1959 Cj-5 302 Swap. Help Me To Help Myself......

well, after playing with the dash this morning, I started to finish some work on the floor access and firewall panels. Putting in 1/4-20 riv-nuts for the removable section. When I got to the area around the toploader shifter that I havent figured out yet, I had a bit of an epiphany.... Originally I was going to make a second cover so that I wasnt fighting FOUR shift levers to get the section in.... I was looking at it, and said to myself "Hey Stupid..... why dont you cut the crap, and just weld the material back into the floor that they cut out...." I dont need that area for access to anything, so it makes sense to just stitch more steel back into the oversized hole that they cut.... so thats what I started doing....



I need to trim this panel better around the drop off, but thats no biggie. Ill cut another piece to fill in behind the shifter and match up with the removable piece (and give me something to attach a riv-nut to.... Just gotta grab some of the tailgate skin I have down in my "bunker" and that will be done shortly. I can also weld in a patch over the gigantic hole just visible on the right side of the image.... I dont know what they cut out of there, but its not above anything, its rough, and needs to be filled....



got the drivers side nicely attached to the floor on the removable piece. On the tub side I welded up all the existing holes from the original cover, and drilled new so they would match up. Just that small area left on this side, then I can attack the other side, where there is a piece of THIN steel (thanks rust, someone left it on the ground likely) that just blows through if I strike an arc in the same ZIP code.... Ill cut that back to good steel, weld up the holes in the tub, and drill my own holes..... Ill leave enough room around the shifters for full swing, but not too big to be able to cover with a proper boot.... I didnt do all this work to leave that unfinished....

 

well, the major welding is now done.... Patched in the remainder of around the shifter, reworked the passengers side, fixed the gaping hole in the floor between the seats, and replaced the bad metal in the cover. Its never done, so im sure ill find something I missed.....

i smell like a foundry, and seriously need a beer.....



I still cant hang a pimple on a real bodymans @ss, but im getting better..... I need new flap discs before I can cut this back down and prime it....



Yeah, thats some old tailgate.... welds good though....



couple of riv-nuts and it will be finally done.... what a PITA that was....

 

well, I think its time to sign off on the firewall/floorboard project for now. Did a bit of refitting on the floor panel this morning, ground down the welds some (its gonna get bedlined, so I didnt go nuts... its thin enough in places as it is.... ). Im happy with the results. I have a relatively small opening for both the four speed Toploader and for the three other sticks for the OD and transfer case. I have full range of motion on ALL (except OD, thats still stuck, I need to pull that and check it out SOON). Ill make a pattern for some boots for these as a finishing touch. I may get generic rubber boots to go underneath, and I think Herm has the triple boot for the OD and transfer case. If anyone else has a line on where to get one, Im all ears...



all bolted down and happy. I may add a few more riv-nuts but for now, its good....



Tight, but clears nicely. I can always remove metal easier than adding it back in.....

I took care of the myriad of pinholes I found already, and threw some paint/primer on it to make it look a bit more "finished"..... Once the pedals get here, and I see if I need to butcher the firewall for swing clearance, Ill get the rest of this put to bed, but the major fitting/grinding/patching/welding is done....

 

JB Custom Fab:

• https://jb-custom-fabrication.myshopify.com/products/shifter-boot-triple-stick-tailored-p-n-trsbt
  
• https://jb-custom-fabrication.mysho...fter-boots/products/triple-stick-shifter-boot

 

You the MAN!!!!

 

well, thats one more item to check off the list....

went to pull the overdrive off to check it out, as it wasnt shifting. The bolts were very easy to remove, but the unit was pretty stuck to the back of the transfer case. Figured, what the hell, the shifter is in a position where it will push the OD off the trans, at a beneficial position (up top, where I cant get anymore...). Hit the shift lever, and lo and behold the damn thing moved.... just not the way I originally intended.... It shifted... OK, just for $hits and giggles, lets finger tighten the bolts and see what happens.... yep, it works just fine... tightened the bolts, soaked it all in PB Blaster, as it was dry, and now I have a "working" overdrive....

