Here is the bumper removed. I used that same technique to remove the rivets that held the bumper on. My plasma cutter earned its keep on this part. I also welded the unused holes on the frame rail.

Rear bumper

Next up is the rear bumper. My goal for this project was to design a bumper that would be strong and look good. It needed to hold up against recovery attempts and be able to equip a swinging tire carrier. I didn't want to attach the new bumper to the old metal, so I removed the old stuff.

I boxed the area around the rear shock mounts. I left enough room to allow access to the body mount bolts that are located here. I cut a half circle shape on the forward side for looks. This was made with 4 inch wide by 1/8 thick plate.

The front bumper all done and ready for paint. Next is the rear bumper

Tow Bar

This shot is showing the repair I made on my tow bar. The area near the mounting holes were bent and did not allow for a flush fit. I used 1/2 thick cold rolled steel for this task. I cut out he bad parts and TIG welded the new stuff.

Shackle mounts

I made two D-shackle mounts from 3/4 inch thick plate. These mounts have a 7/8 hole for a 4.5 ton rated shackle. The other mounts are for a tow bar made from 1/2 thick plate. I found the D-shackles at Copper State Nut and Bolt for $10 a piece.

A look at the front bumper. I used a piece of 5 inch wide by 3/16 thick channel iron. This works well for the front bumper because it fits over the foremost part of the front bumper with 1/4 inch to spare on top and bottom. This bumper is shorter than stock at 42 inches long. I added 4 gussets on each side of the frame rail. These were constructed from 4 inch by 4 inch angle iron. I used the plasma cutter to shape the angle iron. I also "boxed" the outboard sides of the bumper for looks and design.

This is the passenger side front frame rail. I used 1/8" thick by 4" wide plate for this section. This operation is fairly simple. The 4" plate is larger than the frame rail, so I used a marker to draw a line with the plate against the frame rail. I used my plasma cutter to shape the steel. A slight amount of grinding on my belt sander smoothed out the edges. I also welded some small cracks on the frame rail and filled the unused holes. I think I'm finally ready for that front bumper.

Here is the completed repair on the driver's side motor mount. I used a piece of 1.5" round tubing and cut it to create a "u" shape. I then welded that piece of tubing to the motor mount along with some small pieces of flat plate. The motor mount is now molded to fit around the steering shaft and has gained some structural integrity. I used an air grinder with a 2 inch sanding disc to sand the rough edges and smooth out the welds for a clean appearance. I have a 1/16" gap between the shaft and the motor mount. Next is the front bumper

This is a picture of the steering shaft as it passes through the driver side motor mount. When you run a custom steering shaft to the Saginaw steering box you do not have a lot of room for placement. The guy that installed this setup cut through the motor mount in order for the shaft to work. I don't mind cutting the mount, but it looks really sloppy and the integrity of the mount has diminished. My next step will be to cut the mount in a symmetrical pattern and add metal surrounding the shaft. This will give the mount strength again.

Here is another shot of the finished steering box mount. The box fits nicely and the design is very stout. Since I used 3/8" thick material for the mount, I used the same thickness to finish off the forward part of the frame rail. This allowed for a flush fit across the entire driver side frame rail. The next step is to cut and weld the plate for the passenger side frame rail. I will also fix another hack job on the driver side motor mount where the steering shaft passes through it.

Here is a shot of the finished steering box mount. I used some of the left over 3/8" plate material to make the triangle shaped gusset. This helps tie in the mount to the frame rail. I used grade 8 fine thread bolts with locking nuts. If you look at the frame rail you will see that I welded all of the unused holes. After welding the holes I ground them flat for a clean look when it is painted.

Steering box mount in place and ready to be welded. This particular steering box has only 3 mounts. The box itself is dirty, but in good working condition, so I have decided to keep it. I repaired a mounting hole on the steering box. Someone had hacked the mounting hole and made it oval shaped. The integrity of the mount was also jeopardized, so I rebuilt the mount with weld and then ground it down to a uniform shape. The mounting plate is 3/8" thick and I will place a triangle shaped gusset on the opposite side for additional support.

