Project: Tetanus Shot - 1948 Willys

[YJJPWrangler]

Finally lived up to the name Tetanus Shot...slipped off a tire and nailed my knee with the slider. No stitches and no shot but it did hurt. 3 good beers in...

Anyway, got the seats/harnesses installed. Relocated the battery to behind the passenger seat. Picked up new battery cables today and will get them crimped sometime this week. Redid the brake pedal and I "should" have brakes. No contact at all on the steering column or clutch pedal.

I do want to add a battery cutoff switch for both engine power/winch but its getting very, very close...

 

[R Q]

Did that cut on your wrist scare you away? Hope all is well.

 

[YJJPWrangler]

Did that cut on your wrist scare you away? Hope all is well.

It's still here. All is good just been very busy with work and life. Not much has changed on the Willys. Still has a hard time starting, I think I've narrowed it down to a faulty injector as well fouled plugs so those all need to get changed. I still need to address the braking issue but I have a plan worked out for that.

Planning on getting back on it soon

 

[YJJPWrangler]

Resurrecting this thing from the dead. Hard starts were the cause of fouled spark plugs. Cleaned the plugs and she now starts easily. I pulled it out of its resting place and got it back on concrete. With the twins arriving in March, I want to get this thing done

So this is where we are...

At the urging of @getstucksome I rerouted the front brake lines up and over the leaf springs instead of under. Still need to bleed and clean up the lines. Ordered all electrical connections for my battery disconnect and should be finalizing the electrical next week. I'm going to pull at least a leaf or two out of the front and rear to bring the overall height down and get the springs a bit flatter. Lastly, I really need to address the brake pedal issues. I think its a compounding issue from a weak firewall and poor geometry from the pedals. I plan on plating the firewall with some steel plate to stiffen it up and I've been looking at some Wilwood pedals to fix the geometry angles.

Those are the major things to get this driving. I still need to clean up wiring, build a skid plate for the gas tank and a million other odds and ends but the motivation to finish this is back.

 

[rockcity]

*and add twin seats in the back

 

[YJJPWrangler]

Some progress... Pulled the jeep forward a few feet with the truck so my welder could reach. I've had a battery disconnect sitting in the box for close to a year and finally got around to installing it. All new 1/0 battery cables and lugs. I still need to order a bus bar to power ignition/accessories etc. The kill switch has 1 input/2 outputs so I can kill power to the winch as well.

Planning on pulling some leafs out of the front and rear this week. Still need to hook up cable shifters and then fix the brakes/bleed but a few steps closer.

 

[YJJPWrangler]

With @getstucksome help, we got the front lowered a few inches by pulling two leafs out. Much better shackle angle now. Sitting a lot nicer and a lot more level now. Ordered a marine bus bar to finalize electrical system and give me a convenient space to add more items later. With it sitting lower, I was able to flip the draglink from the bottom of the pitman arm to the top of the arm for more clearance. Cleaned up some other electrical stuff in preparation for parts arriving. I need to revisit my Tcase shifter linkage and start prepping a plan for the brake system.

 

[paradisePWoffrd]

Need to add modifying the rear cage and adding a bench for car seats to the list?

 

[YJJPWrangler]

Need to add modifying the rear cage and adding a bench for car seats to the list?

I've actually given some thought to this. I think it would be pretty easy to add another few bars to attach some seats. Definitely down on the to-do list but I have started to flesh it out on paper.

 

[paradisePWoffrd]

I've actually given some thought to this. I think it would be pretty easy to add another few bars to attach some seats. Definitely down on the to-do list but I have started to flesh it out on paper.

Fitting the seats while leaving room for fuel cell, tools, cooler, and any other storage is the complication, if you are married to the size and body of the willys.

 

[YJJPWrangler]

Added a marine grade bus bar to the electrical system so I could minimize the amount of wiring inside the cab and to the battery. Right now the only wiring running to the battery is main power cable, alternator, and ECU wire. The rest of the ignition system is wired into the bus bar. Got everything heatshrinked and everything functions as normal. Cranked right up. I also have the winch hooked up and operational to the main kill switch. I still need to clean up the wiring and had one grommet in the firewall.

