The beginning of my '53 CJ3B build/resto

I'd say the teardrops were turn signal lights 'cauise the stock grill lights are only running lights. Looking good!! Keep the pics coming

 

Looks good!
Were in Maine are ya, i'm up in Orono.

 

Way down in York County. Ever meet up with anyone in Western Maine Mt. Jeepers or NEWJO?

 

Well, slowly, but surely, I've gotten something done on the Mistress. I've had little time and less money now that summer is here and it really started to get me down. I thought about it some and decided that I was going to try and cheer up and get what I could done with as little money as possible. Sure, I'd like to Herculine the frame, but I can afford Rustoleum. I'd like to powder blast the frame and body, but I can't afford to, but I can afford wire wheels on my cordless drill and so that's how I'm approaching this now. I'm just starting with small parts like the brake pedal arm below, but I hope to move onto beginning with the frame as soon as I can figure a creative idea to get the engine block out without a cherry picker. I have the come-along in the rafters, but I doubt that it would be enough and I'd hate to put that much weight on the rafters besides. Any creative ideas? I'm thinking about lifting out the transfer and tranny by hand (I hope...) and then unbolting the motor mounts after supporting the engine on blocks. Next I think that I could support the front of the frame on jack stands while I unbolt the front axle, remove it and lower it around the engine. Then to get the frame lifted over the engine and voila, an f-head on the ground! We'll see how that goes.

 

I'd be western maine mountain jeeper...

 

Is there a way to get in contact with you guys? I've found the website millions of times, but there's no contact info.

 

there is. kind of. that website is just a temp while the new one is being tinkered on. We meet/ride the first Saturday of every month (cept november when its sunday and october cause of jamboree) This upcoming month is going to be all trail work prepping for jamboree. Most of our rides are in bethel but we also go to the rockland area (dave aho and rodney/Tj copeland) and play there twice a year. We also do a ride up by sugarloaf and one in dixfield (Holman mountain if you read 4 wheeler, the guy that owns it is in the club). Fixing trails might not be too entertaining to you, and because of jambo we dont do anything offical. But you could mark your calender for Nov 1st. we will be in dixfield. Pm me for some contact emails for getting signed up if your intrested

 

It was a warm 60 degree day and so following my idea of getting the Mistress done on the cheap, I got some priming done. Cleaned up the old paint, rust and mud with a wire wheel and cup on my cheapo Harbor Freight die grinder and it was Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer on the front crossmember and battery tray. I'll get more done as the weather allows, but I'm sure the Mistress appreciated the sun today after I blew up her tires and pushed her out of the barn. I was thinking about POR15, but this will be faster and cheaper as money is pretty darn tight right now.









Coincidentally, djl, I just read your post today, the 1st. I'll have to get in touch with you one day and get out with you guys for some trail cleaning or something.

 

Another nice day and another couple of hours of work before I leave to go drive a bus. I know, I know. I won't post every little bit of work that I get done, but two days in a row after such a long time of not having the time to do anything that I just had to.







I love seeing bits of solid historical evidence like this weld spatter alongside one of the body mounts.









I never really noticed this until today, but you can see the remnants of the beautiful Woodstock Green in this wheel.

 

Man, does your project bring back some memories. When you go to prime the rear cross member, check real close on the inside where they have the reinforcement sandwiched to the main member. Water likes to collect in there and rust them out. If you see bubbles, I would pop the rivits and see if I could replace the reinforcement member. All things said, your body and frame look pretty good.

 

Thanks, Duffer. I'll take a look there. Sounds like great advice. The frame is in pretty good shape, but the body is just ok. Needs some hat channels, floors and toolbox floor AND right rear quarter panel and new tire carrier.

 

Another nice fall day and so I got something done on her. Ground off the old bolts holding on some miscellaneous garbage on the rear cross member. Starting to look cleaner. I found these metal plates on both sides of the bolt going through the cross member holding on the right side diagonal brace of the tow hitch. Not sure why they were there. Also bent out a bit of the dent in the left side of the cross member/ bumper, but I gotta get some heat and a wrecking bar to it again.

