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So since work has been extra busy the last couple of days, I've had less time to work on the Jeep, but I did get some work completed. During the last couple of evenings, I cleaned up the rear door trim overlays that hide the edge of the vinyl, glued the little cracks, and sanded down the surface to provide a another surface for the new vinyl. I used an extra piece of vinyl on the underside to stiffen up the old plastic and hopefully prevent and future cracks. Took a couple of tries, but they turned out nice.
With the whole Coronavirus thing going on, keeping folks at home (at least when not working), I've been steadily plugging away on my Jeep. Here are some of the things I've done over the past week or so:
I had been keeping the old, nasty jute-insulation in a couple of trash bags purely to use them as a pattern to cut the replacement insulation. Hindsight being what it is, there was no real reason for me to wait until I was ready to install this stuff to cut out the new padding and just toss the old stuff, but honestly it never even crossed my mind *sigh*.
Layin' out Nasty McGross #1:
One picture of that is enough, y'all get the idea. Post lining:
And then I wrestled and fought for a surprisingly long time to get the OEM carpet back in place. Much more difficult than I expected. As I mentioned earlier though, the original carpet is in really good shape. Especially after I took it to the wash and cleaned the ever-living-crap out of it.
What just insulation did you use and where did you get it? I need to get some ordered.
What just insulation did you use and where did you get it? I need to get some ordered.
I just used regular carpet padding w/o a moisture barrier because I had already bedlined the floors, then used the closed cell foam and then the insulating Frost King jute-backed material. Honestly the carpet padding was probably not necessary, but I already had it. You can get it at Home Depot or Lowes.
I just used regular carpet padding w/o a moisture barrier because I had already bedlined the floors, then used the closed cell foam and then the insulating Frost King jute-backed material. Honestly the carpet padding was probably not necessary, but I already had it. You can get it at Home Depot or Lowes.
Great, thanks. I saw the foil stuff but wondered if it was automotive specific padding.
Great, thanks. I saw the foil stuff but wondered if it was automotive specific padding.
Hey sorry, I hadn't seen that you responded. But no, it's actually meant for duct insulation. I linked to the exact products I used a bit earlier in the thread if you want to see exactly what I used.
Finally finished wrapping the exterior trim... Good gracious it had surely been a neverending project. Forgive the '70s-era chair fabric, it's my next restoration
However, rewrapping them is only half the battle. The other half, which also isn't fun, is the restoration of the end pieces. Just a painful process.
Here you can see how this piece originally had an offset head bolt to keep it from rotating. There are two on this Jeep. I still cannot fathom why they wouldn't have used stainless steel on this kind of stuff. Here is my way of repairing it. A slightly ground off head and JB Weld. And set up with the JB Weld. This should keep it well enough.
The specific trims on the outside of my Wagoneer are not well fitted (glue, silicon, etc. from the PO).
Can you explain how they are fitted, how to remove them.
I can figure out for the doors (removing the inside panels)
But what about the front and rear parts (along the engine for ex. ).
by the way I found on ebay for very cheap good side stripes. (See photo)
I've also struggled to locate a good front bumper. So far I've received a rear bumper when I ordered a front, and then was told that they had no front bumpers in stock, and that I could keep the rear bumper. Well that is frustrating...I now have three, new, chrome rear bumpers. Care to guess how many I need?
Well, I am lucky enough to still have my OE front, bumper. And while it's dent free, it is showing signs of rust on a couple of little spots on the front from scratches, and the entire backside/underside was entirely rusted out. I decided that, as a temporary solution, I could use this bumper, but cover it in chrome vinyl. But before I did that, I needed to treat the rust issues and polish the visible side to clean the imperfections to minimize as much as I could being seen through vinyl.
I started with the rust:
Then had to fix the imperfect surface, this is what started with, but after a basic cleaning:
After scouring with a green pad:
And after the chrome vinyl. It's not at all perfect, I've found that chrome is really hard to work with compared to the other colors. That said, it looks good enough for the time being:
I put the bumper back together and put it on, temporarily, to get it out of my way. It'll pass the 10ft test, I believe.
I also took a few mins to stage the Harbor Freight fog lights to see how they looked... I'm not 100% sure what I think yet:
I have also started working on cutting out the vinyl side pieces and couldn't help but stage a sneak preview.
The specific trims on the outside of my Wagoneer are not well fitted (glue, silicon, etc. from the PO).
Can you explain how they are fitted, how to remove them.
I can figure out for the doors (removing the inside panels)
But what about the front and rear parts (along the engine for ex. ).
by the way I found on ebay for very cheap good side stripes. (See photo)
Hey Euro,
I wish I could tell you it's easy, but it's not. Most of the fasteners are these little ribbed pieces of plastic clips that are pushed into black plastic bushings that pushed into the holes in the side of the panels. The only two ways I found to get them out was; A) using a plastic trim removal tool (good kits available on Amazon for ~$20 or so). You'll need to slide your fingers along the trim piece while pulling upward. Any place you don't get a slight lifting from the panel, you've got a fastener. When you find one, insert it between the panel and the trim and *carefully* pry up. Some are more stubborn than others. I found it best to start from one end and work your way down. Be careful not to damage paint or the vinyl.
And then option B) some of mine were so stuck that I had go in from behind the panel and clip the part extending through with some pliers so it would pop out.
You will break most, if not all of the plastic clips. But not too replacement clips are available, though they aren't centered on the trim like the original ones, so you'll have to ensure they are oriented properly to completely cover your vinyl (ie, top trim pieces are oriented at 6 o'clock and the bottom ones are oriented at 12 o'clock - not sure that's right, just an example).
**EDIT** This is what I meant by the new moulding clips not being centered.
Here is the original clip:
I believe these are the replacements I used, but I need to measure and check when I get home. But regardless, this is the style I used.
Clipsandfasteners Inc 50 1-25/32"X9/16" Molding Fasteners #10-24 X 5/8" Bolt
You may have mentioned it, but I missed it - who did you source your vinyls from for the panels and the molding?
I picked up all the vinyl from Amazon. I did a reasonable amount of research on the vinyl before I purchased it. I wanted to use the 3M DiNoc vinyl that many people use for full-size Wagoneers and that Crist Clapper used on his immaculate restoration, but I simply could not justify the cost for a product that is meant for indoor applications. I know a lot of folks have had good experience with it, but dang, it is really expensive and I would hate it if it faded from UV exposure - this is a lot of work! Anyway, long story short, I went with Vvivid vinyl, for the trim, the wood grain paneling, and the chrome bits. Links below:
I've also struggled to locate a good front bumper. So far I've received a rear bumper when I ordered a front, and then was told that they had no front bumpers in stock, and that I could keep the rear bumper. Well that is frustrating...I now have three, new, chrome rear bumpers. Care to guess how many I need?
Well, I am lucky enough to still have my OE front, bumper. And while it's dent free, it is showing signs of rust on a couple of little spots on the front from scratches, and the entire backside/underside was entirely rusted out. I decided that, as a temporary solution, I could use this bumper, but cover it in chrome vinyl. But before I did that, I needed to treat the rust issues and polish the visible side to clean the imperfections to minimize as much as I could being seen through vinyl.
I started with the rust:
Then had to fix the imperfect surface, this is what started with, but after a basic cleaning:
After scouring with a green pad:
And after the chrome vinyl. It's not at all perfect, I've found that chrome is really hard to work with compared to the other colors. That said, it looks good enough for the time being:
If you want to sell one those extra chrome rear bumpers let me know. I want to replace my black bumper.
03-31-2020, 10:00 PM
