That Dana 44 axle (the rear axle that did not come with the Jeep) is being darned recalcitrant.  I can't get the hubs off, and I can't get the axle shafts out.  On the D41 (the rear axle that did come on the Jeep), the hubs popped off easily, and the axle shafts slid right out after undoing the flange bolts.  I have no idea what to do differently...  (There's not supposed to be anything different between the two axles when it comes to disassembly.)

So I moved onto the front.  I got both knuckles off the D25 (the front axle that came on the Jeep) and disassembled.  No difficult parts to that at all.  (Now I'll have to try the D27--the spare front axle...)  After being stuck so long on that D44, it felt good to actually get something done.

One weird thing, though.  The washers inside one of the front hubs were totally mangled.  The splines on that shaft were also slightly mangled.  I took some pictures, and I'll add them to this post at a later date (when I get around to it...)  No idea what could have caused that--it even looked like it had been assembled that way from earlier damage.

Edit:  Here's the pictures.

The outer washer:

 And the inner one:

There were no bits of metal in there...

Okay, here's the painted frame.  I forgot to take a picture before we left, but Melissa's camera was in my glove compartment (where it had apparently been left all winter), with just enough battery juice left for a couple of shots.  The transmission support member and rear bumper are not shown--they were sitting in the back of my truck.  (The front bumper is chrome--obviously not original--and wasn't painted.)  In case it's not clear, the near end is the front.

Paint on the frame is pretty much done.  I'll take a picture tomorrow when I load it onto the trailer.  I'm going to store the frame at the cabin to give myself room to do mechanical work on other bits.  (And I need to get the trailer out of the driveway, regardless.)

I'm not thrilled with my painting skills.  There are drip marks in various places.  But I guess that very little of the frame will be visible in the end.  (If there are any drip marks in visible places, I'll sand them off and repaint those spots.

I used a matte paint over the POR15.  That not only helps reduce the obviousness of my bad painting skills, but also makes it easy to see where I missed a spot, since the glossy POR15 looks very different.

 And on to the next task.  I started trying to pull the hubs off my extra set of axles.  I want to pull the larger brakes off these ones and use them in the Jeep.  I may also switch out the knuckles on the front axle.  But these hubs are proving to be stubborn.

Here's my big puller.  For size, the blue breaker bar is 36" long and the silver ratchet is about 18" long.  The socket on there is 3/4".  The puller is rated to 7 tons.  Unfortunately, the hub isn't coming off; instead the hub plate is actually deforming under the load of the puller!

Maybe it's time to try the ATF/acetone trick.  (A 50/50 mix of those were apparently tested to be a better penetrating oil than any commercial product.)

I hope the hubs on the other axles aren't as bad.  They weren't stored outdoors, and I believe the hubs were removed at least back in the late 80's.

First coat of paint on the frame last night.  At least on the areas I could see from the top.  I'll flip it over and do the rest tonight.  Pictures to follow when it's done...

It's a very glossy paint.  I think I'll make the top coat (which is required because the POR-15 is not UV stable) matte.

The frame is all prepped for painting now.  Started with a wire wheel on a grinder, and then upgraded to the sandblaster (since it was clear that the wheel couldn't get into the tight spots).  Did all that out at the cabin to avoid the mess at home.

Helpful hint:  if you're recycling sand, screen it really, really carefully before putting it back into the blaster.  And if the blaster isn't working as it should, empty it out and check for obstructions.

At home, did the cleaner and metal prep steps using the chemicals made by the paint supplier I'm using (POR-15).  Now it's just waiting for paint.

But I am a bit concerned about the rear member.  See the pictures below:

I wonder what the heck caused that damage...

I now have to decide whether to replace that member (Walcks carries them), or just grind out the damage and weld it.

The frame is finally stripped all the way down.  (I think there are five bolts not doing anything that I still have to remove.)  That's the transmission cross member sitting on the battery holder.  Time to start cleaning...

Here's the frame, stripped down to the axles.  I've got to start cleaning it up and prepping it for a new coat of paint...

As for the engine, here are a few shots:

Definitely leaking around the main shaft seals, the valve cover, and around the oil filler tube.  Possibly a few other spots too, but it's hard to tell.  I'm leaning towards tearing the whole thing down and having it cleaned professionally (and inspected for cracks).  All the seals and gaskets will be replaced when I put it back together.  Hopefully, it won't need any real machining work, as there can't be all that much mileage on it since it was last rebuilt in the 80's.

I've been playing around with the axles--I've got the giant nuts off the rears, but haven't actually pulled the hubs yet--as it is still my intention to switch out the brakes to the 11" brakes off my second set of axles, and to replace the steering knuckles as well.  That's probably going to mean replacing all the axle seals and probably a bunch of bearings as well, but their probably well past their best before date anyway.