After a year of hand signals –which no one under the age of 65 has ever seen– the Jeep has turn signals. I wasn’t looking forward to a winter of unzipping the canvas door on the Jeep to stick my arm out for a signal. Why drive the Jeep in the winter? Like the pickup (1977) and the Land Rover (1979) it needs to be driven regularly. If I drive a different vehicle every day, that means each of them gets some exercise twice a week.
(Wikipedia) “A crankcase ventilation system removes unwanted gases from the crankcase of an internal combustion engine. The system usually consists of a tube, a one-way valve and a vacuum source (such as the inlet manifold).”
“The unwanted gases, called “blow-by”, are gases from the combustion chamber which have leaked past the piston rings. Early engines released these gases to the atmosphere simply by leaking them through the crankcase seals. […] Positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) systems— first used in the Second World War and present on most modern engines— send the crankcase gases back to the combustion chamber, as part of the vehicle emissions control, in order to reduce air pollution.”
The pickup got a little love today as well. Raising the hood was always a bit of struggle but the new hinges made it so stiff I had to use a tire iron to pry the hood up. A new hood spring fixed the problem.
The Jeep has been out of service for the last week or two so today we put it on a truck and took it to Dr. Paul’s Automotive Clinic. Took a hour or two but he figured it out.
The ignition switch failed and was feeding juice into the system even when the ignition was in the OFF position. That burned up the points and condenser in the distributor; the coil; and the tachometer. Paul replaced everything and she fired right up.
When we finally got a spare tire for the Jeep we had it mounted on the back of the Jeep. That’s where people are used to seeing them. But it makes it difficult to see what’s going on behind when driving so I decided to find another place for it.
The first task was removing the tire from the mounting bar. It’s a heavy mother and I didn’t want to pull something trying to lift it so I rigged up what you see below.
Then I wrestled it into the tub of the Jeep. Fits perfectly and the space is too small to haul much in any event.
Next I covered the tire with a piece of particle board (which now has a coat of Army green paint).
I must say I’m pleased with the result. A cleaner look and my sight lines are much improved. Especially when the canvas top goes back on this winter.
People did some amazing things with the early civilian versions of the Jeep. (More photos)
I’ve been covering the driver’s seat when it looks like rain but trying something different. Plan is to roll up the tarp when the forecast is clear.
I’ve never been one for off-roading. Feels like dressing up as a cowboy. So the Land Rover and the Jeep don’t get much four-wheel drive time. Today I loaded up the new rock sled with some big ones and used the Jeep (4WD/Low Range) to drag them up a hill and over to the trail head. Paul calls the Jeep a tractor with two seats.
And a little 4WD/low-range exercise for the pickup.
No idea what the original brake and clutch pedals looked like on my Jeep but by the time I got behind the wheel, they were pretty slippery. Today Machinist Wizard Andy Cain welded on some some non-slip tread.(bottom photo)
