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OT: Retro Wrangler/Willys Pickup (long)

Jeff- that is great! I never cease to be amazed by the quality of your work.:bow:
 
Randyzzz said:
Jeff- that is great! I never cease to be amazed by the quality of your work.:bow:
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Thank you Randy, I'm not worthy! :) I'm trying really hard to do justice to the quality of the base vehicle - remember it's a 2006. I don't want to do work that's below that standard, so I'm just taking my time, making sure I do the best that I can, and if it takes an extra hour, day or week, that's nothing in the scheme of things - I plan to be driving this one for a very long time.

Plus, posting all the details here like I do helps me focus on quality - knowing you guys are going to be looking at everything I do is a bit humbling, makes me try even harder :)
 
trust said:
I'd buy that book!
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I have actually been thinking of writing a book on this whole process. It wouldn't be a "build a Wrangler pickup" book per se, it would be more like a "how to build a project car" book, using the Retro Wrangler example as a way to cover things like how to design and plan; how to do sheet metal and body work; how to do frame stuff, mechanical stuff, a bit of electricity/wiring, etc.

I've done two other books on a very different subject from this one, so I've checked off the "I want to write a book someday" item on my lifetime list already - so I'm not sure if I'll actually write the book, depends on whether some other project attracts my attention when the truck is done :)

trust said:
And as an 'oh by the way', WOW! I wish the factory top and doors fit that well....
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Thank you! My favorite part right now is slamming the doors - they make such a nice solid sound :), the metal top is really sturdy.
 
I got the upper jambs to the primer stage today. Here's a few photos of them on and off the Jeep. They still need a little detail work but that can be done in the paint prep stage. And for final assembly after everything is painted, I'll use thin black foam tape between the parts to prevent scratching and to make the joint lines look nice.

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Truck said:
Holy crap that looks good. Well done Jeff.

Truck
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Aw shucks, Truck, it's just a little bit o' steel angle, some flat strip stock, a coupla little triangles of 16-ga. sheet and some MIG welder time... :crazy:

Thanks!
 
Very Nice Job !

VERY NICE JOB on those corner pieces. I guess I came to the conclusion today about you and this project. Of course, I am jealous of the jeep itself and the awesome job you have done on it. But, I realized I am moreso just jealous of the fact of the amount of time you have been able to dedicate to it. I'd venture to say, most of us on here, just can't even imagine being able to spend this much time working on their jeep.

On a side notes.. Have you driven the top at highway speeds yet? wondering about that front overhang and the small little overhangs right there were this piece meets the windshield frame and the plastic flange pieces that meet the metal top. Even though that inner bestop mounting bracket seats/seals up against the rubber gasket on the windshield frame, I'm wondering if the extra metal overhang is going to whistle or give some wind noise from air coming up the windshield.

Or do I remember you saying you were going to coat the inside with something?

I've got the carpet from the CJ8 full tops if you need a piece to do inside of the hardtop when you get to that point. Its a charcoal grey/blackish and would match up pretty good to the existing black interior.
 
mounting the flanges?

also.. I see the two holes for mounting on the back side fo the door flange on the top.. but how are they held in place up front at the windshield side. or are they bolted onto the roof of the top?
 
jscherb said:
Aw shucks, Truck, it's just a little bit o' steel angle, some flat strip stock, a coupla little triangles of 16-ga. sheet and some MIG welder time... :crazy:
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Yeah, and the Mona Lisa is just some oils and canvas ;)
 
donaghy said:
also.. I see the two holes for mounting on the back side fo the door flange on the top.. but how are they held in place up front at the windshield side. or are they bolted onto the roof of the top?
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The jambs are held to the roof flange with four bolts - check the photos in post 651 and you can see four holes in the roof flange on each side.
 
