I pulled out Patterson yesterday to being making a few minor repairs. You might remember (though I’d rather forget) that the driver’s side rear got a little crunched when Patterson bumped up against the UHaul trailer last fall (Ugh).
On Saturday, I pulled off the surrounding equipment, then using clamps and counter-force (slow and steady), pulled everything back together. It came together surprisingly well. Next steps are to replace the rear lights, replace the generator, and reduce the friction between the brake and clutch pedal (push one down, the other drops a little).
Once the work is done, I will put it up for sale. Do we want to sell it? Not really, but we are working on getting another vintage jeep to replace Patterson, something far cooler. Once everything is settled, I will announce it.
Dave, I thought all you guys with sizable properties just parked their extra Jeeps out back or in a spare outbuilding until you need spare parts or a future project. No can do?
Patterson was a fantastic “survivor” specimen of an early DJ3A convertible. A shame interest in it has faded at the eWillys headquarters.
Sounds like a F C might be on the way.
If it doesn’t sell for some reason I have no problem keeping Patterson around, but if someone else can get more use out it and wants it, all the better. I do have the room to park them indoors, but I only have so much time to give them the love they need to keep going.
Do you have a price in mind yet?
I’m jealous of you, Dave. Here in suburbia I don’t have the room to store extra jeeps and parts, and if I did the neighbors/zoning authorities would probably be making things unpleasant for me.
I’m not jealous of you, Dave. Here in THE HIGH CASCADES WILDERNESS , I have the room to store extra jeeps and parts, and if I had neighbors/zoning authorities I would probably be making things very unpleasant for them .
Interesting how time marches on and waits for no one. I spent a lifetime dreaming about having a large enough garage to store and work on my vehicles, now that I have the large garage, age has taken it’s place in my life, no longer have the physical strength to tackle projects.
Mike, I too live your “dream” (except I don’t have a big garage). I have a list of projects “waiting” to see if I ever will get “the energy/ability” to complete them. And like Patterson’s future, ALL to be determined.
Steve and Mike: having been humbled by a hip sprain the better part of March and April, and unable to do much, I have been reminded that I should be more strategic on my projects. I am still in reasonably good physical shape and am back to full mobility, but my energy levels are certainly not that of my youth (I can’t remember the last all-nighter in the garage). It’s actually one reason I have postponed writing more books as I want to focus on doing some physical stuff rather than computer stuff. I am trying to be less of a work-a-holic, but am still in recovery, lol.
David: I still haven’t decided a price. I want to finish fixing a few items. Yesterday I removed and cleaned the sticky brake pedal (when depressed, it would cause the clutched pedal to rotate as well). It was no easy task, but it’s much better now. The engine is running great, the fuel pump it’s pumping correctly, so I need to work on that. I also need to fix or replace the generator or swap it out for an alternator (most of the wiring is 12 volt already).
Thanks for the update, Dave.