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So, that looked like a fix I could do myself. I thought I'd have to get a new set of extended covers but luckily James at Dallas Autos provided me with a set of extensions - Thanks James which allowed me to use the original short covers.

First photo shows the original covers "popped" off the dash. I did agonise about how these might come off but then just decided to rive at them and happily they succumbed quite easily.

The extensions themselves are very simple.

The bulb holders clip into the base of the cover, it needed a bit of prising with a small screwdriver to flip them out. Each holder has a 6V torch bulb in it (no wonder they're not bright!)

The bulb holders have to be grounded to the dash by a good bare metal to metal contact otherwise they will flicker or just stay off. I prepped the fitting holes and all the parts with a small half round file to remove rust and paint and expose shiny metal. This is what they look like when they're on. You can see I'm having to push the left hand one against the dash to make the ground (earth).

This is a pic of the extensions and the covers together.

I decided to paint the covers and extensions before re-fitting - Dallas Autos matt Olive Drab aerosol spray (my favourite!). To refit I did the right light by pushing the bulb holder straight into the assembled extended cover. The left light had a shorter wire so I did that by pushing in the extension first then fitting the holder into the cover and pushing that into the extension. They all fit together nicely but the cover to extension fit is very tight. Once assembled on the dash it looks a bit weird but a bit good too!

After fitting and testing I treated myself to a little tripette, just six miles but fantastic since work has kept me away from the jeep for over 2 weeks!
As they say in the adverts: This jeep Runs, Drives and Stops just like it should - looks nice too!

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Apart the rubbish weather on day 1 (Sunday) it was its usual excellent mix of cars, car stuff, burgers, beer, motorcycle stuntmen and ice cream - I doubt if it could get much better. Hopefully some photos will tell all, firstly my favourite thing in the show (after the jeep of course!)

A Ford V8 Pilot Pickup Truck:

Here's her indoors after finding out a bit more about it:

This is what all the young guns want:

My favourite photo of the show, Daddy's Toy:

A selection of some of the excellent vehicles:

And now some MV's:

This is a rare beast - Ford Sidevalve Fieldmouse, nearly a jeep!

Finally the jeep - it rained on my jeep....

Looking forward to next year already

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http://www.hampshirepageantofmotoring.co.uk/index.html

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The packages came from America - they look absolutely brand new. They're dated 1952 but made to the same spec as the original factory production ones. Inside the packages the cables looked like this:

Really top quality condition, just a little stiff due to the cosmoline preservative having hardened off.

Some closer views of the cables:

After gently straightening them out, I removed the cosmoline from the connectors by wiping them with white spirit and then fitted them to the headlight brackets. When I made my own replicas I fitted them under the headlight bracket, this is wrong, they should be fitted on top. I picked this up when I was lucky enough to get a look at a really original MB a little while back.

Final result is very pleasing

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The end plate of the silencer had disintegrated - not good news (but it sounded great!) I was happy it wasn't something worse.

Replacing it looked like something I could do, so off I went to Dallas Autos for a new one. Nice shiny new ones available complete with a comprehensive fitting kit.

Getting the old silencer off wasn't complicated but was a pain as all the bolts were tight with rust.

After a bit of cursing and a lot of WD40 I got all the fittings off. I replaced all the clamps, rubber insulators and the metal supports with the new parts from the fitting kit. Pretty straightforward job (even for me) which all in all took me about 2 hours. When I'd finished it looked like this:

Only one thing to watch out for on the test drive, the burning smell and grey smoke is not your head gasket blowing, it's just the paint burning off your new silencer.. phew!

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Spot the difference???

I got the Motometer back from the firm that overhauled it for me - Speedy Cables

http://www.speedycables.com/repair.html

They have done an absolutely awesome job in my opinion - spot on Boys! Many thanks!

A few more pics of what the gauge was like when I got it and what it looks like after a proper overhaul by real professionals

The gauge has been thoroughly cleaned and repainted internally and externally. The face and needle have been beautifully restored even down to the luminescent marks (hopefully with non-radioactive paint ). It's been repaired and fully tested for function and accuracy - Brilliant!

And of course the big question, does it work??

