The Future Holds:

Personal Philosophies

Okay, this is exactly what I said it is.

A lot of folks have gotten on me about the "Fordness" of my Jeep. Well, it's MY Jeep. I am a lot more familiar with Ford products than I am with anything else. That's just me, okay? You do whatever you want to your truck, and all you'll get out of me ranges from (at best) a real appreciation on your creativity and skill, to (at worst) a suggestion on safety if I think something isn't right (a few of my friends have commented on how loose bolts or parts on rigs really drive me nuts). While I do have some strong opinions on things, I personally do not play the "us-versus-them" games. I know what I like, and I stick with it.

One other note: The axle assemblies were selected partially for the parts interchangeability with my Bronco, which was going to be used as the tow vehicle. The Bronco had a 9" rear in it, so everything in the rear would swap with the Jeep in an emergency. The Bronco had a TTB front end, but the spindles, hubs, brake rotors, brake calipers, and locking hubs all swapped between the two, as did the wheels. I'm not a real big fan of Chevrolet (hey, that's just me), but I have recommended going Chevy parts to a friend of mine (his other rig is a Suburban) for that same interchangeability, and as you'll see, I have considered using Chevy parts on my Jeep at times, and I am using part of a transfer case from a Suburban. Barring any unforseen problems, I am using GM parts for my steering setup.

Some folks may not agree with some of my methods, like the fact that I tend to go the cheap (and sometimes very long and slow) route on getting things cleaned, built, and put together. Once again, that's just me. If you feel comfortable spending the bucks to have something cleaned/painted/assembled professionally, then go for it. Please note, however, that I very specifically don't skimp on safety; and all bolts and fasteners are at minimum of the OEM size and quality (most I upgrade).

Okay enough of this. Let's get back to the good stuff!

The "big model kit".

What I'm doing with my Jeep isn't a frame-up restore, a rebuild, or a re-anything. This is a straight build-from-almost-scratch kind of project. I didn't start with a complete or running Jeep; only a frame, body tub, fenders, hood, and grille.

I've broken down the project into several different groupings. (Actually, each grouping is a file folder of information I put together at home.) Basically, each group of parts has a very detailed breakdown. I have listings of what parts are needed before other parts can be used, and which group is needed to be complete before another group can be installed. This keeps me from getting too far ahead of myself (to me, I really don't need to get that soft top until I'm just about done). However, I'm not beyond picking up a part that I don't need yet if the price is right.

Here's my rough breakdown:

Items completed (or almost completed):

Currently I'm working on:

From this point on, you'll find my details on each of the above areas. These pages are in a constant state of flux (I update 'em when I finish things on the Jeep). Some of the sections had gotten pretty long, so I put each one on it's own page, and I change the date on the page when I make updates.

You'll find the links to these pages below.

Stuff I've Learned

The Rest of the Jeep

We'll just have to see what happens. I'll update these Jeep pages as I figure stuff out/get stuff done.

Me, trying to figure out what I'm doing.

The Thank You List

All of these folks have helped out on my project, either thru guidance, hands-on, just making me think, or some combination of the three.

... and probably several others whom I've forgotten to list.

Thanks to all!

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