Once at the nearest gas station, I gave it a real going over. The front driveshaft was in the bed, as were the front drive flanges and most of the oil-bath air-cleaner parts. The tranny wouldn't shift out of First gear and the T-case levers were frozen in 4WD Low range. The rear driveshaft was held on at the T-case with only two nuts, the passenger front axleshaft was fragged, and the body looked like . . . well, like Party Mama's face.
So that's my story. I paid way too much for a pile of 2A that needs everything, including a new tub (the old one is just too hammered). Follow along as I tap the 4WD Hardware catalog for enough parts and pieces to get the Jeep moveable on my property. Send an e-mail to me at christian.hazel@primedia.com and tell me what you think I should do with the Bindle Bucket. Wanna see a full resto? Want me to drop in a Buick 225 and Waggy 44s? Want me to stick a rag in the gas tank and light it? We'll see.
During the four weeks the other repairs were being made, the head-stud nuts were soaking in JB-80 penetrating lube. There's nothing worse than snapping a head stud, so take your time. It really did take four full weeks of careful soaking and gentle implementation of an 111/416 wrench to get all 12 nuts off without breakage, but it's worth the time spent. I didn't snap a stud, but while leaning on the grille and torquing the wrench, I caved in the grille. Like the rest of the body, it's technically only bondo and rust with a shell-like covering of paint, so I'm not too broken up about it. | 
With that much water in the T-case, I suspected the same for the tranny, which would explain why it wouldn't shift out of First gear. Popping off the tranny tunnel and removing the shift tower, I was greeted with a seized, rusty collection of gears and broken synchros. The tranny and T-case weren't even worth rebuilding, so I gave them to 4-Wheel & Off-Road Editor/Junk Collector Rick Pw. | 
Homefree, right? Wrong. Apparently, the engine was decked and bored, and the new ROL gasket was punched with the stud holes just slightly off. When the head was torqued down and the engine fired, I was greeted with the sound of a thousand tiny hammers smacking away at an anvil. The 0.060-inch larger pistons now come beyond the top of the block and hit the edges of the stock-bore-sized gasket. I ordered a vintage NOS head gasket from Peter DeBella Jeep Parts to fix the problem. |