FrankenJeep Update

[javajeep]

I finally got around to putting my driving light/headlights in FrankenJeep. The non originals that were installed when I bought FrankenJeep must have been about 2 candlepower [ok around 30 watts] and dangerous on unlit Indo highways at night.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid76/pb90bee8e777db4aedfeaf06522886877/fb46c7e5.jpg

If you look at the headlight bracket you can see the old WW2 Jeeps headlights are designed to hinge up and illuminate the engine bay if you have to work on the engine at night.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid76/p1c1757459f40c4b919532d474d92744c/fb46c7ec.jpg

Now the next problem is how to get a single filament lamp to act as high and low beam - it is absolutely blinding when supplied power from hi and low beam cirecuits

They are way too bright for normal suburban use and I want to attenuate the power getting to the lamp on the low beam circuit outlet and give it full power on the high beam circuit [ still into the single filament ].

Can I do this with a big resistor ?

Suggestions please ? :?


OTHER STUFF

Here are some sundry pics showing my Camelback water bags and newly installed overhead 'missile switches'

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid76/p3a4dbc9a9a98781ec2c0afaa02d659a7/fb46c7dd.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid76/p8d4bab7ba1fdf7393a1e25454d7a1f3b/fb46c7cb.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid76/pae2ed9f6acae7e91825a201187dddf52/fb46c7df.jpg

[javajeep]

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid78/p9f216a6dde5dee1f5e0e73fde6c41cf6/fb26aeaf.jpg

OK the headlights are in.

Going back to the original mounting arrangement should also help with engine cooling due to the gaps around the headlight.

Originally when I bought the Willys a previous owner had mounted the headlights with no air gap and FrankenJeep used to run hot [which required the air vent in the hood and an electric fan to cure]. It will be interesting to see how much difference the additional air venting will make to the engine operating temperature.

FrankenJeep now has 2 x 100 watt main headlights and 4 x 55 watt driving lights

Now re-starting work on rejetting the SU carb next weekend

[Wooders]

jeeezzzuzzzzz that's one bright garage :shock:
Did you upgrade the wiring loom too?
NFI about the resistor.....

[javajeep]

FrankenJeeps wiring was completely upgraded in Oct 2001.

I have additionally installed another separate loom for the driving lights.

The new headlights will get a couple of relays also.

[Wooders]

Ahh sounds like it's all done right then.....50-60year old wiring would be....Interesting.....with a LOT of juice flowing through them ;)

Next you'll fit a set of spotties into the "blackouts" ;)

[javajeep]

Next you'll fit a set of spotties into the "blackouts" ;)

You got it !

I am looking for the kit that replaces the front of the blackout with a lamp so it can be restored to original without chopping up the lamp

[Wooders]

What size is it?

[javajeep]

I can get a kit from one of the local workshops.

I think it's a 4" dia lamp

[TonyG]

It is theoretically easy to dim your single-filament headlights- just use a switch to run them in series.
They will use half the current and go very yellow, but be aware that halogen bulbs don't like to run at too low a voltage and it can result in shortened life.
The practical issues are your problem,
Cheers,

78 CJ7 (lotsa lights!)

[javajeep]

Thanks TonyG [my name and initial also by the way] ,

Wiring them up temporarily today

[javajeep]

Spent most of last weekend trying to get the engine to run on the new HD6 1.75" SU carb.

We found that an SS metering needle from a 2.6 Land Rover will probably do the trick and it run well to around 3,000 rpm and would then bog down and refuse to rev.

We went back to basics, changed the plugs and static checked the timing to 5.5 deg BTDC .

When we put a timing light on it the timing was around 20 deg BTDC so looks like the centrifugal advance has frozen up or the springs have failed.

So the distributor comes out next weekend.

After 3 months of waiting a range of new SU fuel metering needles arrived from Midel in Sydney. The first set never turned up [typical Indo postal system] and Midel sent a second set free of charge. So once the ignition problem is solved I have a range of needles to experiment with.

I originally went for an SU to get the carb away from the head of the 2.2 litre CJ5 4 cyl. With the Solex I was running I was seeing fuel temps of 47 deg C in the fuel bowl. When I checked Pertamina's web site the fuel vaporizes at ... you guessed it 47 deg C ! This took me ages to diagnose [6 mths] and I would be sitting on the side of the road scratching my head - eventually next time it vapor locked I ripped the top of the carb off and stuck a thermometer in the fuel bowl to check the temp which helped solve the problem.

