Rudycon's 1947 CJ2a rolling restoration

[Deleted]

Ingenuity at its finest!

[rudycon]

Warming up for bikini top sewing.

No idea what I'm doing, so I started with fixing my coveralls and putting on a couple of patches.


John Wayne held my man card while I ran the sewing machine.
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I didn't buy fancy thread yet, so I tested out the stuff I did buy by fixing my cot.

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[Deleted]

I wonder who holds HG's mancard while he sews ? . Very nice job is it all 1/2 conduit or did you use 1" for the bows ?. I like the creativity .

Lee

[Haines Garage]

Aug 23, 2014 15:07:35 GMT -5 @lee said:

I wonder who holds HG's mancard while he sews ? . Very nice job is it all 1/2 conduit or did you use 1" for the bows ?. I like the creativity .

Lee

That would be this guy....

[Deleted]

This is hysterical! You've got SO much room in your garage. Either you need to pick up two more projects to fill out the space OR we can all set up cots in there and go camping...man style!

[rudycon]

The for-aft bar is brand new 1/2" conduit. The rest is re-used 3/4" conduit. This makes the for-aft bar too big and the rest of the bars a little too small.


Thanks, Moose. Come on over. Bring a cot. Set it up with the garage 'fridge in arms reach and you'll be all set.
The garage isn't really that big. The Willys and I are that small.

So, Lin explained to me that a DART is not just an unattractive Dodge automobile, or a pointy thing used for gaming in a bar. It's when you take a wedge out of cloth. *shrugs* You should hear us talk about "chargers."

Anyway, Lin helped move the heavy cloth along and I sewed up some "darts" on the top to make it sorta fit the Willys.

Ta-da. A top...of repurposed materials. Recycle America.

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[Haines Garage]

Sir Rudy ,

Your whole project has just been great to watch !

The top looks way cool!!

Great Job !

Hey, just admit it.... Sewing is cool.

[zooke581]

Slick! Looking good. Love to see home made stuff.

[Deleted]

Now you need to add a flap to your top on both sides. That's where the side curtains attach. Then a rear curtain, then doors. You'll need heat and wind protection at the Fall Colors Tour. Funny how our man caves have allot of the same equipment. Feel right at home. Sewing isn't for sissys either! I bought my wife a Commercial sewing machine that will sew leather. It didn't work and she was pissed. So, since it was mechanical, I took it to the man cave, took it apart, adjusted stuff and oiled it. Holy Cow will it sew now. I love that stuff, but do not like to sew. Too picky for me. No patience either. I need metal, oil, gas, and rubber to feel at home. A cold one helps too! John

[Deleted]

Aug 23, 2014 18:05:56 GMT -5 @oilleaker1 said:

Now you need to add a flap to your top on both sides. That's where the side curtains attach. Then a rear curtain, then doors. You'll need heat and wind protection at the Fall Colors Tour.

Might could just make a special "Dakota" top out of a few used GI pup tents. They would already of the snaps installed! That would make sides and doors, well...a snap! Haha. Oh, that was lame, even by my standards.

Nonetheless, think it looks GREAT! I've got a few pairs of shorts that have lost a button and some cuffs that have fallen in some pants. Can I send them to you? Hey...no fat jokes about the button![/quote]

[rudycon]

Oh man. You guys just raised the bar too high for me. No way am I going to have a back, sides or doors by the fall color tour. I'm just going to have to "dress appropriately." Lin will probably take up driving just because the left foot heater is on the driver's side.

There really isn't much more than luck holding the front on at this point. Test run to 20 MPH passed. Wow. Is it loud. The top bars banging the windshield bow clamps make a wonderfully musical jingling sound. The exhaust drones. Is it that loud behind me? I know the muffler is burned out, but wow. The "inversion layer" of exhaust up to my nose is greatly enhanced too. Feels like riding in the back of a 1970s station wagon with the back window down.

