New shop

Hey all-

after about 4 years of having the beast and WISHING for a place to work on it... i fianlly found one...

me and a friend of mine have decided to split the rent in a 1600 SF brand spankin new bay in a shop not far from our job in Acworth,GA...

Hes gonna work on his hot rod and im going to FINALLY start on the jeep.

i trailered the jeep up there and felt like i was taking my dog to the pound or something... i was really sad...
but, after a long discussion, she realizes that its better for her there than in my driveway... in the cold and rain.... i told her it was a spa for jeeps and other cars... so she smiled , we had a big hug and i left here there...

i just hope i dont run out of money/time/patience before shes back to herself again

I'll post some pix up here in a few days, which i will almost guarntee will be accompanied by an onslaught of questions...

if theres anyone out there in GA that needs space, i can tell you where it is... its pretty affordable, and VERY secure... just hit me up and i'll be happy to share!

TB

 

It always nice to be able to work in a shop 8) So what do you have planned to do, now that you have this new work place

 

im gonna start with a tear down... and look over the frame.

i know theres some concer in it and even some holes that are all the way through... so i need to decide on fish plate fixes or if i need to save the cash-ish and get a new frame.

i have all the parts for a new brake system, so ill do that too once the tub is off.

i got a painless harness from my girl last year for Christmas, so that needs to go in too.

i want to replace seals and stuff... front to rear... some of which have already been done... need a new prop shaft and u joints etc...

wheels, tires, interior etc... my girl works at a body shop... so maybe i can sweet talk the owner to line-x the interior and paint the outside after some hardcore bodywork..

its gonna be frame off, but not a complete restoration... maybe rebuild the 304 since the rings are gone in 6,7, and 8...







itll be nice to not have to armwrestle for space and i can stay late... have some adult beverages, good music, some guidance from my friend who is the mechanic where we work... access to a service truck with a crane, welder, compressor and torches...

long story short... frame off to mostly stock with some upgrades and personal touches... and i plan to document it well so that i'll have a log of it all...

so...

anyone out there who wants to, feel free to offer unsolicited advice and ideas! all will be considered

TB

 

Acworth isn't that far off for a sunday visit.

good luck with her

 

any of you fine folks are welcome to come by...

just lemme know... only thing is, you have to pay admission.... means you have to bring your own adult beverage of choice



and thanks for the well wishes!

 

congrats on the new shop!! 4 of us got into a shop last year for just the same reason and its so nice to just leave your tools laying on the bench, or floor for that matter, over night and know they are still right there the next day.. now theres only 2 of us left and my part of the rent has essentially doubled. we are pushing to make this a legit business before we both run out of $$, or at least before i get my CJ done.. the best thing about it is that you can grind and weld and bang all you want till late at night and nopt bother the family or neighbors..

 

AGREED MY FRIEND... AGREED!!!

after i trailered her, i swear i heard her say.... 'please dont make me go away'

now shes at the spa.... hopefully when she comes out, she'll be prettier than the day she was born!






good luck with the business side there sidriptide.... i wish you all the best!

 

well folks...

here are the results of day 1... click the pix for a close up of the carnage







got the hood off, the fenders off and the front seats out... kind of a slow day, but i figure NOW is the time for patience to be my best attribute..

i MUST say though, before i took the wrenches to her... i was TERRIFIED... and it still lingers... the thought that i might not be able to get her back together.

but since i dont have to have her out by any certain time... nor do i depend on it for my daily transportation, i can take my time...

any suggestions as to what to do to ease these fears???!

 

Easing fears: use a service manual (don't be afraid to write in the margins), take lots of photographs, get a big sack of paper hang tags, label everything, put hardware back in the hole after you remove a part, put groups of related parts in zip-lock bags, don't cut the harness unless you really must, label all harness connections, don't throw anything away until you're finished, clean up after every session.

 

good ideas...

some i do already... fasteners back in orginal holes when possible... zip-locks (various sizes)...

paper tags is a GREAT idea...

as far as the harness goes... i have a new painless to put in, so i'm not sweating that... although im NOT cutting anything... and i plan to rewire in sections...

keep the advice coming... !

maybe i should change my screen name to terrified jeeper?