I also pulled the grade 5 bolts out of the front shackles and replaced them with all grade 8 hardware. Up next will be to finalize the Tcase shifters this week and then start working on the brakes and reinforcing the firewall.

 

[YJJPWrangler]

Few more updates. Got the shifters pretty much finalized and hooked up, just need to add some shift knobs to it. Right now it shifts easily between low and neutral but is a pain to go into high. D300s are notoriously hard to shift so I guess I'll just have to live with it.

Re routed the electrical for a cleaner look. Got the passenger seat back in. Onto the brakes now...

 

[YJJPWrangler]

As evidenced by my other thread in 'General Tech', I was having issues with the brake/pedal assembly and the cheese-cloth thin firewall. I added a piece of 1/4" plate to the firewall and incorporated some more bolts. No more issues with the firewall flexing. However, I was still having issues with the pedal assembly, especially the clutch. The assembly came out of a cherokee and the the clutch pedal was offset about 1.5" from the arm for the pushrod for the slave. During operation, instead of acting in a linear motion, it was operating in an arc pushing down and into the brake pedal. Even pushing by hand, you could visually see the assembly flexing.

Ordered a new wilwood clutch pedal that bolted directly in line with the slave cylinder. I now can operate the clutch with my foot instead of my whole leg. Clutch feel is night and day difference now. I have also reworked the brake pedal a bit and it should clear the steering column brace etc. Just need to bleed the brakes and it should be good to go.

I drove it for the first time yesterday without any brakes. About 250 feet or so in front of the house and back. It drives pretty good. I can easily shift into/out of high/low on the transfer case and it shifts smoothly from 1st into 2nd. However, I am going to have to get used to a non-synchro 1st gear

I am having issues with hot starts. A cold start, it will fire right up and run. If I shut it off after it gets to temp and try to recrank it, it sounds like the battery is dead and is hard to turn over. I can let it sit for a few minutes on the charger and it will fire right back up. Using my voltage meter on the my battery charger, it showed 100% before cranking. After it ran for 10 minutes, it dropped to 85%. I'm running a yellow top optima. I'm suspecting that it might be the alternator(even though its new), the wiring(new 8ga wire from alternator straight to battery), or the battery. I'm planning on pulling the alternator and getting it tested. It might be the starter/solenoid and heatsoak but I'm not sure.

 

[1stgenxxx]

bling bling

 

[YJJPWrangler]

Willys is back in the garage. Brake pedal got rebuilt and is a mix of brake/clutch pedal. I get full travel out of the pedal with no binding. With both pedals depressed, there is no movement in the firewall. I’m very happy


Now I need to bleed the brakes and figure out the hot start issue. Planning on taking the alternator to advance in the morning to test it. Need to clean up the fuel pump wiring and start planning a gas tank skid, trans skid and steering pump skid but I can tentatively test it soon

 

[YJJPWrangler]

Brakes bled, new battery and tested the alternator which is good. I’m still having a no charge issue.

However….

I drove it around the neighborhood today. Got it into 3rd gear and it just cruised. Tracked great and shifted fine. Went down to @getstucksome house and had issues with it restarting but we got it going and I drove it back home. Once I figure out this charging issue it’s gonna be accessories/trail tool kit/ etc and go test it.

Couldn’t be happier with it. Not even bummed bout the charging issue because after 5 years of building, I finally drove the damn thing!

 

[YJJPWrangler]

Charging got fixed. I had the exciter wire hooked up to a dummy light instead of a positive 12v switched source. I also wrapped the starter with heatshield to help with heat soak.

It's only fitting that the maiden test voyage will be this Saturday at URE on their closing date with the season pass that I won last year on the 12 days of Christmas giveaway thread. Plan is to leave Saturday at 9am, wheel most of the day, camp out and wheel again in the morning with @getstucksome and others.

The plan is to not beat on it but treat it with kid gloves. I still need to add some skids to it.

 

[YJJPWrangler]

First Ride Report!



Left Charlotte around 10:00AM and rolled into the Outpost around 11:15.

Set up camp at the end of 516 and got the Willys unloaded and got out on the trails. Plan was to ride Falls Dam, Dickey Bell, part of Rocky Mtn Loop and Daniel, then turn around and ride it back to camp.

I found that 4High and 2nd gear was optimal to be riding around. Around 30 mins of riding, it was apparent that my clutch was going out. I started having less and less pedal travel and was having issues shifting it in and out of gear. It got to the point that I had to crank the jeep in gear to get moving. Made it to one of the parking lots and decided to bleed the slave again. Got under it to start bleeding and immediately noticed that my pull slave was very, very loose on the clutch arm. Got it all tightened back down, bleed the clutch a tad and had no more issues with the clutch. Walked up the back side of Daniel with some expert spotting at the slab pile and made it down to the switchback, big loud bang and I had no more steering. Turns out the steering shaft separated from one of the joints due to a loose heim. I was the last one in the group so we were stuck for awhile. We were able to put it back together and get everything tightened down. Unfortunately, my charging issues were back in full force and I left my jumper cables back at camp. Battery was reading 11.8 and it wouldn't start at all. With the help of my buddy and @getstucksome we were able to get it pointed downhill and got it running by roll starting it.

Made it safely down Daniel and into the parking lot. The plan was to turn around and ride back up Daniel back to camp since neither of us had plates and the FS was out in full force. It was about 50 minutes to dark and I decided to park it in the lot and have one of our group bring the truck and trailer back to us. Got everything loaded up and headed back to camp and the bottom fell out of the sky. Got everything covered and had a fine meal and a great night once the rain died down.

Broke camp around 10AM and made it back home safely.

Pros - The jeep drove great. It got hot once during a lowspeed 1st gear pull but quickly dropped down to normal levels. Oil pressure was great all day long. It was a pretty comfortable ride with no hard jolts etc. With the exception of the slab pile, it was point and shoot for the most part.

Cons - I really should have done a nut/bolt check before riding, that would have saved a lot of time/headaches. Fortunately, all the "breaks" were easy fixes and I had the tools with me. I have to fix the charging system. I'm planning on adding a higher output alternator/going to a 1 wire and putting in a new starter to fix this issue. I also apparently bent the right rear leaf on the slab pile by sliding back into a rock. It's not terrible and I do have another set of leafs. There was a lot of popping/clicking from the suspension/axles. I'm assuming that it was the Spartans engaging/disengaging. First rig with lockers so it was a new sound for me. I also need to build a trans tunnel as the heat coming out of that was pretty hot. There's also a million small things that I want to add into the interior like lights, speaker etc. I also need to rebleed the brakes and/or switch to a bigger master. I had brakes and had no issues stopping but want a firmer pedal feel.

All in all, I was very happy/pleased with the first run. It was comfortable to drive and aside from the issues, it was a great day on the trail. There was a LOT of people out and there was numerous jams but everyone was great about getting in/around vehicles. The Tundra pulled it well, I'm planning on adding a brake controller for the trailer brakes in the very near future. Can't do anything about the gas mileage, I think I averaged around 8.5mpg

Hopefully the plan is to get these issues sorted and plan a ride to Gulches first of the year before the twins come.

 

[Caver Dave]

Exhaust parts ordered.

Who'd you order from and what's your thoughts on quality/thickness?
The current exhaust (the posterchild for Bubba'd + blindfolded bugger welds) is too small for "new" mill, so preemptively (like several months out) planning on whether I'll fab my own exhaust or outsource it...

