Looking forward to seeing that top on there. Awesome work as always Al.
Printable View
Looking forward to seeing that top on there. Awesome work as always Al.
Hi Bill !! Good to see you poke in here. Yep, I hope to get this thing done by mid spring. Or at least wired and driving. They are never done. I have the coolest top on the zone...LOL
This was one of those projects you think will get knocked out quickly. Then you start finding delays. Between the door frame sides and the rear bow, I have 94 holes I have welded up and dressed back. Crazy amount of holes. I kept finding ground down rivets. I got it fixed as good as new.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
Onward
Dang, that looked like a sprinkler tube, lol! Your dedication is amazing.
Yep...2nd that!
Al, I have said it before but simply amazing....you ROCK!!!
Wow. No more Swiss cheese
I know, was that not something else? I kept finding them and kept turning the TIG welder back on. From what I understand the bows are very difficult to make. The bends wrinkle and fold when people have tried to make them. Glad I was able to save them.
I got the fender skirts on. The inner front grill support too. I need to get the remaining sheet metal painted tan. And put on. I need a windshield washer system. I have several FSJ center dual jet sprayers. I need to figure something out there.
I used the fsj pieces on mine back when...when
I drilled to put the spray nozzles in the same place as the donor vehicle, if I remember correctly, the drivers side went in the same place but the passenger side had to move to the side of the original position...could be the other way around...its been a long time...but regardless, they worked fine that way...
When you get that ironed out, please post up. I need something too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaiserjeeps
I have the washer tank, but no nozzles yet
I will have a look tomorrow and see if the FSJ single post dual spray head might work. I am pretty sure I have an extra for you George. Hey Jon, did you use what I am describing or did you use two individual spray nozzles in front of each side? The wag or J truck nozzles go dead center just behind the hood. I am not sure they will spread far enough apart for a flat windshield.
The windshield is painted and drying. Lots and lots of work on it. 22 holes got welded up from hard top installs. 24 holes if you include the oversize hole and the one drilled next to it. On the bottom side for the base gasket to cowl seal. I run cross hairs and weld it back up. Then retrace the cross hairs and center punch it for a new correct size hole. There was also a bad rust patch from water sitting there.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
Terrible rust and the only real bad spot. I welded every bit of this back. I also ruined a whole tungsten rod from blow back. I hate this type of repair. Grind your tungsten and instantly ruin it.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
So the great big plug welds on the windshield frame cause leaks. The big lumps hold the lower gasket off the windshield frame and allow water to get in on the sides of the welds. I decided to grind and sand all of them off and give a flat surface for the gasket to seal against. This is my attempt to stop lower cowl gasket water leaks. Ok everybody can stop laughing now. I will try.
See the welds and gasket lines?
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
All gone.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
A skim coat of putty for a super flat seal surface.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
I coated the inside of every cavity with some left over internal frame paint.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
Primered and some seam seal where it was needed.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
It is done. Now to let it dry for a few days then comes reassembly. I hope the glass goes well. It had better. This glass is thicker than what you can get now. No coffee that day.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
Some other parts got sprayed too. The hole in the glove box top is for a LED light. Hey it is a restomod..
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
Onward.
I forgot to post this. This is a full size jeep washer nozzle found in wagoneers and J trucks.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
They go dead center right behind the alignment pin. These alignment pins are not on FSJ's and are specific to M trucks only.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
The M715 cowl is not drilled for this. I am doubting if the spray from each hole would reach where it needs to. EDIT::: The flat windshield of the m truck is a little closer in the spray contact area and the sloped glass of a FSJ is actually back far enough for the spray pattern to spread out. I need to hook up one of these nozzles to see how far it spreads and at what distance. No point in installing something that does not spray in the wiper path. It appears there might be room to install two and spread them apart by several inches. The lower stamping of the cowl visible from the engine bay, shows this might be possible. EDIT::: not enough room to obtain a good spread of two nozzles. Especially on the drivers side. I am also going to try and locate single jets that could be attached to the grill. I have some somewhere...geez. More on this later.