Of course it does....Like a charm! It took just a few minutes (with the usual contortions needed for any jeep gauge work) to get the repro Stewart Warner gauge out and the Motometer in. The cable fitted straight on without even the most minor resistance (Cable from Tony Sudds, TS Autos). Quick test drive (it was raining again!) and Bob is your Mother's brother! Perfectly restored original Jeep Speedometer.

I sit here with my pint of "Old Moggie" Bitter (my one holiday present from Devon), feeling exceedingly satisfied with my auction site purchase and its overhaul - job well done and jeep significantly improved.

As a matter of interest here's comparison pics of the repro M38/CJ2 gauge compared to the original Motometer

Original gauges are quite rare so I'm very proud to have got this one and been able to put back in the jeep in such first class condition.

I wonder what the change of mileage implication is for my MOT certificate????

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For All Your Jeep & Dodge Needs
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I was proud to be there and felt priveleged to get the chance to thank a number of the veterans for what they did. To a man they were humble and self effacing about their contribution, citing the greater sacrifice made by others as more important to be remembered.

The display and the jeeps arranged outside the entrance to the museum proved to be a great crowd puller for the hundreds of visitors. People are fascinated by jeeps, from 9:30 until well past 6 the crowds just kept on coming.

It was also a major first for me in that I travelled in convoy with other jeeps for the first time - that was a special feeling! As I barrelled down the A27 near Portchester I caught up with 3 jeeps and a Reo belonging to members of S.Hants MVT. I was more than a bit relieved to find them as I wasn't really sure how to get through Portmouth city centre and was kind of winging it. They got me to the museum in one piece and then parked up on the common - cheers chaps!

A phenomenally busy day was topped off by following Ian from SOE out of the city to Cosham where I found the A27 and headed home asap fearing it might get dark and the lights would have to come on - that's a scary thought! Thanks Ian for the "tow" home and many thanks to Paul for the invitation.

All in all a most successful and memorable day!

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Last Friday was also my record daily mileage - 107! Will have to beat that now....

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http://www.solentoverlord.co.uk/index.html

Friendly, very relaxed atmosphere, a mix of all sorts of vehicles and plenty to see and do.
My route across and back took me through some of the nicest countryside I've ever driven in - magic.
The show speaks for itself best in the pictures - lots of them

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It's in great shape and still has its original stiff paper insulator on the back

The insulator is fixed to the bracket, has markings for the two posts; "AM" and what looks like "I" stamped on it, it also has brass rings which sit around the posts.
The gauge itself has been sealed with some type of waterproofer around the cork insulators on the posts, each post has three brass nuts and a lockwasher

The jeep had a repro amperes gauge (ammeter) fitted

Under the dash this is what the repro gauge looked like, the gauge at the bottom is the temp. In the second pic the lock nuts are off showing the wires attached, three to one post and one to the other (I'd love to tell you what they are .... but I'd be guessing )

To get the repro out and NOS in was like having a game of twister without the mat! I shouldn't have to do those kind of contorsions at my age. I ended up lying on my back on the passenger seat with my legs hooked over the back of it and my head stuffed under the dash and twisted sideways.

Tip: if doing this, fold down the windshield as it prevents you clouting your head on the gunrack

Comparing the two gauges was interesting; Repro is left, NOS is right

The most obvious difference is the shorter needle on the NOS, it also has "amperes" scripted differently and the face fixings are in different places.
I was struck by the relative closeness of the shades of OD between the repro (Dallas Autos Flat OD) and the NOS. The NOS was almost the same green but with a hint more black - not bad for 1 year old paint vs 60+ years old!

Having compared them I then stuck my head back under the dash and fitted the NOS gauge in place (having isolated the battery first!!!). I hoped that the posts on the NOS were the same as the repro and just wired it back in as it was. The repro gauge was unmarked so I had no clue if it was right. It worked first time but with discharge and charge the wrong way round! Never mind, just reversed wires on the posts and hey presto

I also managed to fix and re-install my NOS oil pressure gauge, the threads were still good after all! So, when the Motometer speedo is in I'll have original gauges everywhere except the water temp

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That's a fine lookin' jeep!

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Some photos of the event - but sadly, not very good ones

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Fort Nelson Website:

http://royalarmouries.org/visit-us/fort-nelson

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Engine running smooth, oil pressure 50, falling to 30 under load at 10 at idle, temperature steady at 140 degrees - apparently it should be 180 degrees but I'm happy.

