buffalob

yeah Jackie asked me the other day if I would remember how to drive a stick when I get the truck back on the road.. Your comment is equally helpful. Thanks for the compliment though. Had to re-shoot the paint on the bedside on the passenger side due to a rub through the base coat in the wet sanding process. this has been the hold up for the past couple of weeks. The clearcoat in that area should be ready to buff out again in the next couple of days. Still need to finish up the tailgate too, but it will not keep me from getting her home by the weekend. I hope to be over there this afternoon re mounting the rollbar, bed rail caps and rear bumper. then scuffing the lower body in preparation to spray the bed liner. All the turn signals lights and taillights are in...this means she is drivable and street legal (who needs mirrors right?)

treasure the moments with your granddaughter Jim, I sure do. Mine turned 2 in June her Name is Cambria Rose. How old is yours?

Having a bit of an issue in getting all the grill assembly to fit up correctly ( the header panel is an aftermarket unit). It seems as if the overall width of the panel is not wide enough which makes the side pieces (headlight doors) etc fit badly. I will wait till I get her home to start trimming stuff to fit...But I think I am going to be glad I saved the original header panel despite the amount of work it will take to get it to the point the rest of the front pieces are in.

Small update ...got over to the painters place yesterday and was surprised (shocked) to see some bona fide progress. the entire cab doors and hood are all buffed out and looking good. I spent a few hours putting the grill together, putting the hood latches back on and topped it off by re-attaching the front bumper. Sorry for the bad pics she is still pinned in the garage by a disemboweled 68 caddy.

Nice hat Jim. It suits you.

Wow great choice. They look great. I always liked that particular wheel They look so much better after powdercoat Give us a shot of the whole truck with them on.

Mine has no comanches in the photo at all (so it makes no sense to include it) and only Nathan's 99XJ before it was lifted. It must have been when Bucky was my DD and before I purchased the red 87'

What is the make on the oil cooler set up? and same question as above... does it help out? pros-cons? your thoughts and opinions would be appreciated I have one I bought long time back for Bucky when a stroker was on the top portion of "the list" It is a unit by Hayden. Jury is out as to when or if it will be installed.

Especially for my boney butt.

I was in an aerospace facility last year in Michigan that fabricates complex bent tube assemblies for re-useable rocket engine components (ie the next generation space shuttles) among other things. As is common in tube bending there are often very short straight lengths of tube between two given bends. In high production applications (such as automotive applications) there is enough volume to justify "compound grip dies" this is to clamp the first bend in order to produce the second bend (as the straight between them is insufficient to grip the tube) and so on and so on. These clamps can get quite complex and pricey. In aerospace ( and formula one racing applications) this problem is generally gotten around by bending single bend parts and using the process of orbital welding the assembly together. All this being said, the company in question was using 3XD printing to NOT DEVELOP the complex orbital welding grips ( orienting the clocking of the two bends prior to welding) but to print these grips and bolt the 3XD renderings into the orbital welding fixtures and use them in direct production. As the need for these parts is in small quantities if not one-off, they can get away with it. The cost savings of these resin/thermoplastic dies over similarly machined and hardened tool steel is insane. This is incredible technology. Very exciting stuff.

I am meeting with the painter....hopefully for the last time...this afternoon. With any luck I hope to have a better update this evening.

And the other pile that was stashed in the family room. In no particular order contained in this pile is: AFE cold air intake, Hesco waterpump, Hesco throttle body,new alternator, new power steering pump, three row aluminum radiator with triple electric fan setup, new headlights, new clear lens corner markers and turn signals. New mirrors , new windshield wiper arms, new door weather stripping. That is just the stuff I remember putting in the bins last year, or have added since.

Here are all the other interior panels. As was said earlier some of these were damaged from improper storage and will need wet sanding in spots prior to re-dying. I do not anticipate this causing any significant problem other than additional time and swearing. You can see the scuffing problem on the B pillar panel on the right side of the photo ( would be the driver side rear panel). I have this issue on several pieces of the interior. Will let you know how the fix and re-spray works out.

Here are the Cherokee country door panels recently acquired from e-bay. I have not yet cleaned prepped or dyed these with the SEM agate color. Next to them on the bench are the new window weather stripping and outside window trim recently grabbed from a very low mileage 96" Cherokee at the local P&P. That same Cherokee also gave up door sill plates a pair of almost perfect interior lighted visors (to send to Steve) and a perfect pair of fixed wing windows. complete with all weather stripping etc.

sorry guys not much of an update. We had our grand daughter over for the day and last night, so all the piles of Bucky parts had to vacate the family room. While they were out sunning themselves I shot a couple of pics. This really shows how ready and anxious I am to bolt her all back together. I went round and round on how I wanted the grill assembly to go together. I looked at mesh inserts and chrome strips on the bars, as a thought to set it apart. Obviously I stayed with the old design header grill etc assembly. Here are some shots of the grill insert with basecoat and clear (but not wet sanded or polished) and the same grill after detail painting wet sanding and polish. This was a royal pain to mask and paint this way....Did not want after the deliberation to accent the interior "bars" of the grill with the gunmetal color and make it busier. so all the interior was over-sprayed with a semi-gloss black. I like the contrast and simplicity.

I get the women part, but why not bananas? The dancing banana will swamp the boat

That was you she dropped off Jim? No wonder she was in such a foul mood. had her giggling by the time we made it around the block though. as far as the superstitions go...I still remember my old man saying when I was a kid that every bad bit of bad luck to ever come my way was a direct result of peein in the road. Damn karma anyway......

Welcome aboard you have come to the right place. All your questions & issues (including the ones you don't yet know you have or will need) can and will be answered here. Looks like you are already off to a good start. buffalo bob in Denver

Man your rig looks killer. Hope my paint comes out as good as yours. Mine is almost the exact same color. can't wait to see it after you get her all buttoned up. Great work man..... but must have more pictures!!!!!!! B.

Now I can see what was done on the rear bushwackers to better follow the body line. No wonder there are mounting screws coming down from the top. Many thanks for the additional photos man, I really appreciate it. Your truck looks killer dude.

Lucky bast*ards I assure you this has NEVER happened to me. Rock on guys! B.

Last time I dropped a V8 into anything (that did not have one to begin with) was a 318 from a 69/70 fury into a 72 FJ40 landcruiser. that would have been back in 1978, way old school compared to what you have in mind ,but knowing how skilled and resourceful you are it will all work out in the end, I am really looking forward to your project. If you need an extra hand (or comic relief)...let me know.

Just tryin to help a brother out guys!

you would have far more room on your patio for the LS engine, if a friend were to "store" that stroker for you

Now how the hell can anyone argue with that. Rock on Jim. Why the Comanche? all the best out of 40 or more vehicles I have owned over the past 40 years were and are jeeps. ALL of them. Sure there were a couple of others I would not mind having again ('67 2 door fairlane w/390, 66 fastback mustang, 64 Dodge panel Wagon) but by far the jeeps have always been "comfortable" and I've never strayed far or long from them. Wish I still had my '59 Willys pu?...yeah you bet. but the Comanche suits me best.