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Gary's '81 Scrambler

Engine is IN!

The small block Chevy engine is finally in the frame. Completely bolted in, thanks to Novak mounts, and a Novak SBC to T-176 adapter!

It was a loooong weekend gettng it done, but there is no room for error. Measurements were taken over and over, and then the welding was done on the mounts. In this pic, I have it mocked up, with the grill temporarily in place.

I'm trying to figure out how I'm gonna get in this dang thing :shrug:

motorin.jpg
 
Looks nice!

Sits tall... you might need to carry a ladder!
 
I am right at 40", to the top of the door opening. This is with the RE 4.5" lift, 1" body lift, and 35" BFG's. I'm sure the springs may sag a little over time, but not by too much.

I am seriously thinking about those electric running boards. I had an insurance adjuster at my house a few weeks back, driving a new F-250. When he opened his door, the running boards magically appeared and came down about 9-10". When he closed the door, they retracted back up, underneath the cab. Very pricey from what I've seen, but VERY cool :cool:
 
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NICE!

Wow, that engine sits really low. Guess I'm not used to seeing things without fenders like that.

Looks fantastic though! :cheers:
 
Thanks! I think it appears that the motor is sitting low, since it's missing the carb and the air cleaner in the photo :wave:
 
Nice work. Looks really good- nice height, tire size, etc. Body looks clean too. Enjoying watching it.
 
great job and your doing it all just right. i wish i had the funding to do better by mine.

i cant believe how undisturbed the body was, amazing find.
what was your winning bid im dying to know?
 
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Thanks, fellas!

I have been truly blessed in my business (it has taken off through the roof!) and this allows me to buy parts and pieces a little bit at a time, to do the rebuild EXACTLY like I want it. But I do have a motto that I follow: if I don't have the $$ to do it right now, just wait. In other words, the Jeep comes LAST....after family, and company bills. By using this methodology, I just keep chipping away at the rebuild. However, when it's done, it will be paid for and done to a scale that should please any Jeep enthusiast.

Again, I am highly blessed by a growing business in these bad times/economy.....but it could change anytime. In the meantime, order parts and sneak them home before the wife gets back :rolleyes:

Oh, and since nobody has mentioned my other passion, GO TEXAS RANGERS! :D
 
Updates..

Doesn't look like much of a change, but: tranny and t-case are in, and the skid plate has been modified to clear the front drive shaft (and is now installed...not shown in this photo, thus the orange strap still in place).

I have my new fuel and brake lines, so this weekend I will start laying them out and attaching to the frame.

rollwl.jpg
 
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Hey Gary,

Can the body and frame be blasted with Aluminum oxide without any problems ?

Looks OUTSTANDING Gary.....

<~~~Rangers Fan... I was on the 3rd base line during the only game they won in the WS... "sigh" always a Rangers fan !
 
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I'm not too sure about the blasting material you mentioned. I'm sure it would work fine, but I am no expert. A buddy of mine soda blasted mine. The soda (baking soda) is amazing to work with. We did this in my back pasture, and while the soda messed up the grass for a month or so, it came back in an amazing lush green. The blasting material goes EVERYWHERE, even up about 125-yards and into my pool! Since the soda is completely harmless, it's safe to use anywhere- just remember the dust that it creates. This safety factor, coupled with how well it works on metal, is why we chose soda blasting. The soda eats paint like crazy, but does not harm the metal at all. Sand (and other more abrasive media) will slightly roughen up / pit the metal. As a matter of fact, my friend started blasting my windshield frame. I told him to give me a few minutes to remove the seal and glass, and he said no worries! The soda blasts the paint right off, but doesn't harm the rubber seal or the glass at all. It's an amazing media to use.

But back to your question, I am not sure about the aluminum oxide media you asked about. Is there a reason you want to maybe use that?
 