Beautiful driving and so much quieter than having the tent up and all flapping around.

I took some pics to record the event - the dog got in them again somehow????

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This is how they look now:

This is what they looked like when they arrived from USA:

The front of the CB light was so thick with paint I couldn't see the "CB" marking on it until it was restored and re-coated.

They work really well (although the photos aren't great!):

Also, I decided to give the cylinder head a bit of a tart up. Not much prep and a brush application of semi-gloss OD, much improved!

Best of all, good weather today and yesterday meant I was able to get out and drive - sweet!

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Question is, what to do next? It looks like it should actually work right now. Apart from a clean up and some lube on the trip meter I reckon it could fit it today. But would it be better to get it restored or even restore it myself??? I'll have to think about that one.

In the meantime I've done over 100 miles this week and how much better is it with the new gearbox, unbelievable, I can actually downshift without crashing the box.......

Great weather, great driving, looking forward to summer

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Then there was the fire extinguisher bracket, requiring six new holes drilled and careful positioning (bit beyond me so I left it to the pros)

It looks like it should really get in the way but actually it doesn't. Having said that, it's doubtful that it would ever have saved a jeep in a fire, seeing as you need to be a contortionist with very small hands to actually get the thing out of the bracket - never mind, it looks real good!

Next that nasty oil pan gasket leak, now all fixed - you can just see the new one in the pic

After that we have the new (repro) combat rims replacing the badly worn originals and a complete overhaul of the bearings and brakes

Here's a list of what got done in addition to a full service

brake cylinders
brake shoes
hub oil seals
wheel bearings
hub nuts
lock tabs
lock washers
2 combat rims
Clutch cable
Clutch bearing & carrier
Transfer case sandwich mount
Snubber
Inlet Manifold
PCV valve
Oil pan gasket
Recon Gearbox and Transfer Case

The 45 mile drive back from Newbury on Saturday was a real eye opener - how I managed before I have no idea. This gearbox and case are so tight, smooth and quiet compared to the old one, I love it!

So maintenance done for another year, looking forward to driving now!

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Number one - New inlet manifold, the old one had split, probably explains the fuel leaking around the carb throat that I thought was a carb gasket leak:

Number two - I knew the original comabat rims were on the edge (I was told that last year!) but this photo shows why they have to go - two of them anyway.

More to come on the big refit later.
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So, that doesn't look like a tricky job to fix, I'll whizz through that in no time at all.
Ok it was no issue removing the fuel gauge and getting the oil gauge off also went smoothly but after that it was a nightmare.
What I didn't realise was that the NOS oil gauge I had fitted was just barely hanging on to the fitting on the copper tube that comes up from the sump. How it had actually stayed on that long is a miracle! When I tried to re-position and re-fit it, no dice! Worse still, given that I have only a limited intellect and no patience, I ended up forcing the gauge on and hoping for the best. I fitted it and started the engine - all OK for about 15 seconds then a strange warm feeling on my feet, look down and there's the contents of the sump flowing nicely onto my shoes. Crap, the fitting's popped off the gauge and the footwell is full of oil. Nasty clean up job, lots of swearing - job abandoned.

So, jeep can't drive in this condition, what to do? Call an expert, Steve at Dallas. His advice was to blank the pipe if I couldn't refit the gauge. OK, good advice, especially as I needed to get the jeep running so I could drive it up to Newbury for its MOT.
Then I realised that there was another end on the tube - the sump end other side of the firewall.

Why didn't I just do this when I first hit the snag? Anyway, cracking the tube from the flex hose near the sump allowed me to extract the whole tube and fit the repro gauge that I took out last year back on to it. I then bent the pipe just enough to shove back through from the from the dashboard side and re-connect it. The repro gauge and NOS gauge have different threads - the tube fitting is for repro only.

So, somewhat redeemed I was back in business to run the engine, all went well, no leaks. The NOS gauge is now useless with stripped threads
The moral of the story is that patience is a virtue and threads ain't all the same!

However, in my defence the fuel gauge went back in its correct spot perfectly and worked first time - phew!

Having got back to serviceable condition I drove up to Newbury today via Romsey, Stockbridge and Andover without any trouble at all. Jeep can now get its MOT (and a new copper tube!) from the experts
On reflection, I think leaving well alone is good advice (that's what the Wife told me to do.....)

