It seems like you should be able to find another complete front differential for $200-$300.00. So many are taken out for swaps and so many bodies are beyond restoration. Of course, they never appear when you need one!
The phoenix rising of Wilbur (‘55) the Survivor
- Thread starter mickeykelley
- Start date
mickeykelley
Well Oiled
That is one area I’m looking at. The issue is finding one close, and in good condition. After we get back from moving daughter up north to start career one that she is finished with grad school, I’ll get more motivated to find And will list a WTB ad.
49billm
Bigger Hammer
Mickey, I can't believe a reputable body shop in the area can't make a pull on that axle for you and get it within specs. We used to do it all the time. I guess the new generation of bodyman can only unbolt and replace parts. Too sad! Good luck!
Bill
Bill
2cubs2cases
Bigger Hammer
The problem is most body shops have no one under 45 that has clue on how to do that type of work or wants to learn. Try talking to some of these teenagers that just graduated from high school. Ask them what year the War of 1812 started. 50% of them will tell you they do not know. Hope you get it fixed.
Gojeep
Well Oiled
If you have a welder, you can do some heat shrinking with that. I use this technique all the time. Just place some beads of weld, one at a time and let cool slowly without using air or water and then check, where you want the bend to reduce. So the outside of a curve to straighten it. If it has bent where it come out the the cast centre section, run a bead on the front face only. You will help straighten it and fix any damage that might have occured to the original plug welds that hold the tubes in. Make sure you let the cast cool as slowly as possible.
Can do all this while it is still assembled and installed if you keep the heat away from the seals.
Can do all this while it is still assembled and installed if you keep the heat away from the seals.
mickeykelley
Well Oiled
Quick update on chrome. No matter how "good" it turns out, I would not recommend them. I did another follow up call back on June 25 and was told what great considence my call was as he was just doing the invoice. They only take checks so I got a check in the mail that day. It cleared my bank July 1st and that same day I got the UPS tracking numbers by email. We were in the processing of moving the daughter up north to start her career so I thought great, it will be there close to when we get home. But the tracking kept say label created. Sent email to them but no response. I figured that maybe UPS just isn’t updating web during long weekend, but it said the same thing Mon day morning. So I call and was told the boxes have been ready but they usually only have UPS come by once a week but it would definately go out 'today'. I told her what the hell, it sits for a week instead of you calling UPS or taking by a place with all the delays on my job. They clearly don’t have any level of priority to getting stuff done and out after making all sorts of promises. And the "re-do" stuff I specifically asked if it gets priority or just goes back in line. Tracy, the owner, said it immediately goes to the front of the line and they get right on it. Which turns out to be a lie because they got the return items back over a month ago yet they are shipping with the bumpers. Hopefully the job turns out good, but the lack of professionalism would cause me to not go back. It will be very interesting to see how the side mirrors turn out using Sherm's. I’ll definitely report back here.
Edit, UPS site does say picked up and expected delivery is Friday. Fingers crossed.
Edit, UPS site does say picked up and expected delivery is Friday. Fingers crossed.
2cubs2cases
Bigger Hammer
I hope you get back a finished product that is done right. Hard to find quality work.
mickeykelley
Well Oiled
It’s a people thing and in my opinion. Business don’t want to actually talk to people, craftsmanship is severely lacking and prices are high. Sign of the times I guess but not how I was brought up.
2cubs2cases
Bigger Hammer
Exactly same here your work is a reflection of who you are as a person. Seems like a foreign concept to many.
2cubs2cases
Bigger Hammer
Somewhere along the way a sense of personal responsibility along with the desire to do ones best is being lost. Why no idea? Not being taught or emphasized or just eaiser to be lazy? I have no idea really. I was raised and taught that whatever you do you do to the best of your ability because it is right and it tells everone the person you are good or bad. Still makes sense to me today. I like others on this forum have just seen and pay for the "whatever" results.
mickeykelley
Well Oiled
Anticipation......UPS emailed they had 3 packages for delivery tomorrow. Hopefully I’ll be in a good mood tomorrow night.
2cubs2cases
Bigger Hammer
Both you and the the Wagon?
mickeykelley
Well Oiled
Chrome items did come in last night about 7 so I didn’t start to open until this afternoon.
