Instead of fabricating or photographing something cool today I played mechanic and tackled a bunch of much-needed maintenance on a few of the project Jeeps.

'53 DJ-3A Flattie: It's been having some engine issues for about a year including an intermittent hard-start problem, a low-rpm stumble, and fouled spark plugs. I finally got it diagnosed to what I think is the Crank Position Sensor, so I tossed a new one in today along with a fresh set of plugs and then changed the oil and filter for good measure. Time will tell if it's the cure. I also installed a fuel shut-off valve at the fuel cell so I can remove the pre-filter for cleaning without dumping 5 gallons of fuel all over myself. The pre-filter gets clogged every-so-often. Normally it happens at Glamis and really limits my full-throttle fun. Now I'll be able to easily clean the filter in the field.

M-715: I removed the fuel tank and dropped it off at a local radiator shop that specializes in hot rods. They'll clean it of all the internal rust and then apply a sealer to prevent any future rusting. Once I get it back, I can install the AN bulkhead fittings needed for when I swap to fuel injection later next week.

'89 YJ: Apparently somebody stole all the smog equipment off my YJ one dark night. At least that's my hypothesis of how the cat, EGR, evap system, and miles of vacuum lines went missing. But without all that smog stuff, the speed-density injection runs a little rich and you notice it inside with the rear window rolled up. I removed the coil from the ignition controle module and cleaned up all the connections. I checked the resistance of the stock plug wires and replaced one that was too high. I also replaced the plugs with some that have a higher heat range and put a Performance Distributors low-resistance wire from the coil to the distributor. I also ditched the factory air box and used a piece of driveshaft tubing to mate an old K&N filter to the factory airbox-to-throttle body hose. It's a poor-man's hop-up for sure, but it does pull a bit harder through the gears and the exhaust gasses don't seem to be as rich and frothy. I changed the oil just because.

'48 Willys Murderous Overkill: I glanced at it slightly. That's about it. Whadya want: It was a full day.