Quicksilver

[oldtime]

For the longest time I had a habit of buying rare/valuable old Jeep parts when I found them.
Countless hours of searching.
I had bought them over ten years ago.
I have spent the last 10 years attempting to use all the accumulated good stuff.
Example: I bought my Bestop Tigertop back when they cost $500 new.

 

[Kimball Knight]

A friend of mine has a stainless steel Jeep like this. He has restored it and it looks really nice.

 

[oldtime]

Cool. I’d like to see some pics if you can.

 

[givemethewillys]

I'd love to see pics of this NOS half cab that you mentioned, if you have it. I'm always amazed at the NOS parts that you pull out for this build.

 

[oldtime]

NOS Kelly CJ-3A 1/2 cab from the early 1950’s.
Still in its original albeit delapidated cardboard box.
Fancy version with extra rear quarter windows.
Kelly was the only other mfgr besides Koenig who made a CJ3 hard cabs with crank windows.
Kelly doors do not extend wide from body tub like the Koenig doors.
Was primed with zinc chromate and topcoated a white color.
I’ll get pics of it someday when I get it out of hiding.
Depending on how Quick Silver develops it’s install still remains a possibility.
As you know I’m currently still driving “Tow Mater”
the old school 3B with a Koenig half cab.
It’s been a while since I drove a Tigertopped CJ and I sure won’t mind going back to that for a spell.

 

[oldtime]

Now getting back to the seats from last April.

So back when I got these Jewel’s seat frames they had never before been mounted.
They were only a formed and welded tube frame having stainless steel back panels that are like the early Jeeps.

I added on a 14 gauge seat pan because the original Willys seat pans would not fit right on the frames.
I trial fitted and designed the seat frames to mount onto my dual fuel tank hold down bracket.
Front pivots were added to the seat frames.
The pivots being a similar design to the Willy’s CJ passenger seats.
The right and left sides are totally interchangeable and are easily removed when tilted foreward.
Rubber feet were added to the frames at rear.

I’m wanting these seats to resemble original Willy’s seats as much as possible.
So I came up with a plan for seat covers that would attach direct to the frame with short sheet metal screws and finnish washers.
I bought 100 #8 stainless finnish washers.
I bought 100 #8 stainless screws with heads shaped just like the original.
Researched everything I need know about foam and decided to buy the best Qualux foam I could find.
Foamonline.com was a big help learning about foam.
Ordered the foam custom cut to my specs and added 1/2” around to overstuff the seat covers I designed.
5” deep Qualux medium firm on the bottoms and 2” thick medium firm high resiliency foam for the seat backs.
I’m not a draftsman but have read plenty of blueprints in my day.
So I sent Foamonline a couple drawings.

I received my foam exactly as ordered a couple weeks later.



About the same time I sent GIstore drawings to show how I wanted my seat covers made.

Decided on the heavy grey canvas.
I received my custom sewn canvas from India a few days after getting my foam from California.
At first look the hems on them seemed wider than I expected.
I Will have to see if that affects screw hole placement.
The canvas and thread quality looks supreme.
Some edges are slighly shorter/longer than others but likely not an issue.

Here are the prepared seat frames.

Foam stuffed into to the covers.
Foam fills out the canvas as expected.

I previously left the frame screw holes undrilled in case I needed to adjust for canvas overlap.
With covers over foam and positioned all looks to be about right as it is.
Was able to drill all holes right where I wanted them on the outermost tube frame at 4” spacing.
Next I tapped all the holes to accept the # 8 screws.
Here is the final result after 1/2 day of assembly.
I am dog gone happy with them !

 

[68BuickV6]

Wow those seats look great!

 

[RVSwisher]

Those look perfect. Great job!!!!

 

[oldtime]

So getting back to finishing some engine detail.
This Dauntless is fitted with the OEM AC 684 pcv valve.
Here you see a pic showing the original (cracked) pcv hose to Rochester 2GC base.
As you can see the straight hose barbs do not work with the factory Dauntless hose.

So I got to looking for a hose that would fit.
I found this Ford pcv hose and the seller gave me the dimensions and I figured it should fit.

However some folks apparently were sleeping during Tape Measure 101.
The Ford hose ID is 7/16” not 3/8” otherwise a perfect fit.

So I either squeeze the 7/16” hose with tight clamps or play with other hose configurations.
Did the factory hose use a 90* hose fitting at the carb base ?

The factory Dauntless air cleaners are too tall for my flatfender.
So I found a 1960’s Dodge air cleaner that fits right.
This air cleaner even allows me to use both the throttle and choke cables up underneath.

Initially I was thinking I could poke a hole into the side of the air cleaner. So I could run my valve cover breather into an AC filter inside the air cleaner.
Problem is the AC breather filter is 3/4” diameter and the breather is 1”. Proposed hole shown.

AC breather filter that goes inside an air cleaner with 3/4” hose Barb.

Instead I think I’ll just buy a common “push in” valve cover crankcase ventilator that has the domed top and bottom vent holes.

 

[givemethewillys]

So getting back to finishing some engine detail.
This Dauntless is fitted with the OEM AC 684 pcv valve.
Here you see a pic showing the original (cracked) pcv hose to Rochester 2GC base.
As you can see the straight hose barbs do not work with the factory Dauntless hose.

So I got to looking for a hose that would fit.
I found this Ford pcv hose and the seller gave me the dimensions and I figured it should fit.

