1975 Brutally Simple Daily Driver

Agreed.

 

Quick little detail job on the new top today. With the jack put back where it was I didn’t like how it sat with the canvas. I’d rather not figure a new mount so a reinforcement patch was added.





I think a different latch situation for the tailgate/tire carrier is somewhere next in order.



The latch has been fine, but everything rattles. While the tin top is off, the ratchet strap can stay but this definitely isn’t a long term fix.

 

Finally tailored the rain top today. It was intended for a YJ so it still doesn’t fit awesome around the windshield, but I think I can live with it. The rear half was a mess and would let rain in when it was windy.






I picked up the top used and it had about a 3” tear. This turned into an 8” tear so that’s what prompted cleaning things up. The new rear shape needed some extra material to fit over the tub too.




Fits way better!

 

Trying to plan out some more projects on this thing. I threw a little more timing at the fuel injection kit since the 4.0s have more compression than the 4.2s and that really woke things up. Now I’m thinking suspension, transmission, and body. Thinking out loud here…

I picked up a fresh can of Comet and Scotch Brite pads so I can freshen up the paint again. Thinking of doing a Comet wash and then seal it up with Poppy’s Patina wipe on clear coat. Stay tuned.

Suspension… jury is way out on that. I’m hoping something falls in my lap in terms of a used set of YJ springs. Also stay tuned.

Then there’s the transmission. I’ve got a line on a known good shifting Ford NP435 for cheap. These are a four speed with a 6.68 first gear that would take my crawl ratio from 25:1 to 57:1. The little bit of toodling around the woods lately already gets me yearning for lower gears. My T150 bellhousing is a bolt on affair that I could reuse my new clutch, linkage, and pilot bushing. I’d need to figure either changing transfer cases and finding an adapter or keeping what I’ve got even though the Dana 20s only have a 2:1 low. Novak offers NP435 to Dana 20 adapters that I could also swap to a Scout Texas pattern Dana 300 with the 2.62:1 low should I ever come across one of those. Or, I find a Jeep Dana 300 and matching adapter. Then there’s the overall length…



After the bellhousing, my current T150 is roughly 9.375” long and the Dana 20 is about 10.5”. The NP435 with a Novak adapter totals out to 14.2” which would change my driveshafts around 5”. The rear would definitely need a double cardan at that point but total rear driveshaft length is still very doable.

I haven’t nailed down a price for sure on the NP435 but I think I’m in the ballpark at $150. It just came out of a Bronco that had it swapped in 25 years ago. Obviously I’d have a look in it at bare minimum, but I trust the guy that it shifts fine.

Anyhow… I think I’m looking for votes or advice here. Should I pick up the trans and leave it for a someday project? Should I live with the T150 since it’s fine for 85% of the driving it sees? If I go for the trans what transfer case should I pursue?

… and I’m very sorry for a long post with only one picture.

 

My question is if the 4 speed with adapters and driveshaft costs less than 3.15 gears via Advance Adapters?

 

You can put Dana 18 low range gears in a 20....it requires a gear from a Bronco D20 that used to be unobtanium but is now available as a reproduction. This is what I plan to do with the 20 in my Commando.

 

Those gears are no longer available new but 3.15s would also only push my final ratio to 40:1. They’re still listed on a few websites at around $1000, but they’re all listed as out of stock until further notice.

I can get a new transfer case adapter at around $600, and then it’d be either new or modified driveshafts as far as prices.

 

That’d be the 2.46 combination. Thought about piecing that together but it’d only be 31:1 with my T150. Not worth it in my opinion. I’d want a big change if I’m going to pull it all apart.

 

I'm pretty sure you can get the 3.15's from Herm, I did this past winter. But, and I'm sorry I don't remember you axle ratio, if it was around 4.27 or 4.88 (really good compromise ratio), and a 4 speed in the 6.3 range (with a $600 adapter and $3-400 driveshafts on the cheap), and the 2.46 gear from Wild Horses, (plus a Novak master rebuild) ...you could get to 66-75, which is a good crawl ratio, and spreads out the reduction over several components.

 

But with that and the 4 speed it'd put you into the 60's...

 

Agreed! That’s a part of why I’m looking for opinions right now. The 435 while keeping my Dana 20 still has plenty of room to grow. The 2.46 combo would put me at 70:1.

 

My axles are 4.27s. I’m looking for around 60:1 and up if I pursue this. 57:1 is close enough if I keep the Dana 20 and keep a lookout for gears.

 

Well… I guess $100 was the right number. Not a huge fan of someday projects but here we are.

 

Today was Comet day again! This thing is filthy. After the first “wash” the oxidation and dirt lifted really quick. All the fine lines show up immediately to show where to put more effort. Can’t stress enough that this is absolutely NOT something you want to do on a vehicle with even okay-ish paint.




I got about half way through when nature decided it was a good time to give everything a good rinse.



After getting back to it, the results where great!






… then a trip to the car wash to get all the Comet out of the nooks and crannies.



More signs of one of its past lives started showing through also. Once it all dried it’s very evident how dull the paint is. I mean… why wouldn’t it be after two Comet washes with a Scotch Brite pad?



The plan this time is to order up a Poppy’s Patina wipe on clear kit for some UV protectant. Stay tuned on that. I’ve heard some really good things about their products. I’m also considering… something? Renegade like hood stripes? Maybe just painting the raised Jeep letters?

 

Honeymoon stage is over. This sad paint is duller than dull! Gloss clear kit has been ordered.

 

The Poppy’s Patina gloss clear kit came in late last week. It’s pretty straight forward but the real allure to me was the idea of a wipe on clear coat out of the lack of overspray and the huge mess over my whole shop that goes along with that. Things went… okay. The finish is great but the supplied applicator was a bit frustrating to use. There are spraying instructions and, should I use this stuff in the future, I’d probably go that route. There’s really no turning back if you miss anything once you start. Their tag line could be, “Didn’t notice that ancient run under those two layers of paint? YOU’LL SEE IT NOW!!!”

I did two coats over the course of a couple days.








Lights, hood hinges and latches, badges, and the mirror where all pulled off. Sanding got a little away from me in a few spots but I think the CJ wears the “faux-tina” well. I’ll get it all put back together in the morning.

 

Things were looking pretty great in the shop!




… but this is still very terrible paint. It’s just shiny terrible paint now! It photographs well but the amount of runs and garbage that I never noticed really made itself known. We’ll see how things hold up.

 

Looks great!