Frame up rebuild, what would you do different?

I would have used a MIG welder instead of Oxy-Acel in replacing floors. THis is because MIG would prob have not warped the tub as much as Oxy-Acel. My restoration really was a conversion also. It was too much work to be practical. But I loved every minute of it. I have been working on it for four years now-- and it is ready to license and test drive.

 

My thoughts are is to just plan on it taking a lot longer that you thought it would if you want to do it right. I am peticular and some of the used parts I planned on using just didnt look good with so many other new parts. So the result is a lot longer than planned build (my last one was 2.5 years) and a lot more money but then you wont regret it later when you know it was done right.

I have built 3. The first one just out of college. Many things I should have done different that I now currently fight with on that one. I learned from that one that it pays to go a little slower and put the parts that are needed to make it right.

As far as the bedliner. I like mine in the two I have. I had them professionally sprayed on but it is thinner than some and a quality spray on that is not super thick and bumpy so it is fairly easy to keep clean.

Just my opinions

Bryan

 

Rhino lining is great, remember you don't have to have it textured, it's a process during application to have it all bumpy. My friends jeep has it all over, inside and underside and it's smooth, it hoses out clean, and the underside pressure washes clean. It does oxidize but overall very durable. On my Jeep I went with paint and I will have snap out carpet, I just like the original look of paint.

 

Just in case anyone is interested, I believe I found the product.

 

would have used the connecter plug on the wipers mounted on the top of the frame instead of on the body.

my next project is to mount the fenders on a hinge to make engine access easier.

 

Can you elaborate on the first suggestion a bit? I'm not sure what you are refering to.

I've seen the fender hinge deal in an article. http://www.jeeptalk.worldoversea.com/index.php?showtopic=330

The post is older so the picts are gone. But I've also seen this with picts someplace else. I think I've got the link at home. I'll check and edit it back in if I can find it.

 

If I could do my JEEP project over, I would:

1) Make sure I'm not going to be moving before it is finished. Like the others who mentioned this, I was set back by close to a year due to a move. Finding small parts thrown in boxes is no fun.

2) I would have bought a welder. Renting just isn't the same.

3) Be realistic about what you can do, given your time limitations and what you can afford.

4) If you aren't truly an expert at a given task, be prepared to at least deal with the possibility that you may have to do it again.

I didn't list mission creep again, but that has been my number 1 problem. I bought a beat-up but useable CJ-5, thinking it would be fun to drive as-is on mild trail rides. After I discovered how much fun they are, (and how interesting) it became special to me, and I wanted to make it like new. So, I took it apart, and then I moved. The rest has been a long, slowly unfolding project that has come to a temporary stopping point (useable again).

I guess the best thing I realized along the way is that I'm not really doing this only for the JEEP. I'm doing it because I like to do it, and it has been time and money well spent. So, if I never get it to that imaginary stage where all the paint is perfect, and all the little blemishes are gone (even the ones under the tub that only I know about), it will still have been a worthwhile project for me.

 

if i started again i would have bought a complete car, not one that had been pulled apart 10 years before i got it. but it has had the chassis and the runnig gear finished.

 

Along those lines. If I were to do it again I would either buy a vehicle with good running gear or a good body( of course a good frame is a requirement) I won't by something that everything needs to be replaced.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:
Horrible task, let someone else do it. That said it's also a good experience and gives you a heads up on the strength of your frame and body. So it depends on how Gung Ho you are.

About bedliners: The commercial stuff is practically impossible to remove of you ever want to. I used the Duplicolor bedliner because it is paint based and easily touched up or removed if I want to. I applied it about a year ago and its held up well. Simple wiping w/ a wet rag cleans it up and it remains as black as when applied.:v6:

 

"If i started again i would have bought a complete car, not one that had been pulled apart 10 years before i got it."

Oh how true. It seems like the cost ratio between just buying a JEEP with the parts already on it, versus putting them on later is about 5 to 1 (in favor of just looking around and buying a rig that's already set-up). Of course, then you don't get the fun and experience of doing it yourself!

 

the problem with being in Australia is that early Jeeps are unbelievably rare, you take what you can get. :hurrican:

 

take lots of notes, draw lots of diagrams, take lots of pics and hope you remember all the rest. I started my full frame up restore on my 66 cj6 in Oct 06 and am now starting the rebuild, hopefully have a rolling chasis by Jan 1, Good luck, I know I'll need some.

 

Don't let the little hold ups hold you up too much - my current problems are numerous but if I could just bring myself to put the points in and fire the beast instead of stewing over the Post office loosing my pertronix ignitor, I am sure I would get new momentum to takle the other things like finish sanding and paint - solder the wires that are labled and waiting for solder tighten all the body mounts.

I'm close to being done, having the Post office lose the ignitor has me playing "try to fix the odometer" for 3 days instead of getting a perfectly good one - for free frome the bone yard of my buddies and putting the dash in so that when the ignitor shows up, the other stuff is done.

Prioritize - that is my advice - and enjoy

 

oh, couple other thoughts.

Post a SINGLE thread and link the side discussions that pop up in the build to it (Ex: carb over haul, or disk brake question)

would make for a complete time line referance for others to read, had I done this, I might have learned this other peice of advice

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. An explanation here is rebuilding a carb for the sake that it had sat around, no clue if it worked or not, but din't give it a chance to work, just took it apart, glad I have a spare

 

Hmm.. Well I never took the body off of mine, I compromised and used a D/A sander then sandblasted as is. I bought one with a reasonably square body though. Only golf ball sized holes in the metal.. but I digress.

Be careful if something is broken and your going to replace it, be careful about thinking : "oh well I'll just upgrade it while I'm at it.."

eg: If your springs are flat, and you say, gee its really low, I'll just get lift springs, realize that 2.5 inches is really about 7 inches higher than it sits right now. I don't regret it, it just shocked me.

I did the same thing with my radiator, now my jeep runs insanely cool.

When something says "Bolts On", it probably doesn't. Case in point: DUI ignition. Luckily I searched ECJ5 and I knew what I was getting into.

When something says "Complete Kit", it isn't. Get friendly with your local NAPA or FLAPS.

Sometimes spending more money can replace time for equal value, but don't expect that to always pencil out.

I park my Jeep every 2 years and wrench on the "big things" for 6 months. This gives reasonably firm deadlines and prevents the "perma project" state, then I can also build capital reserves and a plan for the next buildup. Lets you gather parts and gather intel too (sounds like what Warlock does).

Have "short compiles" while wrenching. To prevent multi-tasking, I work in zones with quick discrete bursts. eg: Upgrade the brakes. When finished, drive around the block / store. Sometimes I got into a bind because the radiator (or some part) was out and I started working on some other component (D.U.I.) stalling for time. I like to have my Jeep in a reasonable state of running most of the time. I get twitchy and start globbing on parts if it hasn't run or been driven in over 2 months. If I get stuck somewhere, I say what would it take to just spin it around the just block once?

Listen, Read, Search.