Well...
As is obvious, I havent updated in about a week. Why? I haven't touched the Jeeps in about a week. And I've had one heck of a week.

Sunday night, tornadoes came through our community (Jackson/ Madison County, Tennessee, Lexington/ Henderson County, Tennessee).

I spent Monday through Thursday volunteering, at the Lexington cleanup and the Humane Society (Animal Shelter). Thursday night I got sick. Friday I was miserable. Saturday night I was diagnosed by local doctors with what we believe to be a version of Rocky Mountain Spotted Tick Fever. The medication I'm on prevents me from being outside in the sunlight.

Well, that isnt so bad, except I have no shelter to work on the Jeep under, and I just plain dont have the energy to work on them. the medication lasts ten days, so hopefully it'll clear up soon.

In the meantime, I've been brainstorming.

Assuming I live long enough, I intend to coat everything under the body, minus the engine, with POR 15. Transmission, transfer case, PTO...probably coat them, maybe not. I'll coat the frame, axles, steering components, the underside of all sheetmetal/ the body, and driveshafts.

I also have a new axle dream. If I can get the money, I want to have Currie Enterprises, or similar custom- shop narrow a set of Dana 44 axles, one front and one rear, to the same wheel-to-wheel length as the stock axles. That way, I can have power steering, 31 to 33 inch tires, and ARB Air Lockers without having to worry about breaking the stock units...because I dont think they'd hold up well.

The interior of the new tub will be coated with either POR 15 or a Rhino Lining style of liquid bedliner, then painted. The entire tub/ sheetmetal will be olive drab...probably.

Original? Not...exactly. But I'm not building a showpiece...well, I am, but...I'm building the Jeep I've always dreamed of. I'd like to stay fairly close to orginal, but...I'm changing a few things. Like, I want heavier runnind gear to withstand larger tires for off- road use. I want to go with Olive Drab instead of the factory Normandy Blue. I need power steering for larger tires, off road use, and differential lockers.

I'm also considering a suspension lift. Not a big one, mind you, I still want this Jeep to look at least semi- stock. Maybe 2 1/2 inches...just enough to clear either a 31 or 33 inch tire. The Jeep already has...well, I believe it's either a 31 or 33 inch tire on it now.

Tow hooks will be added, to the frame, at each corner. They're also going to be POR 15 coated, probably.

I need to find out what type of spare tire jack the CJ-2A's had, simply because I'm curious. I've about decided to get a black, 48 inch Hi-Lift 'bumper' style jack. I think it can be mounted to look original, and if not it'll just be un- original.

In time, I think I know where I might can get the hardtop and doors off what I think is a CJ-3A. The catch there, though, is that Jeep is owned by the father of a friend, who...no longer seems too crazy about me. The father, that is. But that really isnt Jeep related.

I've been trying to find some auxillary driving lights that I could mount to look semi- original. I'm also trying to find a way to mount a CB radio and mobile scanner in it. I'm thinking, with those, I can make a 'console' type enclosure out of a military surplus ammunition can, and make it removable. That way, my electrical equipment can be taken inside or somewhere safe if the Jeep will be sitting alone.

Of course, to run all the electrical stuff, I'll need to convert to 12 volt. Since my original battery mount is rusted, I want to grind those rivets out and put another original mount on there, attached to the frame, then mount an actual four- sided battery box on it, and possibly tied to the passenger fenderwell. That box is probably going to house an Optima Yellow top battery. Now, that battery is designed for high- draw applications, so I have no worries about it powering my lights and communication equipment. I would even be willing to trust it to run a heavy (15,000 pound) winch on top of all my electricals, but since this Jeep has the PTO winch, I'm not concerned about it holding up.

Of course, I still have to research a good, reliable alternator for such an application. I'm also thinking about electrical ignition, and a K&N air filter.

I've thought about tweaking with the exhaust and all, but...the Jeep, when I got it, has an (to the best of my knowledge/ memory) almost completely flat underbelly. So, I want to keep it that way. It leaves fewer things to drag, break, bend, or get hung up on off road...and a larger diameter exhaust just wont fit, it seems. If it were to, there would have to be a lot more bends, I think. The one on it now is shaped basically like a J. A gentle curve down from the manifold, then a straight shot out the rear. The fewer turns, twists, and bends, the less the exhaust gasses are inhibited, thus increasing flow, thus increasing power.

I'm also prowling new approaces to safety. There -will- be a minimum of one fire extinguisher in the Jeep at all times. If money permits, I want to see about a handle- activated Halon system. I'm also putting in a main- battery cutout switch, for a few reasons. Number one, it's a safety feature. Cutting off the electrical flow in an accident can help prevent fires. Number two, convienience. No more pulling a battery cable to remove or switch electrical components. Number three, theft deterrent. Let's face it, our Jeeps arent as secure as a full steel bodied car, and most of them (in my opinion) are much nicer than the newest offering Cadillac or Mercedes- Benz can offer. So surely there's some scumbag out there just waiting to get his hands on one. So, if I mount the cut off switch in an easy to reach, yet hard to see place, I can cut it off when I turn off the engine. That way, if he manages to try and hot- wire it, it still wont work. Sure, I know it's not much, and if he's determined he'll have my Jeep anyway, but I'm going to make it as difficult as possible.


Anyway...