 

take LOTS of pictures!!

 

x2 on the pictures, they're worth a thousand words of notes. I still use an old Poloroid camera and keep the pictures in a tool box drawer. Digital cameras are nice but I still like the Poloroid better.

 

UPDATE!!!

bought a 26 gal compressor and the ratchet/impact combo at sears the other day... got it for $279 (not including tax)

man did THAT help!!

the tubs ready to come off, and i hope to pull it today...

although i think its going to have to be replaced... LOTS of cancer in that bad boy...

then i have to look at the frame... and see if i need to scrap it too...

being a 1st time jeep owner, do you have any suggestions for places that need special attention in looking for defects/damage

thanks all!

 

got the tub off... shes 'ate-up' with the cancer...

like jimmy stewart told john wayne in 'the shootist'...

so im thinking fiberglass might be a good option (costs less too!)

pix to follow tomorrow (17 SEP 08 ) 8)

 

here are some pix of the cancer that has riddled the tub...

i think im going to replace it with a fiberglass tub... keeping steel hood and getting new steel front fenders

any thoughts?

just click for a bigger pic

 

and here are some with the tub off

YAY ME!!!

and some of the rust that has gotten to the frame... initial inspection shows that its the inner channel that has been eaten through... the outer looks OK, but i'll know more AFTER i sand-blast it and get it cleaned...








if i DO in fact need a frame... i'm thinkin TDKs...

any opinions?

thanks all!!!

 

Looks like you have some work to do. In my opinion the body is not as bad as you may think. I would cut out the rot and weld new pieces in. It may take a little bit of tweaking but It looks to be still a cheaper option. Although I have not seen the underside of the tub. As for the frame......cut out the rot and weld new in. Looks like the outer part is in good shape. This was common for jeeps so don't worry too much. Remember a mig, tig, and even a stick welder are your friend here. R) Good luck and take LOTS of pics. Keep us posted.

 

i know... me and mr hobart (welder) are gonna be GRRRREAT friends....

my concern is that after i take out all rusted parts...or if i do them one at a time... that i'll end up with a shell that has the structural integrity of a grape skin...

cheaper? YES...

intimidating?

HE*L YES...

i may just have to suck it up, grow a set (pardon me ladies) and go for it... thanks groomer_guy!

i think i need one of these before i decide though...

and im STILL fishing for ideas, thoughts and opinions as i am VERY limited in my knowledge of metalwork

i know the replacement panels that you can get are 19 gauge, and that SEEMS thick enough.... but i dont even really know where to start, what to use as far as a welder goes (type, amperage etc) and i dont want to spend gobs of $$ experimenting...

i also realize that a major part of a restoration IS experimentation... but suffice it to say (or repeat) that im scared &$)%less... understanding that this project is going to take a while, i would like to utilize the down time (waiting for parts etc) to research and such...

maybe im just fishing for assurance that even if i bone it up, it wont be the end of the world and that almost ANY mistake can be fixed, given the right tools...

we'll just have to see...

maybe i'll order the floor pans first, and see how they go in.... now what did i do with that 4WP catalog??



TB

 

with comprable prices... i have a choice for replacement panels and floorpans etc

quadratech or JCW...

my guess is that they are actually MADE at the same place and are of the same quality... specs thickness etc...

any opinions or bad experiences?

any place to go to get replacements that are THICKER than 19 gauge? (if they need to be)

 

Great project! It is nice to have a shop to work in. A bit of advice here. Please get yourself some more jack stands. Do NOT trust your life to cinderblocks. I know, they build huge buildings with them but singularly, they are not that strong especially when the load can shift (like when you are pulling/yanking on that stubborn bolt). Even a cheap set at Checker/Autozone/Harbor Freight/Sears you name it is better. The last thing you want is to have someone come and find you pinned under your pride and joy because a block crumbled.

On the body work side, someone else here used 16 gauge because it is easier to weld. He had to fab up the panels but for the most part, they are flat. He even made his own hat channels but you can buy those instead. The channels took him the most time to make. I look forward to your progress and pictures. I wish I had taken more before I started on my project.

Best of luck,

Dan

It's the 1965 CJ 5 Rebuild thread for the body work pictures.