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New proud member, will need your help with my 72 commando

Discussion in 'Jeepster Commando and Commando Tech' started by KeyserSoSay, Sep 3, 2017.

  1. Feb 15, 2018
    sterlclan

    sterlclan Member 2022 Sponsor

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    Heaters are easy. I used 1200 denier waterproof codura. So far no problems I daily drive it and it’s been over a year now.
     
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  2. Feb 15, 2018
    KeyserSoSay

    KeyserSoSay Collector of Hobbies and Vestigial Skills

    Edgewood New Mexico
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    Awesome, thanks! I spent entirely too much time last night studying this on the internet. Was looking at the 1000D cordura, but would you suggest 1200 over it? I've watched a lot of videos on re-upholstering seats- It's certainly within our reach as a DIY, and my wife is enthusiastic about it, now I'm really excited about it!!!

    So what did you do for the heaters, find a junk yard seat heater and just U-pull-it? Run a couple of 12V wires and a toggle switch? I guess that would be worthwhile project too, Please tell me more about it.

    This might be a good time to post what my plans are for the top..... (since I'll want to build the seats and soft-top panels out of the same fabric)

    I have a good besttop soft top for the jeep now, but I have a plan (that I'm pretty committed to) that would involve hybridizing the hard top into a sort of convertible top with removable side panels.. I plan on building a roll bar that fits snuggly up against the hard top and rear hatch support, and permanently bolting the hard-top to the roll cage. This would make the hard-top permanent and not removable as a matter of common practice. (similar to what this builder did in the attached picture)

    I would remove the side panels of the hard top- and create semi-rigid plastic panels that slide in and out of awning tubes mounted in the hard-top. These panels (four of them, two per side) would then be able to stack to less then 3" thick and be housed in a compartment against the roof of the jeep when not in use (strapped or otherwise captive inside the roll cage).

    I would skin these 1/4" thick dextrin plastic panels (with glass or plexi windows installed) with the same 1000D-1200D cordura or marine canvas that would also allow me to sew in snaps or other attachment points helping me make the panels seal out the wind.

    here are some pics that should help see the concept- Please help with any feedback you guys have on this plan.

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  3. Feb 15, 2018
    sterlclan

    sterlclan Member 2022 Sponsor

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    The heaters come from Amazon cost 45 dollars for two seats. 1200 is rugged I like heavy duty.
     
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  4. Feb 15, 2018
    KeyserSoSay

    KeyserSoSay Collector of Hobbies and Vestigial Skills

    Edgewood New Mexico
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    OK, I've looked into it a bit, I'm sold on the heaters if only for the novelty of it. (it's like wearing a vest- my butt and back are the one place I don't get cold) I can see that any extra heat would be worthwhile though in a jeep, especially if you have the doors and top off. Mainly, if you take the time and effort to custom upholster seats, you might as well do it up!

    I can find only a few references to 1200 denier Cordura fabric anywhere on the internet, and only one place that sell the fabric in black. I may be stuck with 1000D if I want it an any color other than a Model A. I'm guessing it will be adequate.
     
  5. Feb 15, 2018
    sterlclan

    sterlclan Member 2022 Sponsor

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    I found brown and black on eBay they were close out lots 1000 is plenty rugged get good uv resistant thread.
     
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  6. Feb 20, 2018
    KeyserSoSay

    KeyserSoSay Collector of Hobbies and Vestigial Skills

    Edgewood New Mexico
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    Had to work all weekend, but had today off. Was able to fix the tailgate and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. I didn’t think I’d be able to pull it off as well as I did.

    Used the same method as I had on the back hatch- had to cut a window in the tailgate to repair the dent (which affected all three planes of the gate), and then weld back a patch.

    I ordered some slam latches that I’m going to try and integrate into the gate- if I’m able to do it, it will latch closed when shut like a modern tailgate, and I’ll be integrating a D-ring locking latch into the gate that will connect by rod or cable to both side latches. (I’d install striker pins into the sides of the gate opening.)

