The beginning of my '53 CJ3B build/resto

I know that this is a question that I don't need to answer for a LOOOONG time yet, but... I had the spare 32X11.50 off my TJ and rolled it up next to the 3B. Hmmm, got me to thinking. I'm still planning upon keeping her pretty stock, but the idea of lifting it a bit and getting 32's or better yet, 33X9.50 pizza cutters is something that I like. What are the basics that I'm looking at in lifting a leaf spring jeep? In particular, a 3B. Pros and cons? TIA :stout:

 

Pro's everything, con's nothing... Well.. Higher center of gravity, means more like to roll. All you need are the springs and new U Bolts to a point, and, sometimes caster shims or brake hoses. 1" should fit 32's, thats what I'm going to when I wear out the 7.00x15's.
Superlift makes a good lift.

 

Hmmm, so will 32s or 33s fit without rubbing or will I run into fender and turning radius issues?
And yeah, there is the rolling issue. How susceptible is a mildly lifted early CJ to body roll?

 

The look= pretty close to stock, which is why I'd like a narrow and tall tire like a 33X10.5. I think that I've seen some early CJs with some Interco tires of one sort or another that I love the look of. I'll do more research into the look of other finished jeeps that i've seen with what they are running.

 

http://www.earlycj5.com/gallery2/v/b4andAfter_001/Blevisay.jpg.html

 

I felt the same way when building my 3b, wanted it to still look stock but have some good meats on it as well. I run 32x10.5 ss radials on my 3b they fit great. I'm running superlift 1" springs, a slightly larger shackle lift, and polly body pucks (stock cj5) which give me a little more lift as well as room for my T18. also run RS9000 shocks which are $ but really nice for dialing in your suspention.
Really happy with this combo Rides really smoth.

 

Thanks for the advice and for the link to the pics. Does anyone know what size those tires are? Work on the B is really slow. Been busy trying to get the barn set up the way that I want it and building workbenches, etc., but will post more when more is done.

 

A nice fall weather day, so the boy and I decided to push the chassis outside and let it get some sun and start to scrape, chisel, soak, wire brush and sweep away 50 some odd years of dried mud, dust, dirt, rust and grease from the inside of the frame rails, covering the transfer case and T-90, from the surface of the skid plate and generally everywhere. A bit of elbow grease and Simple Green allowed to soak in for 15, 20 minutes and it started coming off. The grease, mud combo formed at the very least, a sort of waterproof barrier from rust. It was a solid coating that wouldn't come off without the gentle pryings from a screwdriver, cold chisel and the wire brush.

I have some more pics, but I have to host them somewhere yet, but I'll get them up when I do!
Or here's the blog post that I've started for the rebuild for a shortcut for now: http://53cj3b.blogspot.com/

 

A pre cleaning shot. The gunk was completely obscuring the T90, transfer and bellhousing. The grease came from me pumping the fitting full to get the sticks to move easier.


From up top.


It really IS a T90 under there!


Post clean-up. You can see the individual parts. R)

 

Mmmmm greezy I highly recommend a milwaukee grinder 4 1/2 " when your hf job craps out. Iv had mine for 5 years use it constantly and i finally had to replace the brushes this week i also re grease the gears when it starts to get noisy occationally. And a freind just recommended i try a wire wheel on it. Good lord is that thing great! Dewalt and hitachi make them. You can strip anything rust or paint and they last a good while too. Gotta wear a full face mask for sure. I find it doesnt competely move all the rust down deep though so i grind it with a flap disk and go over it again with the wire wheel.

As for your floors i made my own from 10 guage steel but you could go much thinner if you made supports and it would be easier to work with. http://www.earlycj5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57642

 

Been awhile since I've spent any real time outside with the Mistress. I fired up the kerosene heater and went out in the barn on this sorta nice 40 degree January day. Got alot of bolts off which wasn't such a big deal in most cases because the good old 50 year old grease coating kept things rust-free. I pulled off the brake and clutch linkage and the brake master cylinder. Still have to figure out how to pull the pedals and since I got off the steering gear box, I have to figure out how to pull the steering gear arm. It seems to just be a pressed on fit, but I can't fit a pickle fork in the space to get it wedged in there.
Oh yeah, I also started removing the emergency brake, but got stopped when I found that I didn't have a socket to fit the nut on the end of the drum. Anyone know the size off the top of your head? I couldn't quite get a 1 and 5/16" to fit and figure it could be a 1 and 3/8".
Oh well, a nice big pile of rust and a bunch of old nuts and bolts and washers remained behind to say that I got something done. Maybe I'll take a look at the Harrison heater tomorrow.

