Quicksilver

I still have that Acme Truck catalog (along with the Sears Jeep & Scout catalog) from back in the mid-70s. My Tux was already rusted out on the body, and I loved the idea of a “rustproof” stainless body, only they just featured flat fender bodies.
By the early ‘80s up at Hatteras, NC, I was working on about 10-20 Jeeps, fixing them for customers and friends when they broke something.
One guy had a stainless bodied CJ3 powered by a Dauntless, just like the one on the cover of my Acme catalog. It had chrome wagon wheels and a chrome roll bar. He brought it to me because the body kept tearing the sheetmetal in the floors at all the body mount holes. The worst tears were the front floors where the bolt heads pulled through. The rear mounts by the taillights were the only ones that didn’t fracture. I first sandwiched the biggest fender washers I could find, and that worked for most of that summer. By fall, he now had 4” diameter fractures in most of the body mounts. The riser ledge mount behind the fuel tank broke completely off on the drivers side. I welded 1” x 1/8” stainless strap across this location. I ended up making 6” or 8” square stainless plates, 1/8” thick, bonding them with some expensive Sika Flex adhesive. Chassis flex worked the more brittle stainless to the point of metal fatigue. Those bigger plates pretty much fixed the issue. I think the guy eventually had a shop weld the plates in a year or two later. I lost track of that Jeep where it probably went back up north.
One other issue with the stainless body was it got scaldingly hot in the sun. You would burn your hand holding it on the hood!
You also mentioned weight of a Jeep you wanted to achieve. I had my Tux just under 2000 lbs for a few years including a spare tire. I was running a Buick 215 alloy V8 with a T90/D18 with an M38a-1 tub. I later had a 4WD Hardware glass tub, but I don’t think that saved any additional weight.
I’ll be following your Jewels build.
-Donny

 

Fascinating stuff Donny.
Amazing that you actually got your Tux built at under one ton.
8O years late but You should win the military contract for that effort !
You still have the Buick 215 ?
I totally blew the under one ton idea when I decided on a heavy gauge stainless and a T18 install.
Also more weight additions I will mention later.
But that’s OK I still have one more Jeep to build after Quicksilver.
Yikes hope that was not a cracked Jewels tub.
Guess I will eventually find out what grade of stainless I have in this tub.
But I am doing a lot of the body work right now and see absolutely no issue with flexing the metal I am using.
I can readily bend it back and forth 180 degrees with no sign of fracture. Malleability looks good to me.

 

When I say under 2000 lb, I mean it was 14 or 16 lbs under! I built my Jeep for beach use and the lighter, the better. I rarely needed 4WD on the beach with the light weight and 10” wide rims with the tires aired down.
I disassembled my Tux before I moved to Florida more than 25 years ago. I still have the original frame, axles, and F-134 (with a broken crank), as well as the serial plate that I want to build back to original spec as it was when my dad bought it new in ‘65. I’m still searching for a good tub!
Yes, I still have that original 4300 Series Buick 215 I bought when I was in high school that I had in the Tux for close to 25 years, and I have probably 6 or more others. I have another Buick block and heads, plus a set of 300 heads, and a complete Olds version, and the rest are Rover based. One is the original engine in my Triumph TR8 with a 3500 cc (215 cu in), and another is a 4.2 L engine from a Range Rover for a Marcos car I have, and a couple more 3.5 L and 3.9 L Land Rover engines. The Buick and Rover engine’s components interchange with each other in a similar manner as the family of small block Chevy engines. I also have a Land Rover 4 spd (LT95) and transfer case that may find its way into another 215 powered Jeep project in the future.
I assume the stainless Jeep I used to work on back in the ‘80s was one of the Acme bodies. Who made them, and where were they made? Were these the same as the Jewels body from the Philippines? When you build up your stainless body, reinforce all the mounting locations with large diameter fender washers to spread the load, just in case. As I remember the Jeep I used to work on, I’m pretty sure it was thin, like 18 gauge stainless.
-Donny

 

OK Donny sounds good.
I’ll make up some big round backup washers with square holes to fit my square shanked (large head stainless carriage) ttub mounting bolts.
I’ll also take another good look at the floor riser.
As for hot metal I have plans to kill all the shine with a full sandblast and then re-passivate. Maybe that will help.
This Jeep will not be a crawler. Extreme frame flexing is not expected. Intended as a daily driver.

