Woodstock

This thread is about my 1953 CJ3B that I have had for a long time. It has been everywhere, many times. It is time for some upgrades. But first, a little background. It came from Minden, Nevada, just down the street from my dad's shop, found in a back yard. This is how I found it in 1999.

It was a time capsule, last registered 15 years earlier. Parked when it stopped running. $750 later, I got the title and dragged it up to my dad's. It was a good candidate for a build, the body and frame were good, and I didn't care about the drivetrain. The dash was pretty unmolested.

First thing I did was to remove the original 134 F head, T90 3 speed, and put them up for sale. Then I dug up a 225 to rebuild.

I mated the V6 to a SM420 with a Novak adapter, and it was ready to go in.

Boxed the frame, new V6 motor mounts, and Saginaw power steering mount and tunnel for the shaft.

 

And? Geeeze you're slow TimLooking forward to the rest of this. My slightly similar 3B voyage started in 72.

 

Hang with me, more to come. In the middle of a snow storm, and the upload speed is suffering.

 

What, the wires are cold and they shrank???

 

Backing up a little, this shows how complete the motor was. Even the 6 volt battery was still connected. I probably sold that way too cheap.

Out it comes.

Next was body off. Under the toolbox lid was the good example of original color-Woodstock Green Poly. Hence the name.

Sent it to the local sandblaster, then started with floor replacement. Also had to replace the side next to the gas tank, where it was full of leaves and rusted.

The Dana 25 front axle isn't going to hold up to 33's on the Rubicon, this Scout 44 I had fit the bill. Since I want to keep stock width in the rear so I can use the rear 44, this front needs to be cut and turned. This will give me 52" WMS, good pinion angle, and get some actual caster, which Scouts didn't have.

This was later, setting the caster and pinion angle with it on the springs. Edit- the 'C' is loose here, I just rotate it until I get the desired caster and pinion angle, tack both sides, take it out and fully weld.

 

The frame was finished with CJ5 length Rancho 2-1/2" springs front and rear, both axles under it. New rear crossmember, and painted. Axles were rear 44, full float done by Tim, with D30 spindles bored .010", Moser 1- piece 19 spline flanged floater axles, 11" waggy drums, 5.38 gears, Detroit Locker. Front was the cut down Scout 44, cut and re-splined 30 spline inners, chromo CJ7 D30 outers, CJ7 knuckles and disc brakes, warn internal spline hubs, 5.38, Detroit. (What the hell, it's a trail Jeep). All stock width. Then it was time for a V6 test fit. It is back from machine work, assembled, painted Buick Green from POR-15, SM420 built and installed.

Then I test fit the tub, which is ready for primer at this point. I was also sporting my new 2x4 box tube winch bumper.

More parts added. Hedman headers, (yeah cheap and easy at this point). Grill test fit for radiator ideas. Rebuilt 1-1/8" D18 transfer, Ramsey PTO.

Well, the PTO's got to go to something, and it will be a Ramsey 8000 lb PTO winch. But, with the Saginaw box up front, it will not fit. This was my late father's idea, and machine skill. We gave it a trim. !-1/2" taken out of the middle of the drum, weld it up with some nickel rod, cut and re-key the shaft, done.

 

Alright, I love this jeep already..
When you cut that drum, did you just score the drum with the cut off tool or cut all the way through? And if you cut all the way through, how did you support the 2 parts without something catastrophic from occurring?

 

Looking forward to watching this one.
Jay

 

I think we just went half or so through, then cut the final part with a bandsaw, then chucked up each half to true them up and make a big bevel for the weld. When we welded it, we had the shaft in the middle, went slowly with tacks, checking runout. This was before I had an iphone snapping a bunch of photos.

 

Here you can see the new rear crossmember, made from 4" channel. I later bent it badly when the trailer lunette flipped to the top of the pintle, eliminating articulation, unknown to me. That was bad, it broke the bolts holding the lunette, and everything went to the end of the safety chains. Also here, the rear 44 is done and in, with u-bolt skids, and the body is ready to be finished.

Here the body is off and outside in the sun for body work on a nice winter day in Minden.

Floors replaced, body primed.

I moved everything home to the Lake as soon as the snow melted. The plan at this point was to make it to the 50th Jeepers Jamboree in July. So the first day it hit 70, mid- May, I came racing home and painted it at lunch time. I got the paint at T and H in Carson City, they mixed up the Woodtock Green from a paint chip I gave them, and absolutely nailed it.

The tailgate wasn't perfect, but I did not want to waste time on something no one sees. The grill was good, and they both went green that day. Nick was not quite 3 years old here, now taller than me.

 

What is a lunette?

 

The ring hitch on a military trailer. If you back up and turn just right while on a rough trail, it can spin and flip on top, then bad things happen.

 

Ruh roh. I have a Bantam. I'll try to remember that.

 

Beautiful work, my I ask what paint you are using, thanks.

 

Bantam should be ok with a ball coupler. The issue he had was with a m-series where it's two loops like a chain, twist the chain far enough and it turns into spaghetti instead of a hard stop.

 

I have a civvy with a pintle mount.

 

I believe it was PPG acrylic enamel, single stage, has metallic in it. They used the original paint chip from Willys.

 

But you need the flexibility of a pintle/lunette on a twisty trail like the Rubicon. A ball would just pop off. When this happened a few years later, at least it stayed coupled.

That doesn't look steep, but it was steep enough for the trailer to slide on its lid around to my side after going inverted.

 

Thank you for paint info.