500 MJ

Get the lock plate removal tool. It’s worth it! The other method requires at least 3 hands in very tight places... with the tool you could do it with only one hand. Makes reinstall smooth too. Looks like Lisle #57340.

Yes the 304 was a factory offering in the CJ5. We had one, got me into the Jeep world and about killed me few times with that much power in the short wheelbase.

Chrome or black paint are two offerings. Might want to say which you'd like.

Nice chairs! As as a parent of young kids, first thing I noticed though was that your stainless steel railing is not very kid safe! FYI!

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Congrats Daddio! We’ve got a 9 month old and a 3 year old here. Time flies, enjoy it!

All the best, good luck Dad!

You’ve got the weather you need right now! Bikini tops are pretty cheap, try one out. You will love it and want to ditch that tin top until late fall...

That was my first thought when you said “under the dash”, I’ve experienced it before myself... So usually nice weather means you take the top off of an old Jeep like this. That’s half of the fun right? So, when was the last time you had the top off of this thing!?!

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THIS is why I need a trailer... “Not running” $375 https://madison.craigslist.org/cto/d/1986-jeep-comanche-4x4/6689402634.html

What axle is in it? Build date on the axle tag?

Nice job Pete!

Looks good Pete!

Today I had the chance to remedy the rest of my tailgate issues. I feared even standing on the thing, it wasn’t much of a tailgate with the bottom all rotted out of it. I began by cutting all of the junk that used to be the bottom of the gate off of it. Then I put a nice big piece of steel (that used to be the end ladder for a grain hopper railroad car - it’s nice to work at the RR) that I straightened out at the forge at the engine show onto the bottom of the gate. This gave me the structure it needed and added about 30 lbs to the weight of the gate! Once this was in place I rebuilt the gate side of the drivers side hinge as it was shot and then smoothed all of the welds our with a flap disk. Turned out quite well in my opinion for welding to rust!

Yeah, THAT is what came out of the trans... more on that later when I get the massive amount of fluid required for the change. I patched the exhaust up for the trip as well this last week, forgot to mention it earlier. It’s not show truck worthy but it’s going to work great for this thing. The trip up and back went as expected, transmission shifted hard a few times but overall it performed well considering the crud in it. Having the quieter exhaust allowed me to enjoy the tape deck too. Truck hauled all of the wood home with ease that I cut. All in all it was a great day!

Tomorrow is a big day for the old Ford. It’ll be hauling 2 additional logs up for milling and then hauling as many of the boards that I can from what we cut of my logs back to my place. The rest of the lumber, if any, will ride in my brother in laws truck. Last week’s trip made me want to look into this transmission stuff a little harder before I took off with this thing again. I bought a can of sea foam to run in the trans to clean it out in the hour long drive each way. To make room, I had to pull some old fluid out. Well, after I saw the nasty color of the old trans fluid, all I can say is that I’m glad I have a plan to address this issue once the trip is done.

I just wear the ear plugs because I find myself using other tools while welding too. Mainly that 4.5” angle grinder. I want to be able to hear my grandkids in 40 years...

Wear safety glasses and foam earplugs under your helmet and get a welder’s cap to keep sparks out of your hair. (I intigrated a fabric welding cap onto the adjustable structure for the welding helmet so it’s all in one) Once you start the habit of glasses and earplugs when the helmet is on, it will be hard to break. I’ve had sparks come into my helmet before, it happens more often than you think and you’ll want those glasses on. Also, your 4.5” angle grinder will be a best friend when prepping for welding. Having the glasses and ear plugs on at all times is just that much easier to get things done quicker. Get an old fan to blow fumes away too or wear a respirator when grinding. Contrary to popular belief, black boogers are not a good thing to have! MIG is where it’s at for small Jeep projects. Flux core wire is expensive and it’s a pain to clean the flux every time you want to strike an arc. Sheetmetal to 1/4” thick is most of the stuff you’ll find you want to do. if you need to go thicker, just run multiple passes. Have fun!

I’ll keep an eye out in yards that I get to. What’s your top dollar with shipping for this?

Used the big truck to do some work yesterday. Hauled some logs to the stage at the sawmill for next weekend’s sawing festivities. On the trip back I scored a load of pole barn steel for use on my shed. Put about 150 Miles total on it round trip. This is was the first big trip for the truck outside of our driveway. Learned a few things about the old beast, how it likes to be driven and whatnot. I’ve got a transmission flush in my future for sure. It was acting up on my way into work to start the day yesterday. I pulled the cable from the battery to clear the trans computer memory while I was at work and reconnected it for the drive, it shifted smooth as silk for the first part of the long drive hauling items and eventually worked it’s way back to where it was. Tells me it’s not a lost cause, just needs to be addressed. So far I’m loving the hauling capacity of this thing!

I work for a railroad and this happens more often than most people know. It seems that people automatically turn into idiots when they see the track. (Insert natural selection based comment here)

Great photos, thanks for posting!

LOL! Congrats Don, stick with it!