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71 Wheeling Rig

Discussion in 'Builds and Fabricators Forum' started by Fireball, Jan 18, 2021.

  1. Feb 26, 2021
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2018
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    5,627
    It's a Griffin universal radiator.

    I went with a cross flow because the v8 puts the radiator on top the crossframe and I don't have room for a lower tank.

    Later v6 CJs came from the factory with the 22" wide Commando radiator. The cowling portion of the grill is different. If you find a 69+ grill, it's a bolt in. I put a 22" wide Champion aluminum one in my 69 and it seems like a nice piece for the money.
     
  2. Feb 26, 2021
    timsresort

    timsresort Active Member 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    South Lake Tahoe CA
    Joined:
    Jan 22, 2014
    Messages:
    1,382
    Thanks for the info. That's a great price on the Griffin, I thought they were more expensive. I will look at the Champion for the '70 or so grill I just got for my build.
     
  3. Feb 26, 2021
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2018
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  4. Feb 27, 2021
    bigbendhiker

    bigbendhiker Member

    U.S.
    Joined:
    May 26, 2019
    Messages:
    318
    I installed the same fan shroud on my '69 Jeepster Commando. (y)
     
    Fireball and timsresort like this.
  5. Feb 28, 2021
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2018
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    5,627
    Got the crossframe done today.

    Notched and pounded down the outer ends of the old crossframe:
    [​IMG]

    Cut triangles out of some 1/8" scrap to fill the holes. Tacked in place:
    [​IMG]

    Welded home:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    After some vanity grinding:
    [​IMG]

    Prepping for plug welding on the botton:
    [​IMG]

    There were some holes and a bunch of boogers from a PO cutting off the bellcrank pivot. I ground the worst of it off so I could fill the holes:
    [​IMG]

    Right side plugged. Man, what a pain welding upside down. Keeping the nozzle super close to the surface helps, but it still catches big drops of molten metal falling out of the puddle. Constant stopping and cleaning the nozzle. It makes me glad I put all my structural welds on top:
    [​IMG]

    The ones on the right side looked worse because I had poorer access and the jagged holes from the bellcrank pivot had contamination in them. A little grinding makes them passable enough for this jeep:
    [​IMG]

    Finally, a coat of Rustoleum semi-gloss black:
    [​IMG]

    Next is working on the grill to mount the radiator.

    The BDS springs showed up yesterday:
    [​IMG]
     
    melvinm, dozerjim, 73 cj5 and 14 others like this.
  6. Feb 28, 2021
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2018
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    5,627
    Ooh, ahh. Pretty with the paint dry:
    [​IMG]

    Gently bent the right front brake line underneath the crossframe and forward to clear the fan. Drilled and tapped a hole for a P-clip:
    [​IMG]

    Then it was a family trip to the Veterinary emergency room. Emmett managed to get this chunk of wood lodged sideways in his throat:
    [​IMG]

    A few hours later that excitement was over and I cut the back portion off the grill shroud:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Here it is sitting on the front part. They just cut the shroud in half and telescoped the back portion over the front portion:
    [​IMG]

    The original sticker was still sandwiched in there:
    [​IMG]

    Test fitting. It looks like it will fit well. I need to rebuild the back of the shroud and figure out how Im going to mount it:
    [​IMG]

    I also cut this off an old heater housing:
    [​IMG]

    The idea is to use is to make a new fresh air duct for the heater. This gives me a 4 1/2" round to square transition. It will mount somewhere around here with a scoop in front of the radiator connecting to it:
    [​IMG]
     
    melvinm, Stakebed, 73 cj5 and 7 others like this.
  7. Mar 4, 2021
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2018
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    5,627
    Last night I reshaped the heater intake hose housing to clear the fender.

    Bent, hammered and trimmed one side to narrow it up at the bottom:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Now it clears the fender:
    [​IMG]

    Making the duct that wraps around the radiator tank and meets up with this is going to be a chore, but it will be nice to have the fresh air hose hooked up again.
     
  8. Mar 4, 2021
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2018
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    5,627
    Tonight was enlarging the cowl to fit the larger radiator core. It needed to be a little taller and a decent amount wider.

    I cut slits in all 4 corners with the cut-off wheel and then make a makeshift brake to bend the top of the cowl upwards:
    [​IMG]

    It needed to be bend up close to an inch:
    [​IMG]

    I did a test fit to make sure it didn't interfere with the hood closing and the safety latch still worked. All good:
    [​IMG]

    Then I bent the sides out using 3 Crescent wrenches clamped to them:
    [​IMG]

    Cleaned up for welding:
    [​IMG]


    Made lots of cardboard templates and the cut out metal triangles:
    [​IMG]

    Tacked the triangles into place:
    [​IMG]

    Got one welded home with the million tack weld method:
    [​IMG]

    Cleaned up:
    [​IMG]

    The back side. I'm just going to wire brush and paint it since you can't see it:
    [​IMG]

    I still have the other 3 to final weld and grind. Hopefully I'll have time tomorrow night. Then it's on to mounting the radiator.
     
    melvinm, Stakebed, Play Dead and 15 others like this.
  9. Mar 5, 2021
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2018
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    5,627
    Got a little bit more done tonight.

    Finished welding up the rest of the little triangles:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Started making brackets to attach the bottom of the radiator:
    [​IMG]

    I welded nuts on them so two wrenches aren't needed. The radiator will attach directly with holes drilled in the bottom c-channel. The bottom brackets will end up about here and will space the radiator about 1/8" from the cowling so I don't have rubbing issues:
    [​IMG]

    For the top, I'm going to use a piece of 3/4" aluminum angle I had sitting around. It will bolt to the top of the cowl and to the radiator c-channel:
    [​IMG]

    I need to drill 12 holes and mock up the final position. Then I can weld the lower brackets in place.
     
    melvinm, blalp!, dozerjim and 8 others like this.
  10. Mar 7, 2021
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2018
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    5,627
    Got that radiator mounted to the grill today.

    Bolting the lower mounts to the radiator for fitting:
    [​IMG]

    Upper mount drilled and attached to radiator:
    [​IMG]

    Getting ready to tack weld the lower mounts for a final fitting:
    [​IMG]

    The final fitting. Everything is looking good:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Upper mount bolted to grill and lower mounts welded in place. Now the radiator can bolt in. That's a big step:
    [​IMG]
     
  11. Mar 7, 2021
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
    Joined:
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    Now I'm working on the fiddly fresh air duct for the heater. It has to work around all sorts of space restrictions to get around the radiator side tank and raise the output high enough to clear the power steering pump. All wile trying to keep a decent cross-section through the whole air path.

    Time to start designing with CAD:
    [​IMG]

    Here's the final crazy shape roughed out in thick cardboard:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    It will fit here:
    [​IMG]

    I put the grill on the Jeep to double check teverything clears. Looks like it will work:
    [​IMG]

    Three templates to make the part with a few modifications noted. I'll make more precise templates out of card stock before I cut the metal. I was going to do fold over tabs with plug welds through drilled holes, but I think I'm going to skip the tabs and butt weld everything together. I think cutting and bending all the tabs will be harder and slower than butt welding:
    [​IMG]
     
    Snoops, blalp!, timsresort and 7 others like this.
  12. Mar 7, 2021
    timsresort

    timsresort Active Member 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    South Lake Tahoe CA
    Joined:
    Jan 22, 2014
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    1,382
    Wow, a lot of work. I have always lived without the fresh air, once the duct fell apart about 30 years ago. What CAD program do you use? Is that the Blue-Tape version?
     
  13. Mar 7, 2021
    Renegade ll

    Renegade ll Member

    Thayne Wyoming
    Joined:
    Feb 17, 2013
    Messages:
    772
    Great work.
     
  14. Mar 8, 2021
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
    Joined:
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    Got the silly duct more or less done today. Not sure it was worth all the trouble just to get fresh air to the heater but there it is.