donaghy said:
Have you driven the top at highway speeds yet? wondering about that front overhang and the small little overhangs right there were this piece meets the windshield frame and the plastic flange pieces that meet the metal top. Even though that inner bestop mounting bracket seats/seals up against the rubber gasket on the windshield frame, I'm wondering if the extra metal overhang is going to whistle or give some wind noise from air coming up the windshield.
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There is a little wind noise, I guess slightly more than a stock TJ hardtop would have, but not bad.

donaghy said:
I've got the carpet from the CJ8 full tops if you need a piece to do inside of the hardtop when you get to that point. Its a charcoal grey/blackish and would match up pretty good to the existing black interior.
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Thanks for the offer but I'm going to build a cardboard headliner covered with headliner fabric (like factory types), same as I did in my CJ8 World Cab - on that one I put some Dynamat on the inside of the roof, then some fiberglass insulation, then the headliner. Here's a photo of the CJ, I don't think I ever posted pics of the CJ headliner project before...

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PS: I've also got an overhead console I'm going to put in, you'll see pics of that in a few days...
 
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jscherb said:
I have actually been thinking of writing a book on this whole process. It wouldn't be a "build a Wrangler pickup" book per se, it would be more like a "how to build a project car" book, using the Retro Wrangler example as a way to cover things like how to design and plan; how to do sheet metal and body work; how to do frame stuff, mechanical stuff, a bit of electricity/wiring, etc.

I've done two other books on a very different subject from this one, so I've checked off the "I want to write a book someday" item on my lifetime list already - so I'm not sure if I'll actually write the book, depends on whether some other project attracts my attention when the truck is done :)


Thank you! My favorite part right now is slamming the doors - they make such a nice solid sound :), the metal top is really sturdy.
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That would be a book to have for sure, it woudl be especially useful if it came with the hutspah to pull it all off after reading it. Figure out the focus/drive/attention to detail gene and how to develop those traits in the reader, especially a giant sloth like myself, and you'll make a bundle.

LOL, I routinely slam my doors but it's seldom because they are so solid......
 
Not too much interesting to report today - I did the finish welding on the cab side/back walls and started the filer process. I also tightened up the gap where the top sits on the tub. When the CJ-10 piece was on the LJ tub there was maybe a 3/8" gap from the bottom of the side panel to the LJ body line and I thought that was too much, so I welded a piece of 3/16" square steel stock to the bottom of the hardtop. Now I've got a really nice tight gap there, but also a perfectly straight and tough bottom corner on the hardtop. Photos below show the gap, welding on the skirting (upside down), and the finished skirting, welds ground and sanded (also upsdie down). Sorry no photo of finished product on the Jeep, that part is on the workbench now getting filler to smooth everything out.

Tomorrow's project: fabricating and installing a mounting bracket inside the roof for the overhead console.

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Ah, to think that back panel once was mounted proudly on the wall of my garage... oh the places you'll go! ;)
 
bigwalton said:
Ah, to think that back panel once was mounted proudly on the wall of my garage... oh the places you'll go! ;)
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And I'm forever grateful you decided that I needed it!! I still have the note you sent me offering me the top in April 07:

bigwalton said:
Would you have any interest in a half hard top from a -10a that goes with the World Cab doors?

I thought that with the -7 World Cab project and the Scrambler, you might have use for this as an alternative.

I got it thinking that I was going to do a sort of metal bikini top, but there's just no way I'll ever get to it and I will not be moving this when we head to MI.
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Neither of us had any idea at the time that your top would be the creative spark that caused me to dream up the Retro Wrangler... thank you again! :bow:

Anyone else have any interesting junk lying around that you think I "need" for my next project??? :rolleyes: ;)
 
Is this the same top?

Wait a minute.. is this the same top that was in my garage and you came down and got it with your cherokee Eric?

Wow.. this thing has been around..
 
donaghy said:
Wait a minute.. is this the same top that was in my garage and you came down and got it with your cherokee Eric?

Wow.. this thing has been around..
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The very same :)
 
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