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Thread: First CJ 5 1956 F 134 - love at first sight.....

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  1. #1

    Smile First CJ 5 1956 F 134 - love at first sight.....

    .....then I saw the rust. Basically the back end body, tailgate, bumper are rusted to chunk and powder.

    My plan is to replace rear bumper, tailgate, grind out rust spots on body then treat with rust reformer, prime, bondo, prime and paint.

    Have provided pics for your entertainment, in case no one has made you laugh hystericaly yet today. Yes, you are welcome.

    So, underneath everything but the tail end looks great. All of the frame, driveshafts, tranny, x-fer case, diffs....I have ordered the suspension kit 4x kit and new bumper (and they should be waiting for me when I get home). After seeing what I saw in my feeble attempt to remove the OLD bumper, I am afraid. But only a little. The thing runs great, new carb, spark plugs, wires, points, condenser, distro cap, fuel filter, battery, it all works. Starts a little hard, but so do I, really now, it's only 2 years older'n me!) I could take it out and drive it on the street if I had the tags (that's never stopped me before, but somehow age has a way of making one a little more cautious).

    I plan to clean up and paint some of the grime, engine part covers, oil pan, etc., replace old crudded up wires, general spiff up job.

    I'm looking for some advice from folks who have done this before. I'm not looking to restore my new toy to it's original glory, but do want it to be safe, nice looking and operate as it should. Tooling around town tieing up traffic, climbing hills and ridges, crossing the occaisional small creek etc.

    Am I approaching this from the proper perspective? I figure I have to get it out on the road to see what all makes bad noises, doesn't work etc.

    Suggestions, advice, ideas, bags of money, all are happily accepted. It's my first "real" toy since my go-kart when I was 12, which taught me a lot about small engines. I don't want to screw anything up, but want it to drive and look better.

    I started the pics from the back, as it looks after my feeble attempt at bumper removal last evening. How do you like the pink on the last pic? Maybe all over with clear laquer and a blue roll bar?


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  2. #2
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    Were you planning on putting that rear "bumper" back on? And thanks for the laugh.

  3. #3
    Glad you got the chuckle! Yes, I received the rear bumper yesterday. After taking another look at things, it appears that the panels on either side of the tailgate should probably be replaced, since from what I can see looking from underneath those pieces on either side are a major piece in the attachment.

    BTW, I was gleefully opening my shipment of leaf springs, clamps, shocks, grommets etc for my all around suspension replacement and did one of the things that my daddy always told me not to do. "Don't take those copper staples out of a heavy duty cardboard shipping box with a big pocket knife. That's not what your pocket knife is for. Use the right tool for the job at hand." Needless to say, after I got the bleeding stopped, (thank God for bone, otherwise I'd be missing a finger!!) applied a huge wad of paper towels and pressurized with clear packing tape, I got out the screwdriver and pliers and completed my gleefull box opening.

    Ok, back to the task at hand, do you have a suggestion for that bumper mess? I'm going to have to hack saw the bolts to get it off, doubtful if the MegaBoltLoosener that I have applied by the gallon has done anything but make them look wet. Those rear panels are mighty ugly, and I'm getting the feeling that they'll have to go. What do you think?

  4. #4
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    You sound just like us Air Force maintainers whenever we get a "Bite" from a jet. Tie it up with whatever is around and move on. If you have a torch it will probably help get those bolts off. If not and you don't have any other options than a hacksaw I would get a nut splitter and take it off. If you have good access with the hacksaw by all means go for it. Its hard to say without being there but from the pic it looks like there is a lot of corrosion under the paint. I have a pickup so not real familiar with that area on your vehicle. For me if I don't have the tools or time I would replace. If I don't have the money to replace then I would probably borrow what I needed from someone for repair. Either way you are looking at a bit of work. Do you have welding equipment?

  5. #5
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    Oh yeah I wouldn't put that "bumper" from the back back on unless you have a purpose for it. Its probably adding a couple extra hundred pounds you don't need to lug around.