First, let me preface this with, I am a type A, perfectionist, high standards, pickey, etc., etc. As the wife says, "I’m weird and want things to always be right and perfect, thus I expect too much of other people’s work and they will never do it as good as I expect". I always put way too much time into things getting them just right when I personally do something. I don’t like to just accept it’s good enough. And no I’m not perfect, but have extreme pride in my work, high standards and want it to be as close to perfect as humanly possible.
Second, I have a very very keen eye for detail. I notice things most people never would. Comes with my personality and my professions.
Third, I have never had stuff chromed so I have absolutely no reference point to compare, except what I 'believe' it should be.
Fourth, I do understand these are 65 year old parts, and Willys took shortcuts to watch expenses, and probably didn’t use the highest quality stuff around to start with. And I feel certain that they were not in the slightest worried about 65 years down the road. Technology was also not anywhere near what we have today.
So how did it turn out? I have not gotten through it all yet, but I can say that the pieces they redid, are substantially better than they were before. Are they perfect, absolutely not. Are they up to my standards if I was doing them myself, absolutely not. Would they stand up to what I believe Pebble Beach standards would be, absolutely not. Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I have never even been to Pebble Beach, let alone done a car to that standard, and, have no intentions of taking Wilbur there. But, I refer you back to the First section above again. I am picky and notice the smallest things.
Here are the types of things I found:
1. I found crusties left in the screw holes. Even after talking to them about this on the first round, they are still there. I was told they run a threader thru them to clean them up, but that is a lie. And it is blatantly obvious. But not worth sending back, losing time, risk of loss, damage, etc. So I will get a goods tap and die set to handle it myself. Been needing one anyways. My cheap Harbor Freight set just doesn’t work that great, plus it’s got a point that doesn’t work for shallow screw holes.
2. On the edges of some pieces, I found some sort of pointy things. It’s like very fine welding splatter. Not a lot, but if you happen to run a cloth over it, as in washing, it will snag it. If you run your finger across it, you may get a scratch and will definately feel it. Its just on some pieces but it pisses me off. How could someone not notice it when working with it. Total lack of professionalism, quality, etc. I will have to see about how to take it off, but I will call them first.
3. Things that were supposed to fit in areas, they didn’t test fit. For example, the front ash tray face is made up of 2 pieces that 'fit' together. The rear side window locks, the plunger cup should slide inside the housing. They didn’t test fit things so I had to send them back. Again, lack of attention to detail and lack of professionalism, I’m my opinion. I would never accept that from employees and as the boss, I would be spot checking every order. It’s called stupidvision.
4. I did find some small scratches in the chrome on some pieces. Since I’m no expert on the process, maybe it’s really in one of the under layers. But no matter, I don’t think there should be any, period. Please refer to wife’s comment above. Now, as a practicle matter, most likely no one but me will ever notice them. After time I will probably get over them and not see them either.
5. The repair of the one headlight rings that got a slight bend and metal split from the wreck, the repair is good and you can’t even tell, unless you run your finger around the inside of the circle. You feel the lack of smooth circle right at that place. It’s obviously solder or what ever filler metal they used for the repair. It is not really noticeable except it causes a slight bind when you install it over the headlight. It was a redo and while they got it better, it’s still there. And I went over this in great detail with the owner. How much brain power does it take to run you finger around the circle to feel it, especially after it was send back to you to redo? Again, total lack of attention to detail and the boss following up on work sent back.
6. Now this is the big one. The owner told me in the beginning that small stuff takes 4-6 weeks and bumpers take 3-4 months. While checking on the status, he also told me that they have not lost any work hours due to the virus. They just created 2 shifts. Well, the small stuff ended up taking over 3 months and the bumpers over 5. I was also told that on redos, they go to the front of the line. Well that didn’t happen. Again, poor management. And to add insult to injury, they get their check on a Wednesday (actually cleared my bank that day), box everything up and issue UPS shipping numbers, but let it sit there waiting for a week before they get UPS to pick it up.
Now, I have not unwrapped the bumpers yet, so hopefully I won’t be in a horrible mood tomorrow.
So will I move forward and install them on Wilbur, yes. Will I ever send anything to Lakewood again, absolutely not. Will I ever recommend them, not if someone expects the quality and times they promise. Did I pay the same as what a place like Sherm's charges. No, but it was impossible to get initial pricing out of Sherm's without going to the expense and hassel of shipping it all there first. But I was promised "show" chrome. My opinion, this is not show chrome. Not in my book. Not for the price. Yes I save a thousand to fifteen hundred but was it worth it? Not sure.
