To set up the brakes on a willys, ford or hotchkiss jeep is a bit more involved than a modern motor but the brake layout inside the drums is very simple and basic,before taking the hubs and drums off, replace the rubber flexi pipes if they are more than 15 years old,(old ones can restrict the flow stopping the shoes returning) once you have made sure the wheel cylinders are free mooving or replaced , the shoes are clean and sound, refit the drums, set up the bearings and refit the wheels, jack the wheels off the ground and proceed as follows.
one wheel at a time, loosen and turn the top adjusters either way to let the top of the shoes retract, then find the dimples on the bottom adjuster slots and put them facing each other, one shoe at a time, turn the bottom adjusters moving the dimples down and away from the axle until the shoe starts to drag, when the shoe starts to drag, re check the top adjuster to make sure you have fully retracted the shoe at the top end , then you can sometimes move the bottom adjusters dimples further down and away until the shoe starts touching again, back off for clearance and tighten the bottom adjuster, finish by adjusting the top adjuster in any direction until the shoe starts touching again, finally back it off a tiny bit for clearance and the jobs done,repeat the same process for the other shoe, I also have to remind myself every time to check that the long shoe is at the front and short one at the back on each axle, I have also been caught out more than once with old flexi pipes closing up inside not allowing the fluid to return and the shoes wont retract so I replace the flexi pipes and the wheel cylinders if in any doubt at all
a few parts suppliers.
Jefrey engineering,
Joes motor pool, R&R services,
and Dallas Autos.
A good all round supplier in my mind is Jefrey engineering. They are not just parts suppliers but rebuild jeeps in-house and will give invaluable help and advice on the phone. I always finish the phone call with an order for some parts as a sort of thankyou for all the help they give over the phone. Their parts are slightly more expensive than other suppliers but well worth it for the telephone advice and after sales help. Another supplier for replacement parts is joes motor pool,
R&R services deal in military surplus and can often supply the good quality old stock parts not available as reproduction. Please email in any good or bad reviews you have had with jeep parts suppliers. It would be helpful for me to pass on
So far there is no book available to warn people of the dangerous or poor quality reproduction parts on on the market that fail almost instantly , also badly made panels that don’t fit properly, the suppliers buy these parts in bulk from China, India etc, when a bad batch is discovered they are faced with 2 choices, selling the deficient parts as normall or dispose of the parts and loose money, unfortunately they usually carry on sell the parts. They never seem to recall any parts , some of which should be recalled as they could cause an accident or a fire
when you call them back to complain about the part failing they always seem to use the same excuse saying It’s the first report they have had and no one else has complained , I know this is not the case as I hear almost every day from people who have to throw the parts away and look for original or other alternative parts
One good Idea is to ask if the part you are buying would be returnable if dificiant? good luck with that
I am thinking of writing a small book all about highs and lows you will encounter buying and maintaining an old jeep and will be itemizing all these very shoddy and sometimes dangerouse reproduction parts, call me if you like one evening and I can give you a rundown on the new repro parts that you should avoid buying , I hope you can right short hand because It’s a long list
Easy work compared to modern vehicles. Engine comes first, check oil levels including in gearbox, water in radiator, not rusty, strong colour antifreeze, fuel line - check it is getting up to the carburettor, fuel lines are clean, filter bowl has been cleaned ou. Make sure you have a spark, remove a plug, turn over the engine, look for a spark, remove the air intake pipe directly on top of carb, pour a tablespoon of fresh petrol directly into the top of the carburettor. The engine will usually run for 4 or 5 seconds on this little bit of petrol. If the fuel line is not blocked it will keep on running. No spark usually means no power getting directly to the ignition coil. This can be temporarily supplied with a short lead directly to the positive on the battery, (remember to remove immediately if engine is not running) ignition points must open and close making a contact. Brakes when seized or binding need to be dismantled and components replaced. This is a bit more involved but the parts are very cheap. Flexi rubber fuel hose replace, ( these can let air in and fuel out when old ), blocked fuel line can be cleared with an old broken speedo cable in a cordless drill working up through the pipeline into the fuel tank. Sediment bowl cleaned out and gasket must be replaced, interior of fuel tank examined for sludge in the bottom, dirty engine oil must be drained on an old jeep, sump removed and de-sludged with a paint scraper. This also applies to the oil filter bowl. If this sludge is not removed valve seizure will ensue. Don't worry it only needs doing once in the whole life of a jeep due to the modern oils never causing this problem. (DANGER don't put modern oil in without CLEANING OUT THE SUMP FIRST) .Don't use classic oil if you want the engine to last. Basic 20/50 mineral based oil is far more protective and super cheap to buy. Gearbox oil drain and refill with sae 90 or a copper compatible oep 90. Stick a magnet on the drain plug to hold any metal filings during use. If I have to criticise anything on a french jeep it would only be the sparking system. These french jeeps are often fitted with 24v sparking system, when all is good it is not an issue, when it starts to play up it is best to replace part or all with standard 12 volt type ignition. It's a bit too involved to blab on about it here, give me a phone call and I can willingly talk you through it all. Carburettor problems on jeeps can be infuriating, leaks, hesitant acceleration. I usually fit a french type solex replica, they are around £90/£100. If performance problems still remain check points gap, ht leads, plug type, coil, condenser, distributor cap and rotor, distributor weights, tappet clearances, pc valve, intake manifold cracks. More to follow my contact tel no is 01548521278
To set up the brakes on a willys, ford or hotchkiss jeep is a bit more involved than a modern motor but the brake layout inside the drums is very simple and basic. Before taking the hubs and drums off, replace the rubber flexi pipes if they are more than 15 years old (old ones can restrict the flow stopping the shoes returning). Once you have made sure the wheel cylinders are free-moving, or replaced them, the shoes are clean and sound again. Check the shoes are free moving with bottom adjusters tightened. Aftermarket shoes can be slightly too thick at the bottom lug and will need grinding thinner to allow free movement. Next re-fit the drums, adjust up the bearings and re-fit the wheels, jack the wheels off the ground and proceed as follows.
One wheel at a time, loosen and turn the top adjusters either way to let the top of the shoes retract, then find the dimples on the bottom adjuster slots and put them facing each other, one shoe at a time, turn the bottom adjusters moving the dimples down and away from the axle until the shoe starts to drag. When the shoe starts to drag, re-check the top adjuster to make sure you have fully retracted the shoe at the top end, then you can sometimes move the bottom adjusters dimples further down and away until the shoe starts touching again. Back off a tiny bit for clearance and tighten the bottom adjuster. Finish by adjusting the top adjuster in any direction until the shoe starts touching again, finally back it off a tiny bit for clearance and tighten. The job's done. Repeat the same process for the other shoe. I also have to remind myself every time to check that the long shoe is at the front and short one at the back on each axle. I have also been caught out more than once with old flexi pipes closing up inside not allowing the fluid to return and the shoes won't retract, so I replace the flexi pipes and the wheel cylinders. If in any doubt at all remember also the shoes must have free movement at the bottom adjusters even after they have been tightened. I have often had to enlarge the holes in the shoes and grind the metal slightly thinner around this hole if necessary