That’s awesome, thank you!Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaiserjeeps
Great progress! I am saving the windshield and frame for last
I can't mention how long it took to see which side the lock strip went on. I checked the online manuals and didn't really find much. I figured it went on the inside and after searching this thread's first couple pages, I got my confirmation. So I got the glass in and I did not break it. It was actually a loose fit. I bedded in the bottom and sides with some never drying paintable flexible caulking. I also heated the glass with a heat gun from a distance to at least have it be somewhat warm. And kept putting silicone spray on the lock strip as I worked around the frame. Glad to have this behind me.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
Got the wipers in and put some of the same caulking on the top side of the new cowl gasket in the upper channel just behind the front lip edge. It is looking like a truck now. I hooked up a battery to the wipers and parked them. To put the arms and blades on. Then the hood supports with new welting. Moving onward to the front sheetmetal soon.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
Looking good Al. I don’t know if I will do the windshield myself. What a task
It was not bad George. Actually the glass could have been just a shade bigger. The corners are almost not covered. I had some paintable flexible non drying round strips of eastwood caulking left over. I rolled the near pencil diameter strips down to a much smaller and longer piece. I tucked it into the lower glass channel and ran it up the sides and stopped by the upper corners. Then I used a very wet silicone dampened rag and ran it all the way around the lock strip and the grove it needed to sink into. The gasket kind of soaked it up and I had to reapply it as I went. I had the stand you see and after cleaning the glass very well I tucked in the lower edge in the gasket. Looking at each side I was able to center it by looking at each lower corner. Then with gloves on and some silicone spray and a blue shop towel I used two PLASTIC trim tools to pry up the lock strip upper lip while pushing down on the lock strip to tuck it in and under the lip. Then slowly moving in the direction I chose. One trim tool was a pretty small round tip about a 1/2 inch wide. The one I pushed the lock strip in was a wide blade about 1.2 inches wide. If it had silicone on all of it including the tools, it went slow but sure. I decided to heat the glass evenly just a bit. My shop is cold and hard to heat for anything like paint or ?? I just got the glass warm. I believe that helps it flex. I did not see any real flexing. It seemed to go very well. Despite a not very warm shop, I ended up in a Tee shirt and it made me sweat some. I was pretty glad to do the last 3 inches... I had the stand to get it started. But laid it flat by the time I got across one side of the bottom. Gravity assist... Keep working all the way around by pulling the lock strip lip off the edge of the glass and flip it up so it lays on the glass. This made a difference in how easy the tools progressed. One thing I noted... The glass appeared to have been cut out of a big sheet with dull rocks. The edges were a mess of chips and ragged cuts. I will pretend I never saw that. Anyway.. My 18 cents worth adjusted from .02 cents for the bidenomics conversion. I am just kidding for all you 3 letter agency types. :)
Thanks for the detail Al. What did the piece of glass run you?
Al...you are seriously committed in a great way! Wish I had half the time at home that it takes to do that stuff...gone 6 days a week coming up to the 5th week in a row...gets tiring...i hope to win the lottery soon so I can get off the road and get some stuff I want to do done...like you are!
Keep it coming...great stuff!
It was the original glass I pulled out. It was in super shape after a good cleaning.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flingarrows
Thanks Jon. At least you are earning money. I honestly need to either sell my home and move on to new horizons or if I stay here, I had better get a real job soon. There is no real money here. People seem to bring it here. I have a pretty good assortment of parts I make. But they are for Jeeps and they most certainly are not Lamborghini's. They just keep me busy as well as working on this truck. I am trying to finish it so it is easier to trailer out of here. Only God knows what I am doing next. I sure don't. I missed the memo.Quote:
Originally Posted by brute4c
If someone with your skills cant make a living then I am doomed...wish we went through your area...I would help you move...you know....have truck will travel.
I have not taken on any work because of I keep thinking I will be moving soon. A monumental effort that will be. The work is there waiting. But I tell them not right now. I have been on the market for two summers now. Two showings and I just don't get it. My place is great. 10 flat acres, no neighbors I can see, two great finished shops, Moose, bear, deer, cougars, blah blah... I want to leave because Liz died in my living room. This place is sour to me now. I get multiple reminders every day. I just don't feel I should stay here. I have a future with Becky now. I am ready for it. Please just pray God does something with this. Gods plan is a definite plan. I just missed the memo. I am doing a month of home repairs and going back on the market. I hope to have the truck done soon. It will be easier to move being complete. Heck I would be pleased to even drive it. Thanks Jon.
I sanded the grill support for two days. I got a coat of primer on it. Before I did that I painted SEM rust sealer on the backside. It needed it. I see late last night that after it dried up some that I have several rock ships to fill with spot putty. I thought I had them sanded out. But I sure see them now. I have had a heater on it all morning to try and make it sandable. It can be gummy and a mess if I don't do that.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
Only a couple rock chips. Anyone recognize that flag on the wall?