 

Thanks, I do have my work cut out for me. I was actually thinking of a Milwaukee or Metabo. I've been meaning to look into wire wheels or a I think they were a composite wheel for the grinder.

 

i saw them at sears also. They actually have a 3 pack of the 3 different types and it was a better price. not sure how the quality compares though

 

It got warm today... all the way up to 32 degrees, which was the warmest that its been in a week. I got the draglink off today along with the whole steering gear box. The draglink won't come off the steering gear side yet. I guess that I have to get at the little plate over it and work it some more. And the clutch pedal assembly is off too. It hadn't been greased in awhile, so it did take a little gentle persuasion from a hammer. I disappointed myself when I chipped the tip off my big 18" screwdriver prying at things a bit. Oh well, that's how you break tools, using them in ways that they weren't meant to be used.

 

Spring cleaning! Finally, a 60 degree day here in Southern Maine. Swept out the barn and started doing what I could. I pulled the old stuffing and cover off the driver's side seat frame. Still in pretty good shape, but the back was starting to get pretty rusted up. There's one small dime sized rust-through that I was sad to see, but otherwise in good shape with plenty of the old original paint intact. I guess that I'll start priming and rustoleuming them soon. Still have to do the passenger side one.
Also started pulling apart the Harrison heater. Not sure what I can salvage. There's a good swiss cheese rust through in the left front corner and the fan motor I was thinking of doing something with, but one of the studs snapped off and the whole thing is in pretty sad shape, so it may just be cheaper to look for a replacement rather than trying to rebuild it. That's it for now!

 

Lotsa miscellaneous work done today on a beautiful spring-like April day. Pulled out some old wiring that's been hanging on like a bad cold in June to the frame, pulled out the oil bath air cleaner and oil filter assembly to prep for paint. (PS. Does anyone have an idea of where to come up with that particular orange on the oil filter canister?)
I was going to go after the gauges in the dash, but didn't feel like standing on my head this afternoon, so that'll wait.
But got the few last rusted in screws out of the driver's seat frame and the covering and old stuffing from the passenger's. Took the old HF 20 buck cheapie grinder to them to get the worst of the surface rust off. Then I got them primered with a couple of coats of Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer. Still have to figure out how to unattach the old seat cusion pad from the seat pan.

Before:






The driver's side dime sized rust through. The passenger's side is a bit on the thin side with a jagged edge that needs to be cut out too.

After:



Just a shot of the project in situ:

 

Also got the gauges and choke and throttle cables out today. The dash is beginning to look pretty bare.

 

Spent some more time outside in this "Arctic" blast of below normal, mid 30 degree Easter weather. Tried to get a better idea of the very faded serial number on the Harrison. All that I can make out is the last two digits which are "52." You can see the 5 in the crop, but you'll have to take my word on the 2. I thought that I had read somewhere on the CJ3B page that the last two digits referred to the year of the 3B if it was original equipment. But "52"? Maybe left over from a 3A? Hmmm...





Also finished stripping the grill. The headlight buckets are in pretty nice shape, but I snapped off a stud on one of the turn signal indicator mounts, which disappointed me as I had lubed it up nicely with PB Blaster and it turned with no effort. It was a big surprise when it fell out of the mounting hole minus the stud. I still have the PO's holes to weld and fill from those crazy tear drop running lights, but have also three holes on either side to the outer edge of them that were filled by rubber grommeted nut and bolts. They are smaller than the holes for the running lights, but I can't imagine what they were drilled for in the first place. :?: Also wondering what the circular outlines are at the very bottom. Looks like a decal had been placed there at one time or something that left that impression.

 

id guess there once was auxilary lights bolted on where the three holes are and probrobly stick on reflectors at the circles