Reminded why I like working on guns better than cars.

[Alfonse]

I'm helping my father-in-law get an old CJ7 ready to sell. I hauled it out of his shop, got it running, cleaned it up and got the four year old fuel out of it. It reminded me of the old days in cars, when you could look at something and see how it comes apart to fix it.

I took a door apart and lubricated a lock, changed some old door seals, etc.

Well, the old thing is actually pretty nice, under 60k miles, not rusty and even though it isn't functional like a real car (uncomfortable, steers weird, no power for highway work, etc.) it is actually a bunch of fun to drive on errands around town.

The rear main seal was leaking a bit. The parts were cheap so I thought I'd go ahead and get that done and the whole thing will be as near perfect as possible and show well on ebay. Most of the little things I've done have been those rewarding 15 minute to half hour jobs that it either looks much better or runs better when they're done. Sweet. The rear seal project is a bit more involved.

I don't really do jobs like that much anymore. Used to, but the new stuff it is too much of a pain and I'm not as good as I once was at leaning over hoods and crawling around under stuff.

Put in about 4 hours on it today. I'll get it done tomorrow, but I'm feeling it.

While under that thing with grease falling on me, doing contortions to get at bolts and making sure the thing was stable so the car or motor doesn't fall on me, I was thinking how nice it is working on guns instead.

I'm working on on old rifle now, one of my wife grandfather's .22s, that needs a little love. I have an old Topper shotgun with a rusty barrel to re-blue and some other projects on my list.

Even though I don't have all the finishing capability that some of the members here have, I can hot blue, do a nice finish of a stock, and get most things apart and repaired and shooting again.

Best of all, I can work at my bench, without slithering around on the floor and I usually don't have to do any contortions to get things apart. After a few hours working on that oil pan, I felt like a turtle on its back each time I crawled out under that old jeep.

The fit on guns is nicer than even the finest vehicles I've ever worked on. At their filthiest, they are never as dirty as the underside of a car. If a part of a gun falls on my toe, it may smart a bit, but that's it.

Anyway, working on a car today, sorta like I did in my younger days, just reminded me of how much more I like messing with guns than cars. It will keep any thoughts of a vehicle restoration at bay for a long time.

Don't misunderstand, there's nothing wrong with messing with cars, at this stage I just like gun projects more and sharing kept my mind off a minor back ache.

[yqtszhj]

I heard that. I still do everything on my vehicles that I can short of major engine or transmission work. Any external parts or electrical work I do my self. It leaves me with aches too.

Those old CJ's are nice. The 7 was a bit longer than the 5. When I was a kid we rode from Tennessee to Colorado for vacation for 2 weeks towing a small camper. A family of 5 in a jeep. Imagine that. It had a soft top and the sides were rolled up a lot of the time through Oklahoma because there was no AC in the vehicle. Those Jeeps were a tanks. You could drive them everywhere.

How about post the ebay link if you list it there. I'd like to see it.

[Alfonse]

I heard that. I still do everything on my vehicles that I can short of major engine or transmission work. Any external parts or electrical work I do my self. It leaves me with aches too.

Those old CJ's are nice. The 7 was a bit longer than the 5. When I was a kid we rode from Tennessee to Colorado for vacation for 2 weeks towing a small camper. A family of 5 in a jeep. Imagine that. It had a soft top and the sides were rolled up a lot of the time through Oklahoma because there was no AC in the vehicle. Those Jeeps were a tanks. You could drive them everywhere.

How about post the ebay link if you list it there. I'd like to see it.

I can't imagine two weeks in one of those jeeps with five people, much less towing anything. Although I've never really gotten the jeep thing, I've warmed up to them a bit with this project. I can't really explain why though. It requires more concentration than it should to herd it down the road in a straight line, probably due to the short wheelbase and crude suspension and steering. When you go around corners, it feels to me like a dog dragging its outside rear hind leg. No matter, it is kinda silly fun as long as my exposure isn't too long on any given trip.

I've done lots of car projects in my time, although none in the last ten years or so.

I'll put a link up on this post later this week. BTW, this one actually has working air conditioning. I was surprised it had ac and that it worked. I'll get some pictures of the Savage 23a I've been working on up in a few weeks too.

[jeepster09]

"It's a Jeep thing......."

[jeepster09]

[jeepster09]

[Alfonse]

Those are beautiful jeeps!

Jeepster, those are fantastic jeeps. I'm personally more of a pickup truck guy, I guess I just usually have too much junk to fit in a jeep and like to be able to drag lots of heavy things along with me. But, those photos did make me smile! I don't profess to be hip, I don't get the harley thing either!

[Tinman507]

Jeepster,

Beautiful vehicles but I am horribly disappointed they're not black over OD green.

[PYROhafe]

wow.... thanks jeepster.... like i didnt miss my jeep enough lol. Nah used to have a nice wrangler, sold it years ago though, but seeing rigs like that really make me miss it! Just no real point anymore for to and from work driving. Are the 3 of those all yours? They are nice!

[BEARDOG]

I hear that Alfonse! I have been a mechanic of some type my whole life...Dad owned a garage and worked for him for awhile, then went into factories as a maintenance and set-up mechanic. The factories are all closed now, or moved to China, So...
I still do all my own work on everything and anything, and I can feel it too sometimes depending on what I am doing, getting up off the floor takes a little more effort these days. I know what you mean about bench work, I have taken up playing with leather these days, much more comfortable working at a bench.
Good luck with your jeep! I have the Jeep thing bad, have owned a few, still own 3. Here's the Jeep thing in a pick-up truck version for ya! My 88 Comanche, plowing the driveway, it only has about 75000 miles on it and is a still a hard worker.

