Packin’ Glass

September 1, 2010

As with any good restoration enthusiast, it pays to have willing help that often will work for free. Having a brother-in-law close by has been a great boon to this project, as he is often more willing than I am to get his hands dirty and fix stuff. As a Pro mechanic and a master of anything pertaining to older vehicles, I enlisted his help on inspecting some exhaust parts and doing some brake line work before the weather got too cold (winter is an absolute beast; and a legendary raider of ambition)

 

               With one swift tug at the old muffler, it crumbled like a matzah; leaving a 2’ gap between my cat and the rest of the tailpipe. Replacement OEM mufflers are upwards of $50 if I’m lucky, and they really lack in character. Much to my economic benefit (though I assume more for my amusement), Canadian Tire sells a few sizes of CherryBomb Glass-Pack Mufflers. These units are made of heavier steel and are treated in heat resistant paint for longer life. They also are designed to flow straight through, boosting flow by as much as an advertised 40% - leaving the low rumble of the V8 while skimming off the higher pitch noises.

      The fit was just about stock, with the tail pipe being pulled a bit further forward. It made a difference in so many ways that it made the truck sound a lot younger. For starters, it quietened the exhaust from its old rattling hollow muffler problems, and added some much needed rumble. Since these mufflers were designed in the 60’s for muscle cars, it fits my engine like a glove.

       I also turned my attention to treating the front brakes to match my new rear drums. I popped off the rim and set to cleaning the calipre for paint. This adds nothing in terms of stopping distance, but does add a cool focal point on the road when the wheel is spinning. With the help of my brother in law, we removed the front passenger brake line and flex line, and began bending some blank stock to fit (didn’t finish, got too cold). 

Broken Glass & Other Assorted Malice

April 27 - June 15

This blog covers a great deal of time (roughly 2 months), so I'll keep it quick as possible. Although the windshield itself was brand new when I bought the Jeep, the framing below was for lack of a better word - Gone. What follows is a pictorial depiction of the reconstructive surgery the beast underwent.

This had been attempt 1 at fixing the rust, but I never liked it and felt that I could do better.

In order to fix these corners, I knew the windshield had to come out. My Haynes manual told me to leave windshields to a professional, and thus wouldn't tell me how to do it. I pressed on anyways (quite literally). i did countless hours of research, and people told me it was easy; just undo the gasket and push in the top corners with your feet. The glass will just pop right out. I even put a blanket on the hood to catch the glass when it came free.

Ugh.... they lied 

After the first break, it would be pointless to try and save it. The only way forward was to smash my way out. I did manage to save the gasket though, which of the 2, was the harder one to find.

 All this missing frame meant the new windshield would face 3 problems if I left it. a) it would let water seep in, b) it wouldn't support the windshield, and c)the installer would refuse to let me get away with it.

 Same goes here. More tricky curves, and in very noticeable areas. The other 2 corners looked much the same.

 Patch #1. it's not that I ran out of metal, the perforated metal is supposed to allow the bondo to hold better around the curve, without falling out later.

 This patch took about an hour of fitting and hammering and bending with pliers (all the proper body-working tools). Once welded in though it followed the lines well. The trick is (or for me) to be just below where the bondo surface will be so it blends better without metal sticking through.

 Sanding after first application. It's looking more complete already.

 Upper corner looking good. It looks more like a bad dent than a new patch.

 Passenger lower corner. Under that bondo is some custom formed replacement metal.

 More custom metalworking, done to AMC specs (built to the nearest foot).

 Initial primer shot. this shows low points and pitting.

 medley of primer, bondo, and more primer. Leveling out now (btw, if anyone sees anything wrong with my methods of bondo-ing, feel free to let me know).

 Shot with a sealing layer of Tremclad. I did find a few fisheyes, and the trem doesnt stick that well to red oxide primer.

 This probably turned out to be my best corner. The windshield guy didnt notice until I told him.

 Passable, but the bodyline could have been softer.

 This was a more functional fix, since most of it is now under the gasket. The paint layers sealed it before I had a new window installed.

 Open cruising concept... it is a Jeep after all.

Awaiting its new windshield.

New windshield in. It looks so fresh, and whe it's all clean you can barely tell it exists from inside. It didnt come with a mirror mount though, so I plundered a scrap field truck for a mount and a mirror.

All in all I was pleased with the results of this semi unexpected fix. It turns out that despite being a rare vehicle, a brand new windshield was less than one for a newer car (and they came and installed it in my driveway).