1954 CJ3B - Project

[AJ-MJ]

I worked on the Jeep this afternoon. I removed the grill, and radiator. I am sure it is normal practice to fight the rust, paint and undercoating on the fenders to get bolts removed. What a pain in the butt though. It did have about a gallon of antifreeze in radiator. It was mostly green and slick. I then cleaned up the engine number. It read “RMD 42411”… I am 100% sure on the numbers… The letters I am 95% sure… It just seemed like an odd combination compared to numbers typically starting with 4J. Anyone have any thoughts on the engine number or the RMD?

[gmwillys]

The RMD should stand for remanufactured. On our 2A L134, there is not a real noticeable serial number stamped above the water pump because it had been surface decked, whittling away the original factory stamping. I did find the remanufacture tag when I pulled the generator a couple of weeks back. Now, with that being said, did the remanufacture take the original serial number and put in the prefix RMD before the original serial number on yours? The 42411 should put it as a later '58 F head serial number range.

[AJ-MJ]

Thanks, that makes sense to me because the RMD is very faint compared to the numbers. I just don't know the original history of the Jeep and the probable engine rebuild. I do appreciate all the knowledge and expertise you guys have and share. NOTE TO SELF: Buy stock in penetrating oil company.

[LarrBeard]

Kroil , when it really needs to come apart

[gmwillys]

Agreed in Kroil. It's expensive, so I use it in extreme circumstances, where PB Blaster is the run of the mill go to.

[bmorgil]

We use Kroil here also. It is expensive but, it is very good at removing residue and leaving behind a clean oiled surface. We use it when assembling engines, it is used exclusively to clean the bores. I as well as my machinist have used it for a long time. The story is it was originally a mix of ATF and Kerosene. Probably true originally! ATF is loaded with detergent, ant-corrosives. As LarrBeard knows I am sure, awesome stuff in the gun room and the machine shop.

[AJ-MJ]

I have been taking care of some family business for the last few days so little time was spent working on the jeep. I did remove the carburetor and plan to send that off for rebuild. I removed the gas tank and will have it refurbished locally. I will also take the GMC Caballero radiator, jeep radiator and heater core. The floor under the gas tank is in pretty bad shape with several sheet metal patches screwed down. There are only remnants of the hat channel under the jeep. The good news is that the seats are in good shape and the floor behind the seats to the tailgate seems pretty solid. I guess I will find out more when I start cleaning that up later. The passenger side floor boards are in better condition however the bottom of the tool box is really rotted out.

[LarrBeard]

You have not described anything there that can't be fixed with some cutting, welding, bending, knuckle bustin' and maybe cussin'.

(TJones would add sitting on the 5-gallon bucket with a Marlboro and a Black and Tan or two). This sounds like a typical Jeep rebuild so far.

Good luck and keep us informed.

[bmorgil]

Like LarrBeard is alluding to MJ-AJ, sounds like the standard places we see trouble. The rain and what not settles down on the floor and it goes first. All the metal is available and as gmwillys and a few others on this web site will show you, you can reconstruct some of the worst things you will see! The seats are worth a lot and having the back pan in good shape is a sign it really didn't get that bad.

[AJ-MJ]

I believe the seats are in good condition because of the top keeping the rain out and I think the floor boards are rusted out from underneath the jeep. Thanks for the encouragement. I need all the help I can get! The other day the CFO, aka the wife, challenged my priorities so I set up a white board for a “TO DO LIST”. As we all know wives are always right. I check things off and date them for us. It does help because when that last bolt is soaking with penetrating oil, I can focus on the next item(s) on the list. Last, night after supper she says, “You didn’t get anything checked off your list today”. I replied, “Right, you don’t get partial credit”. So with that said, I didn’t start the engine first. I did get it unseized. Therefore, I decided to get clean gas and spark first… But I then veered off to get the cooling system in order. But you got to replace all those dang oil hoses too. That’s how the ball bounces, I guess. The CFO did acquire every size Ziploc bag for parts. LOL! I just made my third K-W parts order. I decided after further inspection of the fuel tank & lines, I decide to replace the tank, along with all the steel lines. The carburetor gets shipped to Rick at “Old Jeep Carbs”, hopefully today. If I can get that last metal hose off the GMC's radiator over the weekend, I’ll get the radiators checked out. Oh, the wife asks: what is that new smell in the garage so I reply; I think its “Liquid Wrench” honey, Oh that’s nice she says…. “IT”S ALL GOOD!”