Talk Me Out Of Quitting

I drive my CJ a LOT. Probably more than it should be. It has rusted out floor pans covered with aluminum sheeting, rotted out hat channel, leaks oil and trans fluid, and gets the floors so hot it feels like the heater is running on a summer day.

I'm afraid if I ever tore into it I'd be over it pretty quickly if I couldn't drive it. It's really a big pile of junk but how many other 1966 Jeeps are running down the road with the original body, frame, and drivetrain? Heck, I still run the original oil bath air cleaner.

I don't mind working on these things, but I only work on it to keep it drivable. In your case I'd do a feasibility study of how much it would cost and how long it would take to get the basics accomplished so you could enjoy driving it. If it's too expensive or too long let it go. It's a toy, not a job.

 

Probably. Now I'm going to do some sleuthing!

 

I had chains and clamps holding mine together just enough to allow it to be attached to a car hauler. The clamps were duck taped on so they wouldn't fall off. Yeah, I'm a jeeper.

 

It looks like you might be better off with trading your project for a runner of some kind Instead of quitting. Check out FOCKERS drive able build good stuff you can do things when you can get a little time. Since 2008 on the project time to PUNT

 

When my 1st child was born, I had a 65 GTO that was a rolling project, a 66 F250 that was a rolling project, and my 70 CJ that had been rolled and needed a ton of work. Sold the GTO & pickup, but I kept the Jeep...some of my fondest childhood memories are of Jeeping in the Colorado mountains and I wanted to share that with my kids (they're 19 & 12 now and have spent a lot of time 4 wheeling )
Jeeping is a wonderful family activity!
But I wish I still had the GTO.....

 

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence- NOT- it’s easy to think another project will be more rewarding. But I’ve often found the opposite is the case. Sticking with a project, for the long run, works for me. I knew what I wanted in my CJ project in 2006 when I found my little gem in the CO high country. I get closer to my ideal Jeep each year…and I’m almost there with my new Dauntless engine and T18 transmission.

The beauty of our hobby is that the tarp, as a previous member stated, can be of great use - put it on hold and just wait out your emotions, or life situations.

I started my project mentally in high school - I had several CJs, but the '71 RII I currently own has been very rewarding. I’ve made many upgrades, modifications and improvements to my rig. Taking it out on the trails always turns folk’s heads. For those that appreciate the vehicles vintage, it’s truly a rewarding experience.

I do most of my own work, but I'm over 50 now. I don't feel bashful about hiring out a few jobs, especially welding. With my current engine replacement, I found a broken lug on the timing gear cover that I had aluminum welded at my local weld shop. I also had a hole in a valve cover where is had been riding the firewall. New motor mounts fixed the root cause. My local welder took care of the valve cover hole.

If all else fails, I’ve always embraced the following advice: Follow your heart and let your head work out the details.

Good luck with your decision and effort.

 

Here's my two bits... May be worth as much as six bits.
If you have the room to store it, and can work on it a little at a time, having patience will get you to the goal.
I am 4 years into my adventure. I am just putting the timing chain back on my project, so to speak. I have disassembled everything and sanded, sandblasted, rattle canned, powder coated or otherwise refurbished. I dont reccomend this route!

I get grief from my wife, my friends and even my 9 year old daughter, who is probably my biggest supporter.
It is satisfying to see the small parts start to become bigger parts.

Good luck which ever way you go.

Dane

 

I wound up working on my CJ6 through a divorce, remarriage, hardly enough money, and finally am driving the Jeep I always wanted. It took a while, and I've skimped on some things, and I'm even running tires I've owned for 5 years or more. When I needed to, it got pushed to the corner of the garage, but when I needed it for relaxation, I pulled it out and worked on it, or just looked at it and dreamed. I have 4 kids now, and from the oldest to the littlest, all of them enjoy Jeep time with Dad. I got remarried, and the wedding pics included the old Jeep. After all I've been through with it, it has now become family to me. Sometimes life takes a while. Be patient and hoard parts toward the day when you want to tear into it and do all the things you want. Till then, enjoy it!

 

this I understand

 

Nobody gives me a thumbs up when I drive the family car ANYWHERE, but I have seen a different appendage once in a while when driving the car. People ACTUALLY give me room in traffic when I drive the Jeep to work and smile and wave. The work on the Jeep keeps me out of the bar, USUALLY. Set a schedule with YOUR UNHEARD OF JEEP SUPPORTIVE wife, I'm jealous, and go nuts with a set plan. Plan, Do, Done, Next?

 

I think I began my 3a project 9 years ago? I'm still working on the frame.

Just find a good place to hide it and be patient. It isn't costing you a dime. Unless you have to pay for storage.

 

I sold off the jeep you see in my avatar in 2009. I've had it since 2005 and always thought of what became of that jeep. Bought a wrangler and was part of the cookie cutter crowd. The young man I sold it to called me a few years ago asking me to help him get a replacement title (he lost the original since he never registered or drove it). It turned out he wanted to sell it and put the money toward a home. I managed to buy it off him for what I sold it to him. The Mrs and I were ever grateful to have it back. We traded the wrangler in for a Titan and have our '65 back in the family. I dont think I could ever sell it again. It was our first jeep, and we missed it very much after it was gone. The young man managed to find the original title after I purhased it back and it shows my name as the seller and him as the buyer.