What's Cooking on the Grill?

Yesterday's goal was to get the passenger fender and grill installed and, if successful, I had a few other bolt-on parts that were ready to be secured into place.

Again, with the passenger fender, I had to make and weld a new bottom mounting pad.  This was done a long time ago, but I didn't drill the bolt hole because I wanted to wait for it to be mounted to the frame so I could drill the hole in the correct spot...just in case my measurements were a tad off.

To make my super precise, scientific measurements for the soon-to-be hole's location, I used painter's tape and criss-crossed it against the horizontal and vertical diameters.  Then I secured the fender in place and drew an "X" to mark the spot where the center of the hole should be.  Not quite perfect but the method did work.

I now could drill the hole.

X marks the spot.  Dig here.

Mounted!

Fenders on!  At this point, it gets a bit easier figuring out what the next step should be.

Subject's profile.

Phase I, COMPLETED.

Next step:  The grill.  I had some help on this one with Buzzsaw Jeff.  Several months ago, I had cleaned, repaired and repainted the grill.  Today, I needed to break out the old radiator felt strips and screw them in place.  Jeff helped me line up the nine different bolt holes and secure the grill between the fenders in place.  However, me being me, and not having the ability to exercise patience, I opted not to install my anti-squeak pads between the grill and the fenders since they were in the attic and the attic access was buried behind a mountain of tile that I probably should've been laying in the bathroom rather than "tinkering" in the garage.

This is the point where I realized that it is easier to install the black out lights BEFORE installing the grill.

After Buzzsaw took off, my mind started to stew over the lack of anti-squeak strips and then I realized how much easier it would have been to install the black-out driving lights when the grill was detached from the jeep.  This is because the wiring travels across the inside, bottom section of the grill and gets clipped into place at a few different points...and my joints don't bend sufficiently to reach these clips, nor do I have a neck that can bend to see in there!  So, an hour before dinner, I undid the grill, found my lights and put them in place and then moved the tile to get to my anti-squeak material (which, incidently I'm using roofing paper that shingles sit on).

Black out wiring secured in place.

The iconic jeep symbol is now in place!  Please look past the temporary bumper.

This was what it looked like the day I brought it home.

As for the other "bolt-on" parts that were ready to go, I did clean up that nasty fuel filter, air filter brackets and the voltage regulator.  Unfortunately, I haven't cleaned the housings for the headlights, yet.

Check out the inside of that bowl!  What a difference from the last blog post.

For now, I am going with what is left of the original paint.

Getting closer!  Note the long, white straightened coat hangar protruding out the driver's side. 
That is attached to the end of the black out light wire.  I needed it to pull the wire through the protective sheath.

Here is a "throw back" picture for you.  Label this BEFORE.

I don't know why, but in my head getting that grill on the jeep was a paramount achievement.  Afterall, that is the look that defines a jeep, right?!