  6. #6
    LOL!! Yep, That "bite" is a new phrase to me, but not a new proceedure! I do have a torch, and will give that a shot! Thanks for that info! I don't have a welder, was going to be "given" one but it was the size of a volkswagon bug so I had to pass...not really any place to put it since I have a '67 GTO taking up all the garage room. That's the next project.

    That rear bumper your'e talking about, the one that is designed to hold the gas cans? Good idea about leaving it off. That thing even looks heavy.

    Thanks for the ideas! Keep 'em comin!

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    Yes thats the one I was talking about. Most people dont need a spare can of gas but like the looks. Not sure if you have a spare but I would consider a swing out tailgate that can hold a spare. They even make gas/water cans that attach to the spare in case you want to do some serious off roading. Are you planning on towing you Willys? If not you could probably pull that stuff off the front as well. If it comes off easy you may want to hold on to it in case you want to use it in the future.

  8. #8
    I'll be takin it off for a while, a good winter project to make pretty. Won't be needing it for some time, if at all. Love the swing-out tailgate idea. That'll fit perfectly with where I intend to go up the mountain trails.

    Towing is a maybe yes, maybe no. Will probably remove that once I'm sure I have the engine cooperating 100%. If I do tow it, it'll be to my hideaway which is 80 miles of 65 - 75 mph. I guess for that I should invest in one of those tow hookups that'll raise the front wheels, then disconnect the rear diff. Suggestions? I could take the back roads, since going over 35 - 40 mph in this tub is truly a hallucination. The GMC Sierra w/ tow package should do the job nicely on the highway, but I just need to decide on what maner of tow. I'm guessing anything other than trailer requires diff disconnect.

    First things first though, get the engine tuned up, chunks of rust from body removed so as no projectiles cause my insurance to go up, frame cleaned and inspected for wear and cracks, preceeded buy a massive underbody pressure wash.

    What do you think....am I on the right track? What needs to be higher on the list? I need all the help I can get, but am having a lot of fun so far. O can only imagine the fun on the first test drive around the block.....if it makes it!

  9. #9
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    If you are not an avid tower I would rent a full trailer whenever I needed to tow if you have the vehicle to pull it which it sounds like you do. What do you have for a front axel? Checking your frame is a really really really good idea. If your frame is too far gone then nothing else will work properly and may be a waste of money. After that BRAKES. Most of our tubs don't need super power brakes but if you are planning on doing some heavy braking then make sure you have at least front disc brakes. This will also help if you plan on going through high water as drums are very ineffective after coming out of the water. After that its really whatever you want to do. For me it would be drive train in conjunction with electrical, then steering and chassis work followed by any interior mods to guages switches etc. then lastly exterior. Of course all this depends on condition of things as you move along. If you do a full off frame resto/rebuild you may want to finish the exterior before moving to the interior. I guess my train of thought is all the pretty stuff done last so you don't mess it up doing the stuff that matters most.

  10. #10
    Thanks for all of the great ideas and suggestions. I'm with you on getting it running (runs now but needs a little TLC to make it purrrrrrrr...) and stopping. The idea of front disc brakes is one I hadn't considered. Thanks for that suggestion also. I know wet drum brakes are useless (from experience), and the front disc would be a good conversion in any case I think. I got her up on jack stands now, so I can crawl around under and inspect what shape things are in. So far so good. The worst part seemes to be the rear tailgate assembly and bumper. I can't tell you how much your torch suggestion for getting rusted bolts and nuts off has helped! I couldn't believe it the first one I did.....was like I had just put it on new and was taking it off again. Thanks very much for that, really appreciated. Since I have it up and can comfortably get around underneath (safely secured on jack stands, I don't want to be a greasy spot in my driveway) I'll power wash underneath. That should reveal any real problems with the frame. Then after that dries I'll spray it down good with Rust Inhibitor / converter stuff. Have you ever used it? I used it on a rusty old steel wagon that I pulled behind the lawn tractor, and was really impressed with the results.

    I'll probably only tow a few times a year, but who knows. I have time to think on that, and check out rental prices vs. times of year vs. cost of a trailer. Good suggestion!!

    Now that my "bite" is all healed up, I'm ready to have another go! Thanks for all your suggestions and ideas.

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