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Seabee M38A1 Build

Discussion in 'Builds and Fabricators Forum' started by tymbom, Mar 30, 2014.

  1. May 23, 2021
    givemethewillys

    givemethewillys Been here since sparky ran it. 2022 Sponsor

    New Kent, VA
    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2005
    Messages:
    1,998
    What do you think of your tires after using them offroad a bit? They seem to get good reviews on youtube and elsewhere, but I suspect that a lot of the raving is sponsored
     
  2. May 23, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814
    So far so good... They did good on everything I pointed the jeep at. They weren't loud on the pavement either. My friend in Colorado has nothing but good things to say about them as well.

    I'm still on cloud nine today... I can't wait to go wheeling again! We tinkered around with the turn signal switch and made it do some things, so hopefully that'll get sorted this week.
     
    givemethewillys, Fireball and ITLKSEZ like this.
  3. May 23, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814
    [​IMG]
    My daughter took some action shots yesterday...

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    The last one she shared on her Snapchat... My dad took a short video, but it only shows the failed attempt at climbing a ledge... It was about 2 and half or 3 feet tall. I tried to bump it twice, but failed. After a reposition I was able to crawl up by just inching along in 1st low and letting the tires grip...
    [​IMG]
    Here's the ledge with Kenny giving it a try. I guess it's close to 2 feet. I just love wheeling on this property. There's so many fun little places that challenge everyone. Maybe we can plan a Early CJ5 wheeling day this fall...
     
    Clayton, jeep peep69, 73 cj5 and 3 others like this.
  4. May 24, 2021
    Norcal69

    Norcal69 Out of the box thinker 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Northern California
    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2014
    Messages:
    3,549
    I'm only 1.5 hours away..... :whistle:
     
    tymbom and jeep peep69 like this.
  5. May 27, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814
    [​IMG]
    Plugging away at stuff to be able to drive on the road... A 70 dollar GPS speed meter from Amazon fit right in the hole. It's allegedly waterproof and I can change the colors on the backlighting. I wanted to use red, since it's tactical, but it's a bit pink for me.

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    The antenna is on the windshield frame with some industrial Velcro.

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    A corresponding piece on the top of the cowl so I can fold down the windshield.

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    I also put the windshield supports together as well.

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    It was kinda fun putting the felts on. Hopefully I can get into the DMV on Tuesday and update the reg so I am start cruising around and getting some miles on everything...
     
    SKT, dozerjim, Fireball and 3 others like this.
  6. May 28, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814
    [​IMG]
    Got some lights working today...

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    Going to the DMV on Tuesday for a fresh reg tag...

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    Since the front lights are just a single led, I won't have running lights until I wire a blinker genie into the system. Then the turn signals will work as running lights as well.

    Blinker Genie - for Motorcycles (pair)

    I'm looking forward to putting some miles on this thing!!
     
    SKT, dozerjim, Fireball and 1 other person like this.
  7. May 29, 2021
    ITLKSEZ

    ITLKSEZ Hope for the best, prepare for the worst

    Liberty Lake, WA
    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2015
    Messages:
    6,656
    That’s the same speedo I have. The only complaints I have...

    Sometimes it can take upwards of a few minutes to find a signal where we live. If I’m tracking mileage and need it to be accurate, I’ll pull the jeep outside and have to wait for it to search before taking off. But it seems like once it locks in, I can shut it off over and over (when running into stores) and it picks right back up again without delay.

    My only other complaint is how the trip meter resets every time power is shut off, and it feeds the odometer. So your mileage will show lower than actual. Explained here: Varg In Jeep's Clothing
     
    tymbom likes this.
  8. May 29, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814
    Yeah I figgered for 70 bux it might be less than perfect. Where I live is wide open so it always has a signal, even when the antenna fell down into the dash... I just hope it's actually waterproof and it displays a somewhat accurate speed while cruising the two lane roads...
     
    ITLKSEZ likes this.
  9. May 29, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814


    Here's a video of our fun day of wheeling...
     
    Muzikp, Norcal69 and ITLKSEZ like this.
  10. May 30, 2021
    ITLKSEZ

    ITLKSEZ Hope for the best, prepare for the worst

    Liberty Lake, WA
    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2015
    Messages:
    6,656
    That looks like a fun playground!
     
    tymbom likes this.
  11. Jun 8, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814
    [​IMG]
    I managed to meet a major goal of my build. I took my daughter to school on the last Friday of her 8th grade year with the Jeep. I drove her to preschool and kindergarten a few times, but I was hoping to be able to take her to school at least once before she moved on to high school...
    I also skinned the fenders in some thinner (16 gauge) metal on the tops. When I built them originally, I used some 3/16ths which was way too thick and heavy. I also put some hood hold downs on. I'll hafta get some pics of those.

