Whitey The 3A

[athawk11]

HG, this will be a very pale yellow Willys. Right now the favorite is called Florentine Yellow. It's a Saab color. But we haven't ruled out the pale yellow used on the later Jeepster.


The 9 1/4” clutch disc is newer and has tons of meat left on the bones.  The bell housing and heavy duty pressure plate appear to belong to a CJ3B or early CJ5.  I did remove the ring gear and turned it around.  (You can do this on the later flywheel ring gears.)  The teeth weren’t chewed up too bad, but I wanted to know how to do it.  I did replace the throw out bearing.  The existing one looked fine, but I decided to do it anyway.








I cleaned up, then installed the starter. I added the ‘engine to chassis’ ground.  I connected the starter to the battery to make sure it is grounded and functions.  All is well. 





I’m happy to say, I have a fresh transmission and transfer case.  I inspected them thoroughly. I found only a slight chew on the 1st / reverse gear in the transmission.  It is an M38 transmission.  There is some spot rust.  There was some water mixed with the old gear oil.  This likely got in through the top of the unprotected tranny.  No real protection from the broken tub or a rubber boot above the transmission when I got it. 





The TC doesn’t look like it has been used at all.  It is now installed on the frame.  I’m just waiting on a front bearing cap for the TC.  I picked this up today from a fellow Willys nut.  Thanks again Wally.  Once this is on, I can hook up the front drive shaft.  Both the yoke and companion flange from the TC will get new Speedy Sleeves and seals.











I know this next comment may be met with skepticism, but I was kind of hoping I would need to rebuild these units.  I didn’t have to do anything with my first OD Willys. The PO had done this just before I bought it.  Based on the condition of this new project, I was sure these boxes were abused.  I have read all the manuals and online tutorials in anticipation of this.  I was ready. Truly, I was. Oh well, that task will have to wait for the next Willys project.





I am planning on filling the engine with oil and then doing a compression test.  Hopefully the honing and new rings will improve compression.  If you skipped an earlier post, I had done a leak down test before tearing the engine apart.  That test told me my rings were bad.  They were. 

I hooked up the PCV valve. 






I got the spark plug wires made and installed.







I was going to send my Carter WO out for a rebuild, but I decided to do it myself.





I installed the park break system.  This was all missing from Whitey.  Lee from Minnesota helped me out with this entire assembly. 





New u-joints and the drive shaft are all bolted up.





I'm working on pressurizing the oil system.  I've had a few set backs, but I'll share that experience in the next update.

Tim

[zooke581]

This project is looking super!

[Haines Garage]

Very nice looking work.
Love it.

How difficult was it to rebuild the carburetor?

[athawk11]

Hi fellas, and thanks for looking in.
This is the second Carter I've rebuilt. I also cleaned and set the Carter on the 2A. It's not overly challenging once you've done your first one. I considered sending it to Scoutpilot this time, but just went ahead and did it. I wanted to get a very good 'set' on the carb, but then figured the differences in altitude would have messed with me anyway.


I visited a local Willys friend who was kind enough to part with a front bearing cap for the Dana 18. My original had a broken mounting flange. I cleaned it up, installled the guts from my broken one, then bolted it up...



Same friend hooked me up with semi matching wheels. I originally had a mix. 2-later M38A1 wheels, 1-M38 wheel, and 1-civilain wheel, pin stripe and all. I traded the M38 and the civilian wheels for 3- civilian Kelsey Hayes wheels that match the M38 A1 profile. Offsets are a bit different, but it's hard to tell by just looking at them. This profile wouldn't be my first choice, but they are in great shape and will fit the bill. Can anyone pick out the 2 military rims?



Had a delivery late last week. STA Super Traxion tires. I like the look...




My wife needs to pick out the wheel color. As soon as she does, I'll get them painted and mounted. After this, we are very close to a rolling chassis test run.

Thanks for looking.

Tim

[athawk11]

...continuing to make progress. Oil pressure woes have me working on things that will allow me to fire the engine, among other things that need attention.


-Installed TC oil pan and rear cover, then filled tranny and TC. With GL-1.
-Picked up radiator from shop. The guy was a hack. It's cleaned and pressure tested, but he didn't work very hard to straighten the fins.
-Ran fuel and vacuum lines. Some temporary, some permanent.
-Dropped off wheels at the sand blaster.
-Working out minimal wiring for the first start.
-Needed some parts. On order from Walcks.
-installed clutch tube and linkage.
-Installed front and rear bumpers.
-Started to clean up and straighten the grill.
-Looking for a wheel color


Tim

[Haines Garage]

You once told me...
I'm the hawk..I fly low..
That's cool. But I know better.
Fly High...
Humble is good, but you are the MAN!
I can't wait to see it, and you graciously tell the tale.

[Deleted]

I guess my suggestion to pull the Jeep with the plugs out and let the clutch out and watch for oil pressure isn't going to work. You may end up wrapped around the driveshaft like a pretzel. You also might burn yourself on that flaming bell housing. That's a first! Kinky at the very least. I'll have to keep a eye on you Sir Hawk! Clean machine. Too bad jeeps have a bad habit of applying self undercoating. One drive on a wet road and you'll be all done. My handle of Oilleaker comes from experience with ALL of my Jeeps and English cars and motorcycles. The VW's are all gone now so they aren't leaking in my garage anymore. John

[athawk11]

Leaker,
Need to get some wheels on this beast prior to a test like that, but soon enough, I will have a rolling chassis. The flames are a fun way to transition from a black power train to a red engine. Just having a little fun. I've added a sealed bearing to the front of the tranny. I've installed speedy sleeves to all yokes and flanges. New seals, gaskets, thread sealer. Bottom line, I hope to stop as much grease and dirt undercoating as I can, but I realize this may all be fruitless. It's still worth a try.