 

Consider boxing the center frame to add a little more stiffness, just for a little more insurance?
Were all the stainless Jeep bodies from the same source in the Philippines? I have seen another stainless “Jeep” back in the late ‘70s, but it was on a VW floorpan like a Manx dune buggy. It looked too good to be a one-off backyard special.
-Donny

 

There are quite a few stainless jeeps on Willy's.

http://www.ewillys.com/category/stainlessjewels/

 

I have talked with several Stainless Jeep owners and importers over the years but still feel that I don’t know very much about them.
As you know there were a lot of Jeeps left in the Philippines after the war and so it became natural for them to be salvaged for re-use.
Jewels came about because mild steel bodies were long ago being fabricated in a land where high humidity and salt spray was extreme. Virtually all known stainless Jeeps come from the Phiippines.
I would say that very few stainless Jeeps were the actual Jewels brand.
As far as I know they were the first to manufacture All stainless body kits. I think the Jewels brand was last manufactured in 1985 as they were still listed in the Surplus City catalogs.
Many of the later lesser quality stainless kits are only part stainless. As far as I know there are presently no current manufactures for stainless body kits. Seems that most of the imported stainless kits went to the state of Washington.
Del Blanchard was the last known importer of the most recently manufactured stainless kits.
As I write I need to get back outside and get back to work on my stainless tunnel fabrication.

 

Me too!

 

So as you’ve heard me state;
The build must to end up as a
“Complete Synchronous System”.
As an example:
It will be of no use to have a premium Jeep engine if it were mated to a D23-2 rear axle.
However intended weak links in the system should be implemented whenever beneficial.
Before starting to assemble I had to select all specific parts and assembles to be integrated into the build.

Here are my main selections that are generally listed by order of influence toward the complete system.

1) Model Selection
2) Engine Selection
3) Clutch Selection
4) Transmission Selection
5) Transfer Case Selection
6) Auxiliary Transmission Selection
7) Rear Axle Selection
8) Front Axle Selection
9) Tire/Wheel Selection
10) Steering Selections
11) Braking Selections
12) Propeller Shaft Selections

So that covers most decisions to be made concerning the basic running gear.
Will address selections and fitment of other items as required during actual assembly of the build. Here briefly are my main selections.

1) The 3A model had previously been chosen because in my mind it represents the smallest, lightest and potentially strongest of the Jeep frame and body designs.

2) Engine candidates included all of the older Jeep engines plus I had even considered many other non Jeep engine candidates.
Mainly I will need a lot more power than the 134 engines can provide.
Most any I-4 engine could fit the bay well.
While the GM 153 could technically be considered as a Jeep engine, the even more powerful GM 181 is not nor ever was offered by Jeep. Otherwise I rather liked the idea of fitting in a GM 181. That’s certainly my top 1-4 choice due to it’s displacement.
I am notably disappointed that no one ever built a 200 cubic inch I-4.
Perhaps one of the very best carbureted engines of all time the AMC 232/258 engines are simply too massive for the 3A‘s engine bay. Due to length issues all of the smooth running I-6 engines are out.
I previously had the AMC 304 for a couple years back when I drove a 1976 CJ-5.
Plenty of power but was not specifically impressed by it. Besides it’s a bit larger than I want in the small engine bay. I like having plenty of room to wrench on things.
That really leaves me with no other sensible Jeep engine options excepting the highly regarded GM 225 odd fire.
Plus the V-6 engines fit the engine bay every bit as perhaps better a than the I-4’s.
So be it The Jeep Dauntless.


