1963 Us Navy Dj-3a

[Fireball]

Damage photos part 1.

Top:

The old garbage top got a few scrapes:

The buffeting on the freeway also pulled the rotten threads from the seams above the doors. We ended up running a strap around it to keep it together. I'll have to break out the sewing machine:

Wheels:

The rims of of most of the wheels look like this. We were running the tires at 8 psi. The rim protector built into the tire seemed to keep damage to a minimum:

Both front rims got slight dents in the rim area, but they aren't leaking:

The right front hub got some weight reduction:

Rear bumper and gas tank skid plate:

The rear bumper took an absolute beating coming off ledges, but it completely protected the exhaust and body corners:

The gas tank skid plate is now concave. But it did it's job. I'll probably flatten it out in the press and add some more ribs to it:

The cast rear diff cover and housing took a beating but is fine:

 

[Fireball]

Damage photos part 2.

Passenger Rocker:

You can see all the rust behind the bondo where the body is bent:

The hat channels were already shot, so they didn't help any:

Ouch!

The bottom 3 inches or more of the body, the outer edge of the floor and the outboard portions of the hat channels all need replaced. They needed it before the trip, but now they really need it.

The new sliders will be much stronger.

Every end of every leaf spring looks like this and a few zerks are missing:

The front driveshaft occasionally kisses the exhaust crossover. I can't duplicate this by flexing at home. It doesn't interfere enough that I'm going to worry about it:

 

[Fireball]

Damage photos part 3.

The main skid plates did great. They really let the Jeep slip over stuff and prevented any damage:

The front diff/cover also saw some action:

The U-bolts skids in the back did their job:

Some rock found the passenger rear shock:

The outer ends of the front bumper are bent back a bit:

The 1/4" thick fairlead guard did it's job:

 

[Fireball]

Damage photos part 4.

The driver's side looks better, but really needs just as much work:

I'm not sure there is actually any metal in the split body seam on the driver's side. It seems to be all bondo:

Hat channels are just as bad on this side:

My failed skid plate for the clutch pedal pivot. This got hit hard many times. It was flat all the way out to the end. The whole outer portion will get cut off and rebuilt with more thickness and more gussets. Amazingly, it never bound up the clutch. It's probably good it was there even though it basically failed.:

The last picture for tonight is the battery case damaged by the alternator fan:

I'll start making my new task list tomorrow night.

 

[53A1]

NOTHING prepares you for the Rubicon until you run it and it's amazing that something I built has what it takes.

I don't dare do the Rubicon but I get it. After I make a modification I love to take it out in the desert near my house and test it out.

 

[Ohiowrangler]

Thank you for the information and insight. Ron

 

[47v6]

On my first 2a my battery fell into the generator and cut a big hole in it spraying battery acid everywhere. Your "failed" clutch guard may have stopped a broken clutch mechanism, so the damage might be the success. Your tub is going to be a big project. What you see will be 4X the issue I bet and I see a lot welding in your future.

I think your engine may have a bad head gasket. Lack of power thats progressively getting worse and running hot. There should be enough power to shift 3-4 with your setup without issue. If you are pulling your engine, a repower with an engine that have native FI might be the cheapest most economical solution in terns of money spent and time. You have less than a year to do this again where I hope to have a similar write up as you.

I love how you have documented all this so much. Thanks!

 

[47v6]

Damage photos part 2.

Passenger Rocker:

You can see all the rust behind the bondo where the body is bent:

The hat channels were already shot, so they didn't help any:

Ouch!

The bottom 3 inches or more of the body, the outer edge of the floor and the outboard portions of the hat channels all need replaced. They needed it before the trip, but now they really need it.

The new sliders will be much stronger.

Every end of every leaf spring looks like this and a few zerks are missing:

The front driveshaft occasionally kisses the exhaust crossover. I can't duplicate this by flexing at home. It doesn't interfere enough that I'm going to worry about it:

I have the same issue with my exhaust crossover.

 

[blalp!]

I’m in the “Glad you documented this so well” camp. With my goal of joining next year, seeing this real world experience is causing a change in some of my priorities. There are definitely going to be areas that get more attention than originally planned.

