Rumble Bee Jeep -- Part 4 -- Mistakes Were Made
By Louis Dawson
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| Chris Overacker installing Detroit Locker in Rumble Bee Dana 44 rear axle. |
Most amateur Jeep builders, myself included, can relate sad tales of woe when it comes to their "money pit." It's hard to work to a final plan, thus one tends to do an expensive upgrade, then find themselves upgrading the upgrade all too soon. Selling swapped out parts can mitigate the financial pain, but planning ahead is best. As consolation, a big part of the reason we do these projects is to enjoy the work of fabrication and repair, and building an old Jeep into a modern trail rig will give you all the wrenching you'll ever want.
What We Did Right
- Bought a welder and learned how to weld (sort of).
- Almost immediately swapped in a modern motor and transmission.
- Kept the flattie "look."
- Installed onboard air compressor and tank early in project.
- Concentrated on mechanicals rather than body work.
- Installed a reasonable cage and seats.
- Kept the fold-down windshield and use it frequently.
- Installed Warn overdrive early in the project.
- Retained the services of CODE 4x4!
What We Did Wrong
- Didn't decide on final tire size and build project to that end.
- Flat towed the Jeep for years instead of buying a trailer.
- Didn't buy a complete engine donor vehicle to scavenge things such as wiring harness parts, exhaust system and clutch parts from.
- Installed a 4-speed instead of an automatic transmission.
- Didn't buy the welder the day we bought the Jeep.
- Used a NAPA rebuilt power steering box, which developed annoying play soon after installation, and was out of warranty before I had time to pull it out and return it.
- Had two noisy mufflers installed with a dual exhaust system, instead of one big quiet one.
- Used a NAPA starter motor, which soon developed a bad solenoid soon after warranty expired (eventually replaced with aftermarket unit).
- Didn't immediately go to Rancho RSX adjustable shocks after spring over axle conversion.
- Spent time working on original front axle, should have immediately swapped it.
- Should have bought a new aftermarket frame as a foundation for the whole project.
- Didn't buy and install a quality winch earlier in the project.
- Should have befriended more Jeep mentors when we started the project!
I had fun doing the 500% more wrenching I did while making the above mistakes, but did spend extra money, and got close to burning out on the project a number of times. Lesson: if you want a Jeep with the classic look and feel of a flat fender, but with modern trail performance, buy an old Jeep for the badged bodywork, then throw away everything but the body, buy an aftermarket frame, and start from there. Otherwise, keep it mostly original and use as a collector's truck and grocery getter -- but remember there is really no compromise -- you have to go one way or the other.
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| During a trip to the mountains near home, midway through the project. |
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