SheepnJeep's CJ-3A Thread

SheepnJeep

Active member
Hello everyone!

I'm new to the forum here, and I thought I would throw my projects into the ring for all to see. My vehicle is a hodgepodge of late '40s and early '50s Willys jeeps with a few new parts thrown in. I hope to use this thread to feature some of my build projects in the future. I admit I have to get a little more organized with my photos and posting them will force me to do so!

Anyways here is a sample of what I have going on:




We have rear PTO winch projects




We have front mounted winch projects




And everything in between. Well mostly so far I have winch building photos. Anyways.... feel free to give me your comments, questions, or emotional outbursts.
 

SheepnJeep

Active member
Alright I'm back. The first project I'm going to highlight is the installation of a rear mounted PTO winch. I was inspired by this koenig crane setup. It is run from a Spicer PTO bolted to the back of the jeep transmission. This won't allow you to open the tailgate however. And I have a swing away tire carrier to boot.



So I decided to make a mount out of a drawbar instead. Using a couple of jackstands to hold up the winch, measurements were taken to line everything up and test clearences.




The spare just squeeks by! Tailgate opens as well.





Next I laid out the brackets that would support the other end of the winch and also hold the fairlead.



 

SheepnJeep

Active member
I also added some peices for the mechanism that engages the winch drum.




This is what the fairlead looks like. My dad made it for me by using a hole saw to start the ends and then cutting in between. Thats why dads make the big bucks.



More details of how the engagement mechanism works





Triangles were added all 'round for extra bracing as well as rewelding the original drawbar for strength.



With the drawbar done it was off for a coat of paint.



Also painted the winch drum with some rustoleum hammered silver. Looks pretty close to the factory finish



Now to clean up the winch and make new gaskets





Didn't take any pics of the guts! Oh well. There is a 5 inch long steel worm gear on the drive shaft that meshes with a big bronze gear bolted the the main shaft



Here is the drawbar in place on the jeep.



And with the winch



Finally the fairlead is in place



Everything fits well and barely sticks out past the the spare tire when everthing is shut up. I later added 150 feet of amsteel rope to finish it off. Pulls pretty dang hard too!




This is what the PTO looks like underneath. It is bolted to the back of the transfer case.



I added the cable to the shifter to keep it from being pushed into gear while driving or by the curios passenger. (Or kids that feel like its cool to just hop in and wail on the gear levers...)

 
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SheepnJeep

Active member
This fall and winter I have been having problems keeping the engine temp up as well as running the heater. Of course you can put cardboard in front of the radiator but I found the heat would spike right up and then drop way off. And it would overheat when you left the engine idling. So I made this canvas grille cover out of leftovers from the top and some three pound magnets. The engine warms up and stays at a much more steady temperature with this cover in place.







 

SheepnJeep

Active member
Well I live in MN now, but I got the mud flaps on a spring break trip a few years ago. Hoping to move to Wise River this summer though!
 

SheepnJeep

Active member
Here are a few shots of my current project. I'm mounting a Koenig electric model to the front of the jeep and changing the front bumper to match.



Been using a scissor jack to hold the winch up. The bottle jack kept losing pressure and dropping the pieces :Wow1:



Got the piece of steel at the scrap yard for about $8. I managed to find a piece that was long enough to cut and use for the mounting brackets.



Made some cardboard templates for the side brackets











Set the welder to B for Booger and let it rip on the side mounts



With the winch set in place



That is what I have for now. Next up is refitting the bumper and finding a fairlead to add into it
 

MTWheeler

Observer
Beautiful 3A sir! Much cleaner then my old MB!! Saw the Montana mud flaps... Where are you located?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

SheepnJeep

Active member
I'm in MN right now. Just drove right past you on Monday though! I was in Wise River interviewing for a job.
 

SheepnJeep

Active member
Here is where I am at as of last night.



The winch sits nicely in the frame. I'm thinking about adding one more support from the bumper to the winch baseplate in the center for a bit more support. I also want to add at least on point for a hook or shackle. I added some pieces to my original bumper mounts to move it forward an inch or two. The frame isn't really straight so I just leveled the bumper and made sure it looked square to the winch and grille.







The winch tucks nicely under the grille in the back and I cut out the back of the bumper to allow it to be moved backwards. Otherwise the bearing retainer stuck out so far the bumper looked ridiculous. I'm also trying not to make the jeep too much longer overall as it barely fits in the shed that I store it in during the winter!




 

SheepnJeep

Active member
Little bit more done tonight. Got the bumper tabs tacked on and made a new engagement handle for the winch. Still need to find a fairlead and add a little more support to the bumper mounting.









I also threw my rope back on the front for kicks. It used to be wrapped around the bumper but I think now I'll go with this. It was a birthday present one year and I really like the looks of it, looks like something you would bring to the Darien Gap haha. The old hemp rope is actually pretty strong too, I would use it if I was a foot shy on my winch rope. These jeeps don't weight much anyhow.

 

SheepnJeep

Active member
Welded up the bumper brackets today. Still haven't decided how to add more braces to it




Also cleaned up the winch cases with some paint stripper. The small gear was missing and had to be ordered from RKI. It goes on the winch motor. The large gear is the bronze main gear that drives the shaft. I found an electrical plug to fill in a missing piece. Screwed right in there!







 

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