1963 Us Navy Dj-3a

Back to the cardboard!


Finished brace:


I'm using pop-rivets for this shroud because unlike the shroud I built for the '71 out of 16 gauge steel (that you could probably jack the Jeep up with), I'm using paper thin aluminum that I have no hope of welding. Which also leads to the need for this brace, but even with the brace, it's a faction of the weight and probably won't damage the fan if something bad happens.

Brace attached to lower filler, and the fold on the top of the filler flattened a bit:




In place on the Jeep. Very sturdy, and good fan clearance. I could cut the middle out to save weight but I'm lazy:


I also added a rubber filler to take up the gap at the top of the radiator cowling:


That finishes up the fab work on this project. Now I need to blow it all apart, paint the bare metal on the cowl where I welded, and then I can start putting the cooling system back together permanently.

This is what the workbench looks like after a simple fan shroud project. Yeesh:

 

Boring stuff tonight. Sanded the flaking white paint and overspray off the inside of the radiator cowl, degreased everything, masked the grill bars, and laid on a coat of semi-glosss black:


Welded a lip on the back of the battery tray to keep the battery from sliding backwards:


And scuffed/painted the worst of the rusty areas up front. That's all it gets for now. I'm not even painting the fan:

 

Put new fan belts on it for me.... pretty please?
Rubicon is hard on fan belts, PS belt squeal is like the official bird call of the Rubicon Trail. Besides the old belts will look lovely in your trail spare stash.
I may be thinking backwards... but I think a slightly longer PS belt will allow you to stand the pump up straighter too.

 

Looking good! I’m excited to see this thing tomorrow.

While the grill and fenders are off, check closely for cracks around that front crossmember.

 

Yes! That is in the plan. It's getting a different alternator, so I'm leaving these in until then.

 

Mine started complaining on day 2, I tightened it to no avail. It also became clear I needed a ps cooler.

 

This is a good point. I might as well add one while I have everything apart. Just ordered one.

 

You will be glad you did!
The several times I ran the trail without a cooler, by 2-3 hours into the day, PS performance really begins to decline.

 

ITLKSEZ swung by to help me build the exhaust today:


We got the whole thing done in a day. It was hugely helpful having him here, and I learned a lot. It would have taken me at least a week and half to do a much worse job by myself.

Making the merge that takes two 1 7/8" pipes to a 2 1/4" pipe. We cut the smaller pipes so the circumference when welded together would match the larger pipe and rounded out the final shape to match:


Working on that last chunk that goes out the back. The piece ended up with more bends than anything else:


Here it is all done. We snaked the passenger side exhaust over the driveshaft and under the bellhousing to keep everything tucked up tight. There is a V-band clamp at the end of the Y-pipe, and another at the back of the muffler for ease of maintenance:


Muffler also tucked up high:


And for now, the rear ends with a turn-down short of the bumper. When I build a better rear bumper, I'll chop this off and pass through the bumper for protection:


Going back to the front, we used some 2 1/4" piper where we had to flatten it for front driveshaft clearance. This was to keep the cross sectional area post smashing close to the cross sectional area of the 1 7/8" pipe going into and out of it. It's a tight spot, but the driveshaft hits the bellhousing before it hits the exhaust:


Again, I can't thank ITLKSEZ enough for the help.

 

It was my pleasure. It’s always nice to visit with you guys. That’s gonna be a cool little jeep!

 

That's some impressive workmanship!

 

How does it sound?

 

If you want a little cleaner appearance with the pop rivets, use the flush head versions. McMaster-Carr has a good selection. Nice work!

 

Hard to say. It will be a few weeks before it's running again. The intent is for it to be pretty quiet. Hence a Volvo replacement muffler.

 

Yes it is

 

The power steering cooler showed up:


I used a new toy to cut out some brackets out of 1/8" scrap:


More Rivnuts. I'm sure I've put at least 50 of them in this Jeep already:


Drilling holes for the hoses:


Mounted up:


Grommets to protect the hoses:


Final setup. I wanted it where the fan would pull air through it even though it will reduce the effectiveness of the radiator slightly:


Hose routing will be something like this, but I'm not hooking it up until I'm done pulling the grill off for the new alternator and fan belts:

 

That PS cooler hose arrangement is similar to what I used on my B.


I also plumbed in a regular hydraulic filter. Total system uses just short of a gallon of PS fluid (Swepco 715).

 

How do I get ITLKSEZ to come to Colorado Springs???

 

Tell me there’s a free jeep there and I’ll be on the next flight to drive it back.


Speaking of that, this will be the 10-year anniversary of that trip!