    Made more accurate templates. Sponsored by A&W Rootbeer:
    [​IMG]

    Marking up some metal for plasma cutting. You can tell I've cut a few crazy shapes out of this before:
    [​IMG]

    After plasma cutting:
    [​IMG]

    Cleaned up, marked, and ready for bending:
    [​IMG]

    During all this I was baby-sitting poor Bodie. He's recovering from TPLO surgery. He's drugged up to calm his wild ways so he can heal:
    [​IMG]

    Getting creative with the vice and some scrap metal to make a half-assed brake:
    [​IMG]

    It fit together better than I thought it would:
    [​IMG]

    Ugly welds done. Soon to be ground:
    [​IMG]

    Hole cut in grill and duct mounted. Mounting was a big pain because the mounting surfaces are angled or curved and neither match each other:
    [​IMG]

    I added this captive nut to do two jobs. 1. Add a third mount for the duct. 2. Have a captive nut for the fender bolt that's no longer accessible:
    [​IMG]

    Attaching the old heater part:
    [​IMG]

    Final check to make sure it all works. By the time I got the duct mounted, it slanted down more than I would like. However, it's functional as it and fixing it would require major surgery. I'm calling it done:
    [​IMG]

    Good grief that was a lot of work. I still need to shorten the hose more:
    [​IMG]
     
    Stakebed, OldAdobe, dozerjim and 11 others like this.
  15. Mar 8, 2021
    Mr Vaughan

    Mr Vaughan

    our heater got ripped out quite a while ago (think 90's). really wished i had it this winter.
     
  16. Mar 8, 2021
    ITLKSEZ

    ITLKSEZ Hope for the best, prepare for the worst

    Liberty Lake, WA
    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2015
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    6,656
    Very nice! :clap:

    Poor doggie must be so confused.
     
    dozerjim and Fireball like this.
  17. Mar 8, 2021
    jeepstar

    jeepstar Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Sheboygan
    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2006
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    2,754
    nice work. that took some time and skill! BRAVO!
     
    Fireball likes this.
  18. Mar 8, 2021
    Snoops

    Snoops Making progress, slow but at least it's forward! 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Idaho
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    Sep 4, 2019
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    Second the nice work!, looks awesome. :clap:
     
    Fireball likes this.
  19. Mar 8, 2021
    Renegade ll

    Renegade ll Member

    Thayne Wyoming
    Joined:
    Feb 17, 2013
    Messages:
    772
    Job well done!!!
     
    Fireball likes this.
  20. Mar 9, 2021
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2018
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    Was doing our taxes tonight so I didn't do anything on the Jeep.

    Parts have been piling up though. I feel like the "To-do" list is growing faster than the "Done" list.

    Things to do:

    Do it yourself power steering hose kit:
    [​IMG]

    Twist-lock hand throttle:
    [​IMG]

    Metal and clamp for a steering box brace. Also metal to make a triple shifter to bolt to the T18 for the OD and double stick transfer case:
    [​IMG]

    24x24 piece of sheet for the fan shroud:
    [​IMG]

    Bowl gear and rebuild kit for the overdrive:
    [​IMG]

    Exhaust gaskets. I have a leak on the passenger side:
    [​IMG]

    Coolant overflow bottle:
    [​IMG]

    Heater core (and hoses):
    [​IMG]

    Dana 18 and parking brake rebuild kits:
    [​IMG]

    The afore mentioned springs:
    [​IMG]

    A 14" electice pusher fan. I'm temped to leave this off and see if the bigger radiator, bigger fan, and better shroud keep it cool:
    [​IMG]

    That doesn't count the back-ordered T18 to D18 adapter and needing to measure my T18 front bearing so I can order the right rebuild kit.

    I want to get the cooling project done and change the springs. Then I'll drive it for a while and work out bugs with that stuff while I'm rebuilding the T18/D18.
     
    Rich M., locrwln, ITLKSEZ and 6 others like this.
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