A Bit Of Spring Work

FINALLY got some work done today! Worked on Nate's springs (thanks again, Nate! :D) pulling them apart and wire wheeling them down for paint.







I had already used some epoxy putty on the radiator bracket and it seems to be holding up pretty well. I need to fill in some of the gaps once I get more putty. I used one tube on it and had to work pretty quickly to get it all in place before it set up, so that's why I have places to fill in yet.



And did some more grinding and cleaning on the rear axle. I'm going to fill in that odd sheet metal screw hole and the aforementioned rosette weld pinholes with some epoxy and then get to painting. I still have to yank out the old shoes and clean up the backing plates.
Also need to ask about the rear output. There's a circular "collar" that is loose and gear oil has leaked out of the output shaft area when the axle wasn't supported on the jackstands and hung straight down so I wasn't too worried about it, but does this mean I need to replace the seal?



The current state of the mess... uh, I mean, Mistress and the barn that needs a spring cleaning badly! :D
So I'm that much closer to getting a rolling chassis done. Just need to pick up some small parts from Walck's and diagnose the condition of the front axle. How do you determine the shape of kingpin bearings? Do the old 12 and 6 o clock grab and pull to see if there's any slop like ball joints?

Another Day...

Little bit done today. I gotta start taking some photos soon! Tested out some JB Weld that I picked but it wasn't thick enough to work well with filling the cracks ion the steering wheel. It had more of a pasted consistency and I need to find something that's a putty. But I did use use it to try to plug up what may develop into leaks from where the PO had screwed in three sheet metal screws into the fins trying to hold on the side bracket. Got the bracket and radiator sandpapered and cleaned up while I try to figure out if I can putty it on or try soldering it.
Painted the rear springs and put them back together, did a little more degreasing and wire wheeling on the rear axle, painted the cover for laughs... like I said not alot but it was something. Not alot more can be done until I order parts.

Well I found a couple of hours to start a few things out in the barn. Managed to drive out the last of the bushings from the rear springs...now I just have to wait for warmer weather to paint!
Also started to clean up the rear axle with the grinder and a wire cup brush... found the 43/8= 5.38 gear ratio tag too and a few things that I cannot figure out.



Anyone know what the screw is threaded into the axletube on the far left? Just curious about the band too that is on the far right near the joining of the tube and the diff housing.







So, here I am clearing away clods of 50 year old grease and dirt and these bubbles appear. One is on the top right and the other is on the bottom left of the diff housing. They look like a bubble in a weld that the grinding uncovered. I don't think that they go through the housing. At least I don't think that I could have done it with over zealous grinding.
Lots more cleaning to go before I paint. My 5 year old was fascinated with watching the gears turn when I removed the cover. He thought that they were really "cool!"
In other news, the front springs are toast... after wasting time on them and deciding to just try and replace the hardware both sides of the main leaf eye holes splintered off as the original bushings had worn completely through and the shackles continued eating into the leaf... Luckily a friend of mine is giving me his old springs! Got a crazy expensive quote for re-arching... 135 bucks... apiece! may as well buy new springs at that rate!
I also finished painting the draw bar in that spell of nice 60 weather we had a few weeks back and I'm hoping for a rolling (driveable?) chassis by this fall... keep your fingers crossed!

The Frame Is Done, For Now...

The TJ bumper isn't pretty and not a 'perfect' fit, but OK for now until I can afford a real bumper.

Test Fitting a TJ bumper

I've hardly gotten any work done on the Mistress with being away for a couple of weeks and the weather getting better for work around the house, but I cut a couple of tabs in the TJ bumper today for a quick test fit. It was about 1/2" on top and about 2" on the bottom. Its fits ok, but I'll have to measure carefully and drill some holes for the bolts and use a few washers to get it to fit. Not pretty, but how many Mistresses are?

Front Bumper Off!

FINALLY! The front bumper is off and the frame ends are primed. I managed to get three of the eight rivets punched out with a 5/16" pin punch and a three pound sledge easily enough... then the remaining five either had to be drilled out and/or ground down flush with the frame and then they popped out pretty easily. Think that all my blacksmith hammer blows must have ironically mushroomed the heads slightly. But now its off and I'm going to grind and cut a TJ bumper slightly to fit!

Back To Work

Lots done today, great 70 degree day and lots of time to do stuff. I finished the frame... well, almost. I still have to finish grinding off the rivets and pop them out (which is harder than I thought it'd be...) and get the old front bumper off. I plan on retrofitting (read drill new holes and torque Grade 8 bolts) my old TJ bumper in place of it. Its been sitting around for a couple of years and hey, it's cheaper than buying a new one!




The seat frames. The green is actually a bit darker than the photo shows. Its like a light OD... just a Rustoleum rattlecan meant for outdoor furniture in a satin semi-gloss.




The TJ front bumper getting painted today...




I painted the frame with two coats Rustoleum bedliner over two coats of primer. I just love the look of the bedliner! It's a semi-gloss and just looks great. Hope that it'll last too!




































The first two small parts... gas and brake pedals.