willysmjeeps.com

Spent some time out in the yard today. Intentions were to cover the jeep with a canvas tarp since Im headed on patrol in a few days. But, I got sidetracked and decided the weather was good!




To help locate the holes for the hood hinge, since my mom was going to help me put it on, I made some studs to help align. I did this with my Inline6 223 in my Ford.



Then decided I should probably finish painting my tailgate.


And since I was already spraying paint, I grabbed a bunch of other things that were prepped.


Everything is in the color


I bought some paint mask from Delta Decals. I wanted to give it a try!




That is Coast Guard blue- I cross referenced it with the old Color and Coatings manual from 1952.

My camera did some weird pixel change, it is not actually pink- it is that CG Blue.





Not every paint mark you would put on an Army or USMC jeep are going to be on mine. But some.


He threw in a "bonus"




I decided to use the original hood number- the Army number...
CG would have a T in front of it, I probably should have ordered that from Delta , but I forgot. It still looks great!


Hood blocks installed.
I had to drill out the hood holes a little bigger for these to fit.


Got dark on us, so we had to stop. My Mom was out helping me today.

That's very nice!

Did you repair or replace your busted pintle hook?

I found one on eBay for about 30.00 a week ago.

Looking great! Glad you like the paint mask set, and the blue looks great against that grey. It will make a great looking Jeep all finished up. Be safe on your upcoming deployment.

Haze grey and under way!

One of my three watchdogs.
Salty is put away for now. I had to gate it off with that plastic fencing to keep the boys from peeing on the tires and the tarp.
BTW- I had been reading a lot on CJ2A form, and the 503, and I saw that some mentioned using a canvas tarp to cover theirs. I bought one, my mom and I started to put it on the jeep but dang the coating was yellow and rubbed off onto my hands, clothes and the JEEP! I was instantly in a panic to wash it off and buy a poly tarp. 16 x 12 did the trick, and 8 ratchet straps. I could have used bungies, but they all been stretched out and I should just throw them all away at this point.

Sometime when I get back, we are going to move salty into the garage. I really need to hook up a steering box to it, and also bolt the body down.



I still have a few orders that are outstanding from previous purchases. Maybe all the parts are stuck in the cargo ships offshore..... They should all be here by the time I get back.

Your jeep is looking very sharp. You should be very proud of your work. I just lost my little guy Sunday to diabetes. Does your mom take care of your little guys when you are away?

I noticed a lot of extra holes in your dash. Are you planning on filling them all?

Mom is here this time, dad was here the last. Each have made at least two trips now since all this started two years ago. I am about to start my 6th deployment in 2.5 years. Heck, my third in this calendar year alone.

As for the dash- I will be filling them with something.

got home from the longest short patrol ever. major mechanical issues plagued us the entire time. nothing like eating on paper plates for a month too due to a failed dishwashing system.


Right where I left salty (hilda looking at me to throw a ball)
img upload

So badly want to break that tarp off and do some work.

Left when it was 90* every day, now we in the 40's... freezing to me since I spent the better half of the last two months in Haiti, Cuba and Key West.

my new windshield glass showed up while I was gone... may break the jeep out of the tarp and put the glass in.

I went by the machine shop where my engine is, and it was actually in the cleaning tank at that moment.
The owner said he was glad he measured all the crank journals, because 3 were all the same and #4 was way different. I think he said they were 40, and the #4 was at 60. He sent the crank down to a different machine shop for work.

Welcome home Coastie!
Have a nice dinner or three on the good china.
Throw Hilda some balls.
First things first.

Had to unwrap the Jeep cause I plan on doing stuff this weekend.

Had two strings lying around- might as well decorate

Saturday, it was supposed to sunny and 70. Turned out to be wet and 50.

I had drug the “summer top” canvas out and tried it on.

Fit pretty good. The webbing and Buckles all lined up.









Looking thru the back window plastic. That’s just shadow upper corners, it is very clear in person



I have those front top rods and they don’t seem to fit. I know I have to drill a hole in the bow.
I put the door rod in the socket to hold the top rod up for photo purposes.



Not sure if the rod should be hidden up under the canvas or visible. The top bow has to be pushed aft pretty hard to even make it look like I could line up the rod for a hole.

Future me problems.

I cut a tractor supply horse mat for the rear bed floor. The company I use for bed liner is out of chemicals due to “COVID shortages”(whatever)... so I put it back there for now. That remaking thing was like trying to wrestle a wet dog.. it is very stiff and fit with some additional cutting.
I measured a few times, found some good exact knife blades and set out to cut. An hour later I wrestled it in, needed to trim and wrestled it out. Recut it, and wrestled it back in. It’s in there now! So if you do this, and may be more worn out by age or strength... get help. I’m bruised up.

I also was climbing in my Jeep barefoot (remember is raining a little) so I wouldn’t muddy or scratch the paint.

There are a few things in my life that make me very uncomfortable...

First dates, wet jeans, trying to put wet bathing suit back on and wet socks!

Wes has a few good thoughts on how to line up your bows and rods. You’ll probably have to search them out.

Go To Wes’ photo pages or Wee bee Webbings website for photos of how all the rods and everything line up.

Main thing I took away? Put the rope in the channel, pull all the straps tight where they should be, then go look at those top and side door rods. Unless you do that you may end up cutting or drilling something that won’t fit later.

I thought I also remembered wetting the canvas, mounting it, and allowing it to dry in place.

Take care,

Cutting the floor mat. Cut a piece of cardboard, or a couple taped together to be big enough. Trim that to fit, then use it as a pattern to cut your mat.

That way it only has to go in once.

Looking good. The lights make it look like one of those Japanese big trucks.

For stall mats use a jigsaw with a medium tooth blade to cut them, makes life a bit easier.