    Not sure if I’m going to remove the hump or not, may likely leave the jeep logo in place, but sandblasted it (and some other nooks and crannies) so it won’t have to be over sanded and distorted for refinish. I helped a friend repaint his Jeep in high school, and the embossed “Jeep” emblem was hard to prep for paint and we ended up rounding down the contours with the sander.

    All told, I’m pretty thrilled I was able to bring the damaged and cancered tailgate and hatch back from the dead concidering the damage they had. Will be really pleased if I’m able to modernize the gate with a better latching system, but there is a threshold of fabrication complexity I’m not willing to cross- it would likely be easier to build a new gate with that feature than to retrofit it in this squirrelly gate....

    Will likely fiddle with mounting the seats next weekend so I can then turn my wife loose on re-upholstering them.

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    Last edited: Feb 20, 2018
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  7. Mar 1, 2018
    KeyserSoSay

    KeyserSoSay Collector of Hobbies and Vestigial Skills

    Edgewood New Mexico
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    Hate to beat a dead horse over such an obscure topic relative to the jeep build, but I found this stuff which is 1680 denier fabric that is plastic-coated on both sided I think- Does this seam like overkill, and not comfortable, or would this make good seat material?

    1680 Denier Coated Ballistic Nylon - Crimson

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    FYI- Jeep build has taken a weird tangent again- working on a roof-rack now. My wife teases me that I should be focusing on more nuts-and-bolts things, but there is a method to my madness. I need the roof rack to design the roll-cage and I'll be glad to have it done and set aside when the time comes. I used the "Harbor Freight ATV Cargo Rack Trick" bought 4x $50 cargo racks and compiled them to make a roof-rack. I'll post up some pics when I get it all fleshed out and done. I'm happy with it so far, and it's only cost me about $220 and will be sprayed with some Raptor liner in the end.


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  8. Mar 1, 2018
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

    Medford Mass USA
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    This type of post is very valuable - seeing how a repair was made is extra helpful. Interesting that you cut a section out of the tailgate to get access to the dent. The textbooks tell you to reverse the impact ... drive the steel back to where it was. But most examples are fenders and such that can be grabbed easily - a tailgate where the back of the dent is hidden is different.
     
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  9. Mar 1, 2018
    KeyserSoSay

    KeyserSoSay Collector of Hobbies and Vestigial Skills

    Edgewood New Mexico
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    Yeah, it seems (basically is) impossible to fix if you're not willing to start carving up the steel- but that is much easier to do than most guys give themselves credit for. The actual dent repair took me about 8 minutes. notice the 2" steel plate I used to clamp against, and the big C-clamps. the dolly plate is about 12" long and I have some 1/4 plate sandwiched in there that is about 2ft long. this forces the steel back into plane as much as it forces the dent back into shape. Very little conventional "body work" pounding was involved after that.
     
  10. Mar 1, 2018
    sterlclan

    sterlclan Member 2022 Sponsor

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    i would request a sample to see how it feels,it may be a little abrasive for a seat,no way to tell until you can put your hands on it.
     
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  11. Mar 2, 2018
    KeyserSoSay

    KeyserSoSay Collector of Hobbies and Vestigial Skills

    Edgewood New Mexico
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    Yeah, I don’t know why I’m over-thinking and under-doing this... I did as you suggested, ordered a swatch set of all their heavy duty cordura fabrics and colors for $8 shipped. Should give me a good idea of what fabrics will be best for both the seats, and the soft-top panels. No reason they both have to be exactly the same anyway except to save a few bucks.. Maybe the ballistic fabric would be a better match for the external panels, and stick to a marine canvas for the seats.

    I actually found some 600 Denier fabric that is the perfect color for this jeep (“Chili Red”, deep dark red to match the “Plymouth Scorch Red” we’ll be painting the Jeep) but was worried it was not heavy enough, guess now I’ll know if 600D will do the job for a Jeep seat. (Wife is still on board with a smile, we’ll see how enthusiastic she is when I dump the old seat split patterns on the kitchen table with a roll of Cordura and tell her to raise hell:watch:).