 

[timsresort]

As far as lack of power, you were loaded for bear, 2 passengers, 7000' elevation. That might be all it is, and the poor jeep was trying its best. And those 3.54's were not doing you any favors. I would consider 4.27 or 4.88 the minimum for running around the Sierra.

 

[Fireball]

As far as lack of power, you were loaded for bear, 2 passengers, 7000' elevation. That might be all it is, and the poor jeep was trying its best. And those 3.54's were not doing you any favors. I would consider 4.27 or 4.88 the minimum for running around the Sierra.

Exactly. We were 4000 lbs loaded at 7000 ft. I don't really expect it to be fast. A splitter would have made life better though. I'll probably regear at some point but the carrier splits make that expensive. I'd need new lockers for both ends.

 

[Fireball]

I’m in the “Glad you documented this so well” camp. With my goal of joining next year, seeing this real world experience is causing a change in some of my priorities. There are definitely going to be areas that get more attention than originally planned.

You're very welcome. It's good to have some examples.

All the smart people know enough to have tough sliders before they go, but it's good to have the occasional idiot like me to prove it!

 

[sterlclan]

It seems to be all bondo

you just need tiger hair or the like..".bondo makes it strong paint makes it pretty"

 

[blalp!]

I'll probably regear at some point but the carrier splits make that expensive. I'd need new lockers for both ends.

Depending on what you have for lockers and for what size bolts they are drilled for; it may be worth looking into gears specifically for the TJ Rubicon. From what I have read, Jeep wanted to use the same lockers they were already using in other TJs but gear lower (numerically higher) for the Rubicons in that vintage so thick cut gears were used. I don’t have real world experience with this, but is something I have considered.

 

[Fireball]

Well, time to get back at it:

I want to get it back driveable again, so it's time for a fuel pressure regulator. The new trail-swapped fuel pump seems to overpower the float on uphills. I already had a 1-4 psi regulator on the shelf, so it's going in the Jeep. The gauge will be temporary for adjustment. I'll also add a bypass line when I get around to dropping the tank.

Time for a bracket. Always another bracket. I'm bolting the regulator off the power steering pump mount. This is the basic shape, but I'll add some gussets for strength tonight:

In the long run, this bracket and the future return line will work for a TBI conversion. But for now, I just want it running right again. The carb was working fantastic until I swapped the fuel pump.

 

[Fireball]

Gussets tacked:

Welded with many, many tack welds because my welder and 0.030 wire blow holes through this sheetmetal otherwise:

Ground to look pretty:

There was just enough space to drill/tap holes in the power steering bracket without pulling the distributor:

Test fit looks good:

Off to paint:

Hoping to get this all installed and get pressure, float level, and idle misture adjusted tonight.

I also took the rack, spare tire, and gas can holders out convert back to dog hauling mode:

 

[Fireball]

Before I hooked up the regulator, I wanted to see how much pressure the new pump is putting out:

11 psi??? Yikes! No wonder it was flooding out on uphills. That's got to be more than double what the old dying pump was putting out.

I added the regulator into the circuit and adjusted to about 4 psi:

With that done, I removed the gauge. The install looks pretty clean and is mostly out of the way of other things:

After re-adjusting the float levels and idle screws, it was time for a test drive. Test Engineers loaded:

The problem seems to be fixed. It ran great both up and down my 30 degree test hill just like it used to:

After than I threw some paint on the bumper/skid plate scratches to keep them from rusting:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

I also put the hitch receiver back on while I was at it so I can haul the Bantam around again:

Now I have a functional Jeep again. It will be a bit before I get to fixing the sides, so we can use it in the meanwhile:

 

[Ohiowrangler]

Well done. Thank you, Sir. Ron

 

[tymbom]

I still can't get over how you packed two fuel cans and a spare tire INSIDE your jeep with all your gear for two adults on the Rubicon. There should be an award for that.

 

[Fireball]

I still can't get over how you packed two fuel cans and a spare tire INSIDE your jeep with all your gear for two adults on the Rubicon. There should be an award for that.

And we had steak, potatoes, and salad for dinners!

Just about every cubic inch of space in the Jeep was used for sure.