[gb6491]

I'm helping my father-in-law get an old CJ7 ready to sell. I hauled it out of his shop, got it running, cleaned it up and got the four year old fuel out of it. It reminded me of the old days in cars, when you could look at something and see how it comes apart to fix it.

I took a door apart and lubricated a lock, changed some old door seals, etc.

Well, the old thing is actually pretty nice, under 60k miles, not rusty and even though it isn't functional like a real car (uncomfortable, steers weird, no power for highway work, etc.) it is actually a bunch of fun to drive on errands around town.

The rear main seal was leaking a bit. The parts were cheap so I thought I'd go ahead and get that done and the whole thing will be as near perfect as possible and show well on ebay. Most of the little things I've done have been those rewarding 15 minute to half hour jobs that it either looks much better or runs better when they're done. Sweet. The rear seal project is a bit more involved.

I don't really do jobs like that much anymore. Used to, but the new stuff it is too much of a pain and I'm not as good as I once was at leaning over hoods and crawling around under stuff.

Put in about 4 hours on it today. I'll get it done tomorrow, but I'm feeling it.

While under that thing with grease falling on me, doing contortions to get at bolts and making sure the thing was stable so the car or motor doesn't fall on me, I was thinking how nice it is working on guns instead.

I'm working on on old rifle now, one of my wife grandfather's .22s, that needs a little love. I have an old Topper shotgun with a rusty barrel to re-blue and some other projects on my list.

Even though I don't have all the finishing capability that some of the members here have, I can hot blue, do a nice finish of a stock, and get most things apart and repaired and shooting again.

Best of all, I can work at my bench, without slithering around on the floor and I usually don't have to do any contortions to get things apart. After a few hours working on that oil pan, I felt like a turtle on its back each time I crawled out under that old jeep.

The fit on guns is nicer than even the finest vehicles I've ever worked on. At their filthiest, they are never as dirty as the underside of a car. If a part of a gun falls on my toe, it may smart a bit, but that's it.

Anyway, working on a car today, sorta like I did in my younger days, just reminded me of how much more I like messing with guns than cars. It will keep any thoughts of a vehicle restoration at bay for a long time.

Don't misunderstand, there's nothing wrong with messing with cars, at this stage I just like gun projects more and sharing kept my mind off a minor back ache.

That was well written Alfonse and I'm with you on it. There's something about laying on concrete under a vehicle that sucks the vitality out of you. I need to drop the fuel tank of my CJ7 to fix/replace the sending unit , but I've put that off for the very reasons you describe and have been fiddling about with some gun projects I have on the bench (though working on guns can be frustrating at times as well).

jeepster09,
Great Jeeps! I especially like the Cherokee (would make an excellent daily driver out this way)
Mine are not as refined as yours, but here are my babies:
CJ7

YJ

ZJ

I always like looking at folk's Jeeps; any other members out there with them?
Regards,
Greg

[yqtszhj]

I can't imagine two weeks in one of those jeeps with five people, much less towing anything. Although I've never really gotten the jeep thing, I've warmed up to them a bit with this project. I can't really explain why though. It requires more concentration than it should to herd it down the road in a straight line, probably due to the short wheelbase and crude suspension and steering. When you go around corners, it feels to me like a dog dragging its outside rear hind leg. No matter, it is kinda silly fun as long as my exposure isn't too long on any given trip.

I've done lots of car projects in my time, although none in the last ten years or so.

I'll put a link up on this post later this week. BTW, this one actually has working air conditioning. I was surprised it had ac and that it worked. I'll get some pictures of the Savage 23a I've been working on up in a few weeks too.

It was tough. That was the only year we did it. the next year it was in a 197x Chevy Suburban with big tires and 4 wheel drive. It was much easier for us kids.

I took my family out the same direction in 2009 but we took it in a 4x4 Toyota Tundra. We went lots of places in the desert and the mountains that only a 4x4 could get us. It was a blast.

Jeepster, great pics.

[DeaconKC]

Definitely bringing back good memories of my old 78 CJ7 Golden Eagle. And true, it's a lot easier working on guns than Jeeps. At least you only have to get on the floor when that $^&**%$%^^ screw rolls under the bench and you get to dig through the mung behind the leg.

[jeepster09]

wow.... thanks jeepster.... like i didnt miss my jeep enough lol. Nah used to have a nice wrangler, sold it years ago though, but seeing rigs like that really make me miss it! Just no real point anymore for to and from work driving. Are the 3 of those all yours? They are nice!

Yes, the blue one I got carried away on with 500 h.p. chevy engine, turbo 350 trans, dana 60 rear....so on and so on

[GROTMAN]

I'm on my third jeep now not counting the Grand Cherokee that my wife drove. Had a cj5 back in the 70's and beat the heck out of it..drove it from Ohio to Arizonia and was half deaf by time I got there but what a trip. Nothing like cruising through the Painted desert etc with the top off. I was young and beat the crap out of that thing. Next one was a 98 wrangler sport and I was working doing home health. I didn't beat it up much but came in handy seeing some of the people I did out in the foothills and mountains of NC as well as running up the beach at the outer banks. Recently bought a 2012 wrangler and while its so much nicer in a lot of ways I kind of miss the older versions as this one feels a little "too refined" for a jeep and so far I find myself babying it. Or maybe I'm just getting older? Anyway I think that will change once I get that first scratch or two on it.