1975 Brutally Simple Daily Driver

[neohic]

2 hours ago, 89 MJ said:

I really like this Jeep and the way you're building it. Everything is purely functional and nothing is fancier than it needs to be. 

Exactly! There’s no blueprint or much prior planning for most projects outside of taking a look at the materials I’ve got on hand followed by being finished in a way that can easily be touched up in the future. The Jeep as a whole is a little scrappy but I think that’s where so much of the charm comes in as a nearly maintenance free interior/exterior model. It’s utilitarian and not very comfortable yet makes me smile. It’s a fun experience that makes you mindful of all of its imperfections when driving or riding in it. Those imperfections translate well into projects that would look out of place if they were anywhere near fancy. This is very relaxing for me! Things like this center console have so few hard measurements that I can shut my brain off and just create a thing based on filling a need with the precision of a dull Sharpie.

[neohic]

Center console is in. I rushed to get everything back together after the transmission swap, so I took the time to at least take the shop vac to the floor.

 

 

Then I drilled some fresh holes in the floor, cut some things, and did a little welding.

 

 

I need to rework the top half of the cup holder, but everything else fell right into place. The height of the arm rest feels nice but I might wrap the cow mat in vinyl both for a nicer feel but also to match the seats.

[89 MJ]

Are those Procar seats? If not, what are they? Do you like them? I’m thinking about seats for my 40 and want something new that looks older. 

[neohic]

10 hours ago, 89 MJ said:

Are those Procar seats? If not, what are they? Do you like them? I’m thinking about seats for my 40 and want something new that looks older. 

I’ve got no clue what they are. Way back when I worked at the 4x4 shop, a customer had these in his Scout but wanted a more modern seat. These are some kind of aftermarket Mustang/Bronco something-or-other. There is evidence of a tag, but it’s long gone. 

[neohic]

Center console is done. I ended up not having enough vinyl scraps so I used some leftovers from the winch cover. It’ll probably be a better fit as it might not retain heat as much as black vinyl while sitting in the sun.

 

 

I also tuned up the under seat storage with the addition on a couple new canvas bags. The black one has always been my recovery bag, but now the yank strap lives in the console, one brown bag is just ratchet straps, and the other is kind of a catch-all.

 

 

The driver’s seat is completely empty underneath now. Time to start thinking about auxiliary fuel storage.

 

[neohic]

Getting things a little more dialed. I threw a rebuild kit at my old jack and got that remounted. Then I got looking into trying to get rid of some rattles by adding a couple of bump stops between the tailgate and the spare tire. The spacers I’m using are a little janky, and I put it together thinking “I’ll totally make something nicer eventually,” but in reality they work and aren’t really visible. Bonus that the holes were already there.

 

I also found a nice fire extinguisher mount online. Not sure if it’ll stay where it is but I currently like it.

 

 

A little windy today, but the temperature was perfect to pull the doors and just go toodling around town.

 

[watchamakalit]

I stored my tow strap in the center console on my CJ one time. Had to use it in the mud and decided right then it wasn't going back in.