CJ3b....That is what the vin tag says.

[jonah]

Yes I think those 231 HEI distributors do fit and that is an update I want to do. But it will have to wait a bit until I rebuild my jeep fund. I am trying to finish with what I have now. Just the little bits and pieces are adding up quick.

I got the rotor today and did one attempt on starting the motor. first no fuel. Figured out I had a leak in my hodge-podge fuel line going to the my little red gas can and was sucking air.

Then no spark. Tracked down a dirty connection and got spark. Accidentally touched the coil wire while checking for spark and gave myself a good shock - ouch - not recommended. By then it was too late to fire up, have to wait until morning.

[jonah]

Working on buttoning up the body, starting with the bottom. Going to finish welding the new to the old, plug up a few thousand holes and get some paint on it.


Rolled back 15 feet, the furthest it has moved in a long time.


Drivers side, pipe snakes nicely around the clutch slave.


Passenger side


$20 Cherry Bomb Turbo...cheap but cheap.


Did I mention I started the motor? With some help from my neighbor Steve, we got the points gapped and the timing set. The rebuilt carb could use some tuning. It is blowing smoke out the rocker cover breathers something fierce. I am sure it needs a rebuild but it will have to wait. Anyway, she was running :thumbs_up

[dirtman13]

Congrates jonah. It's looking really good. Progress feels great doesn't it?

[mpc]

I've been enjoying your build. I have a similar stretch project waiting in the wings. How much higher than stock is your engine, tranny, tc ?
Mine is a 3B as well so I'll be wanting to take advantage of the high hood to gain ground clearance.
Thanks.

[jonah]

Thanks!

Dirtman, it does feel good. I have been working like crazy on it. Thanks for the reamer offer. Did you get my last PM?

mpc, I had to go pretty high with the engine to keep the giant NP205 from scraping the ground. I am not sure what the stock position was because when I got the jeep the engine was on homemade mounts that were drooping. But now my stock air filter is just hitting the hood. The bolts for the mounts are 2.25 inches above the top of the frame rail (of course my frame rails are not stock either). The bottom of my oil pan is even with the bottom of the frame rails.

Basically what I did was start at the highest point my rear output yoke could be for drive shaft angle, set the transfer case at that height and worked my way forward. My drive line has a 5 degree slope. My trans cross-member still had to come below the frame 1.5 inches but it is only because I am using such a large transmission and transfer case. It took a few drafts on paper and more trig than I have used in a long time, but the math paid off and everything fit the first time.

If you are using the stock drive train, it will be a lot easier. You could easily get a completely flat belly and not have to move the engine much. What motor/trans/tcase will you be using? Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss anything in detail.

[mpc]

You could easily get a completely flat belly and not have to move the engine much. What motor/trans/tcase will you be using? Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss anything in detail.

Yep, shooting for flat, but will likely be a couple inches away from that. CJ6 frame, Buick V6, T-18 tranny
which hangs down pretty low, Dana 20 tc. I'll keep you in mind when I actually start building. Thanks for the info!

[jonah]

Yeah, you will have a similar problem that I had with my SM465. Those 4 speeds are a lot taller than the stock T-14 that they ran with the v6. Makes things a bit tight. At least with the high hood you have some room to work. My closest call was the shifter ended up right below the dash, with about a half inch to spare in 3rd gear. I probably could have made my belly flat if I took the 5 degree slope out of the drive train. But that would have pushed my drive shaft angle up to 25-26 degrees. Should have made the whole thing 8 inches longer, would have made a few things easier. Oh well, next time.

Your build sounds fun, make sure to post some pics!

[dirtman13]

Did you get my last PM?

Yes I did. I will be around all weekend.

[GP4Play]

Looks like your almost ready for paint and wireing,Looking good Jonah.

[jonah]

Yeah, getting close. Thanks. I have got to take a picture of the wiring I took out last night. There had to be about 7-8 inches of bare wire under there and, not one fuse anywhere in the whole system - yikes!. I haven't seen a rat's nest like that in a while

Got some more welding done on the sheet metal, figured out the pedals and steering column. Here is the beginning of the pedal bracket I made. It bolts to the fire wall and bottom of the dash. Still have to build out the dash end to hold the steering column.





weld inspection.

[RAT]

Jonah,
Did you get a MIG welder? Looks nice.At the rate you're going you'll be done before me. It's all the little details now.I can't wait to see this baby when you're done.

[jonah]

Hey Kurt!

Yes, I got a little 110 machine. My wife's uncle gave it to me. It has really helped on the sheet metal. My only trouble is working outside, it has been real breezy lately. I was hoping to put the body on today, but I am not making good progress. I filled about 20-30 holes in the firewall and floor pans last night and this morning. Still have a lot to do on the tub just to get it solid, let alone smooth and ready for paint. But I am just trying to get the bottom done so I can mount it on the frame and test drive it.

Thanks to Dirtman13!! Went to his place and borrowed his tapered reamer to reverse the taper in my pitman arm. His jeep is looking awesome and he is a really nice guy. Anyway, put the pitman on and the steering is done!

OK, back to weld, grind, weld, grind, weld, grind, ad infinitum.

[dirtman13]

Nice work jonah. x2 on the welds. I should have had you weld up my exhaust while you were there.

[jonah]

Ha ha, don't be fooled - for every good looking one there are a whole mess of ugly ones. But my good to bad ratio keeps getting better. Pipe is tricky too.

Made some progress. Finished the firewall and bottom of the body. Mounted tub. Installed pedals, and master cylinders for clutch and brakes. Plumbed clutch and brakes. I was a little nervous if it all would work since I was using the wilwood set up. Especially on the clutch since it was a manual linkage set up before. But I bled everything and it all works! Little fine tuning on pedal height, but I will wait for the seats to go in before finalizing. Also got the steering column and shaft in. Had to make a custom flange for the column at the firewall and shorten the steering shaft. I have to wait for a boot for the steering shaft coupler before I can really call it finished but it all works. Have to wait for some daylight to get the pics.

[jonah]

Seats in, could use some seat covers...


Controls, definitely more comfortable than when I bought the jeep. The extra leg room helps, I got the steering wheel at a better angle and height.


New pedals, wilwood brake and clutch, homemade gas pedal.


Here are the master cylinders. I have never run a dual set up like this. I am running a 1 inch for the front disks and a 7/8 inch for the rear drums. I bled the system and the pedal feels good, but I need to test it to get it set up. It has a adjustable balance bar between the cylinders to control the ratio front to rear.




Front brake line.


getting closer....