I am very glad I didn’t send the gauge bezel to them. They just don’t have the attention to detail to do that piece. It will be something I will see up close every time I drive Wilbur. I sent the side mirrors to Sherm's as a test piece before I send that gauge bezel to them. They are more expensive and quote twice the lead time, so I will see if I gave a better experience with them.
First, let me preface this with, I am a type A, perfectionist, high standards, pickey, etc., etc. As the wife says, "I’m weird and want things to always be right and perfect, thus I expect too much of other people’s work and they will never do it as good as I expect". I always put way too much time into things getting them just right when I personally do something. I don’t like to just accept it’s good enough. And no I’m not perfect, but have extreme pride in my work, high standards and want it to be as close to perfect as humanly possible.
Second, I have a very very keen eye for detail. I notice things most people never would. Comes with my personality and my professions.
Third, I have never had stuff chromed so I have absolutely no reference point to compare, except what I 'believe' it should be.
Fourth, I do understand these are 65 year old parts, and Willys took shortcuts to watch expenses, and probably didn’t use the highest quality stuff around to start with. And I feel certain that they were not in the slightest worried about 65 years down the road. Technology was also not anywhere near what we have today.
So how did it turn out? I have not gotten through it all yet, but I can say that the pieces they redid, are substantially better than they were before. Are they perfect, absolutely not. Are they up to my standards if I was doing them myself, absolutely not. Would they stand up to what I believe Pebble Beach standards would be, absolutely not. Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I have never even been to Pebble Beach, let alone done a car to that standard, and, have no intentions of taking Wilbur there. But, I refer you back to the First section above again. I am picky and notice the smallest things.
Here are the types of things I found:
1. I found crusties left in the screw holes. Even after talking to them about this on the first round, they are still there. I was told they run a threader thru them to clean them up, but that is a lie. And it is blatantly obvious. But not worth sending back, losing time, risk of loss, damage, etc. So I will get a goods tap and die set to handle it myself. Been needing one anyways. My cheap Harbor Freight set just doesn’t work that great, plus it’s got a point that doesn’t work for shallow screw holes.
2. On the edges of some pieces, I found some sort of pointy things. It’s like very fine welding splatter. Not a lot, but if you happen to run a cloth over it, as in washing, it will snag it. If you run your finger across it, you may get a scratch and will definately feel it. Its just on some pieces but it pisses me off. How could someone not notice it when working with it. Total lack of professionalism, quality, etc. I will have to see about how to take it off, but I will call them first.
3. Things that were supposed to fit in areas, they didn’t test fit. For example, the front ash tray face is made up of 2 pieces that 'fit' together. The rear side window locks, the plunger cup should slide inside the housing. They didn’t test fit things so I had to send them back. Again, lack of attention to detail and lack of professionalism, I’m my opinion. I would never accept that from employees and as the boss, I would be spot checking every order. It’s called stupidvision.
4. I did find some small scratches in the chrome on some pieces. Since I’m no expert on the process, maybe it’s really in one of the under layers. But no matter, I don’t think there should be any, period. Please refer to wife’s comment above. Now, as a practicle matter, most likely no one but me will ever notice them. After time I will probably get over them and not see them either.
5. The repair of the one headlight rings that got a slight bend and metal split from the wreck, the repair is good and you can’t even tell, unless you run your finger around the inside of the circle. You feel the lack of smooth circle right at that place. It’s obviously solder or what ever filler metal they used for the repair. It is not really noticeable except it causes a slight bind when you install it over the headlight. It was a redo and while they got it better, it’s still there. And I went over this in great detail with the owner. How much brain power does it take to run you finger around the circle to feel it, especially after it was send back to you to redo? Again, total lack of attention to detail and the boss following up on work sent back.
6. Now this is the big one. The owner told me in the beginning that small stuff takes 4-6 weeks and bumpers take 3-4 months. While checking on the status, he also told me that they have not lost any work hours due to the virus. They just created 2 shifts. Well, the small stuff ended up taking over 3 months and the bumpers over 5. I was also told that on redos, they go to the front of the line. Well that didn’t happen. Again, poor management. And to add insult to injury, they get their check on a Wednesday (actually cleared my bank that day), box everything up and issue UPS shipping numbers, but let it sit there waiting for a week before they get UPS to pick it up.
Now, I have not unwrapped the bumpers yet, so hopefully I won’t be in a horrible mood tomorrow.