I took the top back off and put the willys in the shed.



Look at the size of the puddle under that jeep! (it rained)

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[zooke581]

What's heater? I have WWII trench coat for the cold weather.

[Haines Garage]

Recognize this?
I am betting you will be the only one that will!

[Deleted]

This may come as a great surprise but the captain has some hours on a singer as well . My mother used to make our clothes when my sister and myself were young. The machine fascinated me!, she taught me the basics and I now have her machine. My wife had a cheapie monkey wards machine, I completely F'd it up sewing the heat hauser for my 135 Massey tractor, apparently the Wards machine was not rated for 4 layers of nylon canvas , it let out a hell of a bang and I lost the bottom end , the sewing machine version of throwing a rod I guess . Anyhow I bought her a new one that was much better and she was very happy .

Lee

[rudycon]

Haines: That's the Powell Peralta skeleton. Hey by the way did you ever find Animal Chin or are you still searching? That reminds me. I have skated a section of the blue star highway in North Carolina. Pretty big hill. Got my Dad to drop me off at the top while we were on vacation. I remember a tunnel, and then speed wobbles, but I was going WAY too fast to run it out by then.

Lee: Good story! Love the lost the bottom end part. Ever wind up the cast iron treddle on a singer as fast as you could get it rockin' and then stick your finger in the flywheel as a kid?

Zooke: I am fresh out of wool driver's coats. I'll probably have to go synthetic for now. No foolin' there was a hint of FALL in the air today when I was mowing the lawn.

Moose: The idea of pup-tent based top was one of my first ideas. I would love to see what makes up a Dakota top. However, Driving a smelly olive drab cave down the trail lacks a certain appeal for those less hell for leather types. (My wife comes t mind!) All of this is an upgrade from the field expedient blue plastic tarp supported by a couple of whippy young aspens shoved in the top bow pockets I envisioned at first.

[Deleted]

This top thing reminds me of being 13 with my first Jeep and winter showed up. Man was it cold. I bought a used CJ5 top for 20 bucks and had to hand sew a piece to the fronts of the doors and sheet metal screw the rest on with folds here and there. It was heaven compared to the wind in your face. Later a 3 dollar junk yard Jeep wagon heater and a Sears aluminum half cab. I could drive around at 20 below in a t shirt. Sure was fun back then. John

[Deleted]

Aug 24, 2014 7:16:52 GMT -5 @oilleaker1 said:

This top thing reminds me of being 13 with my first Jeep and winter showed up. Man was it cold. I bought a used CJ5 top for 20 bucks and had to hand sew a piece to the fronts of the doors and sheet metal screw the rest on with folds here and there. It was heaven compared to the wind in your face. Later a 3 dollar junk yard Jeep wagon heater and a Sears aluminum half cab. John

Bubba? This sounds like "Bubba" at a very young age before he developed his talents of modifying perfectly good jeeps!!

[zooke581]

Nothing like the smell of Jeep Canvas. It just doesn't get any better than that.   But I hear where you coming from with the better half.  The the aspen twigs top does sound nice.

[Deleted]

You could call the "Quaking Top" after Aspens. I too am getting small signs and notices that the seasons are changing. God I hope it holds off until Oct. 31st. Oil

[Haines Garage]

Sir Rudy ,
Only because I have no place else to answer you ,
Your thread is Awesome !
I used to skate in the early 80s.

I was good, but not Fantastic!
My brothers kids are getting into skating, and we took a little trip down memory lane! I bought some stickers off EBay to try and get some of my Mojo back!

I wore Bones shirts as a kid, my biggest skating feat was shredding the streets in Toronto. Canada when I was 17.

I have my eye on a Bones shirt I wore then !

[rudycon]

Summary: Installed 2 gages in a custom radio delete plate. I have an anemic 1 PSI of fuel pressure!


I built a "radio delete plate" to cover up at least 3 of the many holes in the dash. I cut two holes in the plate for a couple of non-stock Stewart Warner white needle gauges.