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
I did not want to do the extra work but I did. It looks really good. That grill was one of the hardest things to sand. Power tools don't reach. Luxury problems.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
Now this is cool. I wanted a dome light. I found some 230 lumen outdoor waterproof rock lights at super bright LEDs store. They come with a flat rubber mounting base or a curved one. It is for bigger tubing but it worked great. I will put a plug in where the bow slips over the door frame. I have another one of these lights for the rear of the tent mount that will be over the bed mounted on the 1 3/4 tubing. It will shine down in the bed just forward of the tailgate.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
I grabbed a battery for a test and I like it.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
Now on to the fenders, then the hood and finally the tailgate. This is the fun part.
Looking good Al
I have been working on the fenders for days. About 25 hours now. Being a 44 gumbo tired thrasher the fenders were pretty bent up. I had a 1/4 inch bowed out crown forward of the door seam. I used a wolfs fab shrinking disc and it is amazing. A SS flat wheel that goes on a peanut grinder and shrinks metal back with heat. I love that tool. I was able to get the fenders nearly flat and remove all of the stretching. I still needed a skim coat of bondo though. I also had a dozen welds on the fenders to fix crack damage and broken spot welds. Paper thin and dirty metal. Fun fun..
Most all crown gone. You can polish a turd. These fenders were trashed.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
Fixing welds. and multiple cracks front to back.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
Previous bondo work. They did the old school hole drill to hold the bondo. When I removed the bondo and gave it a couple whacks, the fender was nearly straight. Bondo work like that is lazy. I welded the holes up and knocked out most of the dent. Then still skim coated it for time savings. I am also not that good fixing metal with zero bondo in a timely manner. But it is better.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
I welded up the OEM hood latch holes. I am using modern jeep hood patches and did not need these holes anymore. I punched out a round correct size filler plug from some 18GA metal. Light welding and all done. No more extra holes.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
In primer yesterday. Checking last night after drying some they show a lot of flaws that need spot putty. Not a big deal. I have some high quality German stuff that is great to work with.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
Continued
So I am using a Rochester Quadrajet 4 barrel on the Buick 350. I have a manual choke and selected this carb from 4 or 5 carbs I had on the shelf. This one has a 1/4 shaft sticking out that will accept a bell crank lever making my manual choke a reality. I could not find a lever after searching the entire internet. I thought a rudder lever from a RC boat might be the ticket. Sure enough after finding a lever with a 5MM hole, I drilled it to .250 and presto. I now have a manual choke linkage.
Sorry the pic is blurry. I am still looking for Liz's old Nikon I bought her. It will turn up someday I hope.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
And some E code headlamps! Lights that work. With the overly bright LED headlights on the road now, I am not concerned about these. They are way more precise than the LED problems on the hiways. These E codes have the trademark fine cut off with the 45 degree shoulder illumination. I have been running these for decades.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
Starting to look like a truck. All that is left is the hood, doors and tailgate. The doors will get some special attention that will forever end the upper cracks from slamming the door. Wait for that one.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
I am also now doing some planning on electrical and what I need to build out. I will be using only maring plated wire for supreme corrosion resistance. That is all I use now. That and this truck will have all weather pack connectors. More common than the Mil spec connectors and just as sealed.
More later after I get some feeling back in my fingers from sanding for days. And days...
I put about 30 hours into the front fenders. They needed a lot. I put some seam sealer in the fenders at the seam on the roll and body sides. Then got paint on them. They look remarkably good. I am needing to finish this truck. I am relisting my home and hope to sell this time. 3rd summer on the market. I need to be able to move this truck if it sells. Under it's own power would be a bonus.
Seam sealer after a lot of sanding
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
Some tan paint.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
My cheap camera is bending the image. Nice...
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
I made new neoprene fender seals and punched screw holes every 4 inches to attach it. All seals were replaced ths way.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
I got the fenders on and brush guard too. It looks great.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
Boy does this truck look different from when I brought it home.
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...psd0il71p2.jpg
The hood is next.
You do good work. If I live long enough, I will go back over mine with as much care.
Thank you.
OK so I got the hood done. It to was a pile of hidden work. Apparently someone dribbled a bowling ball down the hood and I had a lot of work to do. I brought the dents out but still had to practice transferring bondo to the floor. First was to sand the "patina" off and see what I had to get fixed. I was surprised and how messed up it was. This was a 70 wagoneer hood and needed to have conversion work done. So I did it.
