One of the many reasons I want to rebuild Ike to its former glory is to preserve a truly unique vehicle. Back in the day, an automobile wasn’t just a way to get to work, it was a way of life. Cars defined our society, changing the way we ate, lived, and worked. Every so often I see a vehicle from the golden era of automobiles and think that is exactly the reason that I am rebuilding an “old Jeep.” A great resource for finding old Willys vehicles is eWillys. With nightly posts of nearly all the newly listed Willys…
Comments closedMonth: April 2010
After doing as much research as possible on my Solex carb and coming up with almost nothing (@#$!@^%$&), I finally got Ike idling like he should. Again. My thought was that the choke was stuck open when the first adjustment to the idle was made by my dad (someone had to sit in the driver seat and keep the idle up while the adjustments were made), which caused the mixture to eventually lean out after the lever on the back of the carburetor began to drop back down. Turns out, the adjustment that needed to be done was on the…
1 CommentOn Sunday Ike got another treatment with the degreaser and power washer. I focused some more on the engine block, but also finally got to the transfer case and transmission. There is an old saying about Jeeps and their transfer cases/transmissions: “If it stops leaking, it’s out of oil.” Looking at the amount of crud on the skid plate, that couldn’t be more true. I had thought that the skid plate was almost flush with the transfer case, until I started removing some of the built up oil/grease/dirt, to find that was not the case. I was also met with…
2 CommentsToday Ike was taken out to the street to meet my new tool: a 1600 PSI power washer. After using a very strong de-greaser and letting it sit for a few minutes, the high-power jet went to work. Chunks of grease, dirt, and who knows what came off the block and the forward axle and running gear. Some of the chunks were surprising in size, about an inch thick and 4-5 inches square. Once this first wash (there will be many more) was completed, I was able to see more block markings, new bolts that I never saw before, and…
1 CommentGot a wonderful present on the doorstep today. My first parts order! Needless to say I was a little like a kid who woke up on Christmas Eve hearing Santa at the tree. After finishing digging up the sprinklers in the back yard, and going out to dinner, I got to go install my new parts. So, what did the old guy get? 1. I already put these on since they came a few days before the rest of the parts, but brand new hood blocks with proper screws as Toledo intended. The old blocks (original?) were very worn down.…
Comments closedOne of the items that was part of my first parts order was a new set of white oak hood blocks. They aren’t anything special really, just some blocks of wood attached to the front end of the hood. They serve two purposes on the CJ-3A. The first is to keep the hood sheet metal from rubbing against the windshield frame. The second is to keep the windshield frame, and sometimes more importantly the windshield wiper arms, from rubbing against and digging into the hood sheet metal. Now, keeping with my theme of going as original as possible, I also…
Comments closedSince I purchased the 1950 Willys, and even before then when I started my search, a lot of people have asked why I even wanted a vehicle like that. Some saw it as a cool idea, but not really worth seeking one out as fervently as I was. To answer that question, we need to start many years back… Back when I was younger, I used to go and visit my grandfather in Lassen County in northern California. He owned a few dozen acres up there, and had a lot of cool older vehicles that he used to keep the…
Comments closedI’m officially starting the rebuilding and restoration process now with my first parts order. It wasn’t much, just a few necessary pieces to keep things running well while I plan out my total restoration. Today I purchased a new set of spark plug wires, a new distributor cap and distributor rotor, a new side mirror and rear view mirror, a new pair of hood blocks, and a new ignition switch. Nothing ground breaking or amazing, just a few odds and ends. I’ve also put out some feelers to see what the cost difference would be from replacing the body parts…
2 CommentsJust finished getting the new guy registered, title transferred, taxes paid, and put on the insurance. After getting back, I took it out for a drive around the neighborhood. I tested the low gears and 4-wheel drive and it all works beautifully. After stopping by the house to grab the registration and insurance info (that’s all I need is to be pulled over on my first drive), I took it out to a gas station sufficiently far to get a good drive. After putting in 8 gallons of gas, I drove it over to the parent’s house. We found that…
Comments closedI took some pictures of the initial jeep and some problem areas on the body. They can be seen at the Flickr page. My goal was to document some of the initial starting points so I can get an idea of what my focus will be on the body restoration.
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