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    Sorta have a working gas gauge. I must have a loose connection somewhere, because the needle bounces back and forth...

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    I had a home improvement project to work on this week so I hitched up the tool cart/saw horse jeep trailer.

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    An old Seabee doing Seabee things...

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    New siding... The previous owners moved two door openings and did other horrible things to the siding. All better now. My wife is excited to finally be able to paint the house. Which means the barn gets painted too. And the shop.

    I'm loving having the Jeep to drive around in finally. Last week it got stupid hot around here, it was 106° one day. The Jeep didn't like that too much. It ran a little hot for my taste but when the weather is a little cooler it runs about 205 or so. Eventually I plan to put a taller radiator in to add some cooling capacity and make sure I have some extra reserve in case I'm working it hard on a hot day. When I originally set up the radiator I have now, I still had the factory crossmember under the radiator. It kinda limited how tall the radiator could be. That's been gone for awhile now, so I can out something taller in there. Between the tires being so quiet and the extra muffler, the ride is pretty pleasant. I cruise at 55-60mph and you can carry on a conversation without yelling back and forth.
    I have a few oil leaks to attend to now. The valve covers are leaking, along with the front cover at the harmonic balancer, and the oil pan is as well. Of course I have already replaced those, so I'll hafta try again...
    Thanks for checking it out. Laters
     
    SKT, fhoehle, blalp! and 4 others like this.
  12. Jun 8, 2021
    givemethewillys

    givemethewillys Been here since sparky ran it. 2022 Sponsor

    New Kent, VA
    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2005
    Messages:
    1,998
    that's a fantastic looking Jeep, I love it! Glad to see you out enjoying it. I can't wait to get there myself.
     
    tymbom likes this.
  13. Jun 9, 2021
    Muzikp

    Muzikp Active Member

    Sacramento Ca.
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2016
    Messages:
    1,450
    Agreed, it really is a good lookin build.
     
    tymbom likes this.
  14. Jun 22, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814
    [​IMG]
    15 gallons of paint later... Another 5 in trim... House is looking nice. My wife is so excited. We knew when we bought the house we would be painting it eventually. She had the colors all picked out.

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    Father's Day there is always a car show in Yreka, so we loaded up in the Jeep and went down and walked around a bit. Maybe next year I'll actually put the Jeep in the show. That was the first time we all went somewhere together with the Jeep. I still haven't had time to address the oil leaks or the radiator, since I've been so busy with the house, but I just had to take it out just for a cruise. I think I stumbled onto a pretty good combo for gearing and exhaust. It cruises along about 55-60 with hardly any noise from the exhaust or the tires.

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    I'm looking forward to some cooler weather as well. It's been too hot already. We've had several weeks of 100 plus degree days...
     
    SKT, ITLKSEZ, Fireball and 1 other person like this.
  15. Jul 10, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814
    [​IMG]

    A new radiator has been installed. It's a bit taller, but it's also thicker and is a triple pass radiator. I ended up building a new shroud from sheet metal and it seems to be working well.

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    I think I found the source of a very annoying rattle.

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    Unfortunately the weather has been so stinking hot. Also, we had a the Lava Fire burning on the flanks of Mt. Shasta near here. I haven't really had the chance to get out and cruise around much. I just barely rolled over 200 miles on the odometer...
     
    Jw60, ITLKSEZ, Muzikp and 1 other person like this.
  16. Jul 20, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814
    Grrrr. I had typed up a post and lost it... Let's try again.
    So this weekend I finally got to put some miles on the Jeep.

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    My father recently got his jeep running again after fixing his head gasket. We took off Saturday morning on a dirt road adventure. We didn't plan on actually doing any wheeling, but we ended up getting into something...

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    We headed east from Montague and went up Ball Mountain road. There's a forest service road number 22 that turns off to the south and goes around Miller Mountain and drops down to Hwy 97. We went down 97 for a bit and turned east onto Deer Mountain road. We followed the railroad tracks south towards Military Pass.

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    Off in the distance is the north edge of where the Lava Fire had burned. There was one hill climb that neither one of us could get up. My right front hub wasn't locking, so it was like having an anchor. The ground up in this area is so soft and sandy. So we pulled some cable and got mine up, then turned around and pulled my dad up. More than we bargained for but fun. We were sweating and laughing. Good times. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of all that.