3) The clutch must simply be able to harness and deliver all of the chosen engines torque smoothly into the transmission.
Here I have chosen a NOS OEM Genuine Borg Beck 10.4” diaphragm type cover plate and driven disc. The diaphragm Borg Beck was the standard clutch for early Dauntless Jeeps. Later Dauntless Jeeps were standard using the three finger Borg Beck.


4) I considered all of the Borg Warner Jeep transmissions. I quickly narrowed down my choice to either the T15 or the T18.
I will needed to mock these up to see how they fit concerning OAL and engine placement.
Further more I had to consider all of the possible Jeep gearbox combinations to fully understand what ratios would be of greatest benefit. This amounted to countless hours of torque and gearing calculations for every conceivable speed and condition.
In the end I decided to install a Close Ratio T18 because it well compliments my transfer case and final drive ratio.


5) Here I decided to go with the original “quiet type transfer case” , the D20.
This Jeep will see a lot of “on road” miles so the relatively quiet operation will be a plus. To supplement my gearing I will install the Tera Low 3.15 gear set.
The Dana 300 also has direct rear out put but does not bolt to my transmissions of choice.



6) The Warn Auxiliary transmission is the only auxiliary transmission that will mate to a a D20.
Besides being near impossible to locate one; I decided that the OAL of the drivetrain would be too long in this short wheelbase Jeep. So using an auxiliary transmission is simply not for this build.

7) Because of my transfer case selection the optimum choice here was very easy. The Center Flanged D44 with 3.73 final drive ratio. Plus Powr Lok.


8) Ditto; the easy choice was a D30 narrow track from an intermediate CJ. Plus Powr Lok.


9) I like tall skinny for fuel efficiency and ground clearance. My tire choice literally narrows down to either the 7.00 or 7.50 x 16” tires. To be mounted on the heavy duty 5” x 16” Kelsey Hayes rims.


10) OEM Jeep CJ Saginaw either Manual or Power


11) 11” Bendix self adjust drum type.
Drum brakes weigh far less than disc brakes.


12) Fully rebuilt custom length original single Cardan propeller shafts.

 

I think 7.00-16 and manual steering would be fine, give you better weight savings.

 

Agreed. Originally I put the complete power steering system on Quicksilver. But I have since decided this Jeep will not see extensive use off the road. So I pulled the power Saginaw components off and put on the OEM NOS manual box.

Will likely use the power box on my next and last build which will be set up for increased off road service.

 

A lighter option for the transmission would be an RTS 4 speed OD transmission. It has slightly more overall ratio range, has a synchronized 1st gear, and probably weighs half what the T-18 does.

Gearing with a 4.0 T-18, TeraLow gears, 3.73 axles:

• High: 3.73:1
• Crawl: 47.23:1

Gearing with RTS OD, TeraLow, 4.88 axles:

• High: 3.81:1
• Crawl: 50.06:1

​

It would save a good 60 lbs off the Jeep and make for a longer rear driveshaft. It *almost* fits your Jeep parts criteria in that it's almost identical to the T-150 transmissions that came in later Jeeps. It just with some internal changes. Sadly, I think Herm is the only source for RTS adapters.

 

You can risk special ordering through one of his bigger customers or design it 21% different.

 

That’s interesting Fireball. I was totally unaware and certainly had not considered that transmission.
In the end I’m happy with this decision because it’s actual Jeep and nothing else.
This Jeep is simply a fail in the ultra light category.
To add insult to injury, I even have plans to install a NOS Kelly cab on it.
I initially built the drivetrain with a 6.32 WR T18.
Then I got to thinking how much better a CR T18 should perform on windy mountain hiways where frequent down shifting is required on long steep pulls. Besides I just don’t wanna be hard core rock crawling with a stainless body.

