TexasBlues Progress

OK, finally got the shocks for the extended towers... was as easy as going to the local 4x4 shop and getting face to face with the guys behind the counter... theyre a pretty swift bunch back there..

ended up with Pro-Comps 9000 series.. 92750 in the front and i ll have to get the number for the rears...

have made SOME progress between working inside the house (trim and finishing some loose ends) and taking care of mom (with extra special thanks to my lovely bride Sherry)...

a while back i posted about some brackets for my fuel cell, as the 76 skid pan wont work (without mods) on my 75 frame... i was directed to boyinks page (excellent write up too, Boyink)... so i started the first one last nite with some 1/8" flat stock that i got at the big orange home store... i also got some 16ga sheets and tried out my new flange/punch that i got at HF... works like a CHAMP!

this 1st bracket is a trial and i think i have it WAY too high



im pretty sure the tank needs to sit lower in the frame so the tub will sit correctly on the mounts... BUT... my idea workd, so thats a bonus!

heres a couple pix of the bracket... pretty simple with a good vice and a BFH







knowing that its too high simply means that i need to make the drop part longer... i need to figure out a way to make the tank removable in the future... maybe bolt from underneath with captive nuts... or maybe nip the corners off of the tank so it will drop instead of coming out thru the top

i also installed some new boffo shackles and they look good.. from quadratec, which took the rightward lean out of it





i have a question though... is the tank supposed to sit level in both directions when installed?

thanks peoples!

 

The tank should be lower, the fill tube has a recess built in so that it can fit very close to the frame rail. The tub will hit the tank before it sits on the body mounts, unless you have a 3" body lift
I would consider making brackets that would allow you to remove the tank from below.
Removing the tub in order to get the tank out would be a PITA.

 

@warloch... thats what i figured, but wasnt sure

@PieLut... i have revised the design using my handy dandy paper towel and pen method... i am going to change it so i can drop it from underneath... may take nipping the corners of the tank, but theres enough material there that i should be ok..

that rotisserie turned out great btw... painted it the closest thing i could find to GSE yellow... looks good

thanks again for the plans

 

OK... took the advice of PieLut and my own forethought and installed my tank with bolts that will allow drop access in the future...

made these out of 1/8" flat stock... drilled 5/16" holes and installed captive nuts on the rearward most bolts, the bolt on the flange can be accessed from the top and bottom...

as far as level goes, its within 1/4 of a bubble in both directions... pretty darn close i think...








the final product... solid and level... even my wife says it came out well



got the filler where it needs to be too!



this weekend im going to take it out in the driveway for a good hose down/rinse so i can POR it... the tub needs it too, so i ll do it as well

again... couldnt have done it without you guys... thanks a brazilian!

 

Looking good! Took me a while to figure out out how to seat my new rear tank correctly. Where are you going to run your filler neck - side or rear?

 

THANKS jbrucru

i LIKE the original way of running it for correctness, but i think the side filler is more practical...

im going to cut out for the CJ7 style filler neck, on the side.. i think they look sharp

 

got some good progress done this weekend body-work-wise...

washed the frame and tub down and was going to POR the frame and topcoat, but i ran out of time before i had to go to my hockey game... so all i got done was the rear of the tub... in areas where i DONT have any welding to do





the floors are rougher than i thought, but i ll try to make them work, if not, i have some 16ga that i got at HD to patch in

and the flanger/hole puch from HF works excellently!





i cup brushed the whole underside and also under the cowl (some surface rust in there) and POR'd everything i could with what i had divvied out...

ahhhhh... progress feels good!

 

I'm liking the progress , your rotisserie came out great (you should send me one)

 

HAHA... thanks piff!

 

OK some progress last nite... weather was great for painting so i thought i would experiment...

i KNOW the frames are SUPPOSED to be black, but like i have stated before, this is NOT a hysterical restoration and i wanted something different...

this is after 2 coats of POR, 2 coats of 2x rattle can primer, and 2 coats of whats called Sail Blue...

im thinking that after the lines and tubes and hoses are installed, itll look really clean... besides... if i dont like it, i can ALWAYS scuff and shoot it in black...

sorry for the graininess, i think my the lens on my phone was dirty

the axles, springs and such will remain black and the shocks are pro-Comps... so theyre white

opinons?

 

I'm liking the blue. That color frame with the black springs and stuff, and white shocks should set it off well. Go for it.

 

Looks great, you just had to show everyone up by going out of the box and painting it blue

 

thanks guys!

@warloch... i havent decided on a tub color yet... used to want some kind of orange, but EVERYone has an orange one now...

cant do yellow... just cant

thought about that 68 charger green.. too common now...

so color for me is up in the air

 

You got something here

Great project

 

Well, If you are really a Texan, it would be Silver & Blue for the cowboys. But do what you want to live with for the next couple of decades.

 

had to do a bunch of work over at my moms this weekend, so i didnt get a boatload of JEEP time... i DID manage to get ONE spot cut out and patched in the floor... its just too think to try to fill in the holes... it blows thru even on the lowest amperage

heres what i have so far... essentially, the rolls on the floorboards will be removed and replaced with flat steel..

16ga sheets from the big orange store

heres where it started





during the process..





finished product... needs to be welded from the INSIDE of the tub DUH mehh... but it will clean up nice on the inside... plus the rhino liner interior should help hide it



anyone know if rhino can be put OVER POR? i was thinking of PORing the inside 1st