Jump to content

Mike House

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    124

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by Mike House

  1. Mike House
    Thanks Moses, For sure drying out the drum brakes after getting them wet is critical. Normally when you exit the creek you are going up hill so you don’t think about the brakes until you get a little further down the trail! You gotta remember to dry them out right away. I went with a single reservoir master cylinder. it had no place for a brake light switch so I added a proportional valve that had a switch. I understand there is no need to adjust the valve with drums on both ends. It seems to work good for the amount I have driven it so far.
  2. Mike House
    Thanks Mose! Always appreciate your feedback. I had a disc brake upgrade on n my punch list but never completed it. I tore into the 9” drum brakes and surprisingly everything was in really good shape. I purchased a master cylinder and mounted it with the swing pedals. I ran all new brake lines front and back. The brakes are very solid and stop the jeep quickly. I will likely upgrade them in the future as I use the jeep a little more. It looks like there are a lot of options for an upgrade.
  3. Mike House
    1956 Cj3B RESTOMOD summary. I purchased this jeep April 3rd 2020 for $1,200. I was unable to get the 4clinder engine freed up so I started looking at options for an engine. I found a Dauntless V6 that was sitting in a CJ5 in North GA and purchased it for $500. This included the bell housing and flywheel. I decided that the body was going to be too much work for me to repair myself. I did not have the time, tools or experience to do it right so I decided that when the time was right I would buy a complete replacement body from MD Juan. I pulled the engine, transmission and body off of the frame and began to clean it up. I found the frame was broken just behind the spring hangar on the drivers side. I repaired this break in the frame. I cleaned and painted the frame and axles. Next I decided I would keep the T-90 and Dana 18 transmission and transfer case. I rebuilt the transmission and inspected the T case. I stripped the V-6 down and took everything the machine shop. The engine was bored .020" over, crank turned, heads rebuilt. I installed new pistons, new cam and of course new bearings throughout. I mated the transmission to the engine and located it in the frame. I purchased an aftermarket radiator and electric fan and fitted it to the engine and frame. I upgraded the steering to a Saginaw steering system. I upgraded to a set of swing pedals and hydraulic clutch and break master cylinder on the firewall. For the new tub and body I went back and forth for a long time on the right direction for paint. I decided that I would spray the entire tub from top to bottom inside and out with Raptor Liner safety orange and all black accents including the windshield frame. I opted not to buy a new wiring harness. Instead I decided that I would wire everything from scratch. These old jeeps don't require a complicated wiring system. I used a fuse box, relays and wiring terminal blocks instead. I purchased some seats from a 90s YJ and had them recovered by a friend. I cut the backs down so they would not be so tall. I purchased a roll bar from a late 70s CJ5 and modified it to fit the 3B. I extended the frame, boxed it in and added a winch to the front of the jeep. After driving it around for a few weeks I decided that the jeep needed new springs. I purchased a set of springs and u-bolts and installed them last weekend. The project was an absolute joy! In the end I built a jeep that was nothing like what I envisioned when I brought the 3B home two years ago. I purchased the jeep with the intentions of making it run and drive it around on my property and that was about it. The finished product is now my pride and joy! All in I have spent about $12,000 on parts and the engine work. The single biggest purchase being the body kit. It was well worth the money. Lessons learned. Plan as far in advance as possible. I did not do a very good job at this and as a result spent some money on parts that I did not use and spent some time completing steps that I did not need to. (Steering upgrade) Do your homework. There is a wealth of information and advice on line. Just don't let the volume of advice compromise your common sense. Purchase the "Jeep CJ Rebuilders Guide" by Moses Ludel! All of the technical data you will need. Thanks Again Moses for all of the encouragement, advice and feedback a long the way! PS I am in the market for a Willys Wagon. I am hoping to find a decent body. Frame, engine and drive train optional. I plan to upgrade to a modern drive train. Mike
  4. Mike House
    Thank you Moses! And thank you for all the encouragement and guidance along the way. Time for a summary.
