My Flatty... From the start

A Builds forum... I like to show off R) But never would have gotten this far without Jeepaholics help.
I think I finally have my build plan, and the engine goes in tomorrow so its a good time to post....



that

Buick 225 V6
T-86 or t-14

slight stretch (very slight) (1" to compensate for the 66 chassis)
saggy swap

pizza cutters
winch
possible PTO (if I can find one)

4.xx Offset 44 rear, D27 closed knuckle front (for now)


The jeep will have a military arctic hardtop off a M38 as well.

CJ5 frame... the 2A frame was given to Adam for all his work

getting closer :rock:



this should make it go a little faster




Ignore the fender on the trailer, it is not touching the wheel, it just looks that way because the fender got bent by a tractor.

Test Fitting



crap I may be driving it soon (then I will take the tub back off to paint it)

Going to try to get it running tomorrow

So much for a solid Tub... The hat channels were rotted out... so I removed it all....




Sadly I thought it was worth saving when I bought it as it was very solid, but I found many brazed panals with 1/4" of bondo over them. Then the hat channels were rotten, so I took them off and it was punky where the wood is in contact with steel...

The vertical step I think is also going to eventually need to be changed/reinforced. It is mostly there but there are bad spots.

The tub is getting fixed/reinforced with 1" C-channel and The floors will be diamond plate. The tub is going on a 66 CJ5 with 34x9.5 TSLs and will be smoothed and painted slate grey with Navy markings, going for the used look

It will be a around town toy/ mild trail wheeler just to have some fun in, smiles per mile. when I saw the tub was rotten I figured fun is better then accuracy

I just HATE cutting on this 60 year old steel, every time I remove a piece I feel like I am removing history

 

So this weekend I put up most of my Christmas lights, need to find out why only 1/2 my spiral tree in the front yard is lit. I also installed the floors in the CJ2A with 99grandTJ (my buddy Adam), he also started dismantling my D18 t-cases to install the twin sticks on the proper case. (the one that has them is smoked it is safe to say)



also started cutting out the bad stuff, found out someone must have whacked the spare tire on something as the passenger side was pretty bad under the bondo I found.



Then we did some sawhorse wheeling :rock: :woot:


yes it is diamond plate, and still needs some final trimming/welding underneath, but the rear floor fit perfect Also need to weld the new hat channels in, changing the locations of them to allow mating to the 66 CJ5 frame easily





Going faster then anticipated, hoping to mount the tub and fire the motor before Christmas :twisted:

Test fiting the tub with the new hat channels/measuring for body mounts for the 2A tub to go on the 66 CJ5 frame

headers clear the passenger side, but NOT the drivers side for some reason, going to have to do some 'adjusting' with heat and a sledge I think...





Good chance the bottom will be painted and the tub mounted tomorrow !

Here are the latest after 12 more hours labor today, body is FINALLY mounted and tightened for the last time, everything is undercoated and the body work/prepping to fire the motor can begin :woot:





I have comandeered the neighbors garage for this build since they don't use it, warms up nicely too with my bullet heater, and I only have to walk 50' to get to it :sonicjay: 99GrandTJ and I have been working on it pretty much on weekends with the goal of taking it down the street By JAN 1st. (It won't have a windshield, paint, or wiring or twin sticks installed though. I am hoping to find a stock soft-top winshield frame with glass though as I cannot use the hard top windshield frame without the hard top.

Basically parts I don't have for it right now are:

Wiring Harness $112 + shipping
Spare tire bracket $20ish + shipping
Tires 34x9.5 TSL new $650ish
Paint $50ish
Lettering $40ish
Taillights $50ish
Guages $300
Brake M.C. $30ish

I am hoping to put it on the road by next August 1st, obviously not everything will be done (IE guages, tires likely)

WOrked on the steering coumn swap, and fired the motor today... IT RUNS!









and a nice video!!



Now to hook some guages up to see the oil pressure and stuff

rigged the steering until we can find a better way... to be fixed better later







I would like to thank the PO for that MM I have to repair grrr....






