For some perverse reason, we keep buying these piles of parts and justifying thepurchases by calling them Jeeps. While it usually translates into great stories, it never gets easier for us. Most people learn from their mistakes. Except, apparently, for Jp magazine editors. Year after year, and time after time, we go and buy long-neglected Jeeps and try to get them ready to not only drive, but wheel, some big event; often with time tables that seem OK to us at the time, but once we are honest with ourselves afterwards, weren't anywhere near attainable.
After however many years of...
After however many years of hibernation the battery was dead and we didn't even get a "click" from the starter. So, we put it on a 2-amp trickle charge for five days after getting it home.
So, true to Jp magazine form, Trasborg bought this '68 Jeepster two weeks before Tierra Del Sol's Desert Safari. It hadn't run in about five years, it had two deflated tires, it had overlooked the Pacific Ocean for those years (read: salt air and possible rust), and it shared space with a bunch of goats and sheep.
Sounds like a bargain, right? Eh, there were extenuating factors-some of the other editors Trasborg worked with had hands on the Jeep, and it had some solid, but not ostentatious, upgrades.
Cappa himself replaced the rear Dana 30 with a Dana 44 from '72 CJ-5. The Dana 44 had all new brakes, new gears, new bearings, and new seals. The ignition was replaced, the carburetor rebuilt, the leaky plastic fuel filler swapped out, it had aftermarket springs under it, and at some point it had been treated to a full interior restoration, including carpet, and new seat upholstery.
The first thing we did was...
The first thing we did was put some Marvel Mystery Oil down into the cylinders to break up any rust or oxidation that might have formed and to hopefully break the rings loose from the cylinder walls. We poured a quart into the six-cylinders and let it sit for six days.
So, all in all the $1,000 price tag sounded pretty good, and two weeks to a shakedown run isn't such a huge obstacle, right? Right...
This is going to be a two-part story about resurrecting a Jeepster and breathing enough life back into it to take it wheeling in Moab, Utah, for the Easter Jeep Safari. Check out the sidebar for everything done to this Jeep before the Desert Safari in California, and check out the captions for the highlight reel of a Jeepster resurrection.
Full Disclosure
charge old battery
quart of Marvel Mystery in the engine
cut rear flares
replace door windows
rebuild roll-up window channels, weld up hogged
out mounting holes.
clean snail shells, mouse turds, and other
nastiness out of interior
adjust non-opening points in distributor
touch up paint
weld cracks in door at vent windows
weld six mirror holes on driver's door
remove armrests and flip interior door lever in order to shift with doors closed
remove ratty, falling sun visors
tighten interior rear view window
remove straw from engine compartment
throw out console and floormats
remove rusty spare parts from cargo area
replace coolant and oils
top-off brake master cylinder
install Goodyear tires
break 4WD shifter loose for possibly the first time in a decade
 The paint job on this Jeep...  The paint job on this Jeep is so bad, even with painter's masking tape, we still ripped off chunks of paint. The last thing we wanted to do was repaint this thing, so we were psyched to find that Dupli-Color had a match (T402 Dark Garnet Red). With thousands of different hues, we shouldn't have been surprised, but who expects to find a matching paint for a cheap paint job that is at least 12 years old? |  In the meantime, the 30-inch...  In the meantime, the 30-inch Baja Claws that were mounted to the Centerline wheels fit fine in the front, but out back, the fender skirts barely cleared the 225/75R15 tires on stock rims, so we trimmed off about 6 inches of fender. We trimmed the flare off in one piece so we'd be able to weld it on higher up the body later on. |  With yet another rainstorm...  With yet another rainstorm coming, we then replaced the busted driver's side window and rebuilt the runners, welded up the cracks and wallowed out holes in the sheet metal of the door, and greased the regulator so the window would actually roll up. |
 Once the battery was charged...  Once the battery was charged up, we pulled the spark plugs back out and cranked the engine over, carefully at first, but then just cranked it to get as much Marvel Mystery Oil out as possible. Once that was done, we put the plugs back in, primed it, and tried to start it. After swapping coils, we found that the reason for no spark was that the points weren't opening. So, after a quicky matchbook point adjustment, and a few more cranks, the Jeep was running. |  Once we proved it ran, we...  Once we proved it ran, we replaced the engine oil, differential fluid, transmission fluid, T-case fluid, and coolant. The coolant was a bit rusty but the engine oil and differential fluid were good, however there were some metal shavings in the T-case fluid. We even cleaned the oil-bath air filter and put new oil in it. |  With the fluids changed, we...  With the fluids changed, we took it for a spin, and noticed that the 7-year-old tires were dry rotted and leaking through the sidewalls. After just 10 miles the tires had lost almost 10psi, so we swapped on a set of the new Goodyear MT/Rs. Thanks to the fender cutting, the 32x11.50R15 tires fit fine. It is a little tight, but it worked great for the shakedown run. |