With the short runner manifold it runs very cool and is helped by lots of thick condensation on the manifold [tropics here] which absorbs a lot of heat when it evaporates so I have ended up with a 'perpetual intercooler' of sorts.

The new 100 watt headlights are bloody awesome !

[javajeep]

HERES SOME BACKGROUND ON THE CONVERSION FROM THE JAVAJEEP WEB SITE

http://willyswarroom.javajeep.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?s=3f8567d12626ffff;act=Post;CODE=08; f=32;t=1;p=63;st=60


The 1.75" SU carburettor was finally installed on Saturday.

Still getting the jetting right. It is running lean at full throttle at 2000rpm plus with accompanying 'crackly misfire'.

In partial throttle operation the F head hums, I was sitting on 3,000 rpm on the tollway on Saturday night and the engine wanted to go harder.

Under-hood space is a BIG PROBLEM - I have lifted the back of the hood to clear the carb so maybe I do have the first 'Pro Street' F head Willys [thanks Herb for the concept ! :D ] . This is temporary as I will increase the body lift from 1" to 2" which will solve the clearance problem.

I have a richer needle somewhere - just have to find it in my tools and assorted spares :(

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid65/p6a7e91afe0e02d63c52174e0d4388610/fbf88bf4.jpg

This pic shows the difference in size between the 1.75" SU and the Solex [measured at 1.25"]. The SU is 2.4 sq ins. venturi and the Solex 1.23 sq ins.

FrankenJeep is a work-horse not a show pony so please excuse the fact that my engine bay [or anything else] is not 'show' standard :)

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid65/pa4cc72265cc4ef0dbf94fa8161e6da3f/fbf87de8.jpg

I just bought a small K&N filter for the breather after the last one disappeared susupected stolen a few weeks ago.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid65/p856b5f5e013dc938340cf23d88269ced/fbf88b8a.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid65/pbaa36163cd602ffed5ae403f2ad86e43/fbf88b5d.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid65/p30e23d13d9bb028310942a53274c19ca/fbf88b21.jpg

[javajeep]

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid63/p1ff88d7edd1c1254f4ba22995e6ed5c4/fc05dc09.jpg

Heres some neat parachute harness Jerry Can holders I bought for US$15 each - ex Indonesian Army.

[javajeep]

After 5 months FrankenJeep is running again from when the carb swap was first done ! WOO HOO ! ! !

It only took me 3 months and 2 shipments to get the $6 metering needles I needed :-( , one of the disadvantages of living in this part of the World. The first shipment was returned to the sender for security reasons - they probably thought the metering needles were detonator pins or something.

The main problem was the waterproof distributor counterweight springs - when I stuck the timing light on it last night the timing and advance was completely normal compared to last time where it immediately went full advance.

We didn't have a new set so an Indo bush mechanic chopped, shortened and rebent them (cringe) but it works like a treat.

A new distributor cap, points, condensor, plugs and I finally installed the Hotchiss 12 volt internal coil in the distributor replacing the 12 v external Mallory Promaster I was using.

The 1.75" HD6 SU carb 'SUCKS' in a good way - this baby flows twice as much air and fuel as the old Solex and because it is a variable venturi the engine is never over carbed , it opens the venturi to as much as it needs . The induction roar is very loud.

If anyone wants to do this conversion use an 'SS' metering needle which is the needle used in the 1 x 1.75" SU HD6 off a 2.6 litre 6 cyl Landrover which is a similar long stroke engine to the Willys.

Mud planned for this weekend !

TODAY IS A GOOD WILLYS DAY !

[javajeep]

Well a few things happening this week

~ an extra 1" body lift

~ fuel tank being increased from 40 to 60 litres [plus 40 litres in 2 Jerry cans]

~ the workshop pulled the engine down to dial in the cam properly , as suspected the last rebuild had stuffed up the cam timing with the intake vales opening a little too early. Why ? Because sitting inside the CJ5 Kaiser block is a Mitsubishi Jeep crank, connecting rods and pistons and they won't just bolt in the engines run slightly different cam timing. Had the valves ground and before all this the compression was still 110, 115, 105 and 120 [cyl 3 had a valve not seated properly]

[javajeep]

I now have 2wd Low Range ~ I had the transfer case interlock pin removed from the Dana 18 . This should solve some turning circle issues in heavy mud with the front Lock Right locker .