I need a different pitman arm and to re-do that tie rod (it's black pipe)

Need another radiator, mine is too big to fit in the engine bay

Need to finish weld the steering box bracket

Need to paint the undercarriage

Need wiring harness

Need a GM one wire alternator

Need more money...

But the brakes work fine, Found out by almost getting thrown over the wheel

 

I removed the brazed panals on the passenger size... the original tub was almost completely SOLID behind them... It appears that someone caught the spare and ripped it off as I supected. They then brazed the original panals back together, and riveted smaller panals over the brazed seams, then brazed one large panal over the whole corner.... I ground all that off, patched the one small hole in the sheetmetal and looks like I will be able to smooth any of the rough with a grinder and fill the waves in the stretched metal with some filler. I obtained a brace that goes in the wheelwell from a 1947 tub and will put that in to help support the weight of the tire.

I have a factory radiator arriveing next week

I have a roll bar arriving next week

Then I will be waiting on the wiring harness. (just in time for my income tax check) and then I should be looking at paint, guages, and figuring out my tie rod/draglink/pitman arm situation as my major stuff... Try to get some more pics tonight


Here are the most recent pics... the steel on the back is original, save for the minor patches you can see.









I cannot wait to see what 34x9.5's look on it... I can actually clear 36's I think (looks like more then that when I measure)

but to run huge tires I would have to get some offset wheels -- I want to run the stock ones.

For the first time in over 20 years.... My CJ rolled under its own power!!.... a 225 is quite peppy in a 2A....

It was 10* so I put a meat thermometer in the radiator to keep track of that as I have no gauges in it yet (need to fix the dash) and I think the points need adjusted/cleaned/replaced but boy did it run well. Still have a LOT of issues to work out, but now that I know the mechanicals seem sound, I can really work on the appearance stuff and not feel bad.

Ignore all the wetness on the radiator, I spilled, as well as when I first fired the motor I forgot that the power steering lines had been removed...









Picked up my top

It is a WILLYS OVERLAND military arctic hard top, not in bad shape other then the peeling paint and broken windows. The Olive Drab is under the white still...
Figured I better go pick it up as now I am starting on body work and can make fitment better....



Working headlights, parking lights, need to add resistance to run the turn signals, brake lights work too, I just have to get a new brake switch mine is broken






Had a pretty day today, so I went for a ride... then got some more work done.

Adam came down and did some more patching, his welds look so much better then mine.









Lots more bodywork to go....

Tonight it was backfiring a lot, either I didn't get the carb sealed up well when we took it off to fix the broken bolt, or it needs a tune up badly. I think its a combination of a lot of it. I reset the timing tonight and it was still backfiring out both ends once in awhile. I really need to get an oil pressure gauge on it to really see whats going on with it too, its not burning oil or knocking, so that is a good sign. I really need to get a temp gauge on it too before I damage something. Its 20* out, so the 10-15 minutes I ran it should have been ok.

Those are LED's all the way around (except the headlights) even with an LED flasher though there isnt enough load to cycle the signals. I also need to dim the parking lights down. I am going to have a 6V parking light and there are diodes wired in so when the 12V flash comes you can see the difference.

Gotta re-do the blackpipe booty fab steering with these parts from a local guy... Found my extra gauges that will look right at home in the CJ, don't think I will use the YJ tach though, as I think the Sunpro tach is pretty neat on the column, electric fan etc...

added a triple gauge pod so I can monitor the motor, the temp sender had to be booty fabbed for now though. OP is 40 cold idle 15-20 hot idle... better then expected :rock: (spec is 33 @2300 RPM I easily have that)

I ditched the extended shackles it had for some YJ shackles.

got some more parts, early YJ guages, but doubt I will use the tach...




dash patched and ready to cut for gauges



Tailgate chains reattached


Shift knob I had laying around... either I will paint it, or I will use this WW2 grenade from my Great grandfather....



Start of the bondo on the rear... need to sand it and smooth it again...


More stuff done...





Started fixing the steering...




Started installing the fan




Then we ran out of welding wire...

