Free Jeep. Ya Get What Ya Pay For!

I had a clutch on the shelf from somewhere that I installed the other day. Didn’t seem to fully engage so I went and got a replacement from FLAPS.



Took most of the day Friday to pull the transmission and install the new clutch. I got it adjusted well and put the floor boards back in.

Then today Cynthia and I drove up to Atlanta with the CJ in tow to pass it off to the new owner.



Greg is really excited to have it. I’m glad to be back to only 2 old Jeeps. (These things are a lot of work).

The flat tow went perfectly for the 6hour drive. And the pass off is complete!!

 

Now he needs to sign up to the forum.

 

Greg here. Just blown away to have this jeep sitting in my garage. Can't wait to break it and fix it and break it and fix it over and over again.

I'm a novice shade tree mechanic, cut my teeth two-ish years ago In Scott's garage wrenching on his 66. That gave me the interest and confidence to fix up a 78 f250 that was abandoned at my house. A jeep has always been a dream project because of their compact size, simplicity, and utility as a badass off road toy. So grateful for Scotts generosity and for the hobby it self which I hope my children will grow to love and share with me. Best Christmas ever.

Ive been lurking on this forum for a few years and am looking forward to diving in.

Peace,
Greg

 

Welcome to the group Greg!

 

Welcome!

 

This is what it is all about. Enjoy the Jeep and the memories.

 

Welcome.

 

Welcome to the jeep club Greg! One thing I love about these old jeeps is how simple they are. They can require a lot of fiddling to keep in top shape, but they don't ask much of you, and just keep on ticking.

I hope you continue to enjoy it for a long time!

 

Okay well. I've broken a few things!

The first weekend I got the jeep, about a month ago. I thought I'd do a vacuum check and timing to tinker around. After I got a steady 20lbs of vacuum, I fastened down the distributor. BUT. I must have cranked on it too hard, and the entire bolt hole and some surrounding aluminum ripped out of the timing cover. RIPPED METAL with a hand wrench?! Well, I've never worked on anything aluminum before, so I am learning some stuff the hard way here.



Scott sent me a timing cover from an old 231, and with a few DMs to FIREBALL, he helped me understand how the timing covers are compatible. They are functionally the same. I reinstalled everything, including a new HEI distributor. After a few reconnections and filling the bowl, it fired up immediately.

Video of first successful test fire-up

But the oil pressure gauge was reading ZERO, not low, but ZERO. I had never done anything with an oil pump before, but I knew this was not good. So I halted and did some research on this forum, the service manual, and with a few phone calls to the original benefactor whose jeep I am currently destroying. I determined that I didn't prime the oil pump, I should have filled the oil filter, and there might be something wrong with the pump on the 231 timing cover that I swapped on. I pulled off the oil pump cover, and it was missing the entire relief valve spring. So I took the oil pump off the timing cover that I broke, inspected it, reinstalled it, packed it with vaseline, and fired it up. Great Oil pressure! BUT. When reinstalling the oil pump cover, I stripped one of the oil pump cover bolt holes and decided to test-run the engine without fixing it first...



That brings me to today. Heading to the hardware store to get a "fix a thread" kit, an oil pump gasket kit, another gallon of oil, and some cleaning products. So yeah, I'm making a few mistakes here for the first and last time.

Greg

 

Hang in there, you'll start to get a feel for things. This is how you learn and we've all been through it. You can probably repair the stripped out hole with a Heli-Coil.

 

There's not a lot of meat to the timing cover for the oil pump screws. That said mine has a helicoil, just be careful on the install. Be sure to space the pump correctly and pack it with Vaseline before reinstallation to aid in priming.
Welcome to Jeep joy, we've all been there.

 

Welcome Greg! As said above, be very careful with Heli coils. Be patient and you'll be fine.

 

And we’re back online boys.

 

Okay so I’ve not checked in on this thread for awhile because I’ve been driving the Jeep a lot. My neighbor has around 40 acres of land that I’ve Been tearing up (with his permission) whenever I get a chance.

Now I have a fuel leak, it’s a known issue and isn’t a problem when there is 5 or less gallons in the tank. I took out the metal under the seat tank and want to replace it with this tank. Scott gave me the tank with the Jeep.




I want to use this tank but I have a return line and there isn’t a port for one here. There is a threaded hole that is only half the depth of the thickness of the tank. Is this the intended return line port and all I need do is drill it out and threat in plumbing? currently that’s my plan. Use some left over fuel hose to connect the metal floor mounted supply line to the supply port and drill out that hole and put in plumbing for a return line. Thoughts? Thanks!

 

Not related to your question, but I have the same tank and have a problem you may want to address. The fuel filler neck is not centered in the body hole. Just barely clears with zero clearance around the 10:00 position (I think) and a big gap at 04:00. I believe this issue could be solved with a heat gun and a little prying. So check it out before you put fuel in it.

Hijack alert: Anybody else have the problem?

 

Steel tanks are available. Not seeing good reviews on the plastic tanks. The steel tank would have the original bottom supply fitting. With steel, a return and vent fitting can be brazed in.
I know it is OMIX but I prefer steel for various reasons: Part no: 912008. Cheaper than the MTS plastic at Morris 4X4.

 

There is a fuel filter with a return line port. kinda like this. https://www.amazon.com/WIX-Filters-...t=&hvlocphy=9003433&hvtargid=pla-633109347797

 

I noticed this on mine too, we ended up notching our fiberglass body a bit to get it to sit better. Doesnt solve the problem for steel bodies though.

 

Here's a photo: