New Project: 54 Willys Station Wagon

Danimal · June 23, 2009, 07:07:59 PM

I've been talking up focusing on just the AD Chevy trucks and cutting the projects. I was doing so well, hadn't bought anything in like 2 months, maybe 3. Then this...Craigslist. I always look under 1954 to see if I can find truck parts for Court, then I go back 1953, 1952,... to look up stuff for Eli's truck.

Well, first try was about 10 minutes after this was posted. I've always loved the 46-64 Willys Station Wagons. The price was reasonable so I went and looked. What I paid made me happy and I'm going to fetch it on Friday.

No plan yet but I might get one.

I heard the Man Plan today.

Step 1. Show Up.
Step 2. See what happens.

I'm almost on Step 2.

Danimal · June 23, 2009, 07:10:10 PM

Motor appears to be junk (well, needs drained of rain water and disassembled at the least).

Need a door handle because the one is missing the latch plate from the inside of it (squeeze type but nothing to squeeze!) and it needs a back hatch handle. Flat glass is easily fixed. I'm not sure if I should go 4x4 of 4x2 and just run a truck axle in the front. I wonder if a '52-54 Chevy axle will fit?

enjenjo · June 23, 2009, 08:19:40 PM

QuoteI wonder if a '52-54 Chevy axle will fit?

Too wide, but you can narrow one. F1 axle fits better. SBC, auto trans, and drive it.

Mac · June 23, 2009, 09:42:52 PM

Nice score. I"ve always liked the Willys too, even the pickups and disrespected FC140's and 170 cabovers. Just never secumbed to the temptation. Have fun with it.

Danimal · June 23, 2009, 10:38:57 PM

Quote from: "enjenjo"
QuoteI wonder if a '52-54 Chevy axle will fit?

Too wide, but you can narrow one. F1 axle fits better. SBC, auto trans, and drive it.

Know anybody with an F1 axle? Any in your stash? I was going to talk to Jerry Hubbard when I get back from Missery this week to see what he had. There were a few straight axles in his pile but I'd think a truck one would bolt in.

I've got the auto trans, just need to score another SBC. Or maybe a BBC?!?

GPster · June 24, 2009, 09:43:41 AM

I'm a pessimist and the term "Bolt-in" has different meaning depending on who's doing the bolting. I'm thinking you're talking about this thing being a 4x4. If that is so then I would think the wheel bolt pattern would be 5 x 5 1/2". That would match the F1 pattern so you'd at least be able to get by with one spare tire. If the tread width is close (I assume that it is)then are the springs at the same spread on the axel as the F1? If not then you are going to have to make some kind of adapter plates to go between the springs on the frame and the spring pads on the axel. You might also have the little job of taking the springs apart and changing the center bolt depending on weither the old front axel mounted above or below the springs. Now what about steering? The old F1s steered with a drag link and the tie rod was behind the axel for "rear steer" If that station wagon is anything like the old Jeeps it would be a "front steer" set-up and just turning the F1 axel around to put the steering arms out front is going to loose any "Ackerman" to the steering. You would need a combination of Jeep and F1 steering parts to make it work but I think their tie rod ends are somewhat interchangeable. The F1 axel is somewhat dropped but the 4x4 axel is going to be straight so you might get a little "Rake" but that also might give you some negative caster. Keep that in mind when bolting the axel to the springs. If the idea is to get by with-out driving all the un-necessary front wheel drive stuff then maybe you could just pull the front driveshaft and put lock-in lock-out hubs on the front. Or maybe you could find a collection of old Jeep front ends and gut them and remove the carrier castings and weld yot a straight front axel together from the pieces. That way you'd still have the stock front axel to match the gearing of the back axel if you should change your mind or want to sell the vehicle. Now while I'm hashing about "bolt-in"s I have friends that always put Ford Falcon 6 cylinder engines in Jeeps. There is a combination of parts that lets you bolt the Ford bellhousing to the Jeep transmission and there was a simple trick to moving the radiator foreward if you needed more room. If I could type faster maybe I'd have more time to do some work but I hate seeing anyone dis-able a vehicle like I have, 16 years. GPster

Danimal · June 24, 2009, 09:52:20 AM

Thanks for the comments, GPster. I remembered my neighbor has a Willys truck. I'm going to talk to him this weekend if I can.

Part says leave it 4x4. I did enough Jeeps when I was younger, all CJs, though that I have a bit of experience. I know there is at least a CJ5/7 front axle at my dad's still. Maybe a rear.

First step is to get it home. Then everything will happen from there!

Still no plan but worst case would be to pull the driveshaft and drive it as a RWD for a while.

wayne petty · June 24, 2009, 12:20:58 PM

by the way... i ran across this jeep parts site a few weeks ago...

tons of pictures of the parts also..

http://www.walcks4wd.com/model.aspx?mid=9

which motor does it have .. the 4 or 6... i take it that it is the 4 banger...

even JC Whitney has parts for those...

this place also used to have a ton of NOS jeep engine and transmission parts

http://www.4wheelparts.com/jeep-parts-accessories.aspx

my family had a 43 MB when i was growing up...

i was looking at the picture you posted.. and thought about the 2009 jeep wranglers... the ones with the pointed nose with the plastic fenders... much like yours...

what you have might turn out to be a really great find..

i wish i had the time and space to do it... i have always loved jeeps...

when i was a kid.. mom took us up the back side of the nearby mountain ... it was so steep... that we actually had to get out so she could get it up the hill.. that was a great trip... one i will always remember... and could only be done in a jeep...

you also might enjoy this site..

http://www.jpmagazine.com/tech/index.html

keep the pictures coming when you get it...

here is a link to a much modified jeep wagon...

http://www.jpmagazine.com/featuredvehicles/154_0809_1962_willys_wagon/photo_02.html

there is a lot more pictures and a short article...

Beck · June 24, 2009, 09:21:34 PM

If I recall correctly, years ago Little John built a Blazer for his son. It had been a 4x4. He built an axle out of tubing the same size as the stock axle tube. He installed dropped ends, making it just like a street rod tube axle but much bigger in diameter. He then used the ends from a stock axle so all the outer side was factory except there was no driveshaft. The truck was slammed in front with this setup.

enjenjo · June 24, 2009, 10:37:29 PM

Quote from: "Beck"If I recall correctly, years ago Little John built a Blazer for his son. It had been a 4x4. He built an axle out of tubing the same size as the stock axle tube. He installed dropped ends, making it just like a street rod tube axle but much bigger in diameter. He then used the ends from a stock axle so all the outer side was factory except there was no driveshaft. The truck was slammed in front with this setup.

Jeep used a similar setup on the first 2 wheel drive pickups.

river1 · June 24, 2009, 10:41:52 PM

Quote from: "enjenjo"
Quote from: "Beck"If I recall correctly, years ago Little John built a Blazer for his son. It had been a 4x4. He built an axle out of tubing the same size as the stock axle tube. He installed dropped ends, making it just like a street rod tube axle but much bigger in diameter. He then used the ends from a stock axle so all the outer side was factory except there was no driveshaft. The truck was slammed in front with this setup.

Jeep used a similar setup on the first 2 wheel drive pickups.

can you drop the jeep axles? spindles?

enjenjo · June 24, 2009, 11:04:11 PM

Quote from: "river1"
Quote from: "enjenjo"
Quote from: "Beck"If I recall correctly, years ago Little John built a Blazer for his son. It had been a 4x4. He built an axle out of tubing the same size as the stock axle tube. He installed dropped ends, making it just like a street rod tube axle but much bigger in diameter. He then used the ends from a stock axle so all the outer side was factory except there was no driveshaft. The truck was slammed in front with this setup.

Jeep used a similar setup on the first 2 wheel drive pickups.

can you drop the jeep axles? spindles?

I suppose so, but I have never seen one done.

wayne petty · June 24, 2009, 11:54:10 PM

here is an article about putting later disc brakes on the front of a early jeep axle..

http://www.jpmagazine.com/techarticles/drivetrain/154_0704_early_jeep_disk_brake_conversion/index.html

heres something for the rear brakes...

http://www.jpmagazine.com/techarticles/drivetrain/154_0609_early_jeep_brake_conversions/index.html

i know nobody looks at the links i post... but i will keep trying..

enjenjo · June 25, 2009, 01:30:45 AM

Quotei know nobody looks at the links i post... but i will keep trying..

You would be surprised Wayne, I have a bunch of them bookmarked.

river1 · June 25, 2009, 01:34:14 AM

Quote from: "enjenjo"
Quotei know nobody looks at the links i post... but i will keep trying..

You would be surprised Wayne, I have a bunch of them bookmarked.

me too!!