So will I move forward and install them on Wilbur, yes. Will I ever send anything to Lakewood again, absolutely not. Will I ever recommend them, not if someone expects the quality and times they promise. Did I pay the same as what a place like Sherm's charges. No, but it was impossible to get initial pricing out of Sherm's without going to the expense and hassel of shipping it all there first. But I was promised "show" chrome. My opinion, this is not show chrome. Not in my book. Not for the price. Yes I save a thousand to fifteen hundred but was it worth it? Not sure.
I am very glad I didn’t send the gauge bezel to them. They just don’t have the attention to detail to do that piece. It will be something I will see up close every time I drive Wilbur. I sent the side mirrors to Sherm's as a test piece before I send that gauge bezel to them. They are more expensive and quote twice the lead time, so I will see if I gave a better experience with them.
Sherms has different levels of quality. Which level have you chosen?
mickeykelley
Well Oiled
I choose to do the polished level. It is their middle line I will see how the mirrors turn out then decide about the dash bezel. I took lots of pics to remind me exactly what the mirror parts looked like in advance so I can compare. There was some pitting so it will give me a good comparison. Time will tell.
mickeykelley
Well Oiled
Got through the rest of the pieces.
First, lets start on a good note. Very good note in fact. The bumpers and side wraps came out gorgeous. Whoever they sent to do the straightening did an awesome job. You can't even tell that front bumper was bent from the wreck. Now, you do see the marks on the backside where their machine did it's work, but that is on the backside, to be expected and won't been seen unless you crawl under and lookup. Being picky, I can't even see or feel where the kinks were. Maybe if I put a straight edge on it, but I ain't gonna bust that bubble. And they got rid of all the deep scratches on the bottoms of the side wraps where over the years people had bottomed out and drug the corners on the pavement. On the originals, you could tell the top vs bottom based on the quality of the bend/curve from the factory. Now, I can't tell which was right vs left unless I look on the backside and notice the rust pitting which would be the bottom side. I had bought a replacement when I thought that red pipe ski rack holder was welded to the bumper but since it was not welded, just rust stuck, both of wraps will be Wilbur's original. So I will post in the for sale the replacement one I got since I will not need it after all. They also flattened out the recessed around the bumper bolts where they had pulled in over time. I would definitely recommend them for bumpers now, assuming you can deal with the over promise dates vs delays.
Not the best pics but it gets the point across.
This pic shows the bottoms of Wilbur's versus the bottom of the extra. And Wilbur's were in much much worse shape as to scratches. I'm very impressed, and I don't impress easy.
Now for the other issues I found.
First, on the turn signal I am very very disappointed. The first one they did had blisters and the wording was severely eaten into when dipped. So I bought another one on eBay and sent it to them. It was in good shape but as I understand, the stripping of the existing plating eats away some of the pot metal. At least that is what he told me. The replacement one actually came out worse. Even more blisters and the R and L and GUIDE 6006 wording are almost gone. I had also sent a replacement top (with wording) that I found on eBay and after stripping it, he didn't even attempt to plate it saying it was going to loose letters too. And an even bigger issue is they did not return the mounting bracket. So without that, I'm sunk. I'll be calling the son, Trevor, first thing tomorrow since he was the one that was going to personally over see the redo items. Hopefully they find that bracket. Otherwise, I will really really be upset. Sao I am going to keep my blood pressure down until I make the call.
Second, on the rear license plate/light, they did clean up the crusts in the lines. It really does look better. Not to my standards, but I will move forward with it. But, the screws holes were all filled with crap. One of them I had to drill out. Now I will wait on the new tap set to clean the threads. Additionally, the ring insert that locks the pins that it rotates on, would not fit over the pins without me going over them with sand paper.
But I can excuse that since they did not have those lock rings. Easy fix and done.
Third, the crusts in the groves of the dome light bezels are much better. I think that the first time around, they just didn't pay attention. I will use them. I had acquired 4 of them (complete with light boxes), and plan to use one in the original dome location, one possibly in the middle since I don't think these 6 volt bulbs will put out much light, and one in the rear on a separate switch. At lease that is the game plan. Any extras will be sold here on the forum.
As for the Stainless polishing, they were all small pieces except the rear ashtray domes. They did leave a few scratches on them. For the cost of them doing it, I'd do it myself next time. I am going to give my hand a try at the stainless polishing on the door handles, hatch lock/handle, 4 Wheel emblem and side trim.
