Jeep project underway

[Lars R.]

Mike,

are you not doing the same work on the LR springs now, which could be done on the new repro springs? The correct (NOS) rebound clips are still available and could be used...and the re-cambering seems to last from "lunch till noon".

Nearly EVERYTHING is reproduced (quality?) nowadays (re-cast motor blocks and T84 cases even!), but correct and good springs are not...strange! MDJ tried GPW ones several years ago, but I believe they never hit the market!

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by Lars R.

Mike,

are you not doing the same work on the LR springs now, which could be done on the new repro springs? The correct (NOS) rebound clips are still available and could be used...and the re-cambering seems to last from "lunch till noon".

Nearly EVERYTHING is reproduced (quality?) nowadays (re-cast motor blocks and T84 cases even!), but correct and good springs are not...strange! MDJ tried GPW ones several years ago, but I believe they never hit the market!

Hi Lars and Bruce

The problem is: the new 'repro' spring leaves I have, #3 to #8 are too short. My plan is to relocate/use some of the new repro leaves in my 'made up' spring pack which will be a mixture of the new repro and old Land Rover leaves. I can fabricate the Willy style rebound clips , no need to buy them.

The new 134 blocks have problems , I have read reports of valve guide bores being out of alignment and much casting flashing needs to be cleaned up, plus they are copies of the post-war CJ geared type blocks which is a rather strange way to go.

With the T84 stuff, I can only comment on what I saw back years ago when repro parts were not widely available, back then, we all generally used genuine original (partly worn) parts. We had no issues as far as I can recall. Nowadays, problems seem to arise when people use repro T84 parts that have been made to improper tolerances.

[Mike K]

The factory fitted WW2 era Jeep springs have beveled edges : on each of the leaves, the lower edge is beveled. Unfortunately for us restorers, the post war and repro springs ( at least the examples I have seen ) don't have this detail.

I have been experimenting with grinding a bevel into a few leaves , the old Land Rover leaves I have must have been made from good quality high carbon steel, these are hard as nails ! On the other hand, the new repro leaves are noticeably softer , they grind easier, makes you wonder what type of steel the manufacturer has used and how long these repro springs will last.

[Mike K]

I have played with DIY brass etchings a few times, it's a fun project . Rather than paying for a highly overpriced repro Willys data plate set , I am making my own . Not claiming it's going to be a completely accurate copy but hopefully it will be good enough. I used the free libraOffice software which is rather good.

I use circuit board Ferric Chloride acid to etch the cut to size thin brass sheets which are cheap as chips. You use shiny photo paper and a laser printer, you print out a negative image which is then applied to the brass sheet and heated with a household clothes iron , in theory, the black toner adheres to the brass sheet. It is rather a fussy process , not perfect but with practice good results are possible. If you mess up a few times , just print out a few more sheets of the image and experiment . Some use a office type hot plastic sheet laminator and run the job through a few times rather than a hot iron.

[Mike K]

Link to the etching process:

https://metalworkforums.com/f65/t205...ne-plates-mine

[Mike K]

Been looking around for decent quality bearings at a decent price. Jeep diff carrier bearings are expensive, the local bearing suppliers here want well over $100 per bearing, four are required plus the pinion bearings . These are not particularly uncommon bearings, they were used in various other applications.

I have looked into buying online but it's a minefield. There are numerous Chinese vendors selling brand names such as NSK, NTN and KOYO made in Japan, some even have TIMKEN. The Chinese prices are very cheap but postage makes it all add up to approx. $30 per bearing. But you takes your chances dealing directly with Chinese wholesalers - they can take your money and then deliver low quality crap. There is a worldwide fake bearing market, TIMKEN have even marked their boxes with a shiny water mark. TIMKEN have factories in India.

The two Aust. jeep parts dealers ( one is NSW and one in QLD ) I am not sure what brands they sell.

RFJP seems to be low on stock , he sells the cups and cones individually which adds up.