Note that the screw holding the detent ball was finger tight, so I pulled that out to check the ball wasnt frozen. If it was stuck, its not stuck no more... that could have been the issue the whole time.... again, PB Blaster to the rescue....

 

Score with the overdrive.

Is that a Hurst shifter? Mine is very different than anything I've driven. From neutral to reverse there is a noticeable click then down. It's spring loaded for 3 & 4 so it snaps out of second ready for 3. Must be a hotrod thing.

 

Yes, I found the markings on the shifter this weekend. It’s a Hurst Competition Plus with an AA marked stick. It needs new bushings on both ends of the rods, but is otherwise in good shape

 

Wilwood pedals came today. First look, they are going to work nicely. Pedal ratio on the clutch is fixed (I can now push in with just hand pressure with it loosely bolted together) and column clearance looks to be no real issue. Pedals will be wide spread out, but with big feet, again, that isn’t really a bad thing. I will however have to plug the existing holes in the firewall. None appear to work “nicely”, but that’s easy to do…. I’ll probably pull the doubler off and replace with a fresh panel. If all goes good this coming weekend, it may be self mobile for a change….. these pedals have been a real sticking point…..

 

Ok, started tearout of the firewall reinforcement. The holes currently there are in COMPLETELY the wrong locations, so the only real way to patch them is to cut the panel off and redo it….. same with the firewall patch I put in first, cut it out and redo it in 18ga this time…… in the end, I’ll be happier with the end result. In the mean time, I’m gonna get another 4x12x1/4” plate, and mark it for the pedal box studs. I have the blueprint of the locations with the Wilwood documentation, and will use that as a drilling guide for the firewall, and as a strong back between the firewall and master cylinders. That should make it rigid enough to not crack out over time.

 

and after my mid-day run, I went into mock-up. I figured the holey panel would still be good to temporarily hang the pedal box, and I was right... the existing master cylinder holes needed a bit of massaging to get the studs through, but it works... I drilled new holes for the clutch master, but did not make a center hole to be able to mount it up... no real reason at this time...

Verdict is in, and it looks good. Pedals give a very nice height and swing, but I will need to notch the pedal box for full swing. No big deal really.... the pads are adjustable 1/2" each side of center, so I can adjust the spacing between them. As it sits, I have the clutch pedal in the center position, and the brake in the far left position, so its closer to the gas pedal. Not as bad a spacing between them as I thought. I wont be heel/toe-ing it any time soon, but that wasnt a need anyway... this isnt a racecar....I may lower the pedals just a bit, but we will see when I put a seat in there and actually work the pedals. I figure I can get them where I want with the section of firewall I want to remove, and then use that as a template of sorts to drill the new piece....



fairly nice even separation between the pedals. My fat feet should appreciate this.



i have about half an inch between the brake pedal and the column. this is MUCH mroe than I had before, and puts everything in a nice spot. the adjustable pad negates the need to get the column between the pedals, IMHO....



and now the messy bits.... you can see why Im going to re-replace the firewall panel... its swiss cheese.... I will have much better separation between the clutch master and brake master as well, so the lines are going to be easier to run.... Ill clean up the spaghetti with that when I mount the masters... Ill have to reflare the brake lines anyway.

 

Maybe just lay a 1/8 plate over it to conceal and reinforce.

 

the idea has crossed my mind….. we will see what I can find at the local hardware store.

 

Well, I did a thing….. footwell and firewall are out…. Time for some more sheet metal origami…… note to self, put down the angle grinder and step away when you haven’t had a good morning…….

 

been working at getting out of the giant hole I dug myself with the firewall and footbox.... New firewall section (16ga) is in, drilled and the pedals hung so I can do final checks on the pedal swing. Looks like Ill have to modify one of the pedals to use countersunk screws, the button head ones impinge on the (already finalized, and cant go smaller) notch for the column. The other side, I will have to open up about another inch for just a bit more clearance. I have some now, but I can see me cussing myself later for not taking the extra inch when I had the chance and it was relatively easy.

