After a couple weeks hiatus for a business trip to Oz, the project is progressing nicely again. All the big stuff is off the frame now. The axles and springs are still there (for now--I need to replace the springs, so those parts will come off soon), but the only other things still there are the brake master cylinder and lines, and the clutch and brake pedal arms.

Also two engine mounts and one transmission mount. Those mounts (and the one other transmission mount that came off with the tranny) are in lousy shape and will have to be replaced. 64 years old and made of rubber--they're not doing that badly, considering! But someone at Willys Overland was thinking ahead to how long these Jeeps would last: they installed a cable that ties the engine/tranny back to the transmission cross member on the frame. The only purpose of this thing is to prevent the engine/fan from hitting the radiator in a sudden stop. And that could only happen if the motor mounts were in really bad condition (like when they're 60+ years old).

Next step (after removing those last items) is cleaning the frame with a wire brush (powered version, mounted on an angle grinder) to prep it for painting. I want this thing to last another 64 years!

I'll be shooting a bunch of pictures in the next day or two.

I started scraping away some grime from the transfer case (you should see the pile of crud on the floor underneath!), and there was a nice S/N plate in very good condition:  S/N 260420.  The transmission is casting T-90A-1, with date 2-23-49 (date applied upside down).

There are some more casting and assembly dates to look for that I haven't found yet.  So far, everything on the Jeep (other than the body and engine, which are known not to be original) is consistent with the serial number (23833) on the registration. (According to the best Jeep historian on the web.)  This number is on the registration papers from the last two owners before me, dating back to 1989, when the people I bought it from bought it from the owner before them.  The original body tag is missing (presumably it went with the original body), so this is the best we've got.

The S/N is from 1949, but the Jeep was registered as 1950.  I'm told this is not unusual; at the time, the registration date could have been the date when it was first registered/licensed.

Well I feel sheepish, or perhaps blind.  The petcock was indeed there, behind the alternator.  It was covered in grime, but I used a better light looking for it last night.  (The garage isn't exactly well lit...)

Here's a picture (of someone else's block, found online)showing where it is on this block--the casting number on this one is the same as on mine.  Look to the right of the bottom of the oil filler tube.

I had to pull the alternator to get at it.

While I was taking the radiator off, I (obviously) needed to drain the cooling system.  Unfortunately, the petcock on the engine block didn't seem to be there.  The manuals all just say it's on the lower right side of the block--that's still a large area.  Someone in the past has removed it and (presumably) plugged the hole with something else.  The actual location depends a bit on the actual casting number of the block--there were a few variations in the L-134 over the years.  I'll have to scrape grime to find the spot, and probably remove the alternator, too.

I shot a bunch of pictures last night:

I'm told this isn't a 3A radiator.

Hey, I wonder why the brakes don't work!

That bit of twisting on that rear member is the only damage visible on the frame.  Otherwise, it looks in pretty good shape!

Those springs are lacking arch--they will be replaced for sure!

And it's off!

The oil pressure line was just a wire that I had already disconnected.  I was thinking there would be a metal tube like the one on my tractor (same age as the Jeep).

Tub is in pretty rough shape:

About the only area not rotten is the dash and firewall.

I think the tub is sitting on the frame only by the virtue of gravity now.  The plan is to lift it off this evening.  Note to self:  remember to disconnect speedometer cable and check for an oil pressure line to the gauge panel.  I think everything else is disconnected already.  It should be a simple matter of lining up the shop crane over the tub and rigging some slings.  I am planning on doing another time delay video of this operation.