So I still can't work on the old girl since the house remodel is not complete. Still, I've been aching to get out there and look to see if I've damaged her when I face-planted and hooked up the trickle charger backwards on the rear battery. I cannot get either battery to charge at this point so I ended up just pulling the charger off. When hooked to my car though with 8 ga cables, I let the glow plugs warm up and it fired up in literally .5 seconds. It didn't even sound like it had cranked over for a full stroke. Happy me! The Gen1 light flickered on and off and the belts squealed like a banshee momentarily and then quieted down and the Gen1 light went off. Warmed it up for about 10 minutes and took the jumper cables off. Drove it around the block no problem. Reverse seems really weak so I'll change fluids and check the governor gear along with the list of other mods to do once I'm cleared by the boss to get officially started. So overall I think I've got a good one even with the body work I'm going to need. Oh and the spare? Spankin' new with casting flash still on it. Goodyear Wranglers all the way around. Nice! So a few questions:
Paint: I really like the camo paint job but the passenger door will have to be replaced and in the sun I can now see that there is a huge spot of bondo on the drivers side door as well. I didn't think they did that in the Army... In looking at the door I noticed that some sarcastic private put the data plate on the drivers door upside down. Heh. So knowing that I'll have to do a lot of body work, it seems easier to just rattle-can repaint the entire thing the flat CARC green color. Is there a down side to this other than the obvious non-camo finish? I keep looking at the camo paint job and thinking how much time and effort it's going to be to repaint it and get it just right. I think my time is better spent on reliability modes and keeping it all straight.
Replacement batteries: I believe at least 800 CCA is the minimum, does anyone know if companies make maintenance-free batteries of the correct size for the holders on the CUCV? I googled it on here but didn't find what I was looking for. What's the standard if you aren't interested in a true MV restoration?
Rear Bumper/Hitch: I have searched rear bumper, rear hitch etc and have not found what I was looking for. I'd like to find a rear bumper with a swing out spare mounted on one side and a single or double swing-out jerry can mount on the other side and a Class 3 or Class 4 receiver so I can swap out a ball for a pintle. Anyone know of something like this? I am planning on NOT lifting it so having the hitch stick out below will really affect departure angles off road plus I need to keep the back clear for the pooch when the family are in the seats.
The Tree Bumper Fix: So with the pushed in front bumper I was told here and recall from my youth to hook a chain around a tree and to the bumper and back up till it's back where it should be. The problem is that when I look under the front end I can't see where any metal has been buckled and it's clear that there is not a 5mpg bumper on these trucks. So I'm pulling directly on the frame, not on some plunger deal under there. So when you pull the bumper back aren't you risking torqueing the entire frame and messing something else up in the process of restoring the bumper position? I know you go easy on it but when do you know its right if you never saw it the way it was supposed to be in the first place?
Paint: I really like the camo paint job but the passenger door will have to be replaced and in the sun I can now see that there is a huge spot of bondo on the drivers side door as well. I didn't think they did that in the Army... In looking at the door I noticed that some sarcastic private put the data plate on the drivers door upside down. Heh. So knowing that I'll have to do a lot of body work, it seems easier to just rattle-can repaint the entire thing the flat CARC green color. Is there a down side to this other than the obvious non-camo finish? I keep looking at the camo paint job and thinking how much time and effort it's going to be to repaint it and get it just right. I think my time is better spent on reliability modes and keeping it all straight.
Replacement batteries: I believe at least 800 CCA is the minimum, does anyone know if companies make maintenance-free batteries of the correct size for the holders on the CUCV? I googled it on here but didn't find what I was looking for. What's the standard if you aren't interested in a true MV restoration?
Rear Bumper/Hitch: I have searched rear bumper, rear hitch etc and have not found what I was looking for. I'd like to find a rear bumper with a swing out spare mounted on one side and a single or double swing-out jerry can mount on the other side and a Class 3 or Class 4 receiver so I can swap out a ball for a pintle. Anyone know of something like this? I am planning on NOT lifting it so having the hitch stick out below will really affect departure angles off road plus I need to keep the back clear for the pooch when the family are in the seats.
The Tree Bumper Fix: So with the pushed in front bumper I was told here and recall from my youth to hook a chain around a tree and to the bumper and back up till it's back where it should be. The problem is that when I look under the front end I can't see where any metal has been buckled and it's clear that there is not a 5mpg bumper on these trucks. So I'm pulling directly on the frame, not on some plunger deal under there. So when you pull the bumper back aren't you risking torqueing the entire frame and messing something else up in the process of restoring the bumper position? I know you go easy on it but when do you know its right if you never saw it the way it was supposed to be in the first place?
I know the rear tire mount/bumper is hard to find and isn't cheap when you do. DIY4X makes a swing-down one that appears to be high quality like a lot of their stuff, but is going to cost a pretty penny and I'm not sure about the hitch for them. All in all, its your truck do what you want to do 