Clutch pedal feels good, and I have good action at the clutch fork, so that is GOOD TO GO (major issue before) and the brakes will get re-bled here soon, probably tomorrow morning.

on another note, Im still waiting for my damn power steering pump... USPS lost the first one, and this morning I got the message from Amazon that my other one is "undeliverable".... WTF... its a Chevy pump, they only used them on EVERYTHING for like 50 freaking years.... its not like they are rare (but of course our three parts stores have to "special order" one from the DC in Phoenix, which will take 2-3 days.... and I pay the extortionate shipping... )

Ill try and get some pics up later today.... right now, even a grinder and paint cant make this look good....

 

alright, the sun is too high in the sky to be welding (get too much sun in from the back, and I cant see what Im welding.... ). Ill go out again tonight when the sun is at a better angle, and finish welding in the floor of the footbox. As it sits, I like how it is coming together. I still have some patches to make (found an area on the firewall that had a 1/2" gap that I cut out and will fill tomorrow.) and the "firewall" portion of the footbox. My measurements were a bit off on one side due to the firewall section I had previously done was about 1" out of whack with where it needed to be... (that has been addressed) so I have some extra material on that side I need to cut off.... no biggie with an angle grinder...



this section I removed as it had a HUGE gap between the jeep firewall and the new section I put in.... Ill "massage" some steel and fill that easily in the morning....



footwell floor is nearly in. it will take a bit of massaging, but its welding in nicely.... I need to get in there and cut back the paint though, before I weld it more than just a couple of tacks.



masters are in, and the clutch is still "bled" (still a bit of air, but its functional"). pedal can be depressed by hand fairly easily, so my foot wont have any issues. A working clutch is a good thing.... FINALLY

 

$hits about to get real!!! tires arrived... Ill get them mounted at work this week. I REFUSE to pay someone $50 ea to mount the damn things.... At least the mechanic at the bus barn allows those of us with some knowledge and skill to use the machines.... ill slip him a lunch for the trouble.... I really need to get one of the rim clamp machines on Marketplace one of these days. I have too many vehicles with tires that constantly need something.... and this is AZ, where crap in the road that causes flats is EVERYWHERE....



the tires are nothing special. Just some LT235's with an "all terrain" pattern on them. Need to see if there are any other issues (once driving) before I spring for big buck tires and all that jazz... A hair under $400 from Simple Tire (shipped to my door) isnt too bad for this set.

 

nothing really photogenic this morning... finished welding in the footwell. connected and bled the brakes and clutch. Clutch has VERY nice action, should work nicely. Brakes, I cant seem to get fluid from the bleeders, but I get a good pedal.... Ill have to check them out sooner than later I think. Ill have to get a hub puller first though.... (idiotic things...) Fronts bled beautifully, so at least that circuit will work.

Its been a challenge today though... Auto-darkening helmet decided not to last night, so I had to get a new helmet. Then this morning I promptly ran out of wire, and had to wait for the store to open.... (Yeah, I should have gotten a spool last night, but that store didnt have any flux core in stock...) Decided while I was farting around for the hardware store to open, I would take care of the lines.... and promptly broke the double flaring mandrel.... (FML, who did I piss off....) so more time (and $$$) wasted getting a new flaring tool.... It figures you have to get the whole kit, they dont just sell the mandrels....

Power steering pump should FINALLY be here today... first one got lost by USPS, second one, Amazon decided was undeliverable....Hopefully 3rd times the charm.... If I get that, I can get the steering finished up, the radiator mounted, and maybe see if this thing acts properly for moving and stopping.... once I get the tires on it....

 

Watch out with the cheap flaring tools. They are a POS! I found out the hard way. I found this one at a garage sale.
.

 

the one I had, I bought off the MAC truck years ago.... unfortunately I dont know of any MAC dealers around to try and warranty it... I bought the set from VatoZone by Dura(doesnt)last to get me by. Didnt seem to have an issue with the mandrel at least for now, and I continued to use the "good" frame and driver, as they had wingnuts and a handle, so I didnt have to use a wrench.....