  5. Mike House
    I am so pleased with how the 3b has turned out! A few pictures from today! I am not going to call it complete but I think I have to switch from project mode to “just a few more upgrades” haha! When I get in front of my computer this weekend I will post a brief summary of this project and some lessons learned. Mike
  6. Mike House
  7. Mike House
    Went for a short drive today! thanks Moses! I’m going to see about getting it licensed this week and make it official!!!
  8. Mike House
    Almost done! Added some mirrors, hood latches on, hood blocks on. need to paint the “WILLYS” on the hood and grill. I bought some 12v wiper motors but haven’t installed them yet.
  9. Mike House
    I really appreciate your input , feedback and guidance! When I bought this jeep it was more about the timing and less about the scope of work that lay ahead of me. I had been looking for a 3b and was getting impatient not finding what I was looking for. When this one showed up on Craig’s list I decided to buy it before I ever looked at it! It was a bigger project than I was looking for! I am pleased with where I am at now and have really enjoyed building this jeep! It means a lot to me knowing that you approve. The fact that your wife approves as well having been a part of your many years in the business is the real test! Thanks so much for all the input! Mike
  10. Mike House
  11. Mike House
    Thank you Moses! I am getting so close! I appreciate all of your input and feedback! Seatbelts and a rear seat coming soon! I bought this steering wheel over a year ago. Looking back I should have waited until I actually needed it and had completed the steering upgrade. I may still swap it out if after a little more driving I decide that I don’t like it. I look forward to the first time I drive this jeep to town. I think my first longer road trip will be 50 miles to Athens GA to see Dave at the engine shop where I had the machine work done on the 225. He was pretty excited about this project! thanks again Moses! Mike
  12. Mike House
    Thanks Moses, Glass is in. That’s a relief. I have the roll bar modified and fitted. I will build the pieces to attach to the frame. I see several options for these parts online I may just buy the pieces. I am considering getting rid of the piano hinge for the hood and replacing it with cj7 hinges. The hinge was welded on out of square and as a result I can’t get the hood squared up. here is a pic to see how it would look.
  13. Mike House
    Thanks Moses, I am happy with how it all came together. I am going to have to add some weight to the back of the jeep now. hahaha all of the weight is up front with that engine steering, bumper and winch. I will likely build a swing out tire carrier for the back. I mounted some lights up front today. They are a 3.5" LED light. They have kind of a blacked out look to them. Last weekend I broke my windshield glass trying to put it in the frame. I got a little heavy handed with it....... The new glass arrived today. So I will take it to the glass shop in the morning. I purchased a roll bar online that is from a late 70s cj5. I am going to modify it to fit the 3b. I like the look of that roll bar and the angles. The width is good but the overall footprint length is too long. It shouldn't be too difficult to make it fit just right.
  14. Mike House
    Thankyou for all of the support and encouragement Moses. I’m working hard to get this project to the “finish line” which is licensed and road worthy. I will have plenty of work to do on this jeep in the coming years. I have had a couple set backs with windshield glass and hood alignment. I did make progress on the front of the jeep. I extended the frame 3”, I finished my bumper, closed in the front of the frame with channel modifies a winch mounting plate and mounted the new winch. I notched out around the steering box in case I ever needed to remove it considering I welded the winch plate instead of bolting it. I have some lights to add still. oh and cleaned up and painted the headlight buckets and I installed them. I painted the bezels black! I’m going for the all orange and black theme.
  15. Mike House
    I will have all of that Wireing on the fire wall cleaned up and tucked into split loom before I am done also.
  16. Mike House
    Well it’s the end of the year! ….. I’m not done but I am so close! The 3b is alive! The steering is complete aligned and works great! I have completed all of the Wireing with the exception of lights for the front and rear bumpers but the wires are there. I just need to add toggle switches and wire in the relays. drive lines are in. Brakes and clutch are bled and adjusted! Everything works great! I’m so happy with how far this project has come! my daughter and I drive the jeep up and down the driveway and around the property a couple times a week and we even drove it about 3 miles over to a buddies house. mom the to do list windshield rollbar bumpers rear seat
  17. Mike House
    I also granted myself an extension and now plan to be driving it by the end of December! I have 9 straight days off at the end of November so fingers crossed I can spend a good deal of that time on the jeep!
