Project Salty

CoastieReid · Post by **CoastieReid** » Fri Jun 12, 2020 12:02 pm

Hi Wes,
Sorry I missed your request the other day. I posted, then went to duty where all h-ll always seems to break loose when I’m the engineer of the watch.

Just got home now.

I have a couple photos of CG jeeps though they are not M38 exactly. Like I said, CG has made it 230 years by obtaining what they want and making it their own.

I came home early(earlier than normal) so I can receive a freight arrival.
I’m still working on my frame. Need to cut the front leaf springs out this weekend and maybe patch the frame and prepare it for paint. Got some new shock mounts coming in the mail.

CoastieReid · Post by **CoastieReid** » Fri Jun 12, 2020 7:15 pm

I did a little work on the frame tonight, my upper shock mounts arrived, but I need to remove the old ones still.

Also scraped some old grease and gunk off. See the frame was painted black then OD.

Off tomorrow and will be working on the frame again.

CoastieReid · Post by **CoastieReid** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 6:34 pm

Got the frame stripped best I could.
Still need to drill out some rusted hardware and retap the holes (or nutsert them)

So I flipped the frame to get at the bottom side. Wire wheel all I can reach. Wire brush all I could reach. Cleaned. Out rust encapsulater on the frame and will drag the welder out tomorrow to do some more repair.

Can flip it over and install the shock mounts after I’m done on the bottom.

CoastieReid · Post by **CoastieReid** » Sun Jun 14, 2020 7:25 pm

Set fire to the grass... not really, but it’s dead and I didn’t want to set fire to it, so I bought a HF fiberglass welding tarp to help prevent the forest fire.

Cut these out off the driver side.

Spent half the day working on it and did this.. I used my Hobart handler 140. I was out of gas so I used flux core .030 wore instead.

Have a hole on the opposite side I should crop and renew- this is where the old snow plow was mounted. It’s thin in the area and I cropped out all the bad and put in 10 gauge.

4x4M38 · Post by **4x4M38** » Mon Jun 15, 2020 7:47 am

That’s nice work there Sailor.

That damage on the other side shows how much damage one can do with a snow plow. That hole area is seriously wallowed all out.

CoastieReid · Post by **CoastieReid** » Mon Jun 15, 2020 8:27 am

It’s raining right now and I want to patch the opposite side.

The snow plow really did a number on those mount holes.

Somehow my photo album on post image isn’t missing- that’s the reason for all the previous images gone.

CoastieReid · Post by **CoastieReid** » Wed Jun 17, 2020 6:13 pm

Spent time on the frame the other day and flipped it right side up.

I ordered some front and rear axle parts.... doing a full recfresh on the. The front are so loose.

I did buy new hubs. The old ones are absolutely rusted I snapped a wheel stud off and expect them to be that way all the way around,

So, I have experienced repairing another vehicle and it was time consuming but it came out awesome. Since COVID has prevented me from going out of town, I am going to try my hand at this salty body.

I have a few items now, and will start cropping the new panels in. Worst case it fails. Best case it works. We shall see.

I am scheduled to leave again on another deployment in a few weeks and there’s is no authorized travel except with the 1 star approval.
Jeep in a box piece by piece coming,

CoastieReid · Post by **CoastieReid** » Sun Jun 21, 2020 5:21 am

Duty onboard the ship Friday into morning of Saturday, as I left the ship, the weather dropped several inches of rain and a few thunderstorms prevented me from getting more work done than I had wanted.

I did finish tacking in the repair on the driver side.
Blew thru on a rust hole on the left and I need to finish the right side patch.

CoastieReid · Post by **CoastieReid** » Mon Jun 22, 2020 2:37 pm

Last night I got my shock mounts welded on.

I had to weld in new front bushings too, but forgot the photo.

I did also instal my leaf spring system. Rear right and front left have left hand threads..... annoying. I won’t torque thes until I load the weight on the suspension later.
I had to drill the pivot bolt hole out to accept the 9/16” grease-able bolt. I had to buy a new drill and dewalt bit worked like butter. I tried a tractor supply drill bit that could fit my smaller check in an older drill, and it was garbage. So bought the bigger chucked d4ill and bit at Lowe’s.

4x4M38 · Post by **4x4M38** » Tue Jun 23, 2020 5:59 am

Thanks for the tip on the DeWalt bits. There are some when new won’t drill holes in wood, and if they do, will only once then they are dull.

I need to make a list and get an order off to McMaster. I have some gaps in my drill box. I love McMaster Carr but their shipping is horrific and you have to make it worthwhile.

CoastieReid · Post by **CoastieReid** » Tue Jun 23, 2020 6:27 pm

Hand the day of leave so I got buy after the house chores were done and trips to post office and whatnot,

Driver side was rusty!

Got that side panel replaced and looks okay. Have a little bow in it that I will need to work out.

Cut the driver side cowl step off.

Fixed the cowl support behind all that too, but didn’t phot it.

And replaced the step.

4x4M38 · Post by **4x4M38** » Wed Jun 24, 2020 8:43 pm

See I thought that was what you were supposed to do. Cut out and weld that tab in the panel. I’ve seen some folks just put it behind the panel and weld everything up.

This is more work but makes sense.

CoastieReid · Post by **CoastieReid** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 7:19 pm

oNward to the passenger side nightmare.

Wire ran out. Will finish during the week after work.
Need to do some more hammer and dolly work at the axe area.

[url=https://postimages.org/]

CoastieReid · Post by **CoastieReid** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 6:22 am

Been sweating to death in this humid hot Virginia weather. One minute it’s thundering and raining, next it’s hot.

I did some hacking on the passenger side.

There is a slight recess for the axe. Though it’s hard to see with primer over it.

The left hand threads of the lug nuts must have confused someone. Those were on super tight and I stripped one. I had to pond a 12 point socket on it and break it free. The rest just took all my body weight to get loose.
I have my axles on a pallet currently. I want to rebuild them some point beforehand I deploy again this month. I have all new bearings, seals and shim packs if needed. The opinion feels sloppy but no grinding.

Talk about manual labor! I sweat thru my jeans and shirt doing this yesterday.

The inner tubes were rusted to the rims. The tires are 1970’s. There was a stamp on one of the tubes saying 1978. I was born in 80 and I’m 40 years old. Insane.
The tires were just shredding as I was removing them.

I took a wire wheel with my grinder, and cleared the rust chunks. No holes.

In MASH there was an episode called Dear Dad. Radar was mailing a Jeep home bit by bit... my fedex guy has been delivering it to me.

Today I will probably work on the rear quarter of passenger side.

Post by **wesk** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 10:00 am

That is some very impressive work on those wheels!