[DNF] [22 BO] NevadaBlue’s JeepTor (Mk II Updated)

#Buildoff2022

In memory of my 1942 GPW Ford Jeep that is sitting in my sister’s garage in Texas, I’m planning to build a tiny Jeep. I’ll probably never see the real Jeep again, so a little one will do. The original is in near stock condition with the OD green and numbers and all.

Since Jeeps have 4 tires that are all the same size, I want to use the 4 matching 20” turf savers I have. Most of the parts will come out of the junkyard behind the LT1000 or from my snowblower junkyard.

The LT1000 has an 18 HP Briggs and an MST206 transaxle. I will probably not touch the drive train until the body work is under control. I want to be able to move this thing under it’s own power as much as possible.

The tires:



Given the size of the tires and the fact that it won’t sit level with the 2 big tires on the front, I plan to stretch the frame slightly by moving the front axle out from under and to the front of the frame. This shouldn’t be too much of a chore, given that the axle mount is modular and can be easily removed.




So, out with the old plan and in with the new.




I hope to come out of the build with something like this: (kinda sorta)



The plan has changed considerably. About the only thing remaining of the plan is shown in the new pic of the LT4000 and the MTD Square Body. And, the thing will be a kinda sorta jeep looking thing. 

I am off upload a new post detailing what’s up.

[adm]WELCOME to the 2022 Build-Off!
[/adm]

Thanks!

man this is gonna be one cool build cant wait to see it done!

I hope I DO get it done!

just a heads up... looking at the jeep for reference pic.  Those front fenders sure look like a lawn tractor rear fender split and worked up to be clean looking.

MightyRaze wrote:

just a heads up... looking at the jeep for reference pic.  Those front fenders sure look like a lawn tractor rear fender split and worked up to be clean looking.

Oooo good catch! Looks like some MTD or Widebody fenders that were spliced into some GT6000 fenders... Giving me ideas for mine

I’m dreaming… got plenty of time before I can work on this anyway. Yes, the original idea was based on a pic of one of ‘Lawn Gone’s’ rigs. Fenders based on mower fenders.
Right now I’m leaning toward fabricating all the sheet metal. I found an Instructable by a guy in the UK and he sent me his drawings. The thing is based on a riding mower but he made everything else.

This is one of his drawings. I want to move the front axle forward which will make the hood longer and more in proportion to the original Jeep.



And this is an ancient picture of my Jeep when it was in a garage in Illinois. It has since been moved to Texas. It was in a garage at my Dad’s house when he died and I was unable to get there to rescue it. My sister managed to get it moved and it has been with them for the last 28 years. I hope to retrieve it some day, but it is a LONG way from me now.

Nevadablue wrote:

To complex i think i will stick to 3D renderings (i suck at drawing
one of the last tractors i did

Man you and  @Stretch44875 of the Mowrons have some things in common.  He has a old jeep that is pretty cool.  He brings it to Haspin.

You can see it packed in this pic from a few years ago.

Stretch44875 wrote:

That is a pretty sweet old jeep, you don't think you could fly over to texas and road trip the thing back?
The mini version will look sweet though, I don't think i'm liking the look of the competition... (;

It's not a competition so to speak. We're build-off buddies! LOL

Yep, no competition, just FUN!

What I want to do with the old Jeep is road trip with one of my sons and bring it back here. We will see. That was my only vehicle for a while during my college days. I actually had a vinyl top with doors on it then, but put it back to the original rag top later. It wasn’t happy at over about 45 MPH so I towed it on any long trips.

Oh, I know that, I was implying anything I have the funds to build will be way lamer than a lot of other guys stuff...

Don’t think that way. Every build will be special. Yours, mine, everyone’s.
Think how many people you know who can’t build a sandwich, much less a machine.

And, I’m hoping to spend little to no money on this.

Agreed @Nevadablue each build will bring something to the table. For me if nothing else it got me motivated to get this build started, which iv'e been planning on doing for a couple of years now.

Change of plans. With the permission of the BOC (build off committee, LOL) I will be updating this thread with a new pic including the sign and new donor tractor(s). I decided to preserve that pretty green LT1000 for as long as possible. It probably will give up it’s cast iron axle in trade for a steel one though.
I decided that trying to make a real look alike Jeep thing would be too much work so it will be a Jeep in spirit.
Still the JeepTor.

Hey you never know, there's still 9 months to go! Guess you have the Rat Rod Wheelbarrow too though which... I can't wait to see more of! That thing is awesome!

OK, here goes. I am essentially starting over with this project. No work has been done, so the only thing wasted is a lot of ‘brain time’. Not a waste though really, it morphed into this new plan. 



Inspired by the recent acquisition of some new-to-me mowers (both FREE), the plan changed.  
Also, led by @brianator and his good ideas in the Mud Duck thread,
AND driven by the beautiful work that the late Lawn Gone did on his Swamp Donkey, this build has moved to a new level.

