Paint time

Next decision was what color to paint it. The only color I knew I didnt want was military green. I used the Internet to see what colors other Owners had used and settled on a yellow body, with black windscreen with white rims.

My old boy from the Village did a few coats of primer and sanding to get it perfect, then he put on 5 coats of yellow, with black underneath and under the guards to keep it clean looking.

The result was quite the transformation, and I could tell by his shit-eating grin that he was really proud of his work. He had never even spoken to a foreignor before this job, and had never experienced a customer check up every day. Total cost for all prep work and paint, including paint was $600.

Next step was off to a little dirt-floor electrics shop to rewire up all the new parts. It took him 2 days and he did a great job with soldering and heat sealing all the connections. He even even drilled a new started switch (I forgot) and installed the new speedometer and 3 gauges, cable, fuel sensor and new indicator stalk. Total cost - $30.

I then rebuilt the windscreen myself, added retractable seatbelts, cleaned up the seats and she was ready to roll. I removed the windscreen wipers as I had no roof...rain on the windscreen was of little concern.

So, after about 4 months of work, and a total of about $3,600, I had turned that little sad Jeep on the side of the road into a pretty little fun car. I usually put the windscreen flat to the hood when I take her out and catch a lot of bugs in my big, dumb-ass grin as I drove her everywhere.

Most Thai people could not understand why a white boy would be driving around in an old Jeep with no air conditioning, let alone no windows or doors.

I'm not finsihed yet. I want to add a roll cage and a bikini top. It gets really hot here, but when it rains...it RAINS. Bigger wheels and tires for a better ride and grip in the dirt.

I am also on the lookout for another project car. I have absolutely no plans to sell Old Yella. After all that work I dont think I could sell her. But, I'd like to do it all over again now that I have a better idea of what I'm doing, a decent toolset and a good set of contacts.

At the end of the day, this story wasn't just about the Jeep. It was really about the untrained Thai people that helped me and took such pride in their work and restored my faith in Thai people. It was a lot of fun and I cant wait to do it all again.