1st Time Jeep Owner

[Catlewis]

I'll probably reinstall the original Tux chrome bumpers first, however eventually plan to weld up a heavy duty front bumper that incorporates a winch. Finished plans for the rear will require removing the Tux bumper and welding up a 2X4 Steel tube bumper that incorporates a tire carrier. Likely start out with an EMS Offroad Tire Carrier Kit that allows the spare to hinge away from the tailgate and rear hatch. Might add in a high lift jack??? Repairs to the hardtop are next on the list. Hoping to have time to work that in before hunting season this fall. Been driving the Jeep around a little lately, it's definitely not a highway vehicle. 35mph seems to be near my comfort level.

[bmorgil]

35 MPH is a great speed for the old CJ's. Mine likes 35 to 40. Nice speed to see the world!

[56willys]

That's a good looking tuxedo park there, Cat. I love the red with white top, it has a great vintage appeal to it.

35 MPH is a great speed for the old CJ's. Mine likes 35 to 40. Nice speed to see the world!

Flossy will handle 50 no problem with minimal effort. But man, cruising the dirtroads at 30 is where the real fun is. The other night about 11 o'clock it was beautiful weather and tons of stars out, so I drove Flossy around a little. Barely went above 20 and it was probably the coolest ride ever! Below 35 is perfect to just relax and enjoy the beauty of old Jeeps, and the little hurricane is still quiet enough to have a conversation!

[LarrBeard]

We ended up on a cruise in the '48 last Saturday - I was about a third of the way back in the queue, and at one turn in the road the front of the pack missed a turn. My navigator (my wife) said "Turn left here" and I did. Pretty soon I found myself in the lead of what was left of the parade - at my sedate 40 MPH. The truck just puttered along; 33PSI on the oil gauge, 165 on temperature an about 5 amps float charge.

It was about 20 minutes to the next stop and on the way several guys came by me at 60+ MPH. At the next stop one of the guys (in a Corvette) came by and apologized for passing, but he said he was about to boil over and he had to get some air moving.

Old Jeeps like 40 MPH.

Photo Captions: This is what a Happy Truck looks like at 40 MPH

"This was my GrandPa's truck" but he "fixed" it up. A matter of opinion - it's just Jeep parts on another chassis.

And, here is a real Jeep truck; "Ham's '48"

[bmorgil]

The 48' looks and runs like it just came out of dealer prep for delivery in 1948. Nice time machine Larry!

[gmwillys]

Ham's is a tremendously accurate example of how the Jeep trucks were from the factory. Even the snooty Corvette guys know they can't compete.

[Catlewis]

Looks better with the original factory chrome bumper. It's a little bent, and the chrome isn't even close to "show quality", but better than nothing. Also have the original chrome rear bumper. May also install it temporarily. New replacement bumper is ridiculously priced @$500.00.
IMG_2013.jpg

[gmwillys]

I agree that the chrome bumpers look good on it but won't disagree that some custom bumpers would also look good as well. The price commanded by some of these more reputable companies is jumping up by the day. I've been searching for a functional winch mount/bumper for our YJ, but the prices are outside of my budget. The price of metal to build one from scratch is outrageous too.

[bmorgil]

Catlewis have you looked into a good re-chromer? These guy's are probably one of the best. https://www.tricityplating.com/ I have no idea of the cost. Google Bumper "Re-chroming and Straightening".

You may have one close. Some small shops still have the equipment. I used to get this done quite inexpensively back in the day before the EPA got powerful. These shops are still around, but you have to look. If you have a good contact in Mexico, they definitely get it done there, but you ave to know the shop or the quality may be bad.

[LarrBeard]

When we restored the '48, the front bumper had a bend in it from the time that one of the mothers bounced Dad's truck off of a pine tree at a scout camp out in about 1957 or 1958. (Dad was cooking catfish and he asked here to go get some more and a pine tree jumped out into her way).

But, as we put the truck back together, we decided that the bent bumper would be out of place, even if it added character. We did find a good re-chromer and when we got it back, it looked better than it did in 1948. It was straight and the only sign of it being straightened are a couple of marks on the back where they used blocks as supports to bend it back into shape.

It was well worth the money.