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The tub is a very close copy of the late war ACM Type 2 tub, it has flat toolbox lids like the Willys. Apparently the footrests are different and so is the folding of the joins on the wheel arches. See if you can tell

The trip to the Post Office depot was very fruitful, I collected my latest acquisition from the ether

This was kind of an impulse buy, seemed like a great partner for the entrenching tool. It was sold as WW2 but I doubt that it actually is, none the less it will no doubt look cool when I eventually decide what to do with it!

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At Stoneleigh Militaria I collected a set of WOF (Willys Overland France) headlight brackets from Tony Sudds (TS Autos). I re-painted them in my favourite flat OD from Dallas Autos (aerosol spray) and drilled 4mm hole on the inner side of each one:

I've looked all over and asked all the usual suppliers if they had the bond wires, no luck and they weren't included in the bond strap kit that I bought last year. So no option but to create a facsimile of them. I used 6 inches of copper core wire (I only had red/white in the tin!) and vintage car type connectors, large at one end and small at the other.

I wasn't sure if the bond wires were a set colour so I painted them black (Tamiya waterbased flat black model paint), the photos I've seen show a variety of colours - black will do for me.

When I came to fit the new brackets I found some really nice big star washers on the fixing bolts (which were all imperial sizes) so I cleaned them up and used them again. I made sure all the contact surfaces were sanded to bright metal to help the grounding and then fitted the new brackets. The big ends of the bond wires were fitted between the bracket and the grill and the small ends fixed with a machine screw and small star washer to the hole on the bracket.

Looks pretty good for now, maybe the real stuff will turn up one day! I was totally amazed when I turned on the headlights and they still worked

More photos at:

http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=498

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Visited the Stoneleigh Militaria fair today. Quite impressive, lots and lots of good stuff on sale and all the jeep suppliers present. Bit short on refreshment kiosks though!
Got myself a few little mementos to make the trip worthwhile, well you can't go all that way for nothing can you?

1944 Entrenching tool

Grease Gun Adapter for Toolkit & Throttle wire stop for carb

Also had a chat with James about jeep refit 2009, could be a gearbox job!

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After standing unused for nearly three weeks and with the temperature very low, I thought starting might be a problem. No sir! After just a little more cranking than normal she fired up lovely. Off to the garage to get fuel as I had been running on fumes before the break. No problems whatsoever and a lot of very nice comments from folk at the petrol station - my "antique jeep" is getting a bit well known at the local Shell station.

Nice looking jeep on a cold morning with a hint of watery winter sunshine...

As a precaution I decided to give the battery a charge up after a short trip round the block.
The charger I use is a digital one from CTEK in Sweden. Quite expensive but very good quality and works very well.

Over the last few weeks I've collected quite a few "extra" tools for the jeep. My "second" toolkit is coming along well. As I was tidying up I thought I should record it in all its glory.

The second kit has a nice tool roll, 4 DC wrenches and one Select Steel (723) an HD Smith 11 inch perfect handle screwdriver, Proto pliers, Gem Oiler and a Fairmount Cleve 11 inch auto wrench. I wonder what I should do with this set.....maybe start a third one?

More photos at:

http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=498

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Being a bit of a glutton for punishment I used the two 6 inch screw jacks to raise the jeep. Hard work with the lug wrench as a lever, but a bit more "authentic" than a trolley jack. Screw jacks work OK but you have to be very careful to have them on flat ground and firmly located when taking the full weight of the jeep. Safety First!

Once on all four stands I fired up the engine and engaged the gearbox in 2 and 4 wheel drive modes, high and low ratio, forward and reverse gears - all in order. It's a but weird sitting in the jeep revving away, wheels rolling but going nowhere!

More photos at:

http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=498

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The jeep however suffered no such handicap and was in fine fettle, running like a top the whole time. Icy roads are a bit of a menace for bar grip tyres though. Most of the country roads that I use were still covered with a nasty thin layer of ice. Made for some interesting cornering and encouraged a high degree of caution with the throttle!

When I got back I took a few pics of the engine bay 'cos it looked real nice.

It'll soon be time to start planning the 2009 refit - better check the piggy bank!

