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What have you done to your JEEP today

DeetFreek

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Location
New Sharon IA
I've been doing random bits the last few days, a LOT of bolt cleaning and tearing more apart. Cleaned off the battery box cover today, why, not sure. I've ran out of primer and am down to my last rattle can of OD! Painted the shiny chrome covered turn signal yesterday. It'll wear off quick I'm sure, I even scuffed it...shift knobs are black once again as well.20200407_150926.jpg
Oh, steering wheel! I sanded it down a few days ago, pretty impressed with how well it came out. The hub has some pitting that I know without a filler it will remain kinda ugly. But I'm fine with it, it looks way better than it did. And man, it stinks! Apparently when old paint is removed, the old plastic gasses off...whew. And yes, it's still a Sheller. Not sure if I'm going to eventually fill the cracks or not.20200404_155422.jpg20200404_155429.jpg20200404_173735.jpg20200404_173703.jpg
I had a thought the other morning that if I had kept any of the sheet rubber from my dad's stash, I could probably make up some new pedal draft seals since someone before me hewn some out of what looks to be a mud flap from a semi! Definitely happy with how they came out, and happier since I used what I had on hand and didn't have to spend any extra $$$! Even made up one for the steering column. 20200406_110724.jpg20200406_110759.jpg20200406_110741.jpg20200406_110907.jpg20200406_115826.jpg
 

DeetFreek

Well-known member
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351
63
Location
New Sharon IA
Been cleaning up the floor pans and rear area the last few days. Ended up taking out the fuel tank (once I pumped a good seven gallons out) so I could clean up the mess of dirt and sticks that had been deposited there over the years. Definitely not the cleanest work to be doing, that layer of lime green has just made a mess of my shop lol! 20200410_171718.jpg20200410_171729.jpg20200410_171741.jpg
Before & after of the rear.
20200410_171747.jpg20200410_171800.jpg20200411_155825.jpg20200411_155809.jpg
I love the grease fitting handle on the field upgrade seat retainer.
20200411_172712.jpg
And I guess at some point some bracing was called for, not only rigid, but heavy!
20200411_170918.jpg
 

DeetFreek

Well-known member
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Location
New Sharon IA
Wow, this was amazing. Pretty sure there was half a gallon of body filler spread across the rear gate area. I didn't expect to turn my shop into a winter wonderland by the time I was done cleaning it all off! 20200413_164658.jpg20200413_165419.jpg
Pretty much there was filler in this entire area, some spots thicker than others.
20200413_174315.jpg
It's clean now, and I'm definitely not going to be filling it back in. I prefer the wrinkles and dimples, gives it character. 20200413_164646.jpg20200413_171259.jpg
 

Another Ahab

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Alexandria, VA
I can relate. The original tub on ours was like that.
Made my career in commercial/ institutional construction, used to work with a guy who grew up in the 30's, great guy, very funny, too.

He had all these expressions (instead of talking "suspenders", he always spoke of "gallouses (sp)".

He had an expression for old properties that were all gone to seed, he'd talk about a place that was:

- "Patch upon patch, with a hole in the middle"

Loved that one, and it's (clearly) stuck with me. Kind of describes a lot of old Jeeps, I reckon!!
 

frank8003

In Memorial
In Memorial
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Location
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
One of the few things I ever really really really wanted was a jeep

Nellybelle and I grew up with...................

I used a lot of them in '69
Took No photos
Battalion Commander US Airborne jeep, I was driver..., chocked full of radio
I went a lot of places in that , even got it stuck in a tank trap.
I had the entire motor pool behind me, His had to be perfect.
 
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Another Ahab

Well-known member
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Location
Alexandria, VA
One of the few things I ever really really really wanted was a jeep
As a teenager, one of my favorite treats was visiting my grandfather's place out in the country, in Maryland, outside D.C.

He was a Brigadier General in Patton's Third Army and the general purpose (!), untitled farm vehicle there was his old service Willys.

I always took it for a spin out in the fields when I could. How he got it home from theater I never learned (and never thought to ask).