I hooked up the vacuum gauge to the dead-headed tube that has been flopping around the engine bay since I took out the hydra-boost system.

Then I took a trip to town in the Willys for more parts. Idle vacuum is like 12, the highest I see is about 20 coasting down a hill with the throttle plate closed. I stopped at the local farm store, but still had to go to the hardware store for more connectors and stuff. Ran OK.

Then I re-plumbed the fuel system from the fuel pump to the carb with fresh 1/4" copper and clean flares. I T'd in a connection to hook up the 0-10 PSI fuel pressure gauge.
The flaring was good practice for when my Ni-Copp fuel line arrives. Snugged my connections down and started 'er up in the shed where I have been working.

I have fuel pressure. yep. 1 PSI at idle. Shoots up to 2 PSI with some revs! On one hand, how much pressure do you need? Well 1 psi will lift water 2.31 feet right? So... yeah, 1 PSI is enough to limp fuel up from the pump to the carb inlet. *laughs*

I guess that working on replacing the fuel pump should switch to the new highest priority project.

[rudycon]

Willys work today:

After I finished splitting wood (Using my plebeian hardware store axe, Haines.)



I put the Willys to work because I was tired.


1/4 ton rated machine, eh?
So we headed on down to the ranch store and picked up just 6 bags of concrete. Tossed 'em in the back. The Willy's springs creaked a "Hrmf." as I loaded the last bag. I think the little scamp was saying, "Is that all I have to carry? No sweat."

Sure I could feel the extra 480# on the curvy, 40 mph parts of the trip up the hill. Sure I had to shift into 2nd on the big hill, but for the most part, 480# of cargo leads me to believe this machine is capable of much more. I'm sure mine has seen bigger loads. That said, now that this Willys is "retired" from farm use, I think I'll try to stick with the 1/4 ton rating. Things will certainly last longer, eh?

On the trip, I recorded maybe .75-1.5 PSI of pathetic fuel pressure. More fuel line fittings arrived today via USPS (Our mailman drives a Jeep 4 door Wrangler.)

[rudycon]

Motor mounts replaced!

Only problem is that now my fan shroud is too close to the fan!

Think they were overdue?



The transfercase mount looks ok (under all the goo) actually.

[rudycon]

Last night I worked on the tow bar system. I need about 8' more chain to make it safe/secure, but it is tested out. It'll work.

Had to take the day off today. The contractor came out to install the sliding glass door. I got to hang out in the garage and work on the Willys.

Today, I replumbed the fuel system with an 8902 6 volt fuel pump. I used copper tubing since my nicopp still hasn't arrived. (getting worried there!)

Wired it up to a switch in an existing hole. Re-routed up along the firewall, across and forward to the carb. I used genuine period correct Adel #4 clamps along the way. Fuel pressure is now 3 PSI. Might be a bit more at the carb. Book spec is 4 psi. This fuel pump should do 2.5 to 4.5 PSI.

Anyway, The old system is still in place. It wouldn't be too hard to revert to the mechanical pump. (weak as it is.)



With the fuel system altered, hopefully it won't boil the fuel anymore.



I switched to another pretty serious problem. No front bump stops. I un-bolted the axle so I could fit my drill in there to drill and tap the mounting holes. Hope to get the bolts tomorrow. I'm worn down, but rockin' on the fall color tour preps.

I won't be able to work on it for the next 9 days/nights.That's why I pushed so hard today. Still hope to get enough done to attend the fall color tour.

[Haines Garage]

Sir Rudy,

Once again, I always enjoy reading your post!
You keep at it, and always have something positive, entertaining and humorous to add here.

Tell you what, I have a double bit, bad assed axe head with your name on it .

I will do a handle and build it just for you .
PM your address...it might take me a while.

My gift to you.

Did you get the Rudycon can ?
Or is the Captain Holding out in you?