In what will surely be only the first major component that needs to be farmed out for work, I finally got the frame sandblasted. Performance Powder Coating in Apple Valley did a fantastic job, especially considering how long it would have taken me to do the same work. With the help of my buddy Joe, I got it picked up and we took it over to his dad’s place. After what seemed like just a short time, the old spring pivot joint was gone, and a new piece of metal was welded in. Above you can see the before with the…
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The only thing greater than a 3 day weekend, is a 4 day weekend. And the only thing better than a 4 day weekend is a 4 day weekend I get to work hours on end on Ike. After getting the backing plates blasted last weekend, I was all set to paint those and the grease retainers. Unlike the rest of the axle, I went with engine enamel for the plates and grease retainers. I don’t think there would be enough heat generated by the drums to cause a problem with the standard POR 15, but since the backing plate…
2 CommentsSince I don’t have all my parts yet (should be here tomorrow), I had to just do some last minute prep work to get ready to finish the rear axle. After talking with a few people online, I decided to just use some spray on engine enamel for the backing plates. Cheaper (since I already have the paint) than powder coating, and I don’t have to take it somewhere and wait for it to get completed. To get the backing plates, and the grease retainer, ready for paint I had to fire up the sandblaster. I was hoping that there…
1 CommentWith the rear axle differential finally buttoned up, it’s time to turn my attention to getting it completed. I’ve decided to keep my 9″ brakes rather than upgrading to 11″ drums. While the white parts Jeep already has the 11’s on there, it looks to require a bit more re-engineering than what I’d like to go through at this point. I can always go back later and do a swap if it hits me as something I want to do. With how infrequently this vehicle will be driven, and at the speeds it is capable of, I don’t think upgrading…
2 CommentsAfter spending the last few weeks hemming and hawing about the brakes, I had finally decided to just stick with the original style 9 inchers. All the reasons I had decided to stick with the original brakes are still there, but after the suggestion of a coworker, I decided to check the parts Jeep and see what it had on it. The previous owners of the parts Jeep had done various upgrades and changes to it for wheeling out in the desert. Everything from the engine, to the tires and wheels, to the locking hubs had been changed. Come to…
Comments closedI know I said that the front axle was done with paint, but I decided to give it a shot of semi gloss and now it looks much better. I also removed the zerks for the axle bearings and found that they are mostly clean. I’ll have to push some grease through them to make sure no paint got in there. Looks like my putting the nails into the holes to keep paint out worked well. While I was waiting for the paint to dry I decided to roll out the front axle and start cleaning. After scraping off about…
2 CommentsThe rear axle is all but finished as far as painting goes. After putting the second coat on the differential cover, it’s just about time to button it all up. I’ll be putting in an order for a differential cover gasket, I’ve already purchased new fastening hardware, and the only thing I’ll need after that is some differential oil. While I’m happy to be nearing completion on the finishing of the axle, I’m slightly less happy with the way the semi-gloss POR15 dried. When I chose to purchase the semi-gloss over the gloss, I was hoping for a finish similar…
Comments closedIt took two days due to the incredible heat and humidity limiting how much time I felt like spending outside, but I did get the brakes completely removed and the first coat of POR15 on a majority of the axle. I received my puller early last week, and it sure make a huge difference having an appropriately sized tool. The two that I had borrowed from my father-in-law were far too small to fit around my studs. After lubing the center screw, mounting pulling arms and center body, and getting the anvil wrench on, I went to town pounding. It only…
Comments closedSince I didn’t get my puller in time to pull the hubs this weekend, the Jeep work became more cleanup work than anything else. I finally cut off the rear tube that was maybe supposed to be a flag holder so that the frame would sit evenly while upside down on the stands. Since it was upside down, I pulled off the 4 axle bumpers from the frame. It’s an unfortunate reality that many vintage Jeep frames have extreme rust where the axle bumpers meet the frame. In what is sure to be one of the few times where I…
1 CommentIke got his Christmas gift a bit early this year. Joining him in the garage for the time being (until I can figure out where else to put it) is another 1950 CJ-3A! Now, it’s not exactly a “finished” gift and instead is more of a parts donor. With two axles for backup, newly rebuilt transfer case, good transmission, great looking grille, hood, and tailgate, it’d got plenty of good source parts. Among other things, I also got a very good pair of dual vacuum wipers, a new pushrod and a second starter, a good spare radiator, era-correct replacement speedometer,…
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