Bringing An(other) Overlander Back Home II

[ag4ever]

That is an impressive list of near unobtainium parts!

Have you found a source for the rear reflectors?

 

[DeLuke]

Have you found a source for the rear reflectors?

Not so much as a source but did manage to randomly find some on Ebay after searching "Hella reflector" every week or so. I owe you so PM me your address, and I will send you two.

 

[ag4ever]

Don’t sweat it, I’m thinking of visiting friends in the Dallas area soon. Till then, there is no rush.

Both of mine are intact, I just have one with a scratch that is too deep to polish out.

 

[DeLuke]

Don’t sweat it, I’m thinking of visiting friends in the Dallas area soon. Till then, there is no rush.

Sounds good. Let me know when you make it to Dallas. I also have those extra wide fender flares for you.

 

[jerseyjeeps]

I saw this when I was at Delukes in January. I was blown away by its condition. It really is a good one and so unique to see in red.

 

[bigwalton]

I saw this when I was at Delukes in January. I was blown away by its condition. It really is a good one and so unique to see in red.

I have pictures since Christmas as i happened to end up in Dallas and at DeLuke's house the very same night Jersey/Eric
was there

as Jersey and DeLuke can attest, i jusy kept walking back over to this one and drooling, all night long. this Jeep really pushes all
my buttons in that its in great shape but its been used and built and loved in the perfect way. It's simply spectacular and impossible
to fully appreciate in photos.

 

[DeLuke]

Yeah, I almost had to get Eric a sleeping bag for the back. Those were fairly early pictures. At that point, I had only removed the doublewide flares and taken out the carpet. Oh, and started troubleshooting the reverse lights.

 

[bigwalton]

Yeah, I almost had to get Eric a sleeping bag for the back.

That is actually a perfect way to put it.

 

[John N]

Yeah, I almost had to get Eric a sleeping bag for the back. Those were fairly early pictures. At that point, I had only removed the doublewide flares and taken out the carpet. Oh, and started troubleshooting the reverse lights.

Eric is fine with sleeping in a garage...I speak from experience here.

 

[bigwalton]

Eric is fine with sleeping in a garage...I speak from experience here.

Truth. For Jeeps, no problem.

 

[DeLuke]

I still haven't taken good new pictures of the big red one but here are a few updates:
-Removed, sanded and repainted the rear taillight housings.
-Installed new Hella tail, reverse and front indicator light lenses (mix of NOS and new). I've learned that all the original Euro / Australian style lenses and reflectors were/are made by Hella. Some are still in production believe it or not.
-Installed a very nice used frame cover and replaced the front bumper bolts/nuts with new Grade 8 hardware.
-The ridge/channel on the roof top had some fairly bad surface rust. Sanded that down, treated it, and color matched the paint. Not perfect, but only TallWalton can even see up there. At least, it's protected up there now.
-Touched up some other spots on the top with the color-matched paint.
-Brake service with new pads, front rotors, etc.

I still have lots of projects for it:
-Replacing the door locks for which I've bought a set of three.
-Cutting/Installing a bed mat based on a factory Jeep one. Letchcore recently inspired me, and the new to-be-cut mat arrived today.
-Maybe removing the door mirrors and installing factory-style mirrors. The problem here is that you have to flip the left/right mirrors and kind of bend the arms/mounts. Will also have to color match some door hinge bolts.
-Dropping a new stereo and speakers in it.
-Replacing the rear door panel somehow. Talked to a custom upholstery shop. They can't do a perfect match but would be an improvement.
-Restore the seat belts.
-Probably 5-10 other things.

Maybe I'll start another couple this weekend!

 

[Scramblin Man]

Looking good !

 

[designerRob]

@DeLuke I'm sure I can speak for everyone here when I say, we would love to see some pics of your entire Jeep collection. I bet it's amazing!

 

[Belizeit]

Damb Rob is a mind reader !

 

[ag4ever]

DeLuke, did you ever find a source for the reverse lights? Or the red reflectors?

 

[DeLuke]

DeLuke, did you ever find a source for the reverse lights? Or the red reflectors?

No, the reverse lights and the reflectors are discontinued. Best to search Ebay and Ebay Australia. I randomly found a few pair of the reflectors on Ebay very cheap (and have a pair for you). The reverse lights can be found randomly, too. I found a pair but have not received them yet and its been a couple months. The rear combo lights (lenses and housing) and front indicator lights are still being made in Europe and Australia.

 

[ag4ever]

Thanks! I found a set of reverse light a while back (fixtures and lenses). It would be nice to find a source. I never could find reflectors. Found similar ones, but they were all off by just a little too much.

 

[Want a scrambler]

I couldn't help myself and bought another Overlander this past month. Forum member Andrew Burrows (same member who sold me Blue) bought this one in the Spring and decided to part ways with it. We reached a deal, and it is officially bought and paid for. Andrew is being super helpful and having the carb adjusted a little prior to shipping. The Jeep is running a bit rough, and we do not want the shipper to have problems starting it during the 3-month journey. Andrew is also swapping on the factory white wagon wheels prior to shipping it! Hopefully it will be here by Christmas!

View attachment 75823View attachment 75825

Beautiful

 

[ag4ever]

Huge thanks to @DeLuke

Here is a photo of the driving light switch in mine, so the funky one is definitely correct.



(Ignore the wire, that is my Holley EFI display cable.)

Also, you were correct about the roof.

 

[DeLuke]

More work on the Red Overlander during the last couple months and some pics:

• Replaced valve cover gasket, fuel pump, transmission mount, oil sending unit, ignition module, solenoid, and neutral safety switch.
• Replaced the door locks including the rear door.
• Cut and installed a bed mat based on a factory Scrambler mat. Left the front arms a little thicker since Red’s roll bar mounts to the floor (strangely it has a 2.5” rollbar that’s front mounted to the floor like a CJ7; later Overlanders like Jersey’s have a normal 3” rollbar mounted to the bed).
• Installed a new Bluetooth stereo, front speakers and rear 6x9s in Thor wedges (worked well with the CJ7-ish rollbar).
• Unbolted the roll bar and rust protected, primed and painted underneath the rollbar feet.
• Sanded and repainted the seat risers and grab bar.
• Painted the hood catches factory silver along with some factory-style bolts
• I finally took the rear door panel to an upholstery shop. Should have the replacement in another week.
• Restored the seat belts with new “Press” stickers.
• ACC front floor mats.
• Seems like more but can’t recall everything.

Will post some updated pictures and some of the work. I still have a handful of things intended for it. However, I have decided to sell Red in the near future. The garage probably doesn’t need two Overlanders, and I’ve had fun working on it over the last 9 months. It’s gotten more attention than all my other Jeeps combined during 2020. Time to look for a new project. This is not a listing but stay tuned as I’ll post it up here first to keep it in the family.