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I also took a couple of pics of the tool roll that I have for my toolkit. This is no doubt a post war piece but made in the same style as the WW2 ones.
It has a metal strip sewn into the lip of the bag part so you can fold the end in over the tools.
The bag is marked with "19207-7724142" and "MFR-17168". I think MFR stands for manufacturer and the number may be the US ORD code for that supplier.
Nice bag, if I'm ever lucky enough to get a real WW2 one I'll post a pic for sure

More photos at:

http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=498

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The left hand oiler has a 4 inch base and stands 6 & 3/4 inches tall, its marked "GEM MFG CO PITTSBURGH PA"

The right hand one has a 4 & 5/16 base and stands 6 & 1/2 inches tall, this one is marked "GEM MFG. CO. PITTSBURGH"

The larger oiler has a much deeper stamping than the smaller one with a shorter spout, the bases are identical in manufacture.

Both oilers are considered "correct" for a jeep and they both fit nicely into the oil can bracket. Rumour has it the 4 inch base is a bit rarer.

More photos at:

http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=498

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Hub Puller, Spark Plug Wrench, Brake Bleeder Wrench, Bristol Wrench, Lincoln Grease Gun Adapter.

Hub Wrench, VLCHEK 16oz Hammer, Samson WO 6 inch slip joint pliers.

Billings & Spencer 11 inch Auto Wrench, Schrader Tire Gauge.

Irwin 11 inch Perfect Handle Screwdriver, Mossberg Lugnut Wrench.

DC (Durochrome) Wrench set - 1731-A, 1028-S, 1027C, 1025, 1723

Pyrene Heavy Vehicle Type Fire Extinguisher, US-ORD Tire Pump, Jeep Jack.

Lincoln Lever Grease Gun, Walker MFG US-ORD Tire Pump, Hand Crank.

Lincoln Grease Gun.

Tool Roll, Jack.

Finally, some nice tools but not strictly from the toolkit! McKaig Hatch Tire Chain Pliers, Cornwell Brake Bleeder Wrench, L134 Engine Tappet Wrench.

Still missing a couple of the rarer items, especially tire chains! What will it cost me to get them I wonder........

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They're not that easy to get hold of but as usual I was lucky and found one (at a reasonable price ) on the famous auction site. When it arrived it looked like this:

As you can see, it was in fantastic condition externally but the bulb was short of fluid (there shouldn't be a bubble in it) and the fluid was contaminated - there were all sorts of bits floating in it. So a little re-furb was required!

Taking the glass bulb from the bakelite casing was done by very gently lifting the rim with the edge of a pen knife. With gentle pressure working progressively round, the bulb came free and I could lift it out along with the brass housing.

The glass bulb unscrews form the brass housing, this took a little pentrating oil and patience but it came apart pretty easily in the end. The fluid was full of bits of old gasket, some sort of resin and smelled of a mixture of paraffin and alcohol, not the right stuff at all. Inside the housing was a flat mounting plate with a gasket on top and the main compass indicator.

So, to clean it all up I de-soldered the indicator from the plate and carefully removed it from the post. The post has a very fine balance needle on which the indicator sits so it can spin freely in the field of the magnets in the bakelite body. I was very careful not to damage that! The front of the post is painted white, this is the "lubber line" where the compass indicator is read from. The gasket was not too bad once cleaned, I think it should be replaced but I decided to re-use it (lazy!). I cleaned up all the parts, first with white spirit, then with hot water and soap. The base of the housing had been sealed with a sticky resin - I decided to replace that with silicone sealant. (If that isn't man enough, I'll use plan B - epoxy resin)

I then took the rest of the compass apart to see what was inside:

The two sets of pole magnets sit transversely for West/East and longitudinally for North South. The indicator is the compass needle which you read against the fixed lubber line - clever!
Having soldered the post back on to the plate I placed it back into the housing and sealed the back.

The proper fluid for this type of compass is ISOPAR L - a low odour, non-yellowing refined paraffin oil also known as Ritchie Compass Oil. Tricky stuff to get hold of, I got mine from West Marine (USA) via their excellent website. Delivered from North Carolina to my door in 3 days - well done!

The bulb and housing need to be assembled whilst fully submerged in the fluid, in order to exclude all the air:

Once re-filled its a matter of pushing the housing/bulb back into the bakelite body and fitting to the jeep!

Now all I need is a set of instructions on how to calibrate it, but it seems to be reading something! I also hope it doesn't start to leak, but hey, who cares, it looks bloody great right now

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