View Post

Willys Jeep: Operation Porkchop

You ever see those makeover shows where a team of highly capable people come and work on a project that turn out to be real before-and-after showstoppers? Shows like Overhaulin’, and such. This past weekend, I had my own version of the “A-Team” show up and put Porkchop into working order. And it was jaw-dropping – not to mention humbling …

View Post

Synology Hybrid Backup, Part 3

This is the third installment of the 3-2-1 backup workflow that I have established using Synology’s DSM 5.2 software. My goal is to illustrate a multi-tiered backup plan using my Synology equipment and the built-in tools to establish a resilient method for surviving data loss. In the first post, I discussed some of the considerations of backups and a provided …

Willys Jeep: One Tough S.O.B. (Steering On Badger)

Today was the first day in a long time that I’ve 1) been home and 2) the weather has been nice enough to actually get some work done on Honey Badger. Over the New Year break I had managed to get some new parts and tools to help get some work done on the civilian Jeep and I’ve been itching …

Willys Jeep: Axle and Frame Reassembly

For much of this project there has been a lot of “one step forward, two steps back,” especially when it comes to things like brakes and suspension for Porkchop. My exasperation was mitigated a bit, however, when I made some excellent progress within a two weeks time with the help of my wife and a friend. In the short video …

Willys Jeep: Porkchop’s Clutch Arm Problem

This is a quick and dirty post to describe a particular problem that I’m having. Part of what I have to do when replacing the master cylinder (that is, converting it to a dual master cylinder (MC) from the original single reservoir, making it safer) on the M38A1 (affectionately named Porkchop) is disassemble the pedal assembly bracket and modify it …

Willys Jeep: Ballad of Porkchop’s Brakes

Not surprisingly, Porkchop needs new brakes. All of them. Front brakes, rear brakes, parking brake, brake lines, master cylinder, everything. So, I went ahead and bought everything I needed for a complete rip-and-replacement of all the brake parts I need. With that, I got ready to get to work.

Willys Jeep: The Frame, Before & After (Photos)

As promised in my earlier post, here are the before and after photos. I tried to figure out a way to do this so that the comparison was easy to see, but I didn’t have the time to do anything too special. Thankfully there are online animated gif programs. I hope this works the way I wanted it to. This …

Willys Jeep: The Long and Painful (Frame) Journey is Over

8 months. It’s been 8 months since I took the frame, completely free from other parts of the Jeep, to get the front crossmember to get welded. It’s been 7 months since I was able to bring the sandblasted frame home and deal with the reality of not being anywhere near completed. It’s been a very long road since then. …

Willys Jeep: Porkchop’s Brakes

After bringing Porkchop home last Monday (you know, the name has grown on me, it just… fits) today was the first day that I was able to really get in and around it to find out what “the sitch” is, and I’m happy to report that the situation is pretty much what I thought it was. In other words, unlike …

Willys Jeep: Went to See a Man About a Jeep

Yesterday I drove 7 hours (round trip) to take a look at a Jeep just north of Sacramento. The seller had advertised it for $1500, but didn’t know exactly what kind of Jeep it was – just that it was a 1949. It had an overdrive and a Saginaw steering system, as well as a V8 (which I would sell) …

Willys Jeep: We Missed a Bolt!?

If you’ve been following along the trials and tribulations of the Willys Jeep saga, you’ve probably read (with some amusement) about some of the things that have made this project interesting – including my ongoing exploration of the depths of my automotive ignorance as well as the discovery of the addiction to tools. This past weekend I hit a major …