Wow, has it really been more than a month since my last post? Part of the problem with having a Jeep pending restoration is that finding tasks that don’t keep it out of commission completely is rather difficult. After all the work I have done to this point, Ike is roadworthy and isn’t in dire need of much of anything right now. That lack of need came at just the right time. One of the things that has kept me from enjoying Ike is the start of a new job. This new job has a very good point and a…
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While I await the next thing to break on Ike (*knocks on wood*) I’ve decided to jump ahead a little bit and look at some of the finishing touches. I’ve decided on many aspects of my restoration, such as paint colors, voltages, and other decision points. One piece of this restoration that no decision was necessary was the license plate. This sent me on an early quest to find out what I would need to make this happen. My father is currently in the final stages of his restoration of a 1955 Chevrolet pickup truck. Since he was also starting…
1 CommentToday I did something that I finally realized I needed to do: add a cup holder. Now I know what you might be thinking. A Jeep shouldn’t have a cup holder, it’s not the way Toledo intended it. Well, here is my defense. I like to drive Ike to and from work. Some mornings, I’ll stop at Starbucks and get a coffee before I go in. After spilling my coffee all over Ike, I decided something had to change. So, I did a search and found that someone at 1942MB had already figured out the least invasive and most usable…
1 CommentBasically, neither can figure out how to stop an oil leak. Ike, like all (old?) Jeeps, leak. Some leak a lot, some only a little, but that seems to be a commonality between them all. when I bought Ike, it had a small leak that was manageable. Park it over cardboard, and life was good. I always checked the oil level, and since I purchased him, only 3 quarts have gone in. About a week ago, after I got him all back together, I drove Ike more in a single day than I usually do. Most of my drives are…
1 CommentAfter what seems like an eternity, Ike is finally back up and running again. To recap, a few weeks ago, Ike had a little cooling problem. After getting the 60 year old radiator rodded out, purchasing a used thermostat housing, radiator hoses, new thermostat, retaining ring, bolts, hose clamps, and thermostat gasket, as well as blasting, sanding, priming, and painting the radiator shroud, Ike is back together. Everything was put back together with brand new bolts, nuts, and washers as well. Here is a look at the fan shroud before and after blasting, priming, and painting: The radiator before and…
1 CommentAfter a few weeks of purchasing parts, waiting for them to arrive, and doing lots of sand blasting, sanding, priming and painting, I’m only a few steps away from having Ike back together and running. After getting back the radiator, I ordered a new thermostat housing. After getting the new part, prepping, and painting it, I am very glad that I did. The differences are astounding. The fan shroud isn’t quite done yet, it needs a second coat of pain on the front and a first and second coat of paint on the back before it will be ready, but…
Comments closedToday I went and picked up my radiator. Charlie at Broadway Radiator did a phenomenal job, and the radiator looks nearly new. Charlie also told me that he was somewhat surprised at how well the old radiator did. Not only did it clean up nicely, but it fully cooperated with the disassembly and reassembly, something that Charlie was unsure would happen. He also made sure not to paint over the tank tag on the back in case I wanted to restore it, he replaced the drain plug, and he extended the overflow tube all the way down the side like it should be. All…
Comments closedMy special thanks to eWillys for putting up a post about me. No idea how he found my humble site, but if it weren’t for eWillys, I probably wouldn’t have found Ike. I look forward to the daily eWillys posts, a great resource for anyone looking to buy one of these great Jeeps.
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1 CommentIke’s previous care taker sent me a nice little message today along with this picture of Ike while driving around the Imperial Valley desert about 10 years ago. I like that sticker so much, I’ve decided that in some fashion, Ike will have a “name tag” and maybe even an ‘I Like Ike’ something or other 🙂
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