Building a 61 Willy's Wagon Rockcrawler

Can't quite yet. Sorry. I signed a non compete clause when I was hired. It's got to appear in the mag first.

 

Ok I understand, so when will it be in the mag?

 

Probably the Sept. issue.

I think we're hijaking this dude's thread so I'm gonna respectfully bow out now.

 

actually i do not mind that kind of hijacking!

I will eventually start a build-up thread here. maybe the moderators will allow me to have a "Project" page for the build? (even though I am bastardizing a beautiful truck)

if everything works out right it should look tight.

 

Your best bet on steel these days is to do what I did. Become good friends with the people that sell it before you try to buy any. There is no telling how much steel plate I have gotten in the last few months for free. Cost of building a rock crawler isn't how much the material is, its who you know and how well you know them. Right now I am helping my cousin build a CJ7 with a TBI 305, 60 front, 14 bolt rear, 350 turbo/205 and a full cage on 42 tsl's that he will only have about $2500 in when he gets done. You just gotta know the right people.

 

Tar paper?

So I spent this evening tearing the interior down. The side paneling/upholstery was in decent shape if not a little nasty. The void betweenn the side paneling and the exterior was stuffed with pink insulationn that had once been home to a family of mice.

The previous owner had laid down some astro-turf-like carpteting with freakin screws through the body (I guess thats better than glue). under the floorboards at the driver and passenger fett was then a layer of tar paper that had affixed itself tot he floor. I finally got all that crap scraped off!

gotta say, all in all the body is in really good shape. no through and through rust from the interior,, aside from a small spot by the bottm of the tailgate.

I am quickly falling in love with what my wife calls The Jalopy.

 

Gah!

Just got back from a 9 hour day of yanking the 350 and SM 465 from a truck in Greeley.

Good things are that I got all the brake stuff and the hydraulic clutch stuff and the go-pedal and the throttle cable. wait that doest make any sense...maybe you all understand the importance of it though?

I am covered in dirt/oil/blood and all is well.

I need a beer

 

ah, let the fun begin. somebody was thinking. nice extra snatch.

 

ok time for a short update.

1) the axles, suspension, engine, tranny, transfercase, steering wheel, old seats, all interior stuff and pedals are all out of the Wagon.

2) I have begun the dirty process of scraping all of the filth and greasy muck from the underside and frame. what a mess this is, but whenn I am satisfied that it is clean I will then be painting it all with a nice coat of grey/silver rustoleum hammered finish.

3) I have purchased the following items which now sit crammed into nooks and crannies in my garage.

Chevy 350 v8
sm465
np203 (half of my doubler)
2 racing seats
corporate 14 bolt rear axle
Dana 60 front axle
5- 39.5" Irok tires

4) still need:

np205
drive shafts
dana 60 arb
steel for cage and armour plating
wheels
hi-steering setup
hydro assist

pics coming as soon as I get a new card

 

ok heres some pics

pics arent the greatest as my garage is stuffed to the gills.

1) front end with front clip removed and no engine


2)drivers side view


3) seats


4) dash and front with stuff removed


5) back of front seats


6) underside pre prep and paint


7) drivers side rear note some rust in wheel well


8) dana 60 front 14bolt reart axles pre prep and paint


9) sm465 tranny pre prep and paiint


10) chevy 350 with tbi post pull pre anything

 

looks good, keep the silver above the frame though, just my opinion.

 

Lookin pretty good. You are definately going in the right direction with it for a rock crawler. I have a buddy here that is building a comp buggy that he chose to go with the 60 front/14 bolt rear over buying Pro-rock 60's. The guy he works for has several $80k plus rigs, and he says you still can't beat the 60/14 bolt combo.

I just don't know about your seat choice though. Send me those seats, and I will send you some worn out factory seat frames.





Just kidding, looks great.

 

I hate all the gunk on the underbelly of this thing. christ, it sucks....

it will be worth it to stip it downn tho.... If I dont succumb to the chems...

 

ok quick update.

the frame and underbelly is almost done. more than halfhas been stripped, cleaned, wiped,, ground, wiped, and painted. I am using a few coats of rustoleum hammered finish metallic light blue, and it looks pretty clean.

the 14 bolt axle has been cleaned and painted with the same metallic light blue. I painted the Crane diff cover with ford blue engine paint, it is a nice contrast. I will use the same paint scheme for the dana 60 painting the axle the metallic light blue and the knuckles and brakes the ford blue.

the sm465 has been cleaned and painted with the ford blue engine paint, and it looks sweet.

I found a rtear seat for the kids with integrated seat blets for $50. I will be able to sit it up high so they can see forward and sideways out the windows when we wheel.

pics later when the sun is up.

 

Sounds 8) 8) I can't wait to seem more pics.

 

Ok got some pics. the light is bad, so use your imagination.

sm465 cleaned and painted Ford Blue


sm465 again and the 14 bolt rear axle in background



14bolt cleaned and painted. I still need to do the disc brake conversion on it.



Rear seat for my 4 year old and 2 year old



ok here you can see the difference between the new paint after cleaning and the old paint that is yet to be cleaned on the underbody and frame.



here is a crappy picture of one of the framerails after I cleaned and painted it.



I hope to have the underside compoletely painted and ready for boxing by the end of the weekend.....then its welding time!!!

 

Welcome from Ohio!

Looking good.

 

My first Jeep was a '54 Wagon. I ran 33 x 12.50 Maxi Tracs on it back in 1976. Considered big tires back then. I'm with you all the way on your buildup. There are plenty of restored Wagons around already. Besides, if restored Wagons had real value, you wouldn't be able to pick one up like that for $1k. Looks like you have a good plan and are executing it well.