However some folks apparently were sleeping during Tape Measure 101.
The Ford hose ID is 7/16” not 3/8” otherwise a perfect fit.

So I either squeeze the 7/16” hose with tight clamps or play with other hose configurations.
Did the factory hose use a 90* hose fitting at the carb base ?

The factory Dauntless air cleaners are too tall for my flatfender.
So I found a 1960’s Dodge air cleaner that fits right.
This air cleaner even allows me to use both the throttle and choke cables up underneath.

Initially I was thinking I could poke a hole into the side of the air cleaner. So I could run my valve cover breather into an AC filter inside the air cleaner.
Problem is the AC breather filter is 3/4” diameter and the breather is 1”. Proposed hole shown.

AC breather filter that goes inside an air cleaner with 3/4” hose Barb.

Instead I think I’ll just buy a common “push in” valve cover crankcase ventilator that has the domed top and bottom vent holes.

Thanks for sharing your finding on the ford breather hose. I have the same rearward-facing port, but in pictures I've seen there was a port coming out of the passenger side, which matches the OEM part. I would think you could find a 7/16" barbed fitting, or alternatively a 3/8" 90 degree. For the pcv, what does the ford unit look like?

 

[oldtime]

The Ford hose itself is clearly shown in the above pics.
That style of Ford pcv hose was used around the late 1960’s on Mustangs and such.I was told there are at least two variations having slightly different specs.
I am unfamiliar with any of the other Ford details.
The 7/16” ID is probably a non issue so long as the clamps are tight.
I figured that proper diameter “single spring ring clamps” should work very well with the slightly over diameter hose.
I have a 90* elbow I could put on the carb base but the factory dauntless hose would barely be long enough.
I have a couple Dauntless engines needing a pcv hose.
I recently ordered the IH 40852C1 hose that Jim mentioned.
I’ll update my latest pcv findings after that hose arrives.

 

[68BuickV6]

Checked my engine and I don't have any oem hoses left, plus fittings look to have been changed to a different size I suspect.
I'm sure the hose Jim suggested will work fine.

 

[vtxtasy]

I have seen a couple of vids on the utube that instruct on shaping custom tubing.

 

[oldtime]

OK I got the IH hose that Jim suggested. Thicker OD than factory hose yet not overly thick like the Ford hose.

And I much prefer the fit as compared to the others. Here it is shown installed with length being uncut.

 

[oldtime]

Quick update,
Finished welding up the 14 gauge .075 thick fuel tanks.
Then I ground down the welds.
Pressure tested up to 20 psi.
Which bulged the tank out on the flats.
On this gauge 15 psi pressure test is about the limit before it starts to deform on the flats.
Anyway I got some pin holes after sanding it down smooth and got them all welded tight now.
Not wanting shiny so I put a 150 grit random orbital finnish on them.
Then I treated them with citric acid for passification.

 

[givemethewillys]

Quick update,
Finished welding up the 14 gauge .075 thick fuel tanks.
Then I ground down the welds.
Pressure tested up to 20 psi.
Which bulged the tank out on the flats.
On this gauge 15 psi pressure test is about the limit before it starts to deform on the flats.
Anyway I got some pin holes after sanding it down smooth and got them all welded tight now.
Not wanting shiny so I put a 150 grit random orbital finnish on them.
Then I treated them with citric acid for passification.

Perdy!

 

[Oldpappy]

Man those look good! I sure wish I had fabrication skills that good.

 

[3b a runnin]

I sure wish I had fabrication skills that good.

This

 

[oldtime]

I try to keep my life simple.
I have a Lincoln 200 squarewave, a worn out 6” bench grinder. A 4” and a 7” Makita angle grinder a small Dotco die grinder that runs off my 1 hp Speedaire compressor and a 1950’s Atlas drill press
(that was my fathers) along with an assortment of overly used high speed drills.
Heck I don’t even own a hole saw.
I just repurpose my worn out teeny tiny cut off wheels.
I bought a used 5” random orbital Craftsman sander just to do the body finnish work.
All my hand tools of the trade are well worn out.

Bought an assortment of metal offal and went to do my favorite pastime…. Metal Design and Fabrication.
No brake, no milling machine, no plasma nothin fancy.
I paid the price to learn my trade from years of metal fabrication. Mastered everything from beating on train cars with a huge rosebud torch and 10 pound sledge hammer on to tig welding prototype aluminum aerospace parts.
This Jeep is a huge long ways off from my best work.
I can’t see squat anymore, and drink way to much coffee.
If you can’t see straight or hold your hands steady you’ll never be able to weld.

 

[oldtime]

Need to decide how I want to finnish things.
Tub, grill, fenders, hood, windshield and tailgate before I start to permanently install on the frame.
Likely do the whole Jeep via one of the following methods.

1) Sandblast with river sand. This is certainly the least amount of effort on my part. All blasted parts must be passivated with citric acid to stop any future rusting issues.Yields a dull non glare finnish. Readily shows body oils from handling the metal. The most slip resistant finnish.

2) 150 grit rand orbital sanding. This is fast and easy if I don’t aim for perfection. Again everything must be passivated. Mild reflective glare. Easy to wipe off. Medium slip resistance.

3) 180 grit brushed finnish with or without polished accents. Likely the most time consuming method of finishing. Passivation (citric acid wash) still required.
Getting very shiny and killer on the eyes.
Could get slippery.

I suppose as a teenager I liked the shiny look but these days I lean towards the drab appearance and ease of maintainance. As in “may never ever see a garden hose”.

Opinions ?