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    My dad's jeep fit underneath the railroad tracks. Mine would too if we dug out a pile of dirt at the entrance. We had a great time getting dusty and cruising around. We were a bit disappointed to see one of our favorite camp spots had gotten burned over. This was the first time we've been able to get our jeeps out and go somewhere together. We put about 70 miles on and it was basically a shake down run for Sunday.

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    Sunday morning we drove over the hill to Weaverville to meet up with my sister and her family. My daughter had been visiting them for a couple weeks over in Humboldt County.

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    After meeting up in town we drove back up to Trinity Lake and went to a swimming hole and ate lunch. My niece and nephew wanted to ride in the jeep.

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    It's a weird feeling being a hundred miles from home in the oldest vehicle around. We saw a couple newer jeeps, but I think an old 70's Ford F100 was the only vintage vehicle we saw. My dad was planning to drive his jeep, but my mom decided to come along so they drove the Subaru.

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    We stopped at another little swimming hole along the Trinity River on our way back.

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    And we rolled over 500 miles on the odometer before we got home. Overall the jeep is working awesome. I tore the hub apart and fixed the problem. The spring behind the dial wasn't in the right spot. It wasn't clipped onto the dial. I don't know if I assembled it incorrectly or it came loose, but it's fixed now. The radiator and the shroud I built did an excellent job of keeping the engine cool. I have a oil leak at the harmonic balancer that I need to take car of, but other than that I'm ready to plan on doing some trips and going wheeling.
     
    Dne007, Buildflycrash, Muzikp and 3 others like this.
  17. Aug 25, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814
    [​IMG]

    Well chasing leaks has led to this ^^^
    I pulled the motor the replace the rear main seal. There was a few things that I took care of while the motor was out.

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    All back together and everything is working pretty good. I have just under 1200 miles on the odometer now. Basically the little problems have been figured out. Now to fit the hard top and a heater for snow wheeling season...
     
  18. Sep 3, 2021
    jeep peep69

    jeep peep69 Member

    redding ca.
    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2007
    Messages:
    619
    Where did you source your axle vent things ?
     
  19. Sep 10, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814
    Those came from a Trail Gear. You can find them on Summit Racing.
     
  20. Sep 30, 2021
    tymbom

    tymbom Member

    Siskiyou Co.
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
    Messages:
    814
    [​IMG]
    I got my hardtop bolted down finally... It's a model 530 Koenig top. It was laying in a cow field for years before I got it. The sides are bent and mangled. The top was twisted from cows stepping on it. I laid it on the shop floor and beat the biggest dents out and made it look good. It's designed to bolt to the top of the bed rails, which I don't really care for. I like having the footman loops and to me it looks better mounted on the lip that goes around the body. Since I don't have doors or a tailgate yet, I went ahead and modified the top to fit the way I like. I'll hafta take some close up shots to show what I mean.

    So my dad and I decided to go out and cut some firewood and do some camping. On the way I thought it would be fun to explore a trail that was recently opened up by the Lava Fire.

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    That didn't go very well. We were both pulling small trailers and my dad got into a pickle. There is a lot of sand in this area since Mt Shasta is basically a dormant volcano. I looked back at my dad just as he got stuck. Where he's standing is the trail. Because the trail was narrow he was hugging the right side and spun out trying to climb the bank. He backed up a bit and tried to forward again. His tires just sunk into the sand and pulled him over the bank. I tried winching and pulling with my strap, but I really needed a snatch block to pull sideways off a tree. You can kinda see how steep the road is too. I ended up calling my buddy Roy and he was able to help out. Of course we didn't get any pics again. I pulled from the back of the truck, while Roy ran a cable up through a block to the cab mount on the frame behind the front tire. Pulled it right out.

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    We made it to camp about 8pm and I made us a steak dinner. Those ribeyes tasted pretty good by then...

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    Woke up to a pretty view of Mt. Shasta...

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    We packed up our camp and cut our load of wood and headed back to town.

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    Not a bad trip. My little trailer only holds a half a cord of firewood, so it doesn't take long to load it up. The jeep did well pulling it too...

    Once we got home, we got cleaned up and ran up to Klamath Falls Oregon and swooped up another Koenig metal hardtop for my dad's jeep, same exact model as mine, plus it has the doors and a tailgate.

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    It needs some work as well, there's no windows or latches for the doors, but for 250 bux, you can't beat it! The metal is way straighter than mine too.

    I'll be building the doors from a 4x10 sheet of 18 gauge I picked up the other day so I'll be sharing that as well.
    Thanks for checking it out, laters
     
    SKT, Timber Cruiser, Boyink and 6 others like this.
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