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| 1956 DJ3A; Resurrection | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Apr 20 2016, 10:43 PM (2,561 Views) | |
| PapaC | Apr 28 2016, 11:00 PM Post #16 |
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Papac
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Still in real time here's where I'm at.![]() Once again the lights are really washing out the color. I like two more coats. One full color coat and one thined down coat to bring it all together. |
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Charles Tate....North Mississippi 1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts. 1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only) | |
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| PapaC | Apr 28 2016, 11:56 PM Post #17 |
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Papac
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INTERRUPTED right after my last post. The long delay between coats is going to cost me a extra coat of paint but that's ok! |
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Charles Tate....North Mississippi 1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts. 1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only) | |
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| PapaC | Apr 29 2016, 03:03 AM Post #18 |
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Papac
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Long day just to paint the inside of a tub. But it's what works for me and now it finally suits me. Tired, pics tomorrow. |
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Charles Tate....North Mississippi 1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts. 1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only) | |
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| PapaC | Apr 30 2016, 03:39 AM Post #19 |
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Papac
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Backing up here's some pictures of the tub taken long ago. Luckily that coating of grease and dirt kept rust to a minimum over the years. ![]() Working dents and dings with a homemade shrinking disc ![]() It took a extra lot of work to smooth out dings and dents such as this without using a lot of body filler and that's a fact! That's kind of a example of what my whole bed floor USED to look like. ![]() Here they were starting to take shape. No plastic filler here. Just hard metal work and a little bit of leading the old fashioned way.
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Charles Tate....North Mississippi 1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts. 1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only) | |
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| PapaC | Apr 30 2016, 03:50 AM Post #20 |
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Papac
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More pictures from the past. For what it's worth all of this cleaning and sanding was done by hand as my big compressor was broke at the time and I was then unable to afford to fix it. The plus, in my mind even though it'll never be seen is there's still a lot of that original blue comet poly underneath my primer in places.![]() ![]() ![]() As earlier mentioned this passenger side hat channel was hand made mostly using a hammer, a vice, and blacksmith methods.
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Charles Tate....North Mississippi 1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts. 1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only) | |
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| PapaC | Apr 30 2016, 03:58 AM Post #21 |
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Papac
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![]() ![]() ![]() At first I just welded in panels in the rot in the passenger floor. Later I decided that didn't suit me and I made a entire new passenger side floor panel out of some old commercial air conditioner steel. |
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Charles Tate....North Mississippi 1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts. 1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only) | |
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| PapaC | Apr 30 2016, 04:43 AM Post #22 |
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Papac
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![]() I can't even imagine how hurtful it would have to be to go this far back in time. Tons of individual springs and front end parts piled on top of my bare frame sitting on sawhorses waiting to be cleaned up, restored, and put back together. ![]() A much better feeling is remembering how good these looked to me after I cut out the rot and and remade and welded in new sections from about halfway down on these braces on both sides.
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Charles Tate....North Mississippi 1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts. 1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only) | |
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| PapaC | Apr 30 2016, 05:13 AM Post #23 |
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Papac
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After several major crashes and pictures lost over the years this is the only picture I have left of the day I brought the old girl home. ![]() I did NOT have a clue at the time of what I'd be getting myself into!!! I will have to say though that figuring out these holes in this windshield along with some odd holes in my tub has been one of my favorite accomplishments in this project. It took me along with very very dedicated help and research from SteveK and FBIll months to actually prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that these were true DJ3A convertible specific features. Before we were through the evidence we unconvered was indisputable as covered in the convertible research thread on this site.
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Charles Tate....North Mississippi 1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts. 1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only) | |
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| PapaC | Apr 30 2016, 08:08 AM Post #24 |
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Papac
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Lost early pictures curtesy of Steve. Emailed because I didn't know how to post pics using only a iPhone back in those days.![]() ![]() ![]() There was no speedometer but I guarantee you it would run at least 20 or 30mph in first gear with that way too high geared, to wide, wrong bolt pattern, and shabbily installed pinto axle. I never dared try it wide open in third, it'd shake too bad. I'm absolutely sure that was also due to hitting a tree stump bent front axle. All since replaced of course with practically new axles, brakes and all that had been stored for years.
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Charles Tate....North Mississippi 1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts. 1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only) | |
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| PapaC | Apr 30 2016, 08:18 AM Post #25 |
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Papac
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More previous photos from Steve, some of these I thought was lost forever!!![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Charles Tate....North Mississippi 1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts. 1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only) | |
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| PapaC | Apr 30 2016, 08:28 AM Post #26 |
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Papac
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Well. A friend just came by and helped me place the tub on the frame on some padding for now.![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() For now just balanced there until I can work out the mounting spacers, make the wood blocks for the tub to gas tank spacer, and make some bed bolts with big round heads. For myself only, I REFUSE to pay 50.00 plus for reproduction off shore bolts for my AMERICAN DJ3A dispatcher. I did not use any seam sealer anywhere. My experience with that stuff is even though it can make the seams look better Willys Jeeps aren't supposed to have it and besides that even if almost perfectly applied rust likes to eventually grow under that stuff. |
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Charles Tate....North Mississippi 1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts. 1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only) | |
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| PapaC | Apr 30 2016, 08:35 AM Post #27 |
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Papac
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Note. The outside of the tub is not yet painted. That will come later after underneath fenders, hood, etc gets finished and painted so that I can do all of the outside painting at one time. MUCH MUCH MUCH left to do so I'm going to go back out there and drink a cup of coffee and admire my work while I study on what I want to do next. While that in itself might not be accomplishing much, for me it sure is fun and relaxing and gives me a chance to daydream a little bit too!!! My guesses are that people who can't do a little bit of dreaming have no business messing with old willys jeeps!!! ![]() EDIT: before putting the tub on I flipped the bumperettes over like they're supposed to be |
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Charles Tate....North Mississippi 1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts. 1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only) | |
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| SteveK | Apr 30 2016, 12:05 PM Post #28 |
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I can hardly enjoy all your work for the glare on the shine. Good work!. Looks good and coming along nicely. You have really accomplished a lot!!!!! |
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SteveK 62 Dispatcher South Florida | |
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| PapaC | Apr 30 2016, 01:43 PM Post #29 |
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Papac
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I predict two months but for sure I'm on a mission trying to make up for lost time. I've been dreading this. Even though I already had this wiring harness hooked up to about everything outside the jeep, I had to take the under dash wires back loose from my trial speedometer cluster, key switch, light switch etc so that I could start threading it through where it goes. Some of the wires I re-labeled for easier installation so that took time too and did I say BOARING!!!! I'm going to stay with wires a little bit longer before I likely break off an do something else more restful. As a reminder all of these wires are modern cloth type, over size gauge as insurance because of the 6 volt whether necessary or not, cut to length and dyed by me, and with genuine recovered and re-used connectors salvaged from other old cloth covered Willys wiring harnesses.
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Charles Tate....North Mississippi 1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts. 1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only) | |
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| PapaC | Apr 30 2016, 02:48 PM Post #30 |
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Papac
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I even dug out my real NOS early DJ3A Dispatcher key switch and my 'not quite' by a long shot NOS dimmer switch but cleaned up real good that I robbed from that old '62 DJ3A of mine. ![]()
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Charles Tate....North Mississippi 1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts. 1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only) | |
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7:36 PM Jul 10