I also worked some more body work on the rear 1/4, but it was drying slowly as it was chilly tonight

Radiator support just needs paint, we may gusset the corners too though


moving the rather large power saggy box level so the draglink doesn't hit the tie rod anymore.



he rear quarter, needing sanded, another layer, then sanded again.



Factory W/S frame being prepped to receive 1 piece glass...

 

More pics... steering corrected RIGHT this time. the other frame rail will also be raised and the ends angled off and boxed.... and hopefully will be able to squeeze a winch between the passenger frame rail and the Saggy box... If not it will mount on top.. Trying to avoid blocking the grill though.






and tried to flex it on the jack... but the springs are too stiff and the wheelbase too short R)

 

Got this lil thing off ebay...







couple more vids...

 

Needed more Triangulation....







Should I or Shouldn't I? They have been laying around for about 4 or 5 years...

 

some more pics from today... probably will go back out in a couple hours.

 

My tub is solid now, no holes, but it is so tweaked I have layered filler down the right side trying to flatten it out and while it has taken shape, I have had to feather it all the way up to the freaking cowl to get it remotely smooth, and I still am not done.... not to mention all the sanding of it






On the other hand Adam did an excellent repair of the wheelhouse for me.



As it sits now... Weird looking at it and realizing I just put plates and insurance on it...

 

Took it for it's first road drive last night... needs adjustment someplace, it like to pop off out the right exhaust in third gear, and sometimes at idle...

New front bumper, Orig W/S frame with Plexi W/S and more body work done, I also statred sandblasting the grill... Down to the last 2 layers of paint out of ~7

 

'nuff said

 

This was a major undertaking and I'm sure it has made some of the less competent jeep rebuilders jealous. Myself included, How much longer until we can see the final results. Many of us I'm sure are waiting with baited breath for the final photographs
Doug/Tucson

 

I am going to work on the body work over the next few weeks... hopefully I will be able to find another motor soon and reasonably, I found on in unknown condition, but would like a runner -- just don't have the cash for that right now. That hole I punched in the block with a rod yesterday really rained on my parade. I have more reason then ever to take my time on the body now and maybe get it straighter then had I rushed trying to get it on the road again, I have a final coming up so I probably won't get very far in the next few weeks.

 

Rod through the block ha, That's a bummer, can't just Bondo over that one.
Hope it doesn't take the wind out of your sails (waiting patiently)
Doug/Tucson

 

Mr. jeepfreak, you have my respect and admiration.that is a big job you took on.the documuntation is really nice and will encourage others as well.great job. oh ya, i have a motor mount perch like yours that i have to fix (PO).


MIKE S.

 

How many parts can you destroy in a Dauntless at one time?

The answer is somewhere in this pile... I quit counting....

Lifters cracked in half (2-3)

3 severely bent pushrods

one broken rod

block broken under intake

hole in side of block

cam in minimum of 3 pieces

Broken valve train

and thats about where I stopped....

The motor appears to have recently been rebuilt too.... I think they screwed something up when they did... the cam shows NO wear on the lobes.

















Pulling the motor...



and the sweet Radiator support Adam built.

 

dude that is some massive carnage on that motor , so are you planning on another dauntless or something else. whatever you choose keep up the good work. p.s. im thinking V8:twisted:

 

Sticking with the Dauntless, it was PLENTY of power for the Flatty, and it keeps with the old school upgrades theme I want. Though I may swap axles and suspension eventually.

 

im actually thinking of losing my 283 V8 for a tbi 4.3 chevy v6 when i get to my build, but im still deciding. mabey even a deisel. heck mabey no engine at all, i can just push it down a hill, throw my hands up, and scream weeeeee!

 

If you count the lifters... one is missing, I never found it.

If you look at the one piston, a rod bolt is snapped on it...

If you look at the cam lobes... well some are gone...

Block is destroyed.

 

Found the other lifter, it must have fallen out when I was working on it and gotten kicked... it rolled under the tool table in the garage.

On the brightside, my G/f must really love me after all, she snuck behind my back and got with my parents to score me this 1971 225 from a Jeepster with 56k on the ticker... I should be able to have the jeep running and driving by the end of the week.




That IS if I can get the rest of this manifold bolt out that has been giving Adam and I hell.