 

For what it’s worth, you can simply run a Saginaw power box with a short “loop” hose and operate it as a manual box. I did that for years on mine after an old used pressure hose started leaking. The quick fix was to bypass the pump, and I found I liked the feel better without hydraulic power. I made up a dedicated loop hose, and finally pulled the pump/brackets off the engine.
You have several steering ratio choices, including variable ratio, with the power boxes.
-Donny

 

The next thing needing done was to mock up all my main selections before actually beginning this build to determine if and exactly how my selections might all fit.

I need modify the frame to accept:
1) Dauntless 225 V-6 engine.
2) Saginaw steering both manual and power systems as were used on intermediate vintage CJ's.
3) 1967-1971 Dual master cylinder along with a cast M38 pedal pivot bracket.
4) Test fit both Jeep T15 and T18 transmissions.
5) Test fit both Dana 18 big hole and Dana 20 transfer cases.

Here are the unwanted items after removal from a 3B frame.
Steering bellcrank bracket / Right and left Hurricane brackets / Pedal pivot bracket / Early type front hose bracket / Master cylinder bracket.


After carefully removing master cylinder bracket, the left frame gusseting now matches right frame gusseting.

I also had to remove the tall 3B battery tray. Here you see both 3B and M38 battery trays...


Wood support was fitted to engine oil pan and the Dauntless is set onto a movable dolly at the approximate ride height. Then the frame was set down over top of the engine assembly.


Rear springs added and here I test the fit of a centered/flanged rear axle axle assembly. (1972-1975 CJ)
All is leveled on wood blocks and set to approximate ride height.


First thing I plan to fit is an original split bore master cylinder that is taken from a 1967-1971 CJ.
I will also be converting to the superior bronze bushed M38 pedal pivot bracket.
Cylinder bracket fitment viewed from right side.
This is an easy modification.
Note how the flare nut fittings aim straight out the side and note the large eye of the push rod.
Rear view... This installation requires no welding.
Only 2 additional holes at the top of the master cylinder bracket. (yet undrilled)

Left view... The M38 pedal pivot shaft bracket will require 1 additional drilled hole. Note the standard 3B build in background. With 100% standard 3B running gear setting directly next to my modified mock-up I can readily observe subtle differences.

 

I first try to mock fit the Dauntless into a flatfender frame mated to a Borg Warner T15. If successful I will attempt fitment of a T18 transmission.





I begin with Dana 18 transfer case located in standard fore / aft position.
I realize that the rear engine support crossmember (AKA transmission crossmember) must somehow be modified to fit the T15 and D18 insulators. Here I have added fenders and a lowhood grill.


I determine the Dauntless / T15 combo with D18 in standard location does provide near ideal clearance between fan and the standard radiator position.
I also observe the tilting effects as the transfer case was moved to the right and up over the round transfer case snubber.


I decide to set a flatfender body (CJ-3B) in standard position in order to determine various clearances.
Stock 3B configuration Jeep in foreground.
A standard 3B tub was set upon the mock up frame.




Installed a front axle assembly to better determine exact engine position and other modification concerns.
This particular axle happens to be a Dana model 30.

I measure the stock Hurricane engine position as it fits into the frame.
Engine centerline is determined via crankshaft center
I see that Willy's 134 engines were always mounted 1-1/2" left of frame centerline.
The transmissions of the 134 powered jeeps were also offset 1-1/2" left.

Front view of master cylinder shows very close bellhousing proximity to the brake fittings with Dauntless in position same as the Hurricane offset.
The flare nut fitings are not accessible.

Here I am test fitting a standard Ross box in relation to the Dauntless and 3B frame.
This is simply to determine if it fits in case my proposed Saginaw changes don't work out.


Above I have placed the Dauntless in standard Hurricane left / right location. ( 1-1/2" left of frame centerline)
As you can see the Ross sector shaft just touches the side of the block.
Engine must go toward frame center and to the right.

I realize that the exact Dauntless position now becomes my main concern.
I must address side placement, fore / aft placement, and height.

