of the options. Yep. Turned the monitor toward me and said, which one? Any of these? Yikes. This is how she was originally registered as a Jeep 1 Ton Truck. That was the only option even close, because she aint no FC (DMV don’t care as much as your insurer will)… Done with registration. Just need to wait a bit to convert from original issued to vanity plates.
Next morn, I went out and looked at the engine close up for the first time. The header is embossed with the word JEEP. You know why it’s a Kaiser-Willy’s ‘Jeep’ truck? The quotes are legalistic, the way to offset the fact that they never finished purchasing the rights to advertise the word Jeep. So there it is, stamped onto MY engine, in the coolest FONT. Say what? I thought we invented fonts in the 90’s on computers. The only font variations I was aware of are chicken scratch cuneiform they wrote on mud tablets way back, some far off places using fancy calligraphy, and the King’s. Kaiser Willy’s Jeep had a cool font in the early 60’s? Yep. And it matches with my owner’s manual, and with the then current advertising.
This truck would get more and more bad axe at every turn. The engine itself is the first ever mass-produced in America overhead cam – the infamous Tornado 230. I saw on yutube some young gun tear down the 230, and looky there, inserted ‘helio’ pistons which can’t be called ‘hemi’ by name, legally. A ‘hemi’ by any other name combusts the same? It’s maybe one of the best engines ever built. My opinion. And. It’s in the truck in my garage.
And, the word stamped on my carb? HOLLEY. My whole life is complete when I’m standing there the owner of a Holley Carb. Growing up, it was the best of the best of the best, with honors. I never owned one before. It’s on the jeep truck in my garage.
And, it has the running gear of a goat stallion mix – you will know the names by heart.
Simply put – everything on this truck is class, in a class of its own. This is the perfect example. So I got Cindy a personalized plate. The exact meaning?
Arete is a concept in ancient Greek that refers to "excellence" of any kind ultimately bound with the notion of the fulfillment of purpose or function: the action of living up to full potential.
AND
Aręte is a narrow ridge of rock separating two valleys; a saddle, pass, or sharpened ridge.
Cindy’s Plate Means: ‘Truck Perfection - High Up Mountain Pass’.
And my driving coda is, “See You Fellers Up Top”
Hope you enjoy the pics!
Last edited by 5JeepsAz; 04-23-2021 at 04:57 PM.
(Editorial notated: of course you might could do it cheaper!)
PLAN & Budget (estimated)
To meet goal I will build daily driver Jeep Truck for 20K.
What do I have? What do I need for safe driver? What is “Done”? How much?
Vehicle Info: (Cost 7 grand)
1964 Kaiser-Willy’s Jeep Gladiator J300 (SJ) ˝ Ton 4X4 Pickup Truck
VIN: 3406E
Engine: Jeep Tornado 230 6cyl | Engine Serial#: TD60C
Ignition / Distributor: Autolite #1AT-4416 Upgraded to Pertronix Adaptive Dwell AT 4403 6cyl
Holley Carburetor Model 2300 P/N # 0-4412S
Holley Solenoid Fast Idle part# 46-74 | Carburetor Throttle Solenoid Bracket part# 20-9
Transmission: Borg-Warner T90 Transmission Dana 20 |2.79:1 first gear and 1.66:1 second gear
Rear Differential (has tag under bolt): 4:27
Wheels/Tires: Pro Comp Series 82 | STA Traxion H78-15 (spare in bed)
Documentation: Keep Current: Keys, Photographs, Title, License, Registration, Insurance.
Routine Maintenance (Regular Expense - Not in Build Budget): Tune Up, Oil Change Filters & Fluids & Belts & Rubber, Grease (ALL ZERKS), Tighten Shifter Linkage, Adjust Carburetor, Safety Check All Shop Installed Parts, Safety Check Entire Vehicle: Brakes, Choke, Clutch, Electric, Fuel System, Mirrors, Glass.
Repairs to Driver Level (Cost 6 grand – several months)
Upgrades: new core radiator, generator to alternator, new drum brakes, wiring & electrical upgrades to modern, second fuel pump, repack axle hubs, u joints, new tires, interior mechanical repairs to doors, windows, locks, miscellaneous + Routine Maintenance
Repairs to AZ Driver Level (Cost 4 grand – few months)
Upgrades: air conditioning, electro ignition, disc brakes all around, new wheels, master cylinder, water pump, harmonica balancer (just to see if you are reading), miscellaneous + Routine Maintenance
Repairs to Performance Driver Level (Cost 1 grand – two months)
Upgrades: rear slider window, vacuum canister, idle advance, fuel send, speedometer, miscellaneous + Routine Maintenance
Repairs to Stylin Driver Level (Cost 1& 1/2 grand ish – few weeks)
Upgrades: new paint, new topper & new paint, window tint, miscellaneous
Repairs to Comfy Driver Level (Cost 1 grand – over few months)
Upgrades: restore door cards, install armrest, new roof carpet, soundproofing, sirius boom box, fun stuff, miscellaneous + Routine Maintenance
Total Cost on this truck build: $20 grand give or take. *
*little things keep popping in my head. I'm into this build less than $22,500.00 OTD, not counting Cindy#1; $25K including, all in. My math here depends on what I would have done no matter what vehicles. Actual build spend was pretty close to at or under 15K for those curious. But I bought two air-conditioning and three brakes. Do I include topper, as this would have gone on any new to me vehicle? How much do I deduct for the "free" tonneau I didn't spend for? That thing is very valuable. Etc
Future Items: windscreen showerbath, Car Phone; Overdrive; LED or Halogen Bulbs; Repair Speedometer Connection; parking brake and possibly bmorgils Tach-O-Meter, and an NOS Tilt-O-Meter.
Dusty windows: If I run a tube from a tank with a pump to the wiper blade, we could contraptualize a shower bath for dusty windshield. in product development
Car phone: deciding between attaching whole trim line phone via Bluetooth (cell2jack), or, take out old phone guts an hide a new blue tooth headset in there
Overdrive: problem is speed, so plan is larger circumference tires; saw a dude on youtubes go Slower top end with overdrive.
Lights: found this: Vintage Nos Marchal 850 Fog Lights Jeep Cj7 Cj8 J10 Jamboree Wagoneer Cherokee. So these were factory on the later Honcho. If I can find NOS for cheap they will be on cindy. Some are 400 bucks which aint happening. Search is on...
Parking brake: saw a mechanism for disk on a jeep resto.was told that wasn't. If it is, that'd solve it. Research!
Last edited by 5JeepsAz; 09-22-2021 at 10:28 PM.
Love this thread!
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