 

More done today. With the wife home and the boys safely ensconced inside watching Sesame Street or taking a nap, I frittered away 4 hours outside before I knew it. Walter did help me for awhile, but decided to go inside for hot cocoa after the first hour.




The C-channel out of the rear crossmember.


The crossmember is luckily not too bad. Most of the rust that fell away came from the C-channel brace.


One of the two rust through.


The sizeable pile of rust from knocking out the C-channel with a dead blow hammer and a hammer and chisel.


Finally got around to looking for the engine block serial number- 4J33563

There's more done, but I'm going to paint tomorrow and take a few more pics.

I also decided to shoot a quick video using, yes, the MacBook laptop and its webcam. Wasn't easy trying to figure out what I was shooting, but hey it was fun!
I guess that you can't embed YouTube videos? Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plzkYY5TpqA

 

After posting about removing the rear crossmember (and I may yet...) I decided to try to get it straight(er...) Tried gently tugging at it with a tow strap on the back of my TJ... may have helped a teeny bit, but no big result. Then with a combination of various shade tree mechanic techniques and what I had at hand, I did get it quite a bit straighter than it was. I used a BFH, a wrecking bar, a pipe wrench and then finally a big 3/4" steel plate c-clamped on as a guide to hammer it flat(er...) with the BFH.


Before...












At least, its straighter than the front bumper (that's going to be replaced...)




And after...


Here you can sort of see what I had to begin with on her first day home...

 

Got a bit more done today, nice and in the low 60's, but pretty damp yet from all the rain we got yesterday. I took out the front driveshaft and plan on approaching things like this next:
1: Drain the transfer and transmission cases.
2: Position the frame under the come along up in the rafters in the barn and maybe do a bit of bracing up in the rafters as my friend Joe suggested awhile ago.
3: Support the transfer with a tow strap or two and separate it from the transmission and get it out with the help of the come along.
4: Remove the skid plate.
5: Support the engine with blocks of wood beneath the oil pan and then try to muscle out the T90 again with the help of the come along if the rafters look like they'll support at least part of the weight.
6: Once the transmission is out, remove the motor mounts and hope that the engine will just sit on the wood blocks while I remove the axles (or maybe just one axle) and then roll and lift the frame OVER the engine and voila, a rolling frame once I get the springs and axles clean and primed and painted.
Sounds like a plan? Anyone have any other ideas or suggestions? I may yet rent a cherry picker, but its not really even in the cards financially just now until I have to buy a stand and get the replacement f-head on the stand.

 

Ok, finally a nice day again and I puttered around. Started cleaning and grinding the rust and dirt from the inside of the frame rails (FUN! ), tried to remove the skid plate. One bolt came off, the others three are rusted little nubs that I'll have to cut off and generally chipped away at the hardened mud and grease surrounding the transfer and transmission cases. Its literally like trying to chisel away stone and trying to find a T90 and D18 and their bolts. But I got to all the bolts (I think...). Tried hoisting the transfer with the comealong in the rafters and it doesn't budge. I practically pick up the jeep. Can I be missing a bolt somewhere? I removed four facing forward and another four facing the opposite direction to the back. I have to take a closer look in an old service manual, but does anyone know offhand how many bolts I'm supposed to be dealing with?


Here's what I'm dealing with as far as the mud and grease mess goes.




And I tried a small section of the rear crossmember with a Rustoleum pickup bed spray that I think that I like alot for a topcoat on the frame. It has texture and seems to be pretty durable.

 

Looks to be in good shape once the rust is removed, keep up the good work!

 

You may be missing the 5th bolt in the 'Texas' pattern holding the Tcase to the transmission. Look for a bolt facing backward from transmission to Tcase, it is kind of buried in between. Did you take off the PTO inspection cover and remove the transmission output gear first?

Don