'66 Cj5 Tux Resto-mod

While I am the opposite of an expert, to my mind the hazard would not come from the radiator moving towards the engine, it would be from the engine moving towards the radiator in the event of smashing the brakes while on the highway, or some sort of rapid deceleration in the kind of terrain I won’t be driving on.

 

Funny, I was out at dark thirty before work this morning removing the fan shroud off my '67 to loan to Sam for reproduction. That allowed me to get a look at the clearance of fan to radiator tonight. It's about 1/2" fan to bottom tank, with a 1" fan spacer. It has never been a problem, so I think you are good to go. On the fan to vacuum clearance, I wouldn't worry about it, if it misses, it misses.

 

My '69 with a Champion radiator and 1/2" fan spacer is also about 1/2" from the weld bead for the lower tank. I've had it plenty crossed up with no issues.

 

Fan to radiator clearance is half the reason why I ditched the HEI in my jeep. I have a 3 core radiator and I played with several different fans to get everything just rite with the HEI.
A delco distributor with Pertronix setup is just as good as a stock HEI. I have run both HEI and Pertronix in the same day, no difference in power, no difference in response, no difference in how fast the engine starts. The only difference is you now have working room in the engine bay.

 

It's funny you mentioned this because that is what I was thinking yesterday before folks chimed in above - is it really worth it to run the HEI? I simply don't know enough about engines to have an informed opinion...I did the "upgrade" because I read about others doing it.

 

I solved the vacuum hose interference problem by using a 90 degree rubber boot on the vacuum hose connection.

 

With any luck I will be getting my seats back from the upholsterer this week or next.

I dug in my parts bin and found these mounts for the backseat which looks decidedly homemade.

The holes are 16 1/2 on center on each bracket.

Should I clean these up and put them back or head to the classified section and try to find the right mount?

 

I have the set of rear seat mounts including hold downs that my friend Jim Leonard made (using the drawings/dimensions on the site) for me when I did not have an original set. They are a darn near perfect match. Private message me if interested.

 

Resto-mod.
Those are perfect. Well with cleaning and paint they’re perfect.

 

Thought I had the spare tire issue sorted out, but I can’t seem to get the wheel far enough away from the body to not rub on the RR tire.


The issue is my custom wheels have too much backspacing…I might try to sneak some nuts behind the adapters and see if that buys me another 1/2”….slightly worried about pushing the heavy weight farther out from the body though.

 

Everyone has seen the damage from these side mount carriers. You've up the likelyhood of damage by hanging the tire out further. Looks great and if your super careful it may stay clean for years. I'd personally never consider it - but I'm hard on stuff.

 

Also to clarify - I plan for this Jeep to be my DD to work on pavement (less than 2 miles/day) and if I’m going to wheel it on anything bumpy the spare tire would go in the backseat.

also I welded (back) in the brace under the corner…

 

I love the side spare tire Grant. With your setup, I'd worry about those studs in the bracket not being strong enough to hold the larger rim/tire setup. Especially with the stud extenders! Not sure which brand you went with, but have seen posts where the studs actually got pulled threw when the spare tire nuts were tighten! I have the stock rims with stock tire size, and haven't had any issues.
Having that large baffle in the wheel well is a must, as with the small hat channel brace.

 

Thanks Roy. I think my carrier is original, it came with the Jeep in the parts box, but that panel had long ago rotted out and was full of bondo, so I replaced it along with the underlying bracing.I’m fighting a few issues here - my tires are wider than stock, so they protrude from the wheel wheels. I’m wary of these extenders with all that weight too…so I’m beginning to think I might need to fabricate an entirely new tire mount.

 

I would for sure. These brackets are pretty light duty. Last thing you would want is that side spare coming off! I do check mine every few weeks for any signs of wear or the 3 nuts loosening. Even with these concerns, I will
have the side spare tire mounted, can't beat that vintage look!

 

Looks like I have a CAD project for tomorrow… I think send cut send now does bending so I should be able to get the pieces made and then I can weld them together, maybe it would be useful if someone else ever has the same problem

 

Well today was the day - test drive! Pushed her out of the garage, fired her up, and tried to reverse and….no clutch.

Turns out I think I guessed wrong when I mounted the chain clutch assembly, and the throw out bearing had the clutch fully contacting the flywheel. in the attempt to back it out of the garage, a puff of white smoke out of the throw out bearing port portended the clutch welding itself to the flywheel. F__K! What a bummer.

So I guess now I’ve got to take the carpet etc. out and drop the transmission and install a new clutch….am I going to have to also remove the flywheel and have it resurfaced?

 

Still a beautiful Jeep though...

 

You push it in but it won't disengage? I don't know why the clutch disc/flywheel interface would be a problem. I mean unless the disc is in backwards. Not sure I understand what you think happened. Or there was no free pedal and the bearing was turning constantly, but it would take a while to fry it.

 

Ouch!
That really sucks. At least everything is clean.
I would resurface the flywheel, if it got that hot, it’s probably glazed, and hopefully this will be your last trip in there for a long time.