neohic Posted January 20 Author Share Posted January 20 Why do I keep breaking my rule? This week is cold but I’ve got a small window between snowfall and more snowfall starting late on Friday. I was still waiting on engine seals (which showed up later this afternoon) so I decided to put a pile of material to use. A while back I started cutting parts for tying my cage into the frame along with rock sliders. Let’s talk about tube work and tight notches. I don’t have a proper tube notcher but I cheat by using an angle finder and a long drill bit. There are so many simple angles on these CJs that it takes a lot of the proper measuring out of things. Is it 90°?… Is it 45°?… probably. I started with connecting the dots between the underside of the main hoop and an additional support I added. There’s a 45° notch at the bottom and a 90° at the top. I did both sides at the same time. … then the top… … and then finish the notch with a grinder. Easy, right? Yes. I’ve got a magnetic bolt holder thingy that I used for holding the tube while I tacked them. I noticed a major spot of rust at the seams under the seats that I kinda sorta “fixed” before moving forward. P.S. it’s still rusty, but it made me feel better to stick the rusty top back to the rusty bottom. Base plates were added to the frame… … and then I plowed through the sliders and frame tie-ins because I wanted to get both sides at least tacked together today. The other side went faster since I cut all my parts at the same time. Overall, I’m happy with the look of them. I’m more of a fan of the heavy angle iron style sliders that so many CJs have but I’m not sure how much I trust bondo over rust to absorb an impact. Finish welding and paint tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 sweet! yeah, bondo and rust aren't all that great at being structural. I had to do the same for my MJ and avoid any touching of the rockers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted January 20 Author Share Posted January 20 Got everything pulled off, welded, and painted. Really nice when it all goes back where it belongs without any fuss. While I was crawling around under it I looked over at the rear driveshaft and… … noticed a completely wasted u-joint. This has obviously been bad for a while. Who’s to know with all the squeaks and bangs and rattles that go hand in hand with driving a CJ?! Anyhow, guess it’s time for u-joints. I swapped them out and also gave everything a wiggle while I was in there. The rear output bearing in the transfer case is wasted along with the rear pinion bearing. I just put them on the list for now. I’ll dig into it deeper when I pull the engine. Fun little project but I’m a bigger fan when there’s a bigger physical outcome. On to the engine next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted Monday at 11:20 PM Author Share Posted Monday at 11:20 PM Some engines just don’t look good. This morning I started on resealing the engine. No idea how long this engine has been sitting so I pulled apart the rotating assembly and gave everything a little assembly lube for its first start up. There’s new hardware for the valve cover that needs to go on, but everything that isn’t in it now will get swapped over from the old engine when it comes out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted Tuesday at 12:12 AM Share Posted Tuesday at 12:12 AM form follows function. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted Tuesday at 11:10 PM Author Share Posted Tuesday at 11:10 PM I sanded the raised ribs on the valve cover and threw new hardware at everything I could. My plan was to get started on swapping engines when I has decent weather for a full week came around so the Comanche could sit outside. Starting a new job tomorrow after giving up the last one six months ago. G-dang new job is already getting in the way of my shop time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted Tuesday at 11:46 PM Share Posted Tuesday at 11:46 PM jobs have a nasty habit of getting in the way of free time. I assume this new gig is a bit easier on the body? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted Wednesday at 12:00 AM Author Share Posted Wednesday at 12:00 AM 12 minutes ago, Pete M said: jobs have a nasty habit of getting in the way of free time. I assume this new gig is a bit easier on the body? We’ll see. It’s stepping away completely from the manufacturing/fabrication world that I’m used to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89 MJ Posted Wednesday at 12:04 AM Share Posted Wednesday at 12:04 AM It does not seem like you left 6 months ago, but you probably knew that already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted Wednesday at 12:19 AM Author Share Posted Wednesday at 12:19 AM 10 minutes ago, 89 MJ said: It does not seem like you left 6 months ago, but you probably knew that already. It actually feels like longer to me. In retrospect, I’ve had the opportunity to get so many things accomplished for myself. When comparing back to how long projects typically take when I'm only moving forward in my spare time, the past six months have been leaps and bounds on so many things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted Wednesday at 06:01 AM Share Posted Wednesday at 06:01 AM Congrats (?) on the new job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted Thursday at 01:43 AM Author Share Posted Thursday at 01:43 AM On 1/24/2023 at 5:00 PM, neohic said: … stepping away completely from the manufacturing/fabrication world that I’m used to. 19 hours ago, fiatslug87 said: Congrats (?) on the new job! Harrumph. I’m walking away from things because it makes too much sense to. It feels disappointing in my head. Almost like the end of an era. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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