Only 10 dents on this side.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
And a few more.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
Why not keep finding them? That is a stainless wolfs metal fab shrinking disc on that grinder. The coolest tool that uses heat to shrink metal back. Got a stretched area? That tool rocks. I got rid of a 1/4 inch tall stretch on the front drivers fender with that. I just needed a minor shrink here. It is one of the handiest things I have. Stretched metal is a pain to work with if you don't have a way to shrink it back.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
The wagoneer hoods have holes for the cross bar. I had planned on little turn signal lights to flash here with the OEM lights below, but the brush guard blocked it. So I cut a slug out, bent it and welded it up to get rid of the hole. I also eliminated the OEM hood latch holes to be able to put the modern latches on and not have a bunch of unused holes on the fenders.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
Primer and some touch up.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
I got all the bolt on parts rebuilt and put a new pad under the hood. It is a boom pad from summit racing. It has it's own adhesive. A neighbor showed up right when I needed help with putting the hood on. Perfect timing.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
It looks good. I put the soft top on and needed to alter the lower corners. One side came out well and the other is not going to work. I will seam rip it out and add a new lower section to make the corner lay down better. I don't care about mods like that on my own personal top. I would never send out something like that to someone else. I have one other new top to check fit on. Maybe it will be more workable. But here it sits as of this morning. I am already working on the doors. Soon, very soon after I fix the tailgate and doors I will be wiring this rig. And drive it.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...720&fit=bounds
I have been trying to get as much done here as possible. I need to keep working on the home though. I am relisting it in two weeks to try and sell it. If I get a sale, all heck is going to break loose here.
If things work right, you might be able to use the truck to help you move....its really coming along!!
I googled that wolfs disc. Pretty cool. I didn’t know those existed. The hood turned out great
Those wolfs disc are really something. The back portion of the drivers fender had over a 1/4 inch of crown to it. I took a while but I was able to bring it down to match a wagoneer fender crown that was known to be straight. . I use an oversize profile gauge along side the shrinking disc. I also assist the shrinking process by lightly tapping the area that is cooling with a body hammer with no backside dolly. It is amazing to watch happen. I use a straight edge while shrinking, then use the profile gauge to dial in the final work. Over shrinking can be fixed right away by a couple good ON dolly strikes. Where you hammer strike a metal back side dolly straight on and get the chink sound. You are forcing the metal to want to migrate away from the squeeze of that solid on dolly impact site and that will stretch metal back. Many people over strike on dolly strikes and wreck a panel with over stretching and then they have a tough situation to try and fix. Wolfs also sells a 8 or 9 inch disc for a big grinder. I have that also and it is great for bigger contact. But I use the 4.5 inch wheel more. I would say that the shrinking disc's are one of the most valuable tools I use for making metal move. The shrinking hammers with teeth do not work and they just destroy the surface. Metal is well known to get smaller with heat after cooling. Who ever thought of this and made that product is a genius in my eyes. Make sure all your paint is gone or it will deposit on the SS wheel. A quick scrub with scotch brite will clean it. I am self taught. These SS wheels will raise your body work capabilities. I love them.
If all goes well and I get a sale Jon, this truck will be taken to a secure location and left waiting for me. Those Yokahama tires will not fare well on the hiway and for what they cost now, I won't be doing hours on the pavement. The place I am regretfully needing to move to is Wenatchee Washington. A miniature version of WOKE Seattle. It is 4 hours on the money one way to Wenatchee. My goal is moving somewhere to the outskirts of town with nobody right next to me. My dodge dually and trailer are going to rack some miles on this big change. Please please pray I get a sale. I need to go somewhere where I am not reminded of Liz every moment. The devil literally came into my living room and took her life. I miss her and I want away from this home. And I owe it to Becky to start fresh somewhere new for both of us.
Good info, and praying for a quick sell
Thank you George.
You got it Al. I dont know how I would endure that...I know that I dont know how heavy that cross has been for you to carry...but as you know...you are never alone.
My uncle just died from covid in Seattle. He was in his 80's. Crazy as that is two family members now. I have talked to people that said they had a sore throat for a couple days. I literally turned blue from no air. My hands, feet, face were pale blue. Liz and I had covid three times. The last two times were 40 days apart. I am surprised about my uncle. Life sure has gotten interesting as of late. Anyway, best to keep this on trucks I guess. I should have some interesting work to post on the doors soon. I have a little trick to solve a common problem of cracking the upper inner panel by the stationary side window. From slamming the door to hard. More soon.