Project "Sarge" (56k beware)

Well I figured I've been on here long enough to fully describe what I've been asking questions pertaining to for the past few months. I picked up a weathered (it's a 62'...obviously it showed its age) cj5 with the hopes of bringing the shine back to the surface. Being more than addicted to the JEEP breed I had no problem undertaking this project, hell it was in great shape from the get go. It had a full steel cap like a Park edition, with matching steel doors, and who doesn't love a seized plow frame/hydraulic ram? The frame was in great shape with minor rot in the rear cross member like all other 5's, and the only other downfall was the "recently" rebuilt/frozen even fire 231. Oh yea and the floors would put a grin on Fred Flintstone, but again thats another obvious trait in anything with "JEEP" stamped on the quarter panel.






So once the weather started to warm up a bit (early march-ish) I thought it would be best to dive into this project sawz-all blazing. All of the obvious was either rotted or completely missing, and yet the windshield frame/cowl/and upper firewall was in excellent condition. The tailgate was the best piece of tin off the entire jeep with the exception of the entire front clip. I have a fantastic tendency to attract dozens of winged, stinging insects while working on any project outdoors. I had a real blast controlling these fellas with carburetor cleaner.






The worst was yet to come, as I soon neared the unknown within the 231. I realized VERY quickly how stuck it was when a 8 foot breaker bar on the crankshaft with 165lb's of skinny white guy bouncing on it wouldn't break the pistons loose. Turns out 2 of the 6 were frozen to the block, and at that point I had just about enough of the stubborn even fire. I ditched it with high hopes of finding another, but currently I am still looking for a power plant. Can you say Buick 350?





Faster then most of you guys can blink I was off twirling wrenches towards the tub, and most of the dismantling it needed to separate from the chassis ended up being with a blade of some sort. Found a lot of spare steel loosely hiding where panels should have been...






Finally the tub was stripped from the frame with all the crap that was holding me back...Onward I pushed into deleting the emergency drum brake assembly. The drum was filled with gear lube along with some other lovely unknowns that are sure to cause cancer of some sort. Once I was satisfied with the deletion, I moved onto rebuilding and beefing up the rear cross member. I had planned to move my house off its foundation with this jeep, and well why not right? I believe at the cross member's thickest point (the pintle hitch plate/triangle brace) it's almost 1/2" thick. The rest is 1/4". And yes I know that might be more than enough to tug a small military trailer.









Finally I coated everything in Rustoleum made for outdoor furniture (this stuff is amazing, aka DON"T GET IT ON YOUR SKIN!). The rear cross member was coated in Herculiner for affect, and a cleaned up 5 ton pintle was bolted in place ready for action. New brake lines and hoses were installed along with new pads springs etc etc. After the back half of the frame was basically complete I laid the new to me glass tub on it. As the days passed I rebuilt the vintage warn select hubs, and had the chassis back to its rolling self...on 33/12" boggers.









The newest edition (hence the name of the build) is the grille with supports and the hood/fenders will go on tomorrow. I'll continue to update this as I complete more of the project around being a full time student/ a manager at the local auto parts store. Remember when being 21 was easy going? R)

If you guys have any questions just shoot. Thanks for looking fellas and ladies.

 

What'd you paint the drums with?
Looking good!
Are you competition cutting the tub? The cross member that extended out was 2 of the body mounts, but I guess you knew that.

 

Comp cutting may come later on with enough alcohol, and yes I knew about the mounts prior to dismantling the old member. The tub very well secured even without those 2 mounts. I painted the drums with a high temp header paint I stock at work that I had laying around. It shouldn't peel even under the hardest braking conditions.

 

What parts did you use to delete the parking brake? I have been wanting to do that but I haven't dug in to it yet. Thats the one picture that is dark. Cool build.

 

saweet...

 

To delete the parking brake just remove the drive shaft, then the main rear output nut which holds in the yoke. Put a catch pan under the output and carefully slide the yoke off the shaft. Wait for all the gear lube to drain out, and begin removing the hardware off the dust plate for the drum. Back out the 4 bolts holding the dust plate in place and slide off the dust plate. Reinstall said bolts and torque to spec. Then remove the armature on the bottom of the transfer case that engages the e brake. Thats about it. I didn't have to buy anything besides red loctite, and maybe some longer bolts.

 

Yeah I was wondering if the drum was integral with the yoke. I see now that the drum is just bolted to the yoke and the driveshaft with the same bolts.

 

More or less sandwiched together.

 

Small update...I was tired of looking at my grille since I realized it had a slight twist to it. I knew this downward twist towards the passenger side was a direct effect of how the body mount bushing was absorbing stress. The damn thing wouldn't straighten out for anything until I fabbed up some isolator bushings. Not only do these give the grille a helluva lot of support, but they were cheap. How cheap do you ask. Look for yourself. This was completed while I freshened up my hood.





(Prices may vary on the sale of hockey pucks in your town depending on the popularity of the sport...sorry Canada R) )

 

Could you tell me where you got that pintle hook at?
Thanks,
:v6:
BenF

 

Nice find, looks like your doing a good job. Hey maybe ill see you on the road sometime.

 

You'll know me when you see me.

 

Ben that pintle was off a 50's flat fender and I can easily say it was all that was left since the flatty was primarily used for plowing. I cleaned it up, and there she is.

 

Just for kicks heres another shot. Got all the body lines straighter than Willys probably could have. Other then some minor tinkering I haven't been able to get much done. Work and school are murderous.

:v6:

 

its been shot with paintballs....those B@$T@RD$!!!

Like what you did with the rear crossmember. clean and sturdy.

 

Sarge is back at it with some more headway. I even added a few new vehicles to the collection while I was at it. Recently the willys had its windshield frame fully stripped and all particles of rust converted chemically. A donor 64' cj-5 was purchased for its beautifully running F-head unless other options open up for another 225 or 231. Pictures soon to come!

 

As if it wasn't more clear Sarge has moved on and changed owners. REJEEP is finishing what I started about a year ago and I have moved onto project Lost Friend or what I have affectionately named "The Mutt". It hurt to see the jeep go but I am glad it ended up in the hands of a good friend. Onto another build...check the commando section for "Project Lost Friend". Thanks for watching.



RM

 

Where is that original front bumper???
That was an eye-catcher..............

 

It was finely seasoned so I did what any responsible jeep owner did...


















...OK it's on another jeep...


RM