New Member - 72 Jimmy: Project Knuckledragger mountain commuter

[snowblind]

I've been banging away in the bed for the last couple of weeks and now it's all starting to come together. There were a number of rusty holes that needed patching so I cut out all the rust, bought a patch panel and took it to Maaco for some welding.

The first of the cutting...




To keep the costs down I had Maaco cut patch panels a little bigger than the holes and then weld them OVERLAPPING the existing bed. Obviously it would have been prettier to weld the panels in flush but my wallet is happy with the compromise. Liberal use of seam sealer above and below should provide decent corrosion protection.

Here's the bed all patched up. I also hit everything with a knotted wire wheel and then used Rust Blast etching solution to prep it for primer and bedliner







The metal plates in front of the wheel wells are remnants of an old roll bar...






Matt

[snowblind]

Next up is a couple of coats of Chassis Saver sliver paint/primer. Chassis Saver is similar to POR-15 in that it is a rust sealing paint but it is thicker and contains a bunch of flake aluminum so it dries more like a primer.









Tomorrow I'll do seam sealer on all the remaining seams and then the first coat of bed liner.


Matt

[hgs_notes]

It's no showstopper, more of a knuckledragger.

Way better than the ventilation you had.

[NTR72GMC]

Looking good. Whats going on top of the silver stuff? (Paint, Spray on lining)

[snowblind]

Originally Posted by NTR72GMC

Looking good. Whats going on top of the silver stuff? (Paint, Spray on lining)

It is Chassis Saver sliver paint/primer. Chassis Saver is similar to POR-15 in that it is a moisture cure rust sealing paint but it is thicker and contains a bunch of flake aluminum so it dries more like a primer. Here's a link.

It can be sprayed but I put it on with a brush. Two coats deep into all the seams and then I seam sealed with 3M Automix 08308. I want to use the bed for various dirty projects in the summer so I'm also doing a bed liner. I have a roll on liner by the same company called Monstaliner.

[snowblind]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

It's no showstopper, more of a knuckledragger.

Way better than the ventilation you had.

Yeah. Now it just REEEEEKS of paint!!!!


Matt

[DURRTY]

cool, the bed liner will cover up those patches. You might not even be able to see them at all.

[Big J]

Lookin' great, feels good to have accomplished something on it don't it.

[snowblind]

Originally Posted by Big J

Lookin' great, feels good to have accomplished something on it don't it.

You know it! I've been making progress for the last few weeks but putting paint/coating down is always a great feeling. It's like the crest of a hill you know? Everything from this point "should" be putting stuff back together...

I put the Monstatliner bed liner in the rear tub this weekend. It went down THICK and does a lot to hide the patches. I'll post some pics soon.

The Monstatliner is a dual cure (moisture/catalyst) and it's advised that you apply it in dry weather. I do all my work outdoors and a winter storm was in the forecast so I built a little tent off the back of the Jimmy to keep the snow away from the new bed liner. It was windy also so I added a few venting slits to the plastic sheet to stop it blowing away. Here comes the snow!








Matt

[lks dcvn]

Looks pretty good!

I used a similar product on my LWB bed floor - www.nomorerust.com I will be using that on the 4x4 Project this winter when I get to the metal work stage.

Not looking forward to snow/ice here at all. Forecast says it is a week or so away.

[snowblind]

Here are some pics of the rear tub with the bed liner.

I applied the first coat on Friday night with temps around 45º and then a second coat at around 12:00 on Saturday afternoon with 55º temps before the storm rolled in on Sunday and sent lows into the 20s. The coating was dry to the touch by Saturday night and it feels pretty hard now. There is still a considerable odor but the manufacturer advises 7 days for a full cure and I think it will be longer for me with the low temps and also the closed bed of the Jimmy. I've been parking it in the sun with the hatch up to try and speed the cure.









About the primer gray fuel filler... I found some spray paint on the garage shelf that said it was for touching up galvanized fences, etc. and I thought it would be perfect for the galvanized fuel filler. WRONG. I'll be repainting that when I pull it to put a sealing gasket in.


Matt

[NTR72GMC]

Looks good! Did you do the tailgate as well?

[cvalcore]

man that bed liner looks great did you pick that up locally or did you order it.

[snowblind]

Originally Posted by NTR72GMC

Looks good! Did you do the tailgate as well?