That thing was great, falling apart, floor boards shot, but it never stopped running! I count myslef lucky to "know" it!!
 

DeetFreek

Well-known member
219
351
63
Location
New Sharon IA
It would be kind of funny, if you started sanding the filler, and all of a sudden the Jeep disappeared:

- Because the WHOLE thing, over time, was Bondo-patch-on-Bondo-patch!

:naner: :tank: :naner:
Well....this happened today.20200414_175840.jpg
I found out why that side had a layer from the front to the rear!
20200414_154711.jpg
That's after scraping off a majority of the filler.
I'll have some fun tomorrow patching that hole up. Already fixed a smaller one in the driver side.
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Both sides are cleaned off at least.
IMG_20200414_190511.jpg
 

Saberr

Active member
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Location
Temecula,Ca
Its funny how people would rather spend all the time trying to over bondo, than to just weld in a new small piece to fix the body. I do realise alot past owners may not had a welder, but most did or knew a welder.
 

DeetFreek

Well-known member
219
351
63
Location
New Sharon IA
Today was fix someone else's "fix". Cut out section of floor board that had rotted out.20200415_102411.jpg
It had been patched with some thinner sheet of something. Wasn't aluminum, sure didn't feel like steel and acted like tin but was polished on one side. Cut up into the toe board for a little more strength in the end.
20200415_110711.jpg
Roughed in floor.
Went to the outside section, trimmed out what I thought was enough, almost wasn't in the end.20200415_115449.jpg20200415_115504.jpg
Everything tacked into place.

Outer plate in, almost ready for a little filler. And I felt like I was doing drywall filling all the pop rivet holes. 20200415_170946.jpg20200415_171007.jpg
Tomorrow I'll be cleaning up the inside floor board and finishing it out.
20200415_172907.jpg
 

Attachments

DeetFreek

Well-known member
219
351
63
Location
New Sharon IA
You are really knocking yourself out to "do it right", DeetFreek!

It sure is going to look sweet when you're done.
I have the time, and most of the know how, so why not do it while I can! The wife has been very understanding and hasn't given me any grief in the last three weeks.

Now I know it's not going to be smooth and wrinkle free by any means, but it's definitely going to be better than it was when I got a hold of it. It'd be different if I wanted a full resto, but I don't. I'd like to enjoy it, and if it's a little beat up, so be it.

And thank you.
 

Saberr

Active member
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84
28
Location
Temecula,Ca
I learned from my first one to not over do. Alot times you will not get the enjoyment out of it to equal an over done restoration. Fix it and engjoy, It also helps a whole lot on the pocket book, which makes it funner again.
 

DeetFreek

Well-known member
219
351
63
Location
New Sharon IA
Down to the front fenders and grille left to clean! I'm going to wait on the windshield frame until I can get new glass, that way new seals can go in a freshly cleaned unit and I don't have to be concerned about tearing up the ones currently in it. I'll finish cleaning the writing off the inside of the hood when I get into the tight areas I couldn't reach with the big wheel. Uncovered quite a ding on the leading edge of the hood, going to stay a ding too!20200417_173403.jpg20200417_173342.jpg20200417_173230.jpg20200417_173353.jpg
 

Another Ahab

Well-known member
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Location
Alexandria, VA
Uncovered quite a ding on the leading edge of the hood, going to stay a ding too!View attachment 796577
A long-standing rule in the ancient art of Japanese pottery:

- The potter must add a deliberate fault to any piece that seems too close to perfect

Anything else is an insult to the Gods, no human being should ever think themselves as anything close to God-like.

So your Ding is perfect!!
 

DeetFreek

Well-known member
219
351
63
Location
New Sharon IA
A long-standing rule in the ancient art of Japanese pottery:

- The potter must add a deliberate fault to any piece that seems too close to perfect

Anything else is an insult to the Gods, no human being should ever think themselves as anything close to God-like.

So your Ding is perfect!!
Fair enough! Even though there's plenty of other faults I've deliberately left lmao!
 
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