I realized that trying to create a Jeep look alike is really too much work for me now so I will cobble something together that sort of resembles the Swamp Donkey. Lawn Gone’s youtube channel still exists and I have saved all the videos relating to the build. His rig is a MONSTER, but mine will be a docile yard tool, inspired by his work.

I went over a lot of this in the LT4000 thread here:

https://www.atltf.com/t6844-free-lt4000

but I think it should be included in this thread for the record.

I have been planning the organ swaps from MTD to LT4000, measuring and thinking. Most of the details will have to be worked out after the rigs are disassembled. I will attempt to keep the LT4000 mobile as much as I can to make it easier to work on.
In essence, the LT4000 sheet metal will go away, being replaced by the beautiful Square Body tinwork on the little Wizard MTD rig. The rear fenders will disappear from the LT and be covered by the ‘Jeep’ box that has to be fabricated.

I want to retain the rear gas tank, the Peerless 930 transaxle and the 15HP Kohler Command engine that is in the LT now. The MTD is only a shell, but a good one. The rear fenders from the MTD will become the front fenders on the JeepTor, ala Swamp Donkey.

The LT4000 is quite difficult for me to get on. The body is too close to the seat, too wide and the running boards are too narrow for my safety. So, all of that will be addressed. The LT1000 in the original pic may give up it’s cast iron front axle, to be replaced by a standard fabricated Craftsman axle. That’s OK.

I still haven’t figured out how to make the JeepTor sit level with four 20” tires on it. That part will come when I expose the frame and start moving metal. It may get the Craftsman axle mount I have as a spare, pushed up into the frame some. To be determined.

I am going to try to copy some posts from the LT4000 thread to this thread.

Square body MTD for reference:











Note the shape of the rear fenders as well as how much narrower the body work is. Plus, it is ALL metal and the hood opens from the top instead of the front/bottom. I like that too.

Also, it appears that I can unbolt the bodywork from the MTD and just maybe… bolt it to the LT4000. No big deal if I have to cut. Today’s project is to take more photos and LOTS of measurements. I also need to peruse the stash for suitable bits and pieces.

About 4” of snow yesterday. Hopefully it will be gone in the next few days. To pass the time, I ordered some parts for the rig.

LED headlights
A 3500 pound winch with wired and non wired remote
2 sets of quick disconnect plugs for the winch.
Heavy wire to connect winch
A bunch of hood hold down brackets for all the rigs.



The new winch will probably go on my RTV for raising the snow blade. The brake won’t hold on it, so it might go on the tractor.







Seems everything needs hood latches and these were cheap. Should work.



I want to make one of those winch mounts and put a receiver on both ends of the rig.

The headlights and hood latches arrived. Both look good.

I think these latches will be perfect, probably will be welded or pop riveted on. Weather proof, no rotting in the sun for these.



Small and unobtrusive, can be painted and should be plenty strong. I can see other uses for these too.

Here is the skid pan from an FJ Cruiser. Thick aluminum. Looks useful.



And, the push bar from the same FJ. I used the brush bars on the Rat Rod. I think this shows promise.
(Cut down of course)

According to the latest SRRC (Scientific Rat Rod Calculations) I will have to do something radical to the front axle. The 20” diameter tires on the rear and 14” on the front cause the machine to set level as it is now. If I put 20” tires on the front, I get a slant I don’t want.
I’m considering chopping off the front end of the machine that donated the engine to the Rat Rod and mounting that in a similar fashion to what I did on the RR. Plus, I think I can turn the axle around and put the tie rod in front. That way I can use the steering gear from the MTD (or another one I have) and put the drag link on top of the frame. More cogitation required. Codgers are good at cogitation.

Flipping the axle around will put the drag link on the left, and the tie rod in front which will make mounting a LOT easier.

Steering gear… I have 2 complete sets of left side steering gear plus new gears and bearings from right side steering gear. The gears interchange.





Cutting out the part of the frame in red and setting it into the frame of the LT4000 won’t interfere with any of the drive train. I am trying to avoid that for now.



That greasy mess is a right side setup. The gears and bearings are the same.

LT1500 axle as used on the Rat Rod. Note the steering arm on the right spindle. If I flip the axle I have it on the left!

Windy and cold here today. That’s my excuse.

I did get out and measure and photograph the LT1500 front end and frame and the LT4000 front end and frame. The Scientific Rat Rod Calculator, from now on referred to as the SRRC, confirmed that the front end will work for the JeepTor and gave good odds on flipping the axle end for end for left side drag link installation.
The LT4000 frame is 3” high so mounting the front section of the LT1500 on top of it will raise the spindles 3”. Should do it. I do need to measure the spindles on both rigs to confirm all this.