I did the tailgate flat so I could lay it on thick.




Matt

[snowblind]

Originally Posted by cvalcore

man that bed liner looks great did you pick that up locally or did you order it.

I ordered it and had it shipped. It goes on thick and dries VERY hard. I wouldn't recommend putting it in a a truck with the top on though because the fumes are really bad...

Matt

[cvalcore]

i have rock crawler i was thinking it would work great in it never has a top on it for the price i think it would work great. so is so hard it might crack or is it still plyable.

[snowblind]

Originally Posted by cvalcore

i have rock crawler i was thinking it would work great in it never has a top on it for the price i think it would work great. so is so hard it might crack or is it still plyable.

It's probably perfect for your application. Supposed to be very UV stable with is key for you with no top. emial the guys at www.monstaliner.com to know for sure.


Matt

'72 Jimmy Build

[snowblind]

One of my goals with this project is to add some TECHNOLOGY to my old rig. I'm not restoring to recreate how it left the factory. I want something better!

Following that line of thought I decided to switch over to an electric fan. The big benefits of electric fans is that they reduce drag on the engine and free up room in the engine bay. They also only run when needed which means they won't even be running for 5 months out of my year.

I had to replace the water pump anyways so it made sense to do it all at once. I went with a Weiand 9240 aluminum water pump and a single 12" Flex-a-lite fan. The single 12" as a temporary solution. I will be adding a shroud and another 12" in the spring.

The old...





Disassembly...





Comparison...



New...







The new set up is NICE! The truck idles smoother for sure. The fan never even comes on driving around in 40 degree temps. As you can see in the last pic there is some room in there now!


Matt

[NTR72GMC]

Looks nice and clean.

[snowblind]

Originally Posted by NTR72GMC

Looks nice and clean.

It's getting there a little bit at a time... The cooling system is working top-notch now. New thermostat, radiator cap and water pump took care of that.

I did a few other things over the holiday also...

I finally put in new rear shocks. I had replaced the fronts about a month ago but still had the crusty old rears. The fronts I already had are yellow Bilstein HDs but this model has been discontinued for the rear of the 72's so I went with a Bilstein 5100s with a zinc coating. According to the salespeople the shock internals are the same.

The difference in ride is HUGE!!! I didn't realize how out of control my rear springs were until now. The PO put a 2.5" block and an add-a-leaf under the stock rear springs so it has a bit of kick back there and the worn out shocks were doing NOTHING to control it.





I also got started on a wiring upgrade for power seats, stereo, electric fans and headlights. I want to run a little stand-alone system of relays and breakers and leave the stock wiring alone as much as possible.

I found a pretty nice breaker box at NAPA that I'm using as a "fused" distribution center. The box has 6 x 20amp breakers installed and I can change the breakers out with a higher amperage if I need. The box and breakers are mounted close to the battery and will eliminate the need for any inline fuses in the engine compartment.





I only have a the rad fan and a temporary seat wire hooked up right now but this shows how the wires connect. There are rubber grommets that install around the wires/openings and a cover that bolts over everything. The final product will be well sealed against the environment.



I also replaced the heater defrost hoses, replaced the heater control box, installed new rear carpet, cleaned and re-installed the rear seat, painted and re-mounted the rear bumper and replaced the plastic wiring channels in the engine compartment. More pics to come later.


Matt

[ChadGiles70]

Looking good! When you are done then you should drive it to Logan so I can take a look. I havent touched my blazer for a month now because I am stuck doing a bathroom remodel.

[snowblind]

I just got back from a week out of town and winter is here with a VENGEANCE! Lows were in the single digits yesterday... I need to find somewhere warm I can work on the Jimmy.

I'm having a custom wiring harness made so that I can run high/low bulbs in all four headlights. I really have no need for a dedicated high beam and I really think 4 low beams will do a better job for my driving.

Check out this thread for more info on the wiring harness.

[NTR72GMC]

Looks like a cool idea you should up grade you headlamps while your at it link

[snowblind]

Originally Posted by NTR72GMC

Looks like a cool idea you should up grade you headlamps while your at it link

Yep. I ran the rectangular Hella H4 Euros on 91 Celica and they were a HUGE upgrade. Four of those aimed low with 55w xenons should do nicely.

[NTR72GMC]

They are some sweet headlamp's I have some 7" for my blazer!!!