USAFAGumby Posted March 4, 2018 Author Share Posted March 4, 2018 (edited) Bought a pressure washer and cleaned out the frame. Evicted one old mouse nest and pounds of dirt and rust. Still some in there but I'm happy enough to move onto my next step. Next plan is to finish grinding down the rust to a relatively smooth surface. Then I'm going to weld some of the joints, suspension mounts and such for reinforcement. Not sure if i want to get the T&M frame stiffeners or not. Finally I'm getting eastwoods rust inhibitor spray with the frame rail nossle to get deep into the frame. Then POR15 everything I can reach. Any tips are appreciated! Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk Edited September 30, 2022 by USAFAGumby Picture link lost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-man930 Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 Been here, done that. Good choice with the Eastwood stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USAFAGumby Posted May 13, 2018 Author Share Posted May 13, 2018 Finished grinding the frame and bought a welder. Made a quick welding cart for practice and pretty happy with how it turned out! Didn't bother with the degreaser because I ground away so much crap. Used about a quart or two of metal prep and rinsed it off. The directions aren't super specific about how to apply it but I think the idea is to make sure any loose residue is washed off. Finally POR15 day! Used maybe 1 quart of paint overall for 2 coats so I would not recommend buying the 2 gallons that I bought but I'm super happy with the results. It dries almost paint gun smooth even though I brushed it on which I think is due to the curing process. Hopefully I did good enough prep work and I will have a solid platform for years! That last picture was about the worst of the rust which I also couldn't really reach an angle grinder in there or much wirebrush. The POR15 looks like it adhered well with all the prep I did and I believe two coats is enough. Next step is the bottom of the bed which needs significant rust repair, wish me luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USAFAGumby Posted May 30, 2018 Author Share Posted May 30, 2018 Very scary but necessary day today. Plan is to make my own wheel wells and make them smooth so even if there is rubbing it is safe. Also plan on going with the Notch Customs flares as I won't have to paint the bed sides since the flares go all the way up to the body line. POR15 on the bottom of the bed next after new custom wheel wells!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-man930 Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 Will be watching this very closely... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USAFAGumby Posted August 26, 2018 Author Share Posted August 26, 2018 So long since I have updated but a lot of work has been done. First I cut and welded in some new wheel wells. They are aligned the best I could but I suspect the bed sides will be crooked when I finally get it back on the truck. More fender body work to follow for certain. I was trying to save as much of the body paint as possible. Still worried about mounting flares. Then i sent it off to be sand blasted. They sprayed one line onto the paint on the side of the bed, but otherwise I am very happy with the results. Found some more pin holes that I welded closed. The metal may be a little thin but it isn't a critical spot on the bed so I think it is fine Finally the big day! First metal prep then 2 coats of POR15 on every surface I could get a brush on. I also prepped the cab side of the bed and POR15 that just like the back of the cab to get rid of all the previous red on the truck. I even got down in the tail light holes. After that was done I used Eastwood's Internal Frame Coating with the 360deg wand to get into the frame rails of both the truck and the bed as well as under the wheel wells. I used 4 bottles total so several coats. I'm pretty sure rust will no longer be a problem for me! In a few days it will go back onto the frame with all new hardware! Hopefully it looks good and all goes well. Next step is springs and rear axle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UCMav Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 Sorry if it's already been asked, but what color did you go with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USAFAGumby Posted August 27, 2018 Author Share Posted August 27, 2018 11 hours ago, UCMav said: Sorry if it's already been asked, but what color did you go with? I'm trying to keep the blue paint you see in the pictures, It's nothing specific just a blue that MAACO had at the time. If it gets too damaged during this rebuild I may repaint it but for now it is fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USAFAGumby Posted August 29, 2018 Author Share Posted August 29, 2018 Bed back on today! Body lined up really well and the wheel wells didn't have any major warping which I am very happy about. I am a bit worried about the pushpins I used to hold the shims to the frame. The bed is resting on them instead of the shims so they may shift with time. I'll just keep tightening down I guess. Very excited with how the rear is coming along. Starting to look like a truck again!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USAFAGumby Posted December 15, 2018 Author Share Posted December 15, 2018 Finally installed the new comanche diesel gas tank. I used the diesel tank because it does not have baffles inside which provides clearance for the use of a stock intank XJ fuel pump. Next waiting on funds for new springs! If you want to buy the old tank or fuel sender unit off me let me know, the tank did not leak and the unit was working fine last spring when I pulled them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USAFAGumby Posted May 14, 2019 Author Share Posted May 14, 2019 Back from my first deployment and have a ton of parts waiting for me. I got HellCreek metric ton rear leafs and new JKS 1" lift rear shackles installed today. The leafs are super beefy and absolutely would recommend HellCreek. They also have Comanche 4.5" lift springs for a SUA. JKS sent me one wrong bushing so I'm waiting on that, also the sleeves are probably exactly 9/16 so I had to use some force. The shackles flex toward the rear when I compress the spring they just look backwards in the picture cause they are hanging. Next stop building a beefy Ford 8.8! Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted May 18, 2019 Share Posted May 18, 2019 I love me some shiny new parts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USAFAGumby Posted May 25, 2019 Author Share Posted May 25, 2019 Disassembled, cleaned, pressure washed and cut off the tabs and perches from the axle. Got around to mounting it up under the truck and tacking the perches and shock tabs on. I am pretty happy with angle. I got it straight to where the double cardon CV should be after the SYE is installed, about 1 to 2 degrees low for axle wrap. I centered the axle down to 5/100 of an inch from wheel base measurements. The pinion is definitely offset from the output shaft of the transfer case because it is a Ford 8.8, but from what I have read that 9/16 offset shouldn't cause binding or vibrations. Gonna have a professional come finish the welds, cause I don't trust my Hobart 150 to penetrate 1/4". Then reassembly with the Yukon axles, mount brake lines, paint and install! Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USAFAGumby Posted June 5, 2019 Author Share Posted June 5, 2019 Under the truck!! It's about 8in of lift right now and I was shooting for 6in so I'm going to take one leaf out from the HellCreek metric tons. Those are 31in tires right now. Next is run the brake lines and weld on their mount tabs, pull it out, and paint it! The Yukon 8.8 C clip eliminator installed great too.Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kansashogan Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 Good progress Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 that's a TON of arch in those leafpacks! (pun intended) I'd imagine they will settle if you throw a bunch of weight in the bed for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USAFAGumby Posted July 13, 2019 Author Share Posted July 13, 2019 It's been 1yr and 7months since the truck went into the garage and it has officially met the halfway mark! POR15 the whole set up then duplicolor bedlined a top coat on. Solid rear cover installed and truck is officially turned around and back in the garage to start on the front half!! Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USAFAGumby Posted July 13, 2019 Author Share Posted July 13, 2019 (edited) I'm also taking this opportunity to start my new modification and maintenance log to this thread. Everything done in the rebuild will be documented and edited back onto this thread for my records. Frame flapwheeled and POR15 Eastwood interior frame coating Various seams welded Wheel wells cut and new metal welded in Bed sandblasted and POR15 with internal coat New bed mounting hardware and shims 18gal Comanche diesel gas tank XJ fuel pump JKS 1in lift rear XJ shackles Grade 8 spring hardware Hellcreek Metric Tone rear springs with 1 leaf removed Crager 5x5.5 steel wheels/caps ECGS SOA conversion perches, ubolts Rustys double shear shock mounts Yukon 8.8 c-clip eliminator 31spline kit ECGS calipers, rotors, pads, soft lines, and backing plates with ebrake hardware. Solid 8.8 diff cover Spadano rockers/tube steps C2C floor pans Inner frame/rockers POR15 and coating T&M Full frame stiffeners D&C Interior roll cage Eastwood weld seam sealer 95 Dana 30 HP Non-CAD Clayton 8in ProSeries 3Link long arm lift kit Clayton 3 link truss Clayton high steer sway bar brackets Clayton LCA skid mounts Arctec C gussets Arctec trackbar bracket Rusty's coil/shock brackets Clayton poly coil buckets Solid diff cover Rare Parts pre-load HD ball joints Yukon locking hub 30 spline kit Teraflex high steer pass knuckle Mopar OEM driver knuckle Edited August 27, 2023 by USAFAGumby Updating parts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 that is a lot of lift. this is going to be awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USAFAGumby Posted February 22, 2020 Author Share Posted February 22, 2020 It's been awhile since I have updated but I have moved to New Mexico. Jeep is currently living at the auto hobby shop on Cannon AFB where I can work on it. Finally got around to finishing cutting out the old floors today. Next step will be finish grinding and prepping the floors to be welded in, plus POR15 the interior frame rails. You can see the drivers side frame rail has some serious rust and 2 holes that will need to be fixed. Passenger side is much better Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USAFAGumby Posted May 30, 2020 Author Share Posted May 30, 2020 Got the old rotted rockers cut out today. Cutting the cab corners was something I didn't want to do be glad I did cause they were rusting out anyway. Spadano Enterprises rockers and rock slider combo is the upgrade I went with. Super beefy and integrate well with the body lines and cab. Also junkyard score, grabbed a HP Non-CAD Dana 30 out of a 95 Cherokee which will be my built front axle in the future. Next weekend more rocker and floor clean up. T&M frame stiffeners on the way!Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USAFAGumby Posted June 14, 2020 Author Share Posted June 14, 2020 Mocked up the inner rocker from Spadano Enterprises. Looks like it's gonna be pretty beefy and fit well. Working on the floor pan fit next weekendSent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1987Comanche Posted June 15, 2020 Share Posted June 15, 2020 Great to see the body being methodically rehabilitated. The hobby shop is great. It's one of the things I miss the most, LeJeune's had a paint booth too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 On 2/22/2020 at 4:13 PM, USAFAGumby said: I think you dropped some of your structural integrity on the pavement there. I'm also ecstatic to see someone taking the time to rebuild a truck. I keep telling people, it's just steel. Keep adding more until you're happy with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USAFAGumby Posted August 14, 2020 Author Share Posted August 14, 2020 Clayton 3 link long arm cross member installed! Bolted in place (except for one bolt that broke on removal - pictured) then stick welded on. Super happy with the welds and sturdiness of it all. Got the first part of the rockers from the previous post welded in too. Next up is prep and paint the inner frame rails and rockers, then finish adding rockers and floors! Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now