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DAY ONE
Saturday

Well today started with a little bit of a surprise. Well, not too much of a surprise as I had bought extra supplies "just in case." Everything welse with the Jeep's repairs have been a chain of events leading to multiple trips to the parts store or out for new tools. But this time I was pretty well prepared.

Step 1. Remove the driver's seat (it was the only seat left in the car. It was a bit like driving a UPS truck for the past week.) ...

and this

Pretty nasty that there's rust coming through the carpet. Thsi should have been my first sign as to what was coming.

Then Step 2. Remove the trim and old carpet.

The trim had to come off first as it holds the caret in place all the way around the Jeep. I found, as I pulled each piece, that there is mold on the plastic on the inside surface facing the body. This is most likely what has been giving the Jeep the smell that Michele does not like so much. I guess I have gotten used to the smell in there and never paid it much attention.

Removing the carpet in the rear also shows you what I have been using for sound-deadening material. A mixture of cardboard, newspapers and Ikea mouse pads. That's right, mouse pads. I had a bunch of these thinking I was going to put my logo on them over the ikea one but so much for that, they worked better here. I think they are going to find there way into the new padding layout as well or as spacers and pads.

Since the installation of the new exhaust, which I am going to extend all the way back soon, and the holes in the transfer case showd up, the Jeep has become a very noisy vehicle to drive. I play the stereo louder, turn up my phone or, in this case, fill in the gaps with mouse pads. Anything that will make it quieter in there.

Step 2a

Step 2b

And then you have all the bits and pieces that were inside.
It's mainly the beige ppices that have all the mold in them. They go all along the perimiter of the vehicle neer the bottom. I have not looked at the upper pieces yet. They're for another day. The dashboard will come appart at some point as well. I have some dead bulbs in there and I think there is a filter in there for the air that goes into the cabin of the vehicle. I still need to check on that. Michele's car has one, which I think is nice. If the jeep does not have one then I will be making a filter holder for it and finding the best fit for size in available filters.

And the back as it was last week. I did a litte bit more trimming over the week but for the most part, if the metal is still pretty thick I have been trying to save as much of it as possible and ying it into the frame. I wanted to make sure there was as much metal as possible to connect the new pieces to. My other problem is the gas tank in the rear. I was originally going to dro the tank and weld back there but the time it would have added to the job would have made it more than a two day job.

I cleaned everything in the rear 9rust jelly) and sprayed it with a rust-stop and while that was drying I went to the front of the Jeep to pull up the front carpet mould. This is where my new purchasing habits for the Jeep paid off. If I ever have a question in my mind as to whether or not I need something of if I have enough of something, I buy it. Beter to have to return it than to have to run around. I had to cut the carpet into sections to get it out. It was quite a tight fit in there around all the wires, belts and bolts. But when I pulled up the front section on the passenger side I found this...

Yup, more holes through to the outside world. And some of these had a load of oil in them from the leak I am currently chaseing. But, I bought twice the metal I needed so this only phased me for a minute or so. Michele looked nervous. After all, she sits on that side! But I can fix it. It's just one more thing, that's all. So I got out the grinder and the cutting wheels again. Cleaned it and hit it with the same rust-stop. I think it rusted so bad on that side because the exhaust down pipe goes to that side and runs to the back on the passenger side. So the continual heating and cooling of the exhaust and catalytic would make it easier for the metal to rust. Also the front end of the floor pan under the dash gets hit with spray from the front tire. With the steel I have left over, I am making some sacrificial pieces. A new heat shield linked to the frame for the catalytic and a deflector under the floor pan behind the front wheels on both sides. It is a wonder, though, with all the oil and ATF under there how it Could have rusted. But oh well.

By the time I had gotten done with that, the back was ready for primer.

Next, new tools! Oooo I like new tools. This week's purchase was tin snips (strong enough for cutting 20ga sheet steel), variable speed drill, pop-rivit gun (profesional model with swivel head and four different shaft sizes), and caulking gun (for silicone sealant).

Under that is the steel I got and some straping metal to span the holes and reinforce them back to the frame.

After all that the sheet metal goes in, with sealant underneath, and then gets primed.

And Viola!

This was day one. Day two will be the carpeting itself.

ZZZzzzzzz....

DAY TWO
Sunday

This was a good day. We got the whole thing done. Michele was helping me today cleaning all the trim and the upholstry on the seats and vinyl trim. Without her I would still be out there right now working on it.

So here is how it started out today. I was able to salvage a good bit of the old padding from the moulded carpet I took out. It was already cut into the crazy shapes needed to fit over the transmission, transfer case and drive shaft. Saving it saved me a lot of time. I then laid down a second layer of padding that I got mainly as a sound-deadener. The floors are soft like indoor carpeting now. One of the mouse ads was turned into bushings and spacers for the mounting bolts for the front seats.

And the passenger side.

And here is the full view through the Jeep after the padding was done.

Next I started laying down the carpet. I got a very soft and flexible indoor-outdoor carpet. But, since I am not using a moulded carpet I have to lay everything in strips and shapes with overlap to accomadate the shapes of the floor pan. So, I had to stand there for a while just staring at the jeep like a special kid...pondering the order of events. I ended up doing the front in four pieces. One for the front of the hump back to just after the parking brake, one for each side from under the dash to the midpoint under the front seats, and then a u-shapped piece that overlaped those two covering the floor in the back seat. You would not believe the number of crazy little cuts you have to make to force flat carpeting to accomadate the curved geometry of a car floor.

The hump

Back seat

Driver's side

There's a lot of room in that thing without any seats but it's akward to work in it.

And a bit like a hoopty.

But I digress.

Here was the last progression starting with the front seat. I had to put in the trim to tighten the side of the carpet and keep it in place while I cut the other side before putting in the seat.

And the final product.

Now I'm really tired. Time for ibuprofen and bed!