neohic

Got snowed in today so why not start on a center console? I started with a sheet of 14 gauge with about a million layers of paint on it. Can’t say that I’m completely excited about the diamond plate, but I figure I’ve already got it on the outside corners like every rusty CJ out there. See… this was a freebie from a buddy of mine after he unscrewed it from a wall in his garage. He asked if I could use it a while back and instantly I thought center console. The paint was fairly smooth and on there really good so I only took it off where I needed to weld. It’ll have some kind of cup holder big enough for a Nalgene water bottle on the front, I need to make a lid, and probably rework some of my seat mounts. Then I hit it with a quick coat of black to hide the ugly gray, and then shoveled some more snow.

Agreed. 20” fresh inches and still falling heavy.

Channeling my past cabinet maker life. I’m not about to post about my lack of dovetails on the drawer though. Maybe… MAYBE… I’ll finish the trim in the house this year. I’ve got siding to do also.

Looking great!

Decent deal on that AX15/adapter. I’m definitely following this build… very on par with something I’d build.

Still a rad truck and it’s good to see it being used.

For real. UTVs had a tough time in the rain but it made for great following day for the Everyman Challenge. I need to get out there one of these years.

What a year for KOH! I haven’t been following the 4400 cars, so I’ve had yesterday's feed of the Everyman Challenge. 4600 class for the win! I love rooting for the underdogs! Been an awesome week!!

Nothing wrong with the plucky little 4.8s.

I think the spacer is required to keep the ball joints and the u joint in the shaft assembly aligned properly. A long while back I had all the parts sitting around that I started bolting it all together to see what’s what. It all physically went together, but there was binding in the joints when rotating through a turn. I never had the setup on the road though… only mocked on jack stands.

Same. I had some big dreams with my old ‘86 that this project truck rekindles in my head. King of the Hammers week isn’t helping either.

Nope. That’s a Ford 9” in the rear and a hybrid front out of a 9” center section and Dana 44 outers. Looks like a fun project to take over but a very small market to gain interest from.

Not an event I’ve been to but I’d love to see everything at some point. The two automotive events I really get into each year are the Pikes Peak Hill Climb and King of the Hammers. This is a great week to get home after work and watch the qualifying runs!

The paint is still as it was… shiny(ish) but still pretty bad.

I love it! Fuel injection really wakes up a 4.2. I recommend dumping the carb to anyone who drives their CJ.

Another sewing machine day with finally making a new winch cover.

I think it photographs a little better than it is. Quick project today. When I made the transfer case shifter a LONG time ago I used a GM style column shifter knob. It finally cracked and fell apart. Gone are the days of just picking up another one off the shelf at a parts store, I guess? I improvised at the hardware store.

Not a kit. It was a one-off I did in my old ‘86. The small hoops were for the straps to loop around since I used harnesses without tabs at the ends of the straps. There wasn’t near as much support as if there were door bars, but there was a noticeable difference in the structure after they were added. My original plan was to add tabs to tie the hoop into the original upper seatbelt mount also.

I didn’t use stock seats, but there’s no reason the same idea couldn’t work.

I’d be curious to see what the 5.0 swap is all about along with the axles.

Not really CJ specific type project, but I’m trying to get hard measurements on things that would live in or next to a future center console. I’ve got two grandfathers represented here. After my first grandpa passed, I grabbed one of his shirts that was used to wrap around pictures while boxing up their apartment. It was in sad shape, but I’ve held on to it for years now waiting for something like this. As for the tools, my second grandpa passed a couple years ago now and I recently received some of his wrenches. Nothing matches, and they aren’t a great set, but I love them. I threw in my old Boy Scout knife for good measure. Should keep things a little more tidy than the current over stuffed small ammo box bolted to the floor. Next is to decide if I want to modify the aluminum fuel tank I’ve got to fit under the seat or to move forward with a console.

Excellent! This is still very much a bench mark type truck.