Update On 63 Tuxedo Park Restoration/ Not Completely Original

Here is the Jeep after I got it back to Louisiana from Colorado. It had a little over 28,000 miles when I got it. I drove it for about a year then started the rebuild.

 

It’s been in my shop for over two years and I’m in the process of putting it back together now. I’ll go through my pics of the tear down and rebuild.

 

There were really only 2 areas that needed to be addresses. One was the tail light panel and the other was the rear quarter panel where the spare was mounted. Looking back I never would have cut out those areas as I think thy could have been fixed by a good body man with a hammer and dolly. Hind sight is 20/20 so I moved on and pressed forward. The body was basically rust free except for surface rust. The hat channels were rust free and in great shape. The Jeep won’t be totally original as I sold the front bumper to a member on this site, and replaced it with a stock bumper. I also added a BDS 2 inch lift and installed 11 inch drums on the front. I’m going to go with a black soft top and go with 16 inch wheels with 31 inch tires. The wheels will probably be black also. It will be rocking the Indian Ceramic color though as this color is also the color I used on my logo for my honey company.

 

Here are some shots of welding in the patch panels. It was slow going as I’m not a good welder but I gave it my best and got it done

 

Here are some shots of the carb and fuel pump after I sent them off for rebuilds. They were sent to two different places in California. Both companies had great turn around times and did a great job. I have the names in case anyone is interested. The cost was 190.00 for the fuel pump rebuild and the carb was 170.00.

 

Here is the underside of the tub after cleaning it with degreaser. The color was grey which I’m assuming was primer. I really don’t know, maybe they did undercoat it with something at the factory or dealership.

 

Coming along good

 

My brother is in the industrial coating business so he got me two different types of 2 part epoxy to coat the underside with. The first was an incapsulating epoxy with seals the metal and the other was a silver primer. It was difficult to work with, but is very durable. Looking back I probably would not use it again. I also used it on the frame. I am worried more about the frame because it will be flexing and I’m hoping this won’t pop off. It shouldn’t, but I’ve accidentally hit the frame with a tool and it will chip but I’m thinking it will be ok. I’d use a good spray can enamel next time because of the ease of use and the ease of repairing a scratch. If it does chip I’ll just spray it with a good spray paint. It does look good. I’ll have pics of the frame coming up later.

 

I did the inside also. It will be painted Indian Ceramic when the body is painted. I also stuck a picture of my honey in to show the label.

 

Here are some pics of the frame clean up and I also got a shot of the tranny after it came back from the shop. I also sent the bell crank off to the great guy in Alabama to machine it to accept the bearings for the better set up. This guy is the real deal. I have his name on my mind but can’t think of it, someone help me out. The frame clean up pretty easy and it didn’t have any cracks in it. I also got a pic of the Load Levler shocks that are as retro as it gets. I tried to find some ones just like it but could not find anything. I eventually went with the upgraded Fox shocks when I installed the BDS suspension.

 

Great to see another Mk III! Here's the one in my signature. It had a Koenig full cab when we got it, hated it, too noisy, too stuffy, sold it. This was a low budget job all the way. We painted the frame by hand with implement paint and the body by using the "roll and tip" method, one pic shows my wife doing the painting. (Still need to finish under the hood. ) Looks good from 20'. I still have the front bumper but I wanted to be able to put a tow bar on it. It's our "take the grandkids for a ride, go get a hamburger or some ice cream" Jeep. Keep us posted on your progress!

 

Here are some more frame shots during the clean up process. Like most everyone else on the site, I’m doing all the work on weekends mostly, as I have a regular job. I started the rebuild in January of 2019 so it has been going on for some time now. I thought I would have been done by now but life happens and you make adjustments. The Jeep is located on our families farm in South Louisiana so it’s been inside the whole time which I am very grateful far. If you look in the background of some of the pics you can see sugarcane blowing in the wind. Sugar is king in this country.

 

I saw your post earlier on the site and got inspiration to keep working on mine. Mine will be a driver for sure. It won’t go off road too often as it has taken me too long to get to this point.

 

hello
Nice work, I'd be interested in the names of the fuel pump rebuilder. Thanks
Sean

 

Yes, understand, this is my wife's and it is not allowed to leave the pavement.

 

The fuel pump rebuilder was
Eggs Machine Co.
11707 Slauson Ave
Sante Fe Springs, CA 90670
562-945-3419

Carb rebuilder
J&J Carburetors
1127 East Ash Ave
Fullerton, CA., 92831
714-446-9770

 

Frame and bumpers with primer and finish coat.

 

Starting to clean and paint the never ending parts and pieces. I try to keep ahead of the work I’m planning to do on the Jeep, but it never fails that I find some part or piece that needs cleaning and painting and it stops the progress dead in its tracks.

 

Finally got the painted frame and put it in the shop and installed the bumpers and leaf springs. Everything went pretty smooth with a few minor adjustments and when things didn’t go as plan a big hammer helped out !

 

Got the axels installed under the Jeep plus the bell crank back on. I installed it with bolt the wrong way but if it doesn’t hurt any thing I may leave it like that. What say you ?