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Project Heepster Build Thread ('67 Jeepster)
- Thread starter Project_Heepster
- Start date
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- Tags
- jeep
Project_Heepster
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2021
- Member Number
- 3543
- Messages
- 51
Hey y'all! So obviously it's been awhile... I promise I didnt disappear, I just stopped working on the Heepster due to some other life shit going on. Little stuff, like having a kid, buying a house, you know the usual stuff that keeps you out of the garage. Plus then actual wheeling season rolled around so all my weekends were spent working on the shitbox and trying to make it through fordyce and stuff.
BUT IM BACK.
And now I have some free time to get back into the garage and get this thing moving! Albeit a lot less time than before, it's still at least a few hours a week I can dedicate to it so its something.
From where we left off:
When we went to move I had to get the thing prepped to a point where it could roll onto a trailer, so slapped some square tube underneath the trans to keep it from falling out and called it good.
Loaded her up on a trailer and away she went:
Home Sweet home. This was back in Sep. 2021, we've since wired and finished out the garage. Part of the reason no progress was made for awhile was because of all the house projects.
Now that we're caught up, next steps on this thing:
1) Finish the transmission crossmember with an actual finished solution
2) Make a new trackbar. The old one ran into the harmonic balancer when we put the engine in and dropped it to full bump.
3) Start putting things in to make the engine run (Radiator/fan, fuel tank, battery)
Eventually after all that I'll pull the body back off to full weld everything before I try and start er up.
Lets go!
BUT IM BACK.
And now I have some free time to get back into the garage and get this thing moving! Albeit a lot less time than before, it's still at least a few hours a week I can dedicate to it so its something.
From where we left off:
- Suspension linkage is essentially complete (only Tac welded, but everything is there and the heep sits on bump stops
- Engine and Trans are in place and engine mounts are done
When we went to move I had to get the thing prepped to a point where it could roll onto a trailer, so slapped some square tube underneath the trans to keep it from falling out and called it good.
Loaded her up on a trailer and away she went:
Home Sweet home. This was back in Sep. 2021, we've since wired and finished out the garage. Part of the reason no progress was made for awhile was because of all the house projects.
Now that we're caught up, next steps on this thing:
1) Finish the transmission crossmember with an actual finished solution
2) Make a new trackbar. The old one ran into the harmonic balancer when we put the engine in and dropped it to full bump.
3) Start putting things in to make the engine run (Radiator/fan, fuel tank, battery)
Eventually after all that I'll pull the body back off to full weld everything before I try and start er up.
Lets go!
Project_Heepster
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2021
- Member Number
- 3543
- Messages
- 51
On to Step 1 from the previous post. Finishing the transmission crossmember.
Relatively quick little project took maybe half a day or so, think it came out pretty well. Just used the trans crossmember tab and bushing kit from ruffstuff to match the poly bushings on the engine mounts.
Relatively quick little project took maybe half a day or so, think it came out pretty well. Just used the trans crossmember tab and bushing kit from ruffstuff to match the poly bushings on the engine mounts.
Project_Heepster
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2021
- Member Number
- 3543
- Messages
- 51
Step 2 was finishing the new trackbar. Previously when we went to put the engine in I got it all mounted up where I wanted. Essentially I was avoiding pushing the engine back into the firewall for a number of reasons, but what that meant was that the harmonic balancer on the front of the engine collided with the trackball at full bump.
It didnt help that the track bar was already bent up to clear the pumpkin, so the old one would've collided by 2"+, No bueno.
So, on to new track bar with multiple bends. I've only got a 1.75" tube bender die, so the new one is now 1.75"x0.120" tube which is probably annoyingly big, but whatever its what I got.
Pic of the OG trackball collision:
Step 1: make a template for bending the new one out of some 1/8" rod I had lying around and get bending:
Step 2-5 I failed to get pics of:
Finish all the bends
Test fit
Weld in Bungs
Send it
Here's what it looks like mounted at full bump, bit hokey, but whatever. It has a rod end on one end and a solid thread it bushing on the other to prevent rotation into anything while it cycles.
From above:
Suspension cycles fine and no longer hits the balancer. Win!
It didnt help that the track bar was already bent up to clear the pumpkin, so the old one would've collided by 2"+, No bueno.
So, on to new track bar with multiple bends. I've only got a 1.75" tube bender die, so the new one is now 1.75"x0.120" tube which is probably annoyingly big, but whatever its what I got.
