1966 (why Did I Buy This?) Jeep.

Sounds pretty good.

 

Got some nice cloth seats out of a little Jeep SUV thing (Compass?) at the local junkyard. Cleaned the fabric and they look like new.
Bargain price of $120 for both!!


first chopped the legs off below the sliders.



They still sat to high so I chopped the sliders off.



Took a couple try’s to get them as far back as possible. Tacked them to the old seat frame.





That’s gonna work!
It will have to sit until next week as we’re visiting kids in VA this weekend.

 

I had both seats on the frames but couldn’t hardly reach my foot to the gas pedal it was so tight. Decided to take a step back and do wheelhouse notch modification. Looks like I’ll get around 3.5”



A little work left to do.

 

Project creep got me again. Working on the wheelhouse I cleaned some bed liner off the bed. Then I had to clean the sides of the wheel well. Then the top of the wheel well looks bad. I’m going to have to remove the rollbar to clean that.

 

I finished mine last Friday and repainted. It was worth the work though it was an on your knees job. Did you do both sides?

 

Just driver side.

 

Again the good and the ugly with this Jeep.

For the rollbar install PO used all grade 8 and had 2”square plates under the wheel wells and on top to keep from flattening out the ridges.



It was probably the next owner that put on the thick bed liner that I’m working to remove.

I like it and think I’ll go without the rollbar for now.

 

Cleaned up some more bed liner today. Then did a “complete restoration” of the bed and fender wells.



This spray on “truck bed coating” is very light texture. Barely more than the Hammered paint I regularly use.

 

Well the interior of this Jeep is looking pretty good. I reinstalled the seats tonight. Decided I would put the rollbar back on as well. The new seatbelts I ordered needed to mount to the rollbar. Rollbar needs a little cleaning and paint which I started on tonight.

 

Cynthia drove around the neighborhood for a few miles this afternoon. Running and driving very good.

Ordered new windshield gaskets and wiper kits. I guess that’s the next part to get refurbished starting tomorrow.

Tailgate is in pretty bad shape with a kink/dent on the top tube. Good bit of rust near the bottom tube. I’d love to find a decent replacement.

 

Globs of caulk, peeling paint, rust, mismatched blots. It was a real mess.



Caulk globs gone and rust treated. That’s a lot better.

 

An old tierod is about the same size as the top tube of a tailgate. I pounded it in and a couple spots needed some heat to get back to round ( kind’a round).

 

If I’m ever going to build my 3B I need to get some paint on this thing. Hammered out a couple dents and removed the fenders tonight. Going to get the fenders ready for paint then the hood and grill. Tub last.


After the fender was off I noticed this…



…frame nearly broke in half!!

 

Ouch! Mine wasn't broke but I fish plated that section when I did my frame. I don't know why now but I guess it is a stress area.

 

The PO didn’t treat it well. I’m guessing it’s from bottoming out the shocks (lots)!!

 

Some JB weld and Gorilla Tape and it will be fine.

 

'tis but a scratch.

 

Definitely check in with the expert. How about you write some thoughts here so all can gain some insight.

My thoughts are;
Grind out the crack a bit, weld it good and hot, grind welds flush and plate it with some 3/16 a couple inches beyond the crack. This rig may never see 4wd while I own it.

 

I’m sure that it will buff right out…