Rebuilding my 2A

Oh and by the way.....................I did all of this picture taking and data entry WHILE I was watching my GREEN BAY PACKERS play your CINCINNATI BENGALS.......................................

Edited by damar2yxr - 24 Aug. 2012 at 3:02am

Got a little more work done this weekend.

Saturday, August 25

     I got the headlight buckets mounted into the grill and installed the headlights and wiring harnesses for them.  Like the grill, the headlight buckets have some rust on them that will eventually be removed by the same guy who cleaned my transmission and transfer case housings for me, but that will be done right before the jeep gets painted (probably next spring).  I also drilled holes for and mounted the 3-terminal strip where the headlight wiring harnesses terminate.

     Once I was done reinstalling the headlights, I measured, marked, and drilled the holes in the passenger side of the body for the spare tire carrier.  I got the spare tire carrier bolted on and then attached a new wheel to it (no tire yet) to get it off the garage floor.

Sunday, August 26

     I drilled a hole and mounted the rearmost exhaust hanger, so now my exhaust system finally sits in the right place.  I also removed all the caked-on crud that was covering my replacement intake and exhaust manifolds.  I have what I believe are the last few engine parts I need on order, so I think I might be able to actually try to fire this thing up next weekend.

Congratulations, it has to feel good. 

Thanks for the kind words, guys.

Saturday, September 1

     I enlarged one of the holes in the floor that had previously been cut for the fuel tank because it was about a quarter inch off where it should have been. With that done, I reinstalled the tank. Next, I pulled the fuel level sender to replace the gasket and discovered that the sender has no float (I have no idea how that can get lost). I tried hooking up just the sender to the gauge anyway so I could figure out whether I could just replace the missing float and found that it just bounces the needle from empty to full, regardless of position. I've added a sender to my shopping list.

     After playing around with the sender, I put it back in place with the new gasket and proceeded with the fuel line installation. I finally wrestled the new line into place and got it all hooked up. Next, I drilled a small hole for the fuel sender wire and installed that. I also got my oil line situation straightened out by using pieces of the old lines. Some previous owner had creatively attached about 10 different pipe thread adapters together to come up with what he needed, and those adapters came in handy in a few places. My oil filter now has just one line of the correct length attaching it to the base of the engine.

     After taking care of the oil lines, I needed to address the leaky valve on the water pump (I assume this was for a heater). I decided to pull the valve out and plug the hole. After some persuasion from the mapp torch, the valve unscrewed from the pump without incident. I didn't have a drain plug of the right size, so I used one of the thread adapters from the old oil lines and inserted a bolt into the adapter to seal it off.

     Finally, I reinstalled the driver's seat, filled the radiator (with plain water for this test run) and put a few gallons of gas in the tank. After I confirmed there were no leaks, my oldest boy and I closed the hood, folded the windshield, and hopped in. After the engine cranked several times, it fired up. I put it in gear and approached the top of the driveway. As gravity took over and the jeep accelerated at an alarming rate toward the road, I gave the brakes their first real world test. I'm happy to report that they worked fine and we didn't careen out if control. I ended up taking the jeep about a half mile down the road before turning back.

     During the test drive, I never got past second gear because the steering was downright scary. It turns out the toe-in was about 3-4 inches. That was one of the last items my mechanic had installed but I hadn't redone. I also noticed that the jeep was idling really fast. Despite those issues, the ride was absolutely awesome for both of us.

Sunday, September 2

     I got the toe-in adjusted to something much, much closer to the correct amount. I traced the fast idle to a bent throttle control linkage, which I was able to straighten. After getting that sorted, I replaced my makeshift drain plug on the water pump with a shiny new brass one. I was then able to fill the radiator with antifreeze and distilled water. After filling the radiator, I started the engine to work the air bubbles out. The engine runs, but it does sound like the timing is off. I'll have to see if I can free up my stuck distributor so I can try to adjust it.

got any pics of how u wired the tail lights...

got the same one from walcks... how did you run and attach the wire from the drivers side to the passengers side?

Yes, thanks! I appreciate you taking the time!

Sunday, October 21

     I got some of the last parts installed today.  I started by measuring and drilling a hole for the high beam indicator lamp, which went in painlessly.  Next I drilled the holes for the dash board data plate and installed it.  After that, I drilled the fender and hood for the hood latches and installed those.  I finally got the bumper fully attached with grade 8 bolts.  I drilled holes in the body for the transfer case boot retaining ring and got that installed as well.  Lastly, I installed the serial number plate under the hood.  Sadly, the original was missing and I can't seem to find the title anywhere, so I've used one from a 3A (it probably more accurately describes the blend of 2A and 3B parts that make up my jeep anyway).  I just have a few more steps before the jeep will be ready to disassemble again for painting, although that's going to have to wait until Spring.


The tail lights I installed a couple of weeks ago


Still need a spare tire on that wheel, but I'm definitely getting there


Data plate installed


The instrument panel is finally complete (other than cleaning and painting)


Hood latches installed and bumper bolted in