    Anyway, I appreciate your input, I’d of never concidered this a DIY without your encouragement. I’ve been studying hard on the internet about busting down old seat coverings as patterns, and my wife speaks as if that is all old hat for her (her mom is a master quilt maker). Another good wintertime project I’d like to have out of the way this spring when I get to wrenching and fabricating on the jeep itself. I have some heat-shrink plastic (I’ve been saving off of my wood pellet pallets) that I’ll use to cover the completed seats to keep them clean until they get the final install.
     
  12. Mar 2, 2018
    sterlclan

    sterlclan Member 2022 Sponsor

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    The ballistic nylon I used has softened nicely doubt it is totally waterproof though. Don’t forget to get some thin foam for the back side of the covers. If you do the heaters they go between the foam and the cloth. She can stitch through the heaters as long as it’s not too much. The hot rod forum has a bunch of helpful upholstery guys. The hog ring not so much.
     
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  13. Mar 2, 2018
    KeyserSoSay

    KeyserSoSay Collector of Hobbies and Vestigial Skills

    Edgewood New Mexico
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    Again, I apologize to other members who come here to talk about old jeeps and not sewing- but how thin is thin? 1/4" , 1/2 inch? Are you describing lining the new seat covers with this thin foam using a spray adhesive before installing them? Is there need to adjust the pattern due to this added foam? I did buy some hog rings and have a jewelry tool that is basically a hog-ring pliers. I take it the "hog ring" you mention is a forum for upholsterers- with less-than-helpful members (a pirate4x4 type of place)? For the heaters I was hoping to use spray adhesive to secure them to the existing foam, guess I better study further before I do that, I had an electric blanket catch on fire on me one time when I was a drunken yearling- lesson learned.

    Anyway, sorry again, I'll quit asking you about the seats and go check out one of these other forums to direct my newby questions to.

    TGIF- Fresh Weekend, and New Paycheck!!!!!!!!!! Hope to finish out the tailgate this weekend, and finish up the roof-rack, and get the seats installed and then removed in advance of my upholstery endeavor.


    FWIW- I bought a pair of these latches for the tailgate- it's a decent compromise to trying to install internal slam latches in the gate- but beats the heck out of the OEM latches on the gate now. They look to be an easy install using the welded in nuts that mount the gate hangers. I may have to shorten the hangers a bit and move their attachment point , but I think it will turn out pretty slick...

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  14. Mar 2, 2018
    sterlclan

    sterlclan Member 2022 Sponsor

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    you sew the foam to the back of the fabric as you assemble the pieces,the heaters get installed between the foam and fabric,no need for adhesive and no make them the same size the added foam will help fill the covers out have her pay close attention to the seam allowance.
     
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  15. Mar 5, 2018
    KeyserSoSay

    KeyserSoSay Collector of Hobbies and Vestigial Skills

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    Well, we got the broad strokes done on the tailgate this weekend. If anyone needs a tailgate hump, let me know.

    Still have to mount the slam latches, do a little skim of body filler in a few spots and put it in primer.

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    You ECJ5 guys will have to bear with me a little bit... I use this thread (and other similar build/project threads) as a way to let my dad and my uncles keep up with the progress of my projects. This one is for them. We built this bracket today to make better use of my 10” cut-off blade I run on one of my shop grinders. I have very limited space in my shop, so I have a 3 grinders mounted together with designated jobs, this new upgrade makes life easier and safer.

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    We also got the broad strokes of the Harbor Freight ATV Cargo - roof rack completed this weekend. I’ll need to hit it with a skim of body filler in some of the uglier welds and fabricated junctions and then put it in primer. Then to get it mounted, and then I’ll build out a bracket in front to support an LED light-bar.

    It’s sitting higher in the pics than it will once completed. Should have right at 1” clearance in the rear, more towards the front as the roof slopes downward.

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    Mounting it to the jeep is proving to be a bigger chore than I anticipated. Mainly because of my limited resources and cheap-*** Chinese tools. After a pretty crappy day in the shop, I was able to get the broad strokes done on cutting and bending all my components for 6 custom gutter mounts that I think will end up looking pretty slick and custom, make a strong solid mount, and avoid creating any long- term vibrational damage to my Jeepster top. Time will tell.

    Probably premature to post these as the pics I have here do not do enough to show the conceptual plan for these mounts.

