Saving the silver 70...

[MrMoMo]

Saw a few interesting things today...

A nice newer 70 series:

And apparently a new 2016 BJ40.... But not quite what you might be thinking.... Chinese made jeep, and I don't think it's a coincidence that it's "40". Many similarities, windshield folds down, roof comes off, 4x4 with low range, manual trans... And looked to be decently built, not like some others I have seen...

Price you say? $21,000 USD.

Found a video on YouTube:

 

[MrMoMo]

Saw this beauty today!!!!

 

[cruiserdan]

Chrome quarter vents. Me likey....

 

[MrMoMo]

And no locking hubs! Winch through the bumper, LED lights in the bumper, LED's on the mirrors.... And a wing on a 70!

I need to visit a dealership and send a care package home with some fancy bits! (And a whole front end!)

 

[Gun Runner 5]

The addition of the rear wing is long overdue. Between the enhanced aerodynamics and the increased downforce, one can now take a shallow curve at speeds upwards of 55mph and feel safe doing so.

 

[Tapage]

probably factory lockers .. ? only missing factory snorkel .. should be a 1GR

 

[61Mk+]

I find that the rear windows, in fact the entire rear surface of the troopie, are gak magnets: anything loose on the road, wet or dry, coats the rear instantly and constantly. So i cannot help but wonder if the purpose of the 'wing' is to prevent that.

 

[Billyfj7312ht]

I find that the rear windows, in fact the entire rear surface of the troopie, are gak magnets: anything loose on the road, wet or dry, coat the rear instantly and constantly. So i cannot help but wonder if the purpose of the 'wing' is to prevent that.

The ones I have seen that force air down the rear doors have open slots under the wing.
I want one on my frp top.

 

[MrMoMo]

Yep, the one on my 80 has a space in front of it, it's actually kind of a reverse wing, forcing air down the back window...

 

[61Mk+]

Ooh! I want...

 

[MrMoMo]

Saw another beauty today....

 

[elkaholic]

Me likey

 

[Tapage]

Saw another beauty today....

View attachment 1176356

Ride of my dreams .. only missing rear coil suspension and the V8 ( nothing uhh ! )

 

[MrMoMo]

And another! So clean looking!

 

[Billyfj7312ht]

I've never seen such modern looking swb and mwb 70s before.
Thanks for taking the time on your travels to share.

 

[MrMoMo]

Alright, enough of that being lazy crap, time to get more done!!!

Started back on the inner wheel well - here is what it looked like before I started this morning...

Then, while all the rot was cut away I decided it would be a good time to coat all the steel fuel fill/vent lines - so I sprayed everything with a rubberized rocker guard. What a mess. I decided it probably not best to weld directly over this wet goo, so I moved on to re-creating the inner wheel well lip. Here is a before shot:

I cut 3 strips 15" long (Max length my bender can take) - about 3" wide. Bent each one to less than 90 degrees, to match the lip angle. Next I started playing with the shrinker stretchers until I could match the old shape. I also used the new quarter panel to be sure that the shape was right. It's not as basic a shape as one might think, it has a twist as well as a curve.

3 strips ready to cut, the cross hatched line is my bend line:

I welded the three pieces together to get the full wheel well lip (well, most of it anyway), and next I will cut away what's left of the old lip, and weld this one in. (After I do a quick tack and quarter panel test fit!)

Here is the new piece clamped over top of the old lip:

Right, back in the shop I go!

 

[MrMoMo]

Ok, and the afternoon results are in...

Didn't get the inside quite done - one more piece at the bottom, and the little angry aisian at the top, a little more grinding and it will be good. Can see the coated fill pipes hiding in the back.

Next I got the wheel well lip cut off, did a horrible job of it but managed to save it.

And squeezed the new lip on. Had some big gaps in a few places, but where I couldn't get it to suck together, I backed the gap with some aluminum plate to allow me to fill the gap without blowing through the sides. End result is acceptable I guess! Need to grind it down a little - but it's solid.

 

[ozcrusier]

I've never seen such modern looking swb and mwb 70s before.
Thanks for taking the time on your travels to share.

I should not tell you this but the later front panels should fit your shorty.

 

[MrMoMo]

I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel..... It looks like light shining through a pinhole from the back side of a weld...

Firstly, I forgot to post hours on the last section, I believe it was around 6. Yesterday I only managed about 2, but today came in at 8.

Yesterday I did manage to finish up the inside of the wheel well - it should have taken much less time but apparently switching to a fresh flap disc on my grinder was not the right thing do to as I pretty much sanded right through one of the corners - and had to make quite a patch job after that. But, - it's all done!

<forgot to take picture!>

Next I decided to tackle the tail light area - this corner had previous (unknown) damage repair, so the outer "frame" was all buggered and the shape was just 1/4" thick bondo. The pocket is not the original pocket, but it does serve the purpose so I didn't even try to modify it. It was also rotted out above the taillight.

Here is a before pic...

I'm not putting it back together like that, so I started out with a 15" strip about 1-1/4" wide. I ran one edge through my flanger tool - as the outer edge has a slight flange before the corner bend. The flange is about 1/4". Next I put a 90 degree bend 1/8" from the edge. Using the drivers side as a guide, I used the shrinker to make the corners. Cut a little V notch for the notch in the quarter panel, and put a curve for the bottom of the tail light.

I also welded a "doubler" where the screw peg goes in, and beat the snot out of it in the small round hole on my anvil, with a ball pein hammer - to get the raised section. I cut all the old bent/ rusted junk out and once this piece was tacked in place, I test fit the tail light. Next I formed the bottom edge, again fitting the tail light a few times to be sure of the fit.

Once that was in I removed the Swiss cheese above the tail light and welded some solid metal in its place. I also added a bottom to the pocket that was pretty non existent before - it's not the best fit, but the sealant will fix that.

The inner corner is just temporary, it will be replaced when I fix the nasty around the corner on the rear beam.. Sanded it all down and its "almost" good - will need a very light skim in a few areas, and I need to sand off a little more weld in a few areas.

 

[MrMoMo]

And, I even managed to squeeze in one more part before finishing up for the day. Bottom back corner. Yuck. This is an odd panel

Cut out the nasty, fit the quarter panel on so I could make a cardboard template from the back. Traced the cardboard onto the steel and put a bend in the front, to match up with the back side of the angle hanging down ahead of it. Welded the new piece in and ground down the welds. Not sure why I ground them down, no one will ever see these...

Tomorrow I will attack the lower back corner / body mount area, and the last panel in the bottom of the back side of the quarter panel (the space ahead of the panel I made in the pic above - to match up with the back of the wheel well). If all goes well, maybe even the fuel fill.

Once those are out of the way it's just a few patches at the front.... A few very large complex patches.... Some more imagineering and mirror image template making from the drivers side!!!

Yikes....

*edit 84 hours total now*