Steering Wheel
The steering wheel is one of the more difficult parts to make look decent. Black tape will work
for a few years, but it leaves black marks on your hands, and it begins to gum up after ten or fifteen
years. A new steering wheel is expensive -- they cost about $60-$90 for the Jeep.
A low cost alternative is simply black polyurathene enamel paint. It is very hard--professional automobile paints contain polyurathene enamel--and it holds up very well. I simply brushed on four thick coats of high-gloss polyurathene paint and my steering wheel looks beautiful. I suggest filling deep cracks with silicon caulking before painting, as the paint covers marks but won't fill them.
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Transmission, Transfer Case and Differental Seals
The seals on the transmission, transfer case and both of the differentals are difficult to remove.
I found it is helpful drill two holes in metal part of the seals, one on each side, and screw screws
into the holes. Then take a special tool and wedge the seal out using the screws. I hope to get a
picture of the tool here soon.
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Renewing the chrome finish
Chrome plating is beyond my budget. So are brand-new headlight rims for my CJ-2A, at $18 each. I wanted to remove the rust and the ugly spots from my current rims without scratching away the chrome finish. Both synthetic steel wool and 400 grit sandpaper work excellent. The steel wool removed all of the rust without scracting the mirror finish of the chrome plating. They look like new headlight rims, without the high cost of OEM equipment. I coated each with a thick coat of wax to prevent water from rusting the rims any further.
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Silicion brake fluid
Standard brake fluid, at $4/quart, absorbs moisture in the air like a dry towel. The moisture causes severe rusting of brake and brake hoses, especially in the master and brake cylinders. Moist brake fluid boils at the lower temperature, preventing the brakes from stopping the vehicle.
Dow Corning has come out with silicon brake fluid as an alternate to glycol hydraulic fluid. By replacing the glycol brake fluid with DOT 5 silicone brake fluid, moisture problems are eliminated. The silicion brake fluid does not asorb water, and prevents any rusting on on the inside of the brake system. (Silicion brake fluid costs considerbly more -- about $15/qt)
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Grades of Bolts
Standard bolts come in three major grades: Grade 2, 5 and 8. Grade 2 bolts are junk for most projects (you will simply snap off the head when trying to back them out of the hole.) Grade 5 are good for most purposes, and Grade 8 are best for high stress areas, like the body and the seat belts. The grade of the bolt is two more than the number of stripes on the head of the bolt. Grade 8 bolts, at least the ones I have seen, are plated in a copper ionized finish and the copper holds up much better than the standard zinc plating. I used grade 5 bolts on my Jeep execpt on the body mounts where I used Grade 8.
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Any questions? Write to me!
