5a Restomod

Awesome Mike!

 

The tailgate was rotted out along the bottom, so I cut off the rot and patched it up. I scrounged around in my stash of good junk and figured out that a piece of 1/2" electrical conduit was really close to the same size as the original bottom. A piece of 1/8"x3/4" flat stock filled in where the flat metal was gone.



All painted up, I'm pretty happy with it.
The bottom of my windshield was rotted out too. (Are you picking up on a familiar theme here?) I had my sheetmetal guy bend some overlay pieces for me. I knew I'd goober up the welds too bad if I tried, so I decided to use a sealer/adhesive and pop rivets.



Here again, I'm satisfied with how it came out. Both of these repairs cost very little.
I guess I have a "thing" about cleaning up and painting parts I take off this Jeep. The Hood and grill got "the treatment" too.

 

You've painted the thing too?

Dadgum. Sure woulda enjoyed seeing in-progress pics on that repair---that looks fabulous and ingenious.

 

When I get time to work on the Jeep, I tend to get wrapped up doing the task at hand and forget to take pics. I don't have the time or inclination to do a step by step build along. I'm just trying to show what I've done and get caught up to where things are now. I know we all like pics, so I'm trying to take more. Thanks for looking.

 

Ok, ok. You're right. This is your rebuild and you'll do it your way...but golly! Shocking progress.

Plus you told me this ^^

 

I wanted to keep the original steering wheel and column after I sold off the Ross system, so I worked a trade for the buyers worn out column as part of the deal. I'm keeping the front dump exhaust and using a Bronco steering gear, which mounts on the outside of the frame above the axle. I've had time to think on this and here's what I came up with. I needed to turn the shaft as close to the floor board as possible. I also needed a bearing to support the bottom end of the shaft. I bought a bearing from McMaster Carr and dug around in my good junk pile and came up with some pipe that looked like it would work. I scratched my head for a while figuring out how to hold the bearing centered and also keep the shaft from moving up or down in the column. I made a bearing "holder" that locks inside the column with set screws. Nylon washers act as "thrust washers".



A couple more showing u-joint near floor.

 

I also fired up the torch and re-bent the shifter cane. The bends for a F250 won't work in a CJ5 .



Also started figuring out the mounting of My Bronco steering gear and tie rod and drag link stuff.



I think the tie rod and drag link should work. I don't have them made yet and I have to swap axles and put my 2-hole knuckle on. The pieces I have clamped on now are fairly close.

 

Glad to hear I'm not the only one with 'good junk' and 'bad junk' piles. I also have a 'bad junk, but don't scrap' pile.

 

They call my pile mt.jeffmore. Haven’t bought exhaust for anything I own in years. I just gather parts out o the pile.