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I have a ‘95 Jeep, a true war horse. Leaf springs. 258 straight six (aka 4.0 L). Carpeting removed. Rear seat removed. Cargo net. Rack. Tow hitch. Utility trailer (converted ‘67 Dodge stepside box). blah blah blah. I bought it nearly new (as in, ~not~ new) and it’s been loyal these past 100,000 miles. And reliable.

I’m at a crossroads. On the one hand, I’m thinking of a Rhino liner for the interior.

“Rhino Linings, the industry pioneer and worldwide leader in sprayed-on polyurethane linings, continues to redefine ‘toughness’. Rhino Linings thick, durable linings provide superior protection for truck beds, jeeps, boats, trailers and a wide variety of consumer, commercial and industrial applications. With a name like Rhino, you can be sure you’re getting the toughest protection for your investment.” www.rhinolinings.com

I have the Jeep Safari Green/Tan color scheme. The interior paint is currently factory green but I’d probably make the lining tan. Nice contrast to exterior green.

And I want to replace a transmission seal. It doesn’t leak much and my local mechanic advised against replacing it. But the thought of losing a seal far from port concerns me.

And I’ve noticed the engine has lost some if its pep (annoying) and barely passed its smog test last year (disconcerting).

And, and, and… You get the point. There are things I want to have done and they start to add up. So that’s the one hand.

On the other hand, I’ve had this Jeep for 8 years. Maybe it’s time to look for a new Jeep.

My sister-in-law has a sweet ‘05 Jeep. I had a chance to drive it while Tracy and I were visiting her sister over the holidays. The gears shift easily. Nice. It still had new car smell. My Jeep has old dog smell.

Anyway, while visiting Tracy’s sister in Fargo, Bob and I slipped over to Moorhead to check out the new four door Jeep. I like it. I like it a lot. Besides room to carry three kids, there’s still room for a couple of hockey bags in the back.

There is much to like about the new Jeeps but they are not perfect. Here’s a couple of things I would change in the Jeep line.

Springs. What happened to leaf springs? I know. I know. There’s all these arguments for better ride, smoother ride, blah blah blah. There should at least be an option. Leaf springs for the guy jeeps. Coil springs for the girl jeeps.

Engine. My stars! 3.8 L V-6? And who put a Frenchman on the design team? Drop this dopey metric thing. This is America. Land of the cubic inch. Liter. Pah!

I’d like to think it was a green college new hire that knew nothing of tradition. I imagine the memo came down, “We’ve been ordered to drop the time honored 258 straight six—only they’d have said 4.0L because back in ‘85 some yugo driving Rhodes Scholar thought 4.0L sounded ‘modern’—We’ve been ordered to drop the 4.0L and use a stock Chrysler engine.” Somewhere in the design department, a salty Jeep old-timer spec-ed out 318 for the engine. But junior—the new college guy—knew nothing of cubic inches, or of American history, or of that workhorse of Americana … The Chrysler 318 CID V-8. And 318 became 3.8, just like that.

At least, that’s what I imagine. I like that version because it says there are old-timers at Jeep.

Don’t misunderstand me. I’m all for progress. The first Jeep I drove was a ‘51 Willys used mostly for duck hunting. It had a start pedal, 24-volt electrical system, functional fold down windshield, manual choke, manual throttle control and other oddities. But I wouldn’t trade my civilian ‘95 for that ‘51. No way. Technology, materials and design have come a long way. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to use a can of starting fluid.

But I digress. Bottom line… update the 318 and replace the decal. Change the decal from 3.8 to 318. Call it a ‘not so subtle change’ in the glossy brochures. Be authentic. TV ads with the president of Jeep walking out and declaring “What were we thinking? Three point eight? What’s the F?”

Then have a pit crew rip the old V-6 out of a Jeep and uncrate a new (and revamped) 318. “Now *that’s* what I’m talking about!”, says Jeep president.

Also at the Auto Show was the Gladiator, a new Jeep concept truck. It sported a 2.8L engine.

Two point eight? Don’t get me started.

To bring everyone up to speed, the trailer is the back half of a ‘67 Dodge Stepside half ton pickup. It really is quite the eyesore. Yet, as anyone who has been to the garden store knows, you really don’t want to toss three sacks full of chicken manure in your trunk. It’s on those occasions that the trailer justifies itself.

This year, the floor boards rotted out. The bed is made of wood, you see, and the old boards were breaking through in places. I said to myself, "This could be really cool. I can replace the old 1-by pine planks with sturdier 2-by douglas fir planks."

I’ve been reading George Buehler’s book, again. While I may have neither the time nor the cash to build an Archimedes class cruiser right now, I figured the little trailer project could be just the fix I needed for my boat building jones.

When I pulled the old planks out, to my surprise and dismay, the entire box fell off the frame. Seems the box was secured to the wooden bed and the bed in turn bolted to the frame.

Oh, well. To the drawing board.

I’ve created a design to better secure the box to the frame and use the planking for added rigidity. This included a set of 2 inch box channel crossbeams.

The crossbeams are 7/16 inch through drilled and then one side is again drilled to 1 inch. This allows a socket to pass through the 1 inch hole and secure the bolt or nut head inside the box channel.

I ordered 3/16 inch mild steel. In retrospect, I should have bought 1/8 or 3/32 inch steel. It would have been strong enough, easier to work, and cheaper.

I’m having trouble with drilling the 1 inch holes. The bit just chatters rather than biting into the steel and shaving out a continuous curl of metal.

I was using a friend’s drill press which was a life saver for the 7/16 inch holes. Yet even at the slowest speed, the 1 inch bit chatters continuously. On occasion of the bit gaining purchase, the bit stalls rather than cuts.

And that’s where we are to date. I was able to cut through one hole and part of a second. Time per hole was between 20 and 30 minutes. There are 90 holes. Do the math. Even if the bit were to hold out, which it wouldn’t, it is folly.

I’m now in search of a machine shop to drill the remaining holes. In the meantime, I’ll continue the pre-paint prep work on the frame. Stay tuned.