The next step is to "box" both sides of the frame rail and finish weld.

A look at the remnants from the steering box mount. The last guy used the flat plate to mount the box and the 2 inch square tubing for a kind of spacer. It was fairly strong, but ugly and sloppy.

Here is another look at the diver side frame rail. The holes on both sides of the frame rail are not being used and will look better filled. On some of the larger holes I made round plugs using a hole saw. On the smaller holes I simply filled them with weld wire. I took notes on the location of the steering box prior to removing the old mount. I will use grade 8 bolts through a 3/8" thick plate to attach the box. The plate of course, will be welded to the frame rail.

Okay, so here is the driver side front frame rail. I spent a lot of time removing the junkyard design steering box mount. I also cut off the original front bumper. You can see the holes on the foremost part of the frame rail where the original "rivet" style attachments where. This was completed using my newest toy, the Hypertherm 900 plasma cutter. (Thank you Craigslist). I used the sever style tip on the plasma cutter to cut away at the top of the rivets and then a regular cutting tip to cut out the entire rivet. I also spent a lot time grinding away all the leftover metal that did not get removed from the plasma cutter. I TIG welded all the unused holes on both sides of the frame rail. Why TIG weld you ask....because that's what I have. My next step is to "box" both sides of the frame rail and incorporate a cleaner looking and stronger steering box mount.
I also plan on making a larger than stock front bumper using 5 inch wide by 3/16" thick channel iron. I'm not sure how long I will make the front bumper, I don't want it to be too long. I will add thick gussets to the frame rail and front bumper. Features of the bumper will include "D" shackle mounts and tow bar mounts.

Taking it apart was easy and I only needed help removing the tub. During the dis- assembly I painstakingly labeled every electrical connection and made notes along the way. The original wiring was functional, but it needs to be replaced. Years of splicing new and old connections along with adding and removing components made for an interesting birds nest under the dash. My plan is to purchase a 12 circuit fuse box and add my own wire. These old Jeeps do not have a complicated wiring system.

Also on my laundry list of things to do: replace old rusted exhaust system ( and re-route them towards the back, even though I will miss inhaling those lovely toxins), clean and paint engine, clean and paint tranny/transfer case, paint frame, disc brake conversion on front axle and 11" drum conversion on rear. I will also add a locker to the rear diff. How about a new and improved 2 chamber master cylinder as well. To begin, I will start on the front of the frame and replace the front bumper with my own creation.

Here is the inside of the Jeep. Notice the different seats. The seats that came with the jeep where hard plastic with a hill-billy type mount, so I immediately began to fix that problem. I found these jems at a local custom seat place. They are designed for a Rhino ATV, which means compact in size, just what a small Jeep needs. I added a frame to attach the seats, which is welded to the roll cage. The passenger side seat is hinged and rotates forward, so I can access the original storage compartment.

Another issue that came with the Jeep was the steering column. The column was attached poorly, which made every attempt to steer questionable. I added a horizontal bar attached to the roll cage. The bar holds a single heim joint which allows a 3/4" thick steering shaft to rotate freely. I also added a 3/4" mount on the firewall for additional support. Other features include removable steering wheel and ammo can console....Now lets get started on tearing this old girl apart.

This is where it all began. I bought this beauty in the summer of 2009 for a cool 3200 bucks. I really like the Dauntless 225 V6 and the original T-18 4 speed tranny. 1966 is a good year...no emissions. My original plan was to avoid spending too much time working on this Jeep. I have been down the rebuild/modify/update path before and it robs you the pleasure of enjoying the Jeep for what it is used for...wheelin! But.......after a year and a half of wheelin, I realized that the old girl needed attention. Not just oil and grease, but body mounts. The body mounts where all shot and the infrastructure on the body itself was non-existent. Basically, the body was now rubbing on the frame. I knew I needed to pull the tub to rebuild the mounting locations and that lead to what is now a complete rebuild. Ooh boy.

I'm starting this blog to show my rebuild. Maybe someone can find this stuff useful, or maybe fill a few minutes of their day reading this junk....Enjoy