New Floor In The Bed

 This is the floor this morning.  Thanks to Todd for coming over and giving me a hand today.

First we cut out the old floor and cleared off the paint so we have a fresh place to lay our welds.

Then we got the new floor gently tapped into place... some force was needed... Of course, I absent-mindedly left the gas on for my welder the last time I used it, so the welds will have to wait until I can get a refill and some more time.  Thanks for checking in.

Setting Up Member Pages

In order for me to set up our individual member pages, I would like for you to send me any pictures along with info on the Jeep or Jeeps that you have.  Once I have your pictures and info, I will set up your page and email you your login information so you can edit your own pages.  Then I will set up a membership page on the main blog that will have a picture of your Jeep.  Then anyone who clicks on that picture will be routed to your page.  Send any pictures to joelvandehey@yahoo.com.  Thanks.

Changes Coming Soon

Hopefully this weekend I am going to make some changes to the website. I would like to set up individual pages for each member so you can either post your own pictures and stories, or have me post them for you. I am also going to try to set up a page so we can post items for sale, or that we are looking for.

Jeep Progress Report#2

Another week has gone by, and here is the current state of the Jeep.  Saturday Dana and I got the gas tank siphoned out and removed it.  On Sunday I removed the pedals, got the e-brake cable taken out, and removed or broke the rest of the bolts that were holding the body in place... far fewer than there should have been...

 Dana, Austin, Andy and I then picked the body off the frame and set it in the garage so I can start building the subfloor frame.  We stood it on end so I can have easy access to both the top and bottom sides of the floor. 

Here is a picture of the rust damage on the bottom side.  Not much structure left and you can see the previous owner fabricated the toolbox(cooler) out of some sheet aluminum.

This picture is the bottom side of the bed.  Again, not much holding it all together.  The replacement floor pans from J.C. Whitney wouldn't do much to save the structural integrity I'm afraid.

This is a view from the top side as it stands in the garage.  I may need more sheet metal...

Austin thinks it would be fine to take this to the parade... Maybe next year.  Thanks for checkin up on the progress this week.

Jeep Progress Report#1

Now that it is warm out (and Dana has given me the green light), work has finally begun on the restoration of the Jeep.  The first picture is of the new tailgate I made.  I made it out of 1" angle iron then Dana's grandpa made some inserts for it out of pear wood.  Once painted and weather sealed it should look pretty awesome.

This picture is how the interior of the Jeep looked on Saturday June 25th.  Dana came out and helped by tearing out the dash.  She got most of it herself.  As you can see all that remained was the wires, instruments, and the heater.

This is the front end on that same day.  I got all the body panels removed with the exception of the drivers side fender.  The bolts for the hydraulic valve for the plow were being pesky, and as you could see from the previous photo, the shiny Miller Lite cans were calling to us.

Here is the Jeep as it sits tonight, June 27th.  I carefully numbered all the wires in the harness so I can put them back where they belong later, removed the heater, the drivers seat, and some of the floor panels.  All that's left is the gas tank, one floor panel, the fender, and I will be ready to remove the body from the frame and start building the new floor.  Thanks for checkin' up on it.

Thoughts for Jeep-O-Caching

Here are my thoughts so far. If a person wants to set up a route, they must first drive the route. Along the way, take some pictures and note an approximate GPS location for each picture. Pictures must be taken from the road or trail you are on. Those pictures and coordinates will get posted. Any member taking that trail then takes a picture to match the original and gets 10 points or something per picture added to their account. We will then set up prizes for certain competitions but it might be cool to just get an archive of these different routes throughout the seasons and the years.

Geocaching with Jeeps...

I'm looking for input on a name for a new activity that combines Geocaching (basically a GPS based treasure hunt) with taking our Jeeps for a weekend drive.  I was thinking "Jeep-O-Caching", or "Treasure Jeep" or something along those lines.  Please comment with a suggestion or a vote.