    From the 2”x 1/4” plates that ride in the gutter, the mounts bend inwards to a piece of angle iron that will cradle the roof-rack. I’m just using the 18 gauge in the pics as a floor for my magnets as a PO-boy jig. These will be boxed in with some 11guage (1/8”) plate.

    The clamping piece is 1-1/2” C-channel cut down, there is a ridge welded inside the gutter piece so that when it’s tightened down with the clamping bolt, it’s also cinching the two pieces together in the vertical plane (pulls the clamp up and the rack down)

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    Last edited: Mar 5, 2018
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  16. Mar 5, 2018
    Nekaf&Jeepsterdude

    Nekaf&Jeepsterdude 1968 Jeepster Commando, 1951 M38a1C

    The Netherlands
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    Nice craftmanship!
     
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  17. Mar 5, 2018
    baldjosh

    baldjosh Member

    pacific north west
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    my experience with denier fabrics is the lower the # the smoother/slicker it is. 600 is pretty tough stuff but you might find you slide around alot. 1200 has a great big warp and woof and adds alot of "traction"
    this i might order a swatch of for myself...I think it could have real potential!...ive used different vinyl and neoprene impregnated or coated mesh products and have loved them.
    just remember when youre cutting and sewing there is NO give at all, things got to be spot on, with fabric and vinyl you can stretch and fudge here and there...not with these sort of materials.
    take youre time and youll be great.
    cant wait to see the upholstery! Jeep looks awesome too!
     
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  18. Mar 5, 2018
    KeyserSoSay

    KeyserSoSay Collector of Hobbies and Vestigial Skills

    Edgewood New Mexico
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    Thanks, yeah I'm catching up to speed a little with this stuff.

    I've ordered a wide variety of Cordura and marine canvas type material swatches from 3 different companies, including this 1680D rubberized. Come back here and remind me in a few weeks or months and I'll send them to you Free-ninety-Free if you're still interested.

    As far as our Commando, the closer I look at it now the further away it is from where I want it to be. I had a pretty ambitious "all-at-once" build plan but I'm finally realizing that it may take me a matter of YEARS to accomplish it, so now I'm starting to reorganize my plan a bit into a more staged restoration that will get the jeep running if not pretty by next Christmas. I'll get some more funding for the broad strokes in July, so right now I'm trying to take on elbow grease sort of jobs that keep us busy with it and will help us hit the ground running when we go to put it all back together. Every paycheck I order some new pieces of replacement rubber and molding or other such parts, so (my wife and) I don't really notice the sum of the costs- :beer:

    I did order an exhaust system for it (which it completely lacks right now). If it fits as advertised, this will save me tons of money and hours of labor and will constitute a huge check-off on my list.

    1972-73 Jeep Commando V8 Aluminized Steel Single Exhaust [9367720112] - $300.00 : Waldron Exhaust, Complete Custom Exhaust Systems

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    Last edited: Mar 5, 2018
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  19. Mar 8, 2018
    KeyserSoSay

    KeyserSoSay Collector of Hobbies and Vestigial Skills

    Edgewood New Mexico
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    Not sure why I always feel like apologizing when I post on this thread- I guess I tend to overshare sometimes, but really this thread is more for me and mine than it is for anyone else.

    Also, my work is far from professional level and not particularly innovative but when I personally am studying other peoples builds on the internet, I always wish folks posted more pictures of the nuts-and-bolts type of work being done in between the "before and after" pics you can usually find....

    So with that, I have been able to get some work done this week on the roof-rack mounts. So much more work went into the building of these simple mounts than should have. What I wanted when I started were mounts that did not have exposed bolts or a "universal mount" look to them. I think I've accomplished that, but we'll have to wait and see how they look once welded onto the rack.

    luckily I've got a 3-day weekend coming up!! so hopefully I'll be able to put the roof-rack to rest, get it in primer, and set aside for a new project.

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  20. Mar 13, 2018
    Nekaf&Jeepsterdude

    Nekaf&Jeepsterdude 1968 Jeepster Commando, 1951 M38a1C

    The Netherlands
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    The build can't be too detailed as far as I am concerned ;-)... keep the postings coming!
     
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