My 58 rebuild, begin at the beginning

[jking]

My father passed away suddenly in 97. He left behind the willys in the driveway.

No one was living at the house and by 2008 the neighborhood had deteriated to the point where the jeep was in danger of theft or destruction. Full set of auto and diesel mechanics tools and lots of other goodies came home with me too. E.g. 1 hp pedistal grinder.

My intention was to get the willys running and have some fun. My brother had driven it for a few years after my Father had passed and then put it back in the driveway. I thought it might run but it wouldn't. So I started a mismash of efforts to get it to run.

The original plan was pistons, rings, and rod bearings. While installing pistons - "oh those weren't so hard to get in - slid right in - oops". Assumed the engine wasn't previously rebuilt and didn't bother to measure - it was and std sized pistons do slide nicely into oversized cylinders. Time to regroup. Return and order right size. Continue to take off misc parts, do some cleaning. Got busy with other stuff.

Storing it on the side of the house for a year until the po po came and told me to move it. I moved it to the driveway and my wife wasn't too happy about that. Apparently, the po po weren't either as they came back and told me to junk it or put it in the garage. I chose the garage - po po happy, wife unhappy. Willys dropping grease, dirt, and rust like an old dog stuck in the house for two weeks! Wife didn't notice Willys on side of house much, now sees it all the time in garage. Garage smells like oil and grease. Leaks. piles of dirt, rust, and grease acccumlating.

Obtain plate (separate long story) and move back to driveway. No sign of po po - yet. I start work on Jeep. Hmmm, frame off - how hard could that be? Hey, why not - I've got a book!

By summer, the body comes off, Engine out, off to rebuilders Aug 11. Tc and Tranny on my workbench over the winter. Frame to sandblaster Feb 12. Body to sandblaster March 12.

Body and frame in driveway now. I may just get this thing back together - maybe.

[Moncheche]

Ha! Welcome.

Unfortunately, all you'll find here is things that will not impress the wife.

I am one of the lucky ones. My wife has been remarkably patient. She's a saint. That, and I got her a car with heated leather seats. A used car, but heated leather, come on....

[Don]

Welcome and thanks for the saga. It sounds you're making good progress on your project.

I guess I'm lucky with the wifey thing. My wife's first husband didn't stay home much and came back sometime drunk and smelling of perfume. (not hers) She is glad I stay home nites and weekends and enjoys hearing me banging on things in the work shop.

Good luck.

[jking]

Well, I have to admit though that my wife is really a saint too, except that she is getting a little fed up with my projects. Beside the CJ, There's a 1960 Yamaha Scooter all apart, a 82 Kawasaki 550kz -that I'm about to sell, a 1951 Chevy Bel Air coupe, and a 1957 Chevy Bel Air coupe! I think she just wants to see one completed!

I attacked the Jeep first because I think it will be the most fun for me once I'm done. I'm off to do the rear axle now. Will post pic's this weekend

[jking]

Stalled this weekend trying to pull the rear hubs. Used a large 3 jaw with lots of pressure plus heat. Won't budge - either side. I have the large hub puller that I need, but actually I only have 2/3 of that tool as one of the legs was lost. I lose a lot of things but this tool came that way to me in the collection I inherited. Can't find anyone to rent it from - the autozone, advance, etc slide hammer flange doesn't fit either the studs and it doesn't have enough depth. New tool about 130 bucks- bummer.

Well I guess I'll work on other things until I come up with a strategy, maybe some friends have it but most have the non fitting slide hammer. Maybe I can coax one from my local mechanic's shop- they're hard to break, apparently easy to lose. Anybody got an extra leg laying around?

two legs on human - good, two legs on puller -bad!

[jking]

Well, I've finally found my download cord for the camera and will start to update this post with my progress. I'll try to start at the beginning and move forward. I started with "just get it running" and have progressed to a frame off restoration. I'll post of few a day.

