Stepping up

Two typical mods by owners are first to remove the steps as they just get hung on rocks and logs out on the trail, and secondly put in split mufflers for the V-6; each side exhausting to just in front of the rear wheel. The Old Girl doesn't get much trail time anymore, and while I'm tall enough to step in and out of the Jeep not everyone can. So I decided to source some replacement steps (originals are as rare as hen's teeth) but realized I needed to revert the exhaust system back to original in order to be able to install the steps.

Off to my local muffler shop where they fabricated everything except the actual muffler; it turned out to be a bit cheaper than I'd expected, which is good, but they took their time. A week later she came home and after a great drive it was obvious that the original muffler system was quieter than the split system she had. Cool!

The next step (!) was to install the steps. Since the tub on the Old Girl is not original, this meant drilling new holes. So the thing I did was install the lower brace that fits between the frame and the step bottom. In order to sit straight I had to grind off one of the three step bolts that held it onto the bracket. Not sure why the 3 bolts were there, only two would be sufficient and allow a bit more flexibility in mounting. Next I fitted the steps with the vertical hangers and marked my holes. The original would have been mounted to bolts welded into the hat channels, but the existing hat channels were rusted or gone, so I mounted directly to the floor. This pushed the step rearward about an inch and raised it about 1/2 inch.

The passenger side was a breeze...then I realized I had to remove the fuel tank on the driver side, which means also removing the seat. Which also means draining enough gas out of the tank to allow me to remove it. Guess what? YES, the tank was full! So next nice day I take her out and drive around to burn gas. Still not enough so next nice day after that I finally run the tank down to near "E". Meanwhile we've had the 2016 Blizzard ("Snow-Zilla" or was it "Snow-Nino"?) followed by epic cold (-5*F) followed by another snow storm. So 6 weeks later I'm able to finally take that seat and tank out, neither of which are difficult. The driver side step went in just as easy as the passenger side.

She looks more balanced, and looks just a bit more like her old self when young. Next projects: heater, backup lights, body mounts, front differential leak.

Thanks for looking...

The Old Girl is mine!

7th August, 2012

She was originally my uncle's Jeep.  He got her back in 1970 when he was quite young as something to have fun with.  She likely never went more than 50 miles from central Maine where he lives.  

She DID spent lots of time in bogs, along logging trails and generally "in the woods".  I understand a few empty beer cans have been known to rattle around behind those seats in the cargo area!

My brother and I both have connections to her but during very different times.  I've driven her a bit (maybe my Grandfather's red one more?) and so has my brother.  Seven or more years apart given we both have memories of doing that during our high school years and that's the difference in age...

The running joke between us, and the whole family participated, was which one of us would get it and how we'd determine that: arm wresting, sprints, or cards it didn't matter because in the end it came down to who had the time and inclination to treat her right.

So on the 7th of August, after we agreed I could have it and my uncle and I agreed on the price I jumped in the truck and got up to Maine before either one changed their minds!  Talk about exciting; I looked forward to the trip all the way up and then driving her when I got home.  While my uncle was quite at home jumping in and just going, I wanted a good look over her because some things about her just weren't right.  So I didn't drive her while in Maine but waited until I got her home.

That's when all the "fun" started.

Thanks for looking...