Wusty Welic ... wonderful!

[Mike K]

I see you have the later type transfer case housing . Reading the G503 forum , I found out that the housing was changed during WW2 production, this change was done in order to minimize the amount of oil splashing out of the breather cap .

https://forums.g503.com/viewtopic.ph...nsfer#p1811822

[Mike Cecil]

Yes, fortunate to have the later variant of T/case. Don't think I've ever had an early one in three or four jeeps. I'd probably have known by the pool of oil!

I also have the still later variant with the 1.25 inch diameter intermediate gear shaft, which is in the spares box.

Mike

[Mike K]

In case you don't know this:

There are two special dowel studs that locate the steering arms onto the steering knuckles . It was discovered that the steering arms were working loose so they came up with a fix bulletin.

The dowel studs have a 3/8" wide middle section . RFJP doesn't have them, I will make some myself on the lathe.

[Mike Cecil]

Getting ready to rebuild the gearbox and transfer case. Gearbox is first, so mounted the case onto the bench bar, and laid out all the parts (including a new sealed rear bearing, thanks Mike K ) ..... all except the 'T84 small parts kit' I purchased in mid March. Yep, just a few weeks ago, and do you think I can find that small plastic bag?? It's got the thrust washers, circlips and so on .... not advisable to try rebuilding a gearbox without those bits! That little plastic bag is tucked away somewhere nice and safe, and will probably jump out and bite me on the posterior when a replacement kit arrives!

Chassis went to the sandblaster earlier this week. They are super-busy, so a few weeks before I'll see it back. I exchanged the chassis for the sandblasted axle housings, which are now primed and ready for a final internal clean before re-assembly. Rockauto were quick in sending all the bearings, and I have a couple of original, still-sealed sets of axle gaskets.

Mike K: thanks for the tip about the studs. I have the original type, and will rely on some of 'Mr Loctite's' magic thread lock to prevent them unwinding.

Mike

[Mike K]

I am having trouble with the repro spring pivot bolts I bought . The original bolts were specified as being 9/16" diam. or .5625" The repro bolts are actually .550" diam. which is undersize.

Various Jeep parts vendors sell these repro bolts, they have a dark appearance and are longer than the originals too. I bought a set and did the basic hardness test with a file , the file bites into whatever the metal is easily. I believe the originals would have been case hardened because these bolts take a pounding . Often, the spring hangers on the chassis , have pivot bolt holes that are elongated due to wear. If a bolt has become loose, it jerks back and forward and makes a mess of the hanger holes, I've seen this scenario many times on WW2 Jeeps. https://forums.g503.com/viewtopic.ph...spring#p992991

Good luck with the gearbox. Greendot 319 on utube has a few tips

Edit: I will buy a length of 4140 Chrome moly steel and have a go at machining some new pivot bolts.

[Mike Cecil]

Hi Mike,

I purchased a set of repro pivot bolts from RFJP and checked these after your comments. These are all .5625 inch (9/16 inch) and match the originals I had for length and with the slightly deeper castellated hex nut. I also had a few odd new pivot bolts that came with some other parts, and these were .550 inch, so thanks for the tip.

Spent yesterday afternoon assembling the gearbox after the arrival of a second T84 small parts kit (the first kit is still AWOL!). Once it is mated with the yet-to-be assembled transfer case, I'll paint the whole assembly with the early US Army olive drab colour supplied by Rapco. Also have the axle housings back and have primed and painted them, and fitted a new steering bell crank pivot pin and bearings.

The next few days will be office - the proof copy of my next book arrived from the publisher this morning, so finding and getting the bugs out of it will be the focus - there are always a few bugs that creep in during the transfer from Word to the publisher's layout program, and during the layout process. But overall, it's looking great!

Chassis is at the sandblaster and should be ready to collect in a week or so. I discovered that the chassis fits neatly inside the Chev Suburban with only about 18 inches beyond the tailgate, so makes getting it to and from the sandblaster much easier than having to go and get the trailer from storage. Also dropped the starter and generator into the auto electrician for rebuild: I could have just purchased change-overs from any number of jeep parts suppliers, but like to use local suppliers whenever possible.

Mike

[Mike K]

All looking good !

I have found another little Jeep glitch that might be of concern to GPW owners. There were a few cases of the engine block cracking due to mechanics over tightening the valve cover studs . Ford changed the design of the block where the studs screw into the block. Source: http://psmag.radionerds.com/images/a...ugust_1951.pdf

Wonder what the new book is about ? I dipped my toes into the writing pond and scribbled a few articles for MV magazines. Made the basic error, didn't find somebody to proof read my writing and spelling mistakes were printed. I think I can lay claim to revealing the reason behind common non-working Jeep fuel gauge problem and how to fix it.