[javajeep]

I had to limp home with FrankenJeep on Saturday after a rough day out.

I broke the LHR cotter pin on the Dana 44 and then the extra stress on the front end popped my AVM free wheeling hub on the LHF on the Dana 25.

Luckily with the Detroit locker I still had one wheel able to transfer power and I was able to get home once I was helped out of the 'test hill' by a friend with a CJ5 and the use of my Warn 8274 winch.

Bloody embarassing though , there were 10 Landrover drivers there at the time and they all gave me a bit of a hard time (jokingly)

The free wheeling hub popped a circlip and was clogged full of mud (surprise) so I bit of disassembly and some repacking with grease and it was ok. Much better than the broken axle I thought I had.

The rear diff failure was more serious, I had torn the cotter pin in half and cracked the keyway in the hub flange. I had it replaced with a new one on Sunday to replace the one which had probably been in the diff 20 or 30 yrs.

By the end of the week the whole drivetrain will have breathers , I have finished the front diff breather already.

I will try again next Saturday !

[javajeep]

This week I had the following work done

~ 2 speed wipers off an old Landcruiser (I haven't had wipers since the roll over 12 months ago and I replaced the windscreen with an original Willys MB style - this laziness nearly killed me last week, heavy rain at night and the only thing I could see were the rear lights of the car in front of me on the toll way)

~ dual master cylinder installed in the position of the original Willys brake master cylinder (old Landcruiser again)

~ hand throttle (gear selector off a mountain bike)

~ high beam spotlights mounted where my blackout lights were

~ transfer case levers lengthened (too short before due to the 3" body lift)

Today all 5 tyres will get inner tubes and a dynamic balance . The Simex ETs and rims have been on FrankenJeep 2 years and either the rims or tyres or both have got undetectable slow leaks (typically 3 days to go almost flat)

[javajeep]

The free wheeling hub popped a circlip and was clogged full of mud (surprise) so I bit of disassembly and some repacking with grease and it was ok. Much better than the broken axle I thought I had.

Nope ! I went and tried it out again last Sunday, I've damaged the universal joint on the LHS front axle, this also explains the binding when I try and turn left , I can't get full lock.

This weeks projects.

~ fix the front diff

~ changing the rims back to steel

~ if my mechanic gets, time some rear discs on the Dana 44

[javajeep]

Not much progress this week !

The front Dana 25 diff was fixed ~ pins in the lock right failed.

I spent Sunday playing on the track where I broke the Jeep the last 2 weeks.

I burnt out the battery isolator winching out a clown in a Nissan Patrol on wide highway style tyres . I think he had the bloody thing in gear , I kept yelling at him to check his brakes and gears but if I stopped winching there was a good chance he was going to slip sideways off the incline he was on :-(

3 hours of Jeeping took 7 hrs with a pressure washer to clean. The mud was just caked on and if I leave it there will be holes in the Jeep by the time I get back from Malaysia on Staurday ~ very hi acidity (volcanic mud) and when it's wet guess what ? Mild sulphuric acid !

[Jaffas]

DIY has to the be the best!!! Looks awesome.

[javajeep]

Thanks Jaffas !

Here's some more pics

[javajeep]

I have some news to report

1. The nut that holds the main drive gear to the transfercase fell off as I was engine braking down some really long and steep hills in 2nd gear [high range] this was followed 15 mins later by a flat LHR tyre [ my first blow out in 20+ yrs ! ]

2. I broke the RHS front axle when the solid river bed I was crossing turned out to be quicksand and I sunk to the RHS headlight under power [photos coming]

3. I bought a 2nd hand MSD 5 ignition system today for A$150 and I hope to get it installed tomorrow , looking to see if they really make a difference.

[javajeep]

Oh , FrankenJeep also scored a rechargeable Maglite today which will be permanently mounted in the 'cockpit' [can't call it a cabin ... ]

[javajeep]

I had an electrical fire in my DRIVEWAY a few weeks ago and lost most of the engine bay wiring loom.

http://www.ausjeepoffroad.com/forum/download.php?id=856

This occured from when I overloaded the electrics when winching out of a 1 metre deep mud bog and because the starter motor was full of water it shorted out and engaged while I was trying to pull 3,000 rpm on 28 Dec 2003.

