Willys Jeep Update!

 

Been months since I was last running the Jeep!, must have been last November when we returned from A day run to Berwickshire and limped home with a slipping clutch, it had been slipping for over a year esp if full of 4 folk or up big hills in 3rd gear but finally it cried enough though it still got us home!

I bought a clutch kit from Dallas Autos before Xmas but it was February before friend Callum had time to come help drop the gearbox and fit the clutch with an alinement tool, the holes in the clutch back plate mount holes needed drilled out larger - usual fitting replacement parts so often is not a straight forward job and things need a file or bend or something, THE clutch was soon installed and then we rain into another problem,

The gearbox with transfer box was so heavy being cast steel unlike more modern Alloy boxes we could not lift it up lying on our sides underneath!, it weighed a ton!, well not a ton but was heavy and unlike under a ramp when you can your upper core strength to lift something up we just could not lift it ourselves,   so a winch system was made up and after adding wood joists as supports under the garage cross bar to not potentially damage the concrete walls we hoisted the box up and wiggled it into place,

Edd and Al help do this on a wet Sunday and next visit from Callum finished off helping connect everything up and the Jeep was fired up in the first time in months!

Another day last month saw Chris and Edd turn up for some Jeep fettling and we went a short run before returning to re check and nip up everything like drive shafts etc...

Since the day we went a wee drive to Barnes Ness and the harbour friends Edd and Chris came along again and we managed to get my Jeep running better with a few carb adjustments, that and fresh E5 petrol and a decent run along the coast the following day has seen it running a even better!

A couple of shorts I posted on YouTube

So now with the new clutchthe gearbox is a lot smoother and easier to change gear and its just a matter of a yearly service soon, will do that soon and be the Engine Oil and Oil filters,  Air filter clean and fresh oil, and fuel filter replaced , 

Points and condenser look ok and the NGK plugs are new along with new rubber plug caps...

Another new addition is a military issue fire extinguisher with mount, 

Dated 1960 and British army green it s been on something from that era...

a drilled and the mount was bolted inside the foot well and the exstinguisher still works!, I refilled it with water, the modern powder ones I had painted green are still in place on the outsides of the bulkhead 

Removing the shovel I see more of that blue paint underneath which is starting to appear more and more on the Jeep as it gets used and worn and im wondering if this Jeep was French Airforce in its life?

Liking the WW2/Cold War 60s mix fits a Hotchkiss jeep and the extras are all Cold War era like the French first aid box and torch...

Happy its running really well now and ready to use like my Royal Enfield and Surly Pugsley Fatbikes, the 3 things I love to film and blog sharing the scenery and history explored here in East Lothian and further afield 

So a wee update and I made a film for Youtube with some of Jeeps history and some of this Jeeps history as a lot of new subscribers to the channel have asked about it,

3000 Subscribers now to the channel!, the motorbike films are getting ,massive views and all the graphs are going up!

More soon...