Just a few photos of other mini projects...

[Haines Garage]

Looking great...you made a whole bunch of progress.

[athawk11]

[zooke581]

Fantastic. After the sound of your rebuilt motor I don't feel so bad about my Supersonic. Great work. You should be proud and happy. Your better half is going to like this very much.

[athawk11]

Thanks Zooke.

A Willys engine does have a distinct racket. They sound like an old sewing machine. But you gotta love it! As probably mentioned, my wife is getting excited for an end to this project, but not so much that she will have a driver. She is probably more excited that the bathrooms will finally get remodeled.

Thanks for taking a peek.

Tim

[zooke581]

Same here athawk11. Mine is wondering when the bathroom, yard, house, kennels is going to get done. After June 6th, (D-Day) things will get back to mostly normal.   Yeah, right!  Like that will ever happen.

[Haines Garage]

That engine sounds and looks Fantastic!
I like the temporary gauge and key board.
Very Nice and congratulations!

[Deleted]

Looks and sounds great Tim! Be a little careful without the upper radiator support rod. The hose is the only thing keeping the fan out of the radiator fins. I reved mine up like that and the fan almost hit! We don't want that!!!!!!! John

[athawk11]

My wife picked a color for the wheels. It's a very nice golden color. It's urethane paint. I added a flattening agent to give it a satin finish. We are a low sheen kind of family. Turned out nice.

Just need some pin stripping and the rubber mounted...

[Deleted]

May 10, 2014 18:18:20 GMT -5 athawk11 said:

We are a low sheen kind of family. Turned out nice.

Good job as usual!



I like low sheen too, unless it's Charlie, then I prefer NO Sheen!! Lol!

[Haines Garage]

Paint looks great!!!
I like the color...
Are you going to change the name from whitey to sunshine or smile face...or something like that.
I'm not being a smart ass....
Or maybe I am!!

[athawk11]

May 12, 2014 13:13:57 GMT -5 Haines Garage said:

Paint looks great!!!
I like the color...
Are you going to change the name from whitey to sunshine or smile face...or something like that.
I'm not being a smart ass....
Or maybe I am!!

HG,
This is the wheel color. The Willys will still be a pale yellow. Should be a nice contrast.

Tim

[Haines Garage]

Yellow.....you keep saying Whitey.
You are my paint inspiration!
Just poking you about the name.

[Deleted]

Tim the ones with the hole and safety beads are the later M38 wheels. Your picture shows them well. I always thought it's cool how military Jeep parts show up on later civilian Jeeps. The mix of Ford and Willys WW2 parts is interesting also. In the end, they all work well. John

[athawk11]

Leaker,
Yep. Out of the five, I have 2 later M38 and 3 civilian rims. When comparing them, the military version also has a different offset. The rubber will sit about 3/8" further out than the civilian version, but it's pretty hard to spot that. I originally had the 2 military rims you see in the photos, along with an older M38 version and a 2A rim. They clearly didn't match. I was lucky to trade the 2A rim and the early M38 rim for the 3 civilian rims that are close in appearance to my later M38s.

Tim

[athawk11]

I decided to try my hand at mounting the rubber. I watched a couple youtube videos, and determined this was well within my skill set.

Tools of the trade...



I soaped up the wheel and the rubber.




I pressed the rim into the tire, then carefully used a couple Wonder bars to guide the first bead over the edge of the rim.









Next, I fed the tube into the tire. I aligned the valve with the hole in the rim.

I inserted the protective valve stem bushing into the hole then pushed/pulled the tube valve into position.





I then soaped up the rim and tire before working the final bead into the rim. I used the Wonder Bars and my body weight.





I filled the tire with air until the beads seated, then let the air out. I don't know that I needed to do this, but I figured it might let the tube settle in better...just in case it got twisted inside the rim. I then refilled the tire.


Done.




I saved about $100.00 doing this myself. I will still take them in to get balanced.

Total time for 5 tire mounts...about 1.5 hours.


I did an initial "mock up" for the pin stripe. I'm following the lead set by Ryan on this task. I mounted the wheel on the Willys. I taped off the wheel for my initial test. I used a oiled based paint marker by Sharpie. I spun the wheel while holding the marker to the rim. The marker was held steady on a temporary platform. I think this is going to work just fine.







This has been a fun and productive day. Thanks for looking.

Tim

[Deleted]

Birds of a feather Sir hawk! You have a Kubota sitting there. ha! One thing extra to add to your thread, it's called tire talc. You use baby powder in whatever scent you like and "lube" the tube up and put some in the tire casing. It helps the tube not stick and it spreads out easier in the casing. I have now gone to omitting the soap. thr tire talc does the same in lubing things up. No need to introduce any water into the wheel that way also. I do the same with motorcycle tires. John

[Deleted]

Those look great! It's so gratifying to be able to start and complete a task or project in one day...especially one that shows immediate results! Every now and then these jeeps throw us a bone and don't fight back.