Anyway 2 weekends ago I spent the weekend with an auto electrician rewiring the ignition, alternator and starter circuits, rebuilding the starter motor and installing an MSD 5 ignition.

Last weekend was troubleshooting the MSD 5 (a wire had split inside the distributor and was making intermittent contact to earth), designing and building a fuel line return to keep fuel from heating up too much and now moving my critical instruments to the roll cage so I can see them while I drive instead of having to look down all the time.

No off roading just 2 weeks of no skin on my fingers and hot drill shavings in my shoes ... somehow it was all fun :-)

[javajeep]

Busy as hell with work so not much happening the last 6 weeks.

Next project is installing a high flow electric EFI pump off a Mercedes [60 psi] and tweaking it to deliver around 8 to 10 psi using fuel return lines and a variable resistor to slow the damn thing down.

I use a purolator fuel pressure regulator which knocks the pressure down to 3.5 psi.

Why would I go to all this trouble ? I have had a lot of problems with vapour lock and FrankenJeep only gets 12mpg so it chews the fuel ~ I am still getting a high speed miss and I suspect it is fuel supply related as I am only reading 0.5 psi on the fuel pressure gauge.

Part of the fun of hot rodding an old Jeep is the experimentation !

I move back to Jakarta next week from Bandung so I have to pack my house and tools .

Project Gunter my 350 V8 Willys will stay in Bandung until its ready to move under its own power.

[javajeep]

Next project is installing a high flow electric EFI pump off a Mercedes [60 psi] and tweaking it to deliver around 8 to 10 psi using fuel return lines and a variable resistor to slow the damn thing down.


Hmmm , time flies

My BMW mechanic friend [and CJ7 owner] pointed out that a variable resistor wouldn't be very efficient and suggested a pulse width modulating variable speed unit.

I found a kit at Dick Smith during my last Sydney trip and bought 3 of them [ 2 for spares ] and finally built the thing over the weekend.

I have never built an electronics kit before so it took me about 12 hours to work it out and solder it all up and nearly went blind reading the color coded ratings on the resistors

Anyway it tested and worked first time so my soldering skills are still ok , my biggest concern was a dry solder joint or accidently melting a PCB track or creating a 'new' circuit due to inaccurate soldering

Here's some pics.

I haven't flow or pressure tested the Bosch pump yet but I was wondering whether electric fuel pump outputs would reduce it's output on a linear or exponential relationship to voltage reduction ?

[javajeep]

Some photos of ZeeFrankenJeep having fun 6 weeks ago

[javajeep]

The starter motor got full of mud

I pulled the fenders of the Jeep and started to find a few cracks and things that needed doing

What started as a starter motor clean has turned into a mini rebuild and upgrade ....

I bought a whole bunch of scrap aircraft components which are being incorporated into the ZeeFrankenJeep

1. Micromesh oil cooler from an Antonov 12 transport will replace the standard oil filter - the Antonov filter has 39 plates and is twice the capacity of a standard filter and completely serviceable and resuable

2. Installing a 23 row oil cooler with aeroquip oil lines from a Bell 206 helicopter

3. I will be pulling apart a Eurocopter Puma gearbox cooling fan to salvage the serpentine belt system which will replace the fan belt and pulleys on the F-head , the belt drive system will be ready for if / whenever the Toyota MR2 supercharger finds its way onto the F-head

4. Installing the MSD in cabin timing control which allows the ignition timing to be changed from the drivers seat , just the thing to retard the ignition for crappy fuel or advance it when I sometimes use my home brew racing fuel which is blended with Xylene

5. A million small jobs like reinstalling the P40 Kittyhawk engine manifold pressure gauge (sits where the speedo used to be) - I had to replace the glass with perspex after the original glass shattered when the engine backfired

6. I have a 4 switch 'off/left/right/both' switch panel from a C130 Hercules which will make a useful lighting and fuel pump switch panel

7. Moving both batteries to a common position under the passenger seat giving more room in the engine bay for the oil cooler

8. Welding and reinforcing the front crossmember which cracked from to many 'airbornes' and jumping the poor old Jeep , I found out a PO had replaced the front cross member with 1mm wall truck exhaust pipe , it should be 3.5mm , no wonder it cracked . This will be replaced with a new crossmember once I decide on what power steering box I'm going to use