Now for my finally feelings. I would definitely use them again for bumpers and stainless polishing. They did a good job on that part. But, for pot metal work, or close up detail work, I would absolutely NOT use them again nor recommend them. Now, in all fairness, maybe the others would be the same. I don't know but I would give another one a try next time. Which is exactly what I have done with the side mirrors and Sherm's. Time will tell. Once I get those back, I will decide on the gauge bezel and decide if I want to risk buying another turn signal on eBay for them to do. I do have another one of them that came painted black, is I will refurbish that one myself and paint it black.
Over all grades:
Bumpers A
Pot metal work C-
Stainless polishing B (could be better)
Stay tuned for that result.
First, lets start on a good note. Very good note in fact. The bumpers and side wraps came out gorgeous. Whoever they sent to do the straightening did an awesome job. You can't even tell that front bumper was bent from the wreck. Now, you do see the marks on the backside where their machine did it's work, but that is on the backside, to be expected and won't been seen unless you crawl under and lookup. Being picky, I can't even see or feel where the kinks were. Maybe if I put a straight edge on it, but I ain't gonna bust that bubble. And they got rid of all the deep scratches on the bottoms of the side wraps where over the years people had bottomed out and drug the corners on the pavement. On the originals, you could tell the top vs bottom based on the quality of the bend/curve from the factory. Now, I can't tell which was right vs left unless I look on the backside and notice the rust pitting which would be the bottom side. I had bought a replacement when I thought that red pipe ski rack holder was welded to the bumper but since it was not welded, just rust stuck, both of wraps will be Wilbur's original. So I will post in the for sale the replacement one I got since I will not need it after all. They also flattened out the recessed around the bumper bolts where they had pulled in over time. I would definitely recommend them for bumpers now, assuming you can deal with the over promise dates vs delays.
Not the best pics but it gets the point across.
This pic shows the bottoms of Wilbur's versus the bottom of the extra. And Wilbur's were in much much worse shape as to scratches. I'm very impressed, and I don't impress easy.
Now for the other issues I found.
First, on the turn signal I am very very disappointed. The first one they did had blisters and the wording was severely eaten into when dipped. So I bought another one on eBay and sent it to them. It was in good shape but as I understand, the stripping of the existing plating eats away some of the pot metal. At least that is what he told me. The replacement one actually came out worse. Even more blisters and the R and L and GUIDE 6006 wording are almost gone. I had also sent a replacement top (with wording) that I found on eBay and after stripping it, he didn't even attempt to plate it saying it was going to loose letters too. And an even bigger issue is they did not return the mounting bracket. So without that, I'm sunk. I'll be calling the son, Trevor, first thing tomorrow since he was the one that was going to personally over see the redo items. Hopefully they find that bracket. Otherwise, I will really really be upset. Sao I am going to keep my blood pressure down until I make the call.
Second, on the rear license plate/light, they did clean up the crusts in the lines. It really does look better. Not to my standards, but I will move forward with it. But, the screws holes were all filled with crap. One of them I had to drill out. Now I will wait on the new tap set to clean the threads. Additionally, the ring insert that locks the pins that it rotates on, would not fit over the pins without me going over them with sand paper.
But I can excuse that since they did not have those lock rings. Easy fix and done.
Third, the crusts in the groves of the dome light bezels are much better. I think that the first time around, they just didn't pay attention. I will use them. I had acquired 4 of them (complete with light boxes), and plan to use one in the original dome location, one possibly in the middle since I don't think these 6 volt bulbs will put out much light, and one in the rear on a separate switch. At lease that is the game plan. Any extras will be sold here on the forum.
As for the Stainless polishing, they were all small pieces except the rear ashtray domes. They did leave a few scratches on them. For the cost of them doing it, I'd do it myself next time. I am going to give my hand a try at the stainless polishing on the door handles, hatch lock/handle, 4 Wheel emblem and side trim.
Now for my finally feelings. I would definitely use them again for bumpers and stainless polishing. They did a good job on that part. But, for pot metal work, or close up detail work, I would absolutely NOT use them again nor recommend them. Now, in all fairness, maybe the others would be the same. I don't know but I would give another one a try next time. Which is exactly what I have done with the side mirrors and Sherm's. Time will tell. Once I get those back, I will decide on the gauge bezel and decide if I want to risk buying another turn signal on eBay for them to do. I do have another one of them that came painted black, is I will refurbish that one myself and paint it black.