Modification

I am using the RE 4.5" lift, and 35's for tires. I installed a 350 SBC engine, with Novak adapter that goes back from the engine into the T-176 tranny, and D-300 transfer case. When I temporarily installed my front drive shaft for clearances, there was no way it was going to work (as stock). My front drive shaft hit the support pan/skid plate under the transmission, badly. So I cut out a small section, dressed up the edges of the cut, and now everything clears just fine.

For those of you who may be planning a similar setup, heres the rough lines where I made my initial cuts in the skid plate. This was simple and quick to do, and it looks like a factory cutout. Best of all, there are no more clearance issues now, on the front drive shaft. It clears perfectly. :woot:

pan1w.jpg
 
Gary,

I use "AO" as it is called in a buisness that I am in. I use it on stone and it does extremely well, but expensive. I can change media If I need to, just inquiring as I begin to research it. (I currently have it loaded in my "Texas Blaster" )... Woah Gary, what a project you have. Cool to watch it go together..

Tom
 
I'll have some new pics coming in a few days. I've been buried at work, then in my 'spare time' have decided to show the Cessna a little love lately :cheers:

It's supposed to be raining here most of the weekend, so I'll be out in the shop running fuel and brake lines, etc.

More pics to follow!
 
The soda blasting process is very laborius, in that it takes a long time to do it right. Think of it this way: if you've ever seen something sandblasted? The sandblasting is pretty darn quick in removing paint. Soda blasting takes much longer. However, soda does NOT harm the metal at all, whereas sandblasting can pit the surface somewhat. There are other tpes of media too, such as crushed walnut shells. But overall, for maintaining the integrity of the metal, soda blasting is the way to go. This is simply baking soda...the same stuff you may have a box of in your refrigerator, brush your teeth with, etc.

I bought a small portable rig from Harbor Freight (about $100) and figured I'd start by doing some small parts on my own. Bad idea, at least at the time I started (mid-summer). Soda is VERY sensitive to humidity, and the least bit of moisture will clog (ie: disable) a machine. This is where my buddy came in: he is a professional soda-blaster, and he has a $32,000 portable rig. His rig has multiple dryer units that take ALL the moisture out of the blasting lines, all the time. He worked on my Jeep for about 8-hours straight, in order to get it done. The process is that he'll start blasting an area about 1-foot by 1-foot. This took about 10-minutes to do this area (just to give you an idea of how long it takes).

The ONLY thing soda does to metal, is slightly changes the pH values of the surface metal. However, this is temporary. All you have to do is to wipe down the parts with a solution of 50/50 vinegar and water. This vinegar neutralizes the negative pH that the soda temporarily has on the surface. Then you are ready to prime/paint! The GOOD thing about the soda changing the pH of the metal? Until you are ready to wipe it down with the vinegar, even though it is bare metal, the metal will NOT get any surface rust at all.

Let me know if I can help further.

Edit: any blaster requires a very large compressor, but the equipment itself to do the blasting is rather simple...a hose, nozzle, and a hopper for the soda media. That's where my friends rig is awesome: it holds 100-pounds of soda at a time, has a huge diesel engine and compressor, etc. Worth every penny to hire out this job and have someone do it for you....
 
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yeah i saw this soda blasting stuff on a tv show yesterday and made me think of this thread. the rig they had was quite impressive b/c it had a waterhose built iinto the whole thing and sprayed water at the same time as the soda. I saw harbor freight had some little rigs and such and figured i'd ask how you did yours.

thank you for the information.
 
So, the motivational thread by spankrjs got me to go out into my shop to check in on the project....

Strange, there's bird crap everywhere....I think I must have trapped a small bird in there at some point, but surely he got out....fast forward a few hours later, and I go back out there to grab something. Upon entering, something catches my eye...I have this guy living in my shop:

MrOwl-1.jpg


Well, that sure explains the bird crap everywhere! ***Note to self: when removing the old pot-bellied stove, be sure to plug the old chimney flue ***
 
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