Re: LRO: Re: Pictures of JL's vehicle

From: Todd Ondick (greylildogs@hotmail.com)
Date: Fri Apr 20 2001 - 23:54:40 EDT

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    That wasn't quite a thousand words...:-)
    -todd

    >From: "Jean-Leon Morin" <offroaddesign@softhome.net>
    >Reply-To: lro@works.team.net
    >To: <lro@Works.Team.Net>
    >Subject: LRO: Re: Pictures of JL's vehicle
    >Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 10:49:35 -0400
    >
    >Jeeze, I really don't know when all this hype is about...
    >
    >Valdez is... a 66 109 plain - O regular, with series III wings, and the
    >breakfast is moved forward one inch to accomodate the radiator, so the hood
    >sits up too high. The tranny hump is a huge affair, the same height as the
    >seatbox, same width as the bulkhead center section, and was cobble together
    >in an hour using diamond plate aluminum and angle aluminum. It looks ugly,
    >and you can see the ground through the panel gaps. I have to redo it with a
    >couple of roadsigns. The frame is custom, so it has about 3" more ground
    >clearance than a regular rover, and the frame rails are basically rock
    >sliders. The underhood looks like I sprayed it in oil, as I was battling
    >major oil leakage a while back, and am waiting for warmer weather to clean
    >up the motor and paint it cat yellow, as well as tidy up all the wiring and
    >basically make the Ford engine look like it came from the factory. I am
    >actually going to wrap my wiring harnesses in hockey tape as it looks like
    >the braided stuff the factory used.
    >
    >Most of the modifications are not apparent on the outside, unless you
    >really
    >really look and notice the bumpers, frame rails, etc. It's just a regular
    >109 on the outside, with the paint peeling off of the roof. The interior is
    >a mess, loaded with all kinds of dirt and crud. Not a nice place.
    >
    >If course, the new axles will make it look quite different on the outside,
    >and I am still debating whether I will do a spring over or leave the
    >springs
    >as is. I might have to do a spring over, since the axles were destind to be
    >run under the spring, on the donor vehicle. This gives me monstrous lift,
    >which is NOT what I'm after. 2" higher would be about the limit, but I may
    >have to go higher if I can't get the axles to fit where I want them.
    >
    >Many of the mods I have debated on the list, such as the axle swap, the
    >larger tires, the spring over, are at the "I have the parts accumulated,
    >but
    >not the time" stage. But, hey, college exams are over in a week, and then I
    >demanded that my job leave me alone for a period of two weeks, for me to
    >get
    >some work done to the beast. The axles will be first, as I need the higher
    >gears and would like the wider track and improved turning radius, as well
    >as
    >the locking diffs, after that, I'll move on to beautification, and then to
    >the gizmo stage, as in roll bar, onboard air, spare carrier, hilift
    >mounting
    >spot, roof rack...
    >
    >It never ends. Still want a picture? It'll be obsolete in two months, as
    >I'll have a completely different animal. That goes Psssht.
    >
    >J-L
    >
    >______________________________________________________
    >Jean-Leon Morin
    >AKA "Dr. Detroit"
    >
    >Valdez - 1966 IIA 109 freak
    >Slagmobile - 195? II parts bin

    _________________________________________________________________
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