Over all grades:
Bumpers A
Pot metal work C-
Stainless polishing B (could be better)
Stay tuned for that result.
Tilatobawillys
Well Oiled
Sorry to hear about all the disappointment Mickey. Bumpers look gorgeous though. Hopefully the new chrome guys are better (I went through 2 before I found a place for my stuff).
mickeykelley
Well Oiled
It is what it is. Like I said in the beginning, unless you do this on a regular basis, and I don’t plan on it, it’s a gamble. You take your best shot. I ended up spending like $4900 with shipping. Wife about had a heart attack when she heard the number. Then when I pointed to the scar through my left eye brow and said I earned the money the hard way, and since it’s all insurance proceeds, don’t get upset.
Here is what I had done for that amount:
Front bumper, straighten the wreck damage, fill 2 holes from PO license plates and chrome
Rear bumper, straighten a few dents and things and chrome
2 wrap around rear bumpers, straighten a few dents, clean up bottoms and chrome
Have machine shop make new 'ski rack' pipe mount that would not be permanent and chrome it
Brush guard center piece, fill 2 holes from a PO license plates and chrome
3 front grill bars chrome
2 headlight rings, repair one and chrome both
2 parking light rings polished (apparently they are stainless)
Hood ornament chrome
Wiper knob stainless ring polish
3 dash plugs chrome
4 dome light bezels
Front ash tray front plate and handle chrome, butt snuffer polish
4 wing window latches (2 will be sold later)
2 sets of rear side window locks (base, plunger and cup)
2 rear inside hatch handles (1 will be sold later)
Glove box button chrome
2 rear ashtray mounting bases chromed and butt snuffers and domes polished
2 taillight bezels chromed
Rear license plate light 3 pieces chromed
2 Wiper switch cases, handles and mounting brackets (assuming he finds the missing one) chrome
Turn signal handle for Willy (my CJ5)
Still pending are the 2 side mirrors and the gauge bezel.
But it does add up quickly.
Here is what I had done for that amount:
Front bumper, straighten the wreck damage, fill 2 holes from PO license plates and chrome
Rear bumper, straighten a few dents and things and chrome
2 wrap around rear bumpers, straighten a few dents, clean up bottoms and chrome
Have machine shop make new 'ski rack' pipe mount that would not be permanent and chrome it
Brush guard center piece, fill 2 holes from a PO license plates and chrome
3 front grill bars chrome
2 headlight rings, repair one and chrome both
2 parking light rings polished (apparently they are stainless)
Hood ornament chrome
Wiper knob stainless ring polish
3 dash plugs chrome
4 dome light bezels
Front ash tray front plate and handle chrome, butt snuffer polish
4 wing window latches (2 will be sold later)
2 sets of rear side window locks (base, plunger and cup)
2 rear inside hatch handles (1 will be sold later)
Glove box button chrome
2 rear ashtray mounting bases chromed and butt snuffers and domes polished
2 taillight bezels chromed
Rear license plate light 3 pieces chromed
2 Wiper switch cases, handles and mounting brackets (assuming he finds the missing one) chrome
Turn signal handle for Willy (my CJ5)
Still pending are the 2 side mirrors and the gauge bezel.
But it does add up quickly.
Tilatobawillys
Well Oiled
I'll just call you the Gambler Kenny...cough cough I mean Mickey.
I won't mention my chroming prices but I can relate and feel that pain. The way I see it is do I enjoy the finished product? I also know I ain't taking anything material with me when the fat lady sings so I try to enjoy it now. I know your wagon is a labor of love.
I won't mention my chroming prices but I can relate and feel that pain. The way I see it is do I enjoy the finished product? I also know I ain't taking anything material with me when the fat lady sings so I try to enjoy it now. I know your wagon is a labor of love.
mickeykelley
Well Oiled
The reason I mentioned what and how much is for others to have something to compare for when they go thru the process. By getting the insurance money, it allowed me to do somethings much earlier in the process. When I started down this route, I had no idea chrome was be that big of a chunk of the budget. The bumpers (all 4 pieces) was $1,900 of the total, so you can see that the small parts add up very quickly.
As for enjoying, I’m just wanting to get other projects finished so I can devote more time to Wilbur so I can get back to driving and enjoying.
As for enjoying, I’m just wanting to get other projects finished so I can devote more time to Wilbur so I can get back to driving and enjoying.