Here's the project, towed out of the backyard after 7 years there uncovered, transported 110 miles to my driveway. It was not running - this is after I gave up trying to start it and pulled the head. Couple bb holes in the top from kids in the old (tough) neighborhood.

[jking]

My first hint of what I was in for....



Even worse - pieces of rings everywhere - ut oh. That exhaust manifold is cracked and the engine run a long time with that defect. Can't see it here, but that's going to come into play later on during the engine rebuild.





At this point, I was going to do pistons, rings, and rod bearings and try to get it running.



rod bearings -

[jking]

Hadn't decided on frame off yet. Kept taking misc things off, clean, repair, paint.

[bob in NC]

i guess the fact that it was your dad's jeep put a lot
of points on your side with da wife. keep up the good work

[jking]

The wife helped me measure for the sheet metal peices to fix the body. Let's see if I can get a welding helmet on her.

Engine with new pistons before I opted for a full rebuild. Would have liked to do the engine myself, - especially after seeing Doug's thread, but with everything else to do on the Willy's, that would have set me back even further.



I started the project a while ago- rebuilt the carb but had some issues and moved on. My friend made these and gave them to me on my birthday to finish it up (plus a six pack too!). Had forgotten about them and found them in my desk drawer yesterday.

I didn't think the old one was going to work very well - that pic is after cleaning it up.

[jking]

transfer case rebuilt and assembled but I think I ended up with too many shims and tightening the yoke nut made it very difficult to turn. Saw something on the BB about that, have to research. That's been primed and repainted. Hand cleaned it - took 6 hours. Couldn't make anything out except the brake drum.



Tranny halfway assembled, new bearings, second speed, and synchro, also new input shaft. Old input shaft had ridges inside cavity with 14 rollers went.





blasted and painted body parts awaiting tub restoration. New floorpans and hat channels. Going into unchartered territory with the tub.




Think that floorpan and channel need replacing - yeah, me too.

[jking]

old and new crossmembers - hey Mr. PO - how big was that boulder?



My long lost engine came back home after almost a year. Told him to take his time. No skin off my back though, I've still got the body to do.





And there's what that exhaust manifold did - milled it best he could. Any special treatment I should do when putting the new manifold on?



Can see the oil ports now!

[jking]

decipher my tag? It would be a new one right?

[jking]

It's been a while, so time for an update. The engine is back at the rebuilders so he can put in the flywheel bolts that he forgot the first time.

The tranny is now almost complete with only the top part to rebuild, the guts are all done.

Most of my efforts have been on the body for the last three months. I've done little metal work and no welding in the past, so this part has been intimidating. I'm not really sure how my quality is, really having nothing to compare it to. Although, even I notice when I screw up, and I have.

Together again! No not really, had to move the body out of the garage for Thanksgiving and set up the ping pong table for my kids and visitors.



layout the floorpans





floorpans in

[jking]

I think I'm at 22 distinct new 16 gauge sheet pieces. Here's some of that work. I was using a air cutoff tool, air nibbler, sawsall, and a big hand shear. Best tool, my 40 year old little B&D jigsaw - with new sharp blades. Have gone through a lot of blades. Wish I had figured that out on day 1!

I worked hard to save the Jeep Script Logo. Cut around it and crafted 4 peices. Lot more work, but worth it to me. That was back in the summer when I started. My skills have improved and I probably could craft a single piece now.



Didn't know how to bead it properly so just used a straight peice. Most of it is going to be under the roll bar.



Lot's of work in the passenger rear quarter. The spare tire rack seemed to trap the water and a lot of the area under rusted out. It ticked me off to find that, so the rack isn't going back on!. Insult to injury, also a big dent in front of carrier. That curved piece was a lot of fun. Taillight area all rusted out too. Took five pieces in this area.






That black line ? - It's marker to show where I had to start a bend to mate up to the bend in the mated piece. Used a 1 1/2 cast iron pipe to make all my bends.