  18. Mike House
    I have made some more progress on the 3b! spoiler alert it is now orange! I sprayed the entire jeep inside outside and under side with Raptorliner safety Orange! I like how it turned out! Everything else will be black. I bought some seats from a 2000 jeep. Stepped then shortened them and had a buddy put in new foam seats cushions and upholstery.
  19. Mike House
    Ok so I have made some progress on the steering upgrade. I decided to use the original steering column. I can always go back and add a GM column or other after market column if I am not happy with the original. my single biggest challenge was time. Completing an upgrade like this is not too complicated but it is critical that it’s done correctly and requires focus and dedicated time. Seems I only got an hour at a time at best between work and family! Oh and hunting season! 🙂 I have not welded everything out yet but I think I like how it came together and will weld it out this weekend. My crossmember was overkill but this is the piece of tubing I had in the shop so I used it. It’s 3”x3”x1/4 wall square tube. I chose to mount the steering box high to keep it more level and to reduce the angle on the steering shaft. the AA kit comes with everything a person should need provided you have a pretty straight line from the bottom of the steering column to the steering box. I did not and my angle was too steep for the U Joints on the steering shaft so I added another joint and a support bearing. I am happy with the angles of the long and short tie rods.
  20. Mike House
    I am sure that the cooler weather this week is only a teaser and we will have to wait for fall to fully set in. It has been a mild summer though and hopefully fall and winter will will see more cool temps! It looks like the AA kit does include a bushing for the lower end of the steering shaft tube. So if I keep the stock steering shaft and tube it seems like I would need more support where the tube and shaft ends and the first U-Joint sends the shaft towards the steering box. If I take a step back and think about this long term rather than how bad I want to cross the finish line the right choice is to upgrade the column at this time...... The good thing is that I have a good bit of work to do on the jeep still so I have some time to make that decision.
  21. Mike House
    Thanks for the pointers! I will have to do a bit more reading. I had planned on using the stock steering column and I’m not familiar with the benefit of the shackle reversal. I will get back into the book and spend a little more time researching the steering column. Fall weather has arrived here in Middle GA so its time to get back to work in the garage.
  22. Mike House
    Hi Moses, I have made the decision to upgrade the steering on the 3b. Based on my online research and reading my "Rebuilders Manual" it looks like the Saginaw upgrade is the way to go. I believe I will buy the kit from Advanced Adapters and most like the steering box from them as well. This actually looks like a pretty straight forward upgrade. I don't think I will change out the column. I will just stick with the original. Any words of wisdom or pitfalls to avoid in the process? Thanks, Mike
  23. Mike House
    Just so that I could feel like I’m making progress and motivation to get this project across the finish line I went ahead and mounted the wheels and tires on the heep this evening. I’ve had them in the garage for a few months now. they are a 32x11.5x15 with -12 offset. I like the stance it has! It’s a little high a little wide but not extreme!
  24. Mike House
    You guys out west have had a rough few years with the drought and all of the fires. I have a good friend who lives in Sacramento and owns property near Reno. He has expressed the same concern! That cooler will be a big relief! You are right the humidity here is hard to hide from or correct with a cooler. The best defense is a nice breeze blowing. Thanks for the ongoing encouragement. I look forward to that first trip from my house to work! It is about 10 miles from my house to the sawmill on country roads. The CJ3B may become my daily driver to get to work and back.
  25. Mike House
    I have given myself until the end of October! I believe I will make it. My to do list is getting smaller! I didn’t work on the Jeep much this summer. yesterday I built a front bumper from a piece of 2”x3” x 1/4” wall rectangular tube. min the next two weeks I will disassemble the body, sand and coat the under side of the tub, paint the entire body and all parts. Reassemble and wire it. Oh and need to get the drive lines modified. Lengthen the rear and shorten the front. I found a place near Atlanta that will modify the existing drive line for a decent price. it’s finally out of the 90s every day so I will make good progress in the next 6 weeks. I am getting excited to get it out on the road for the first time!
×
×
  • Create New...