 

DAUNTLESS RIGHT / LEFT POSITIONING
Stock Dauntless engine mounts indicate that Kaiser Jeep offset the Dauntless 3/4" from frame centerline.
I begin to test related issues in order to make my own determination concerning the ideal Dauntless offset in a flatfender frame.
I note the pinion offset position of the various narrow track CJ axles.
The front axles observed pinion offsets included the D25 the D27 and the D30.
The rear axles include the Tapered D44 , the Offset Flanged D44 and the Centered Flanged D44.
I envision the offset of the propeller shaft angle related to the various axle pinion positions and the effects of transfer case moving to the right or left.
In part I conclude that all axle input positions and all feasable transfer case locations will produce at least some propeller shaft deviation from straight line input.
I will try to minimize all deviation from straight line input.

Here you see a Dauntless brake lever compared to Hurricane brake lever.


Note the Dauntless lever has a larger push rod pivot and also a slightly different bend near top of lever.
I install the Dauntless brake lever onto the pedal pivot shaft and see that the old worn lever (not repaired) has some typical side motion.
With lever pushed foreward it hits the side of the Dauntless block unless engine is moved toward frame center.
With engine 3/4" from frame centerline the wobbly brake lever now clears the engine by a fraction.

I am now concerned with the ability to include a Saginaw steering system.
I determine that a standard left foreward dump exhaust manifold is not going to provide clearance for an intermediate steering shaft.
I then install a left rear dump exhaust manifold.
Left rear dumps were used on some 1960's Buicks and on Dauntless Commando Jeeps.


I determine feasible positions for the proposed intermediate steering shaft.
I plan to use the intermediate steering shaft from a 1972-1975 CJ.
I estimate that the intermediate steering shaft will luckily be very close to the furthest portion of the rear dump exhaust manifold.
That said the maximum clearance is very slim indeed.
I estimate a maximum of 3/8" clearance between manifold and intermediate steering shaft.

I now realize that Dauntless must go to the right as far as possible in order to allow for a Saginaw system.
Plus I consider that further right mainly helps with propeller shaft alignment concerns.
So I check to see how far right the Dauntless can possibly go.

I observe the front differential yoke and its close proximity to the oil pan.
There is about 3/4" distance between oil pan and the outer yoke.
I move right side of front axle assembly up to stuffed position and down.
I carefully determine the engine should go no further right than 3/4".

The next Dauntless side position concern is fitment of battery.
I hope to to use a Group 24 or 27 battery in the original location.
I temporarily install the standard Motorola alternator and a battery tray with a full size Group 24 battery.
Here I readily see that I have a clearance issue between the alternator body and the battery itself.
With alternator all the way left there is an absolute maximum of 1" possible clearance from side of battery.
I estimate that distance should be just barely enough considering engine motion and frame flexing.
I will not be able to use the standard length fan belt. (Gates #7440)
The shortest possible belt that can be fitted (Gates # 7420) will supply the greatest clearance.

Finally I observe the frame rail in proximity to a full size oil filter.
I observe about 1/2" of side clearance.
That too will be close but a sufficient clearance.

By this time my own detailed observations have verified that the Dauntless can be no further right nor left from the position that is 3/4" left of frame centerline.
I am amazed to see that Kaiser used the exact same L/R positioning on Dauntless CJ’s.

 

Back in the 70s when my Dad put a Buick V6 in his GPW, he bough new dauntless mounts direct from the Jeep dealer.

It fits as you noted:

• Battery in stock location
• Saginaw steering
• PTO winch
• High mount power steering pump
• He went with a front dump exhaust

It's really tight where the steering, exhaust, fuel pump, and PTO shaft all want to be on the Drive's side, but it does fit and the air cleaner clears the hood:

 

The drivers side rear dump exhaust manifold on mine I believe came off a 231 oddfire. I think it is a bit narrower than the manifolds you have pictured. Even with that I only have about 1/4" clearance between the manifold & the steering shaft.

The differential yoke is nowhere near the oil pan, a good 3" clearance.

Of course it is a CJ5, so probably comparing apples and oranges.