Pic of the OG trackball collision:
Step 1: make a template for bending the new one out of some 1/8" rod I had lying around and get bending:
Step 2-5 I failed to get pics of:
Finish all the bends
Test fit
Weld in Bungs
Send it
Here's what it looks like mounted at full bump, bit hokey, but whatever. It has a rod end on one end and a solid thread it bushing on the other to prevent rotation into anything while it cycles.
From above:
Suspension cycles fine and no longer hits the balancer. Win!
Project_Heepster
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2021
- Member Number
- 3543
- Messages
- 51
Now on to getting a radiator and everything else into this nice little engine bay.
I knew that when I mounted the engine and didn't punch it through the firewall that it was going to be a tight fit front to back. I also new the risk was pretty high that it just wasn't going to fit within the stock engine bay. Welp, that was spot on. After getting the grill back on I had about ~1" between the stock radiator mount face and the front of the water pump. Clearly not enough for a radiator and fan combo.
So, my options were:
1) cut the hell out of the grill to make room for everything
2) move the engine back into the firewall (nah)
3) get longer fenders and stretch the hood.
I'm going for option 3 for a couple reasons. 1, I'm lazy and dont want to do the sheet metal work on the inside of the firewall along with moving the engine back. I know this means I have to now do sheet metal work on the hood, but im hypocritical, sue me. 2, I didnt really like the look of the stock hood length and fender opening with 40s. It kinda looked like the axle stuck wayyyy out in front of the jeep.
So the easiest way to achieve this was to just buy new fenders from a late CJ5/ CJ7 and stretch the hood. Free extra 5 inches! I'm sure we could all use it.
Couldn't find any on marketplace at the time, and I wanted some rust free ones, so $300 later and a new set were at my door:
build quality is meh, but they'll do. Some minor issues in the fab process led to annoyances when assembling, but overall theyre fine.
Mounted on the passenger side:
Looks like I'll be opening up the rear of the wheel well, im thinking something like this, but we'll see:
Got the other side on to see how she was going to look with the grill:
Overall much happier with the new grill location relative to the tires and frame. And look at all this clearance in the engine bay!
Measuring it out it ought to be just enough as is to fit a radiator and fan combo with the grill as is, but if I need to cut into it a bit that's much better than how far I was going to have to cut it before. Time to order a radiator!
I knew that when I mounted the engine and didn't punch it through the firewall that it was going to be a tight fit front to back. I also new the risk was pretty high that it just wasn't going to fit within the stock engine bay. Welp, that was spot on. After getting the grill back on I had about ~1" between the stock radiator mount face and the front of the water pump. Clearly not enough for a radiator and fan combo.
So, my options were:
1) cut the hell out of the grill to make room for everything
2) move the engine back into the firewall (nah)
3) get longer fenders and stretch the hood.
I'm going for option 3 for a couple reasons. 1, I'm lazy and dont want to do the sheet metal work on the inside of the firewall along with moving the engine back. I know this means I have to now do sheet metal work on the hood, but im hypocritical, sue me. 2, I didnt really like the look of the stock hood length and fender opening with 40s. It kinda looked like the axle stuck wayyyy out in front of the jeep.
So the easiest way to achieve this was to just buy new fenders from a late CJ5/ CJ7 and stretch the hood. Free extra 5 inches! I'm sure we could all use it.
Couldn't find any on marketplace at the time, and I wanted some rust free ones, so $300 later and a new set were at my door:
build quality is meh, but they'll do. Some minor issues in the fab process led to annoyances when assembling, but overall theyre fine.
Mounted on the passenger side:
Looks like I'll be opening up the rear of the wheel well, im thinking something like this, but we'll see:
Got the other side on to see how she was going to look with the grill:
Overall much happier with the new grill location relative to the tires and frame. And look at all this clearance in the engine bay!
Measuring it out it ought to be just enough as is to fit a radiator and fan combo with the grill as is, but if I need to cut into it a bit that's much better than how far I was going to have to cut it before. Time to order a radiator!
Looking good. Keep it up. I would definitely stretch the back of the hood since there are fewer compound curves to make vs the front of the hood. Or do a cowl extension piece that would bolt in. Or do it however you want, it is your build.
Project_Heepster
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2021
- Member Number
- 3543
- Messages
- 51
Thanks! Ya the plan is to stretch the back of the hood. I'm gonna see if I can find another Commando hood to use. Have seen a few others done it that way and it comes out pretty clean.
JunKU
Newb
Great work, pretty cool you can stretch thr front clip with what seems like "minimal" effort.