Tag: gpw
Welding Time!This has been another busy week with lots of activities on the Jeep, from finishing the Voltage Regulator to finally welding one of the fenders and grill! Then from welding to sanding and adding filler to the gaps left for a good finish.
HALFWAY POINT!This past week has seen a lot of work, and I’m finally reaching the HALFWAY point of this restoration with the (finally) painting of the frame! There’s a lot of extra work including electrical checks, final engine painting, and the return of major parts from sandblasting!
Electrical Work and Engine RebuildThis past week has had a lot of activity on the Jeep with more small projects as I wait for good non-windy weather to paint the frame. Lots of electrical items have arrived for the Jeep, and I was able to test most of them with the battery. Some fun surprises! Work is about done on the engine with the oil pan reinstalled, just needs to be put back on the frame once the frame is painted.
Voltage Regulator and Pre-PaintingI opened the voltage regulator I got on ebay to a wonderful surprise, and work continues on various items for the Jeep. Plus, there was a ‘less windy than usual’ day so I was able to pre-paint the frame with primer!
Windshield Restoration: Part 2Work continues on the Windshield… getting closer and closer to being done! Huge progress was made November 3rd when I was able to get the windshield adjustment screw bolt welded into my outer windshield frame thanks to Paul and Tom at the Planes of Fame Air Museum. That same weekend I finally figured out the best way to get all the remaining paint off the windshield… wish I’d known this from the beginning! I then test fitted everything and it worked well!
Dashboard switchesOn the dashboard of a Willys Jeep, you have several switches that control everything from the lights, the engine choke, engine throttle (think of it as an ‘early cruise control’), the panel lights, etc. The Jeep was missing most of the switches including what’s known as the ‘push/pull’ switch that could controls all sorts of the lights based on how you pull the main knob. I removed all the switches that were incorrect and purchased new ones including a vintage push/pull switch. I then removed all the switches on the dash and did a test fitting of them all (not hooked up).
Headlight Restoration Begins…Every night I’ve been taking on a new project and continue working on it once previous projects hit a pause (like waiting for a weekend to use loud power tools). I started the process of removing the headlights from the Jeep including undoing all of the wiring (in prep for the new wiring harness). It wasn’t too complicated of a process, though I had to un-solder the wiring to the headlights internally. After some sandblasting and then some red oxide primer, they are ready for OD Green paint!
Fuel Filter restoration beginsWhile going through the engine, I noticed the fuel filter was bypassed. An inline clear window fuel filter was instead added and extra fuel lines were installed so the filter wouldn’t be needed. I decided to take apart the fuel filter and give it a good cleaning and try to get it back up and running. I’d still be using a clear window in-line fuel filter as it’s a good idea since modern fuels are different than WW2 ones. After soaking the parts in vinegar for a day, I used a wire brush to scrape the rust off then went out and bought a sandblaster to get it nice and clean!
Continue reading “Fuel Filter Restoration Begins”
Work begins on the JeepOne of the first projects I wanted to get started with on the Jeep was the Windshield. It has several issues, including a make-shift inner windshield with plexiglass as windows. The windshield is two parts, the outer windshield that is the frame with the arms that attach to the Jeep, and the inner windshield that contains the glass. The inner windshield can flip upwards with an adjusting arm so the driver/passenger could ‘shoot’ through the windshield without shooting the glass. The other issue was 7 layers of paint that needed to be removed. I decided to take this down to the metal… but hand. It’s been a few weeks of weekend wire wheeling, sanding, and scraping but it’s getting closer. See the photos for more info on each step.
