Paul sent this to my inbox today. A couple days ago he removed his stainless steel body from his frame so he can complete the work on his frame.  It’s a good thing he listened to his intuition!

“I spent a few hours yesterday in the connex cleaning up my mess and double checking the security of the Willys body resting on the 2X4 support framework.  For the most part I felt the body was safely held three feet above the floor but my mind kept coming back to the thought “Would it stay in position during an earthquake?”  Since it’s much faster and easier to add additional support structure than it is to repair damaged stainless body panels I fitted eight more bracing legs to the existing body holder.  I really didn’t think any additional strength was necessary but I’d sleep easier with this bit of overkill engineering and the cost in time and money was negligible.  

While taking a shower this morning I was surprised when the house started rocking back and forth as several sharp jolts announced the arrival of an earthquake.  The quake was a small one, only about 4.6 but it was close to Anchorage (about ten miles away) and it was over quickly.  After getting dressed I hurried to the connex, opened the door and viewed a beautiful sight. The Willys body was safely resting on the framework undamaged and perfectly aligned on the supports.  

I realize rebuilding Jeeps can be an experience in frustration when money and time conflict with dreams but I really could do without adding earthquakes into the mix.  I’m slow enough as it is, I don’t need Mother Nature increasing my heart rate with exciting special effects.  On the other hand I’m happy the Willys is safe, the body support held and I don’t have to repair any damaged body panels.  Now all I have to do is to hurry to get the frame work accomplished and reattach the body to the chassis before anymore earthquakes visit my workspace.”