neohic

That looks great!

Don’t think of it as “quick and dirty” but more like having adjustable mounting solutions.

Very rad! Whats the gear ratio in the new rear axle?

Thats pretty much the definition of nearly all of my builds.

That little engine with the Ardun setup is hands down my favorite piece in the entire museum. It’s kind of tucked in a goofy spot, but, to me, I picture some young hot rodder in the ‘50s saving what they could to buy the ultimate in performance heads. Picture this person planning the weekend around doing this huge upgrade: they leave Friday after work to pick them up, tear down the whole engine, get it all back together Sunday, and then realize that the old intake manifold won’t work. “$#!&!!” Then the not quite matching intake manifold is thrown together because he’s got zero money to get something proper but he does have the know how to stay up all night and build something thats kinda hot roddy. He also knows that this friends will poke fun at it for how borderline rough it is, but it’s also his way of getting to work on Monday. It is beautiful! I live the mix of gas welded seams but also the brazing because his torch probably didn’t get hot enough to really penetrate into the thicker material at the flanges. It looks somewhat engineered in the crossovers of the runners, but also very “folk art” looking with the wrinkles of the sand and heat bent long, swoopy bends. Same goes for the giant wall of flat head intake manifolds. Of all the polished aluminum and old chrome pieces, I sat and stared at how a few of them that were modified originals or scratch made aluminum manifolds. So many things on display are FAR from perfect, but they really speak to me as a portal into the past by picking apart how they were made and maybe creating a story as to how or why.

Has anyone else here been to the Museum of American Speed in Lincoln, NE? We’ve been talking about it for years but just never made the stop while driving from CO to MN. Finally did… it was awesome! I had to cut it short being we needed to keep going, but I honestly could’ve spent the whole day there! It’s crazy to think about all of the historic custom vehicles and race cars there that we all know about that it seems like common knowledge that they just exist, but then you round a corner and you’re 2’ away from it. So many childhood dream cars that tell the history of what they are and where they’ve been! It’s not just cars either. In one wing of the museum was DOZENS of aftermarket and custom cylinder heads and parts for model A and B early Ford four cylinder banger engines. Every aspect of the museum tells a story! If you’ve got the opportunity, please stop by and enjoy what they have on display. What I was drawn to most were the one-off custom engines and components that were clearly hand made or modified. I love the freak show style engines literally made by someone in they’re garage with enough know how to cut up two engines and machine a crankshaft after welding together the remains of the two crank cases or a cobby intake manifold sitting atop a set of super rare (and expensive for the time!) Ardun cylinder heads on a Ford V8. Parts like that really humanize the experience for me. 10/10 would recommend.

Bookends.

Took the CJ out with (technically) two other CJ guys today. The missing CJ in the group was due to his transmission currently sitting on a bench. Nothing broke. Front axle still leaks. Had a nice day in the woods.

Thanks for the update! It’s totally understandable to be where you are with needing more space for kids. Your old man did one hell of a job on that truck! Hope your whole family is doing well.

I grew up around St. Cloud but moved to Alexandria for the last five years or so I was in MN. Primarily what I did for Belanca was make parts. At the time, all of the original hand drawn prints and fixture jigs still existed so when a customer would order a part I was the one who would make them from landing gears to fuel tanks. Every once in a while I'd have to update a frame by adding tube, help out in the wood shop (Belancas were the last US produced small crafts that still had wood wing structures!), or even with interior bits and upholstery. It was a very interesting shop to be in!

While I didn’t fix the leaking front inner axle seal, I did address another issue today. Ever since Moab, the fuel pump hasn’t put up a fit but I still wanted to move it away from the hot box that is the space above the axle. With the suspension now done, I was waiting to move it until all of the welding around the new spring hanger was complete. I also rerouted the fuel hardline. It was originally run along the top of the frame and was coming in contact with the bottom of the tub from the now collapsed rubber body mounts. The tub is where it’s going to be with how I did my sliders and tied into the cage, so moving the fuel line was to help out future me. The fuel pump is lower now also so I might consider making a little skid for it. It’s still tucked up higher than the bottom of the frame, and if a rock where to get up in there it’d probably hit the leaf spring first, but it’d just be my luck that a potential rock would find its way all the way up there.

Please do! Small crafts are rad! Before moving to Colorado I worked for what was left of Belanca out of Alexandria, MN shortly before the business was purchased and moved also. I never got off the ground in one, but I spent a bunch of time working on them. Please share what you can with it!

When I was doing it, I’d go through Kinkos but I’m sure there’s a bunch more options online now. The biggest issue I ran into was picture quality and then, unfortunately, overstock. Maybe there are better options now to order directly through that someone doesn’t end up with a bunch of extras?

Went for a solo tootle in the woods today. Nothing too crazy, but I found a great lunch spot.

No real updates, but theres been a few changes in storage. Otherwise still just the same ol’ shop.

Agreed! Lots of time in refining though. Thats also a part of CJ ownership… compromises.

More trim today and a surprise “can you raise my desk?” project. Years ago when my wife started working from home I turned the storage loft into an office. Originally, I made a low desk to give her more room. Now she wanted a standard height desk for a standard height chair. You know… while I’m there. Thats pretty much the look the rest of the ceiling will have… eventually. Same as I did the kitchen with the dark trim running around the perimeter against the light ceiling, the trim for the wall cap had been finished for years and I just needed to install it.

YES!! Sure does! Proper winch for a CJ.

Do you think it’ll be ready for a shakedown run next Saturday? A small group of CJs are headed for China Wall in Florissant for the day.

I sure do love an ‘86 with an oddball drivetrain!

Probably enough trim for the next few years. This used to be a porch but I turned it into the kitchen during the remodel (rebuild?). The long wall has been a problem ever since I was hanging drywall knowing that it was going to be an issue with how the top plate was framed. It was the same problem but backwards when I was working on the siding that at one end of the wall the top plate stuck out a 1/2” at one end and was flush at the other. I had to get creative with the trim on trim, but otherwise the rest of the walls only needed the darker upper trim where it meets the ceiling. Odd to say, but my kitchen is currently finished!… for now. Finishing trim in a house has been the kiss of death for me in the past for when the ‘for sale’ sign goes back in the yard. Granted, I’ve got zero interest in leaving anytime soon, but theres maybe 40% of the trim to finish yet.