Tub Notch - June 14, 2020
I decided to hang the Driver's front fender that I've been working on. The big problem is that my frame and tub are 1973, and the fenders are 1967. The 1972 and 73 tubs were slightly different than the earlier tubs, so I have to modify it to fit the early fenders. In particular, the front bottoms of the tub need to be cut out to match a protrusion on the fenders:
I've got an early scrap tub that I was able to measure to determine the cut size. I measured many times in several different ways before cutting. My lines looks chaotic, but they worked fine.
I made a first cut, did a test fit, and took more off. I still need to fine tune it, but it's close. The corner of the fender is very weak and will move into position to close the gap that is visible:
I'm not going to close up that hole yet, as it gives me great access to clean inside the rockers. They look pretty good inside - no major rust.
While I'm in this area, I'm going to weld up all the holes in the frame, cut off old brackets, etc:
The point of hanging the fender was to show some progress, but more importantly, it allows me to get the front axle centered in the wheel well. And I get to start thinking about suspension, steering, track bar, drag link, etc. More detail than you want: My tub and frame are from 1973, but I'm putting a 1967 front clip on it because I like the classic look better. The 1973 had the front axle in a completely different location than where I'm placing it - about 3" forward. 1966-71 Jeepster = 101" wheelbase, 1972-73 = 104" wheelbase, and all of that difference was in the front axle. They stretched the wheelbase and hood and fenders starting in 1972 to fit in larger engines - the straight six 4.2L and AMC 304 V8.
YJ Interruption Report:
I also fixed my Jeep YJ AC system this past week. It had two issues caused by the poor installation that was done before I got the Jeep. First, the AC clutch wire wasn't protected properly (no grommet) and was shorting to the tub and blowing fuses. That was pretty easy to solve.
Second, the whole AC system requires a 30 amp circuit, but it was on a small 16 awg wire. There was a huge voltage drop (~2 volts) when I had the AC on. I ran a new 10 awg wire up to my fuse box on the firewall. I also put the AC ground wire to a better position on the tub. Getting rid of the voltage drop in the wire also increased the air output of the fan by a noticeable margin. The YJ AC system isn't great, but it helps at stop lights.