No issues using Amazon-grade/"cheapest anywhere" tube/bends, but don't want the headaches trying to weld stuff the thickness of beer cans

 

[YJJPWrangler]

@Caver Dave IIRC, I ordered a 10' stick of straight, two 180 bends, and a box of elbows/bends from Summit. USPS lost the 10' stick somehow, so Summit sent me another one for free. Fairly easy to weld once I got the welder dialed in.

 

[OnlyOneDR]

Congrats on your first ride with it! Sorry I am a month late in noticing. When I built my Nissan I put torque marks on a pile of hardware to ensure I did not forget anything. Glad it made it home in one piece!

 

[rockcity]

First Ride Report!



Left Charlotte around 10:00AM and rolled into the Outpost around 11:15.

View attachment 363236

Set up camp at the end of 516 and got the Willys unloaded and got out on the trails. Plan was to ride Falls Dam, Dickey Bell, part of Rocky Mtn Loop and Daniel, then turn around and ride it back to camp.

View attachment 363248

View attachment 363249

View attachment 363237

I found that 4High and 2nd gear was optimal to be riding around. Around 30 mins of riding, it was apparent that my clutch was going out. I started having less and less pedal travel and was having issues shifting it in and out of gear. It got to the point that I had to crank the jeep in gear to get moving. Made it to one of the parking lots and decided to bleed the slave again. Got under it to start bleeding and immediately noticed that my pull slave was very, very loose on the clutch arm. Got it all tightened back down, bleed the clutch a tad and had no more issues with the clutch. Walked up the back side of Daniel with some expert spotting at the slab pile and made it down to the switchback, big loud bang and I had no more steering. Turns out the steering shaft separated from one of the joints due to a loose heim. I was the last one in the group so we were stuck for awhile. We were able to put it back together and get everything tightened down. Unfortunately, my charging issues were back in full force and I left my jumper cables back at camp. Battery was reading 11.8 and it wouldn't start at all. With the help of my buddy and @getstucksome we were able to get it pointed downhill and got it running by roll starting it.

View attachment 363250

View attachment 363247

View attachment 363256

Made it safely down Daniel and into the parking lot. The plan was to turn around and ride back up Daniel back to camp since neither of us had plates and the FS was out in full force. It was about 50 minutes to dark and I decided to park it in the lot and have one of our group bring the truck and trailer back to us. Got everything loaded up and headed back to camp and the bottom fell out of the sky. Got everything covered and had a fine meal and a great night once the rain died down.

Broke camp around 10AM and made it back home safely.

Pros - The jeep drove great. It got hot once during a lowspeed 1st gear pull but quickly dropped down to normal levels. Oil pressure was great all day long. It was a pretty comfortable ride with no hard jolts etc. With the exception of the slab pile, it was point and shoot for the most part.

Cons - I really should have done a nut/bolt check before riding, that would have saved a lot of time/headaches. Fortunately, all the "breaks" were easy fixes and I had the tools with me. I have to fix the charging system. I'm planning on adding a higher output alternator/going to a 1 wire and putting in a new starter to fix this issue. I also apparently bent the right rear leaf on the slab pile by sliding back into a rock. It's not terrible and I do have another set of leafs. There was a lot of popping/clicking from the suspension/axles. I'm assuming that it was the Spartans engaging/disengaging. First rig with lockers so it was a new sound for me. I also need to build a trans tunnel as the heat coming out of that was pretty hot. There's also a million small things that I want to add into the interior like lights, speaker etc. I also need to rebleed the brakes and/or switch to a bigger master. I had brakes and had no issues stopping but want a firmer pedal feel.

All in all, I was very happy/pleased with the first run. It was comfortable to drive and aside from the issues, it was a great day on the trail. There was a LOT of people out and there was numerous jams but everyone was great about getting in/around vehicles. The Tundra pulled it well, I'm planning on adding a brake controller for the trailer brakes in the very near future. Can't do anything about the gas mileage, I think I averaged around 8.5mpg

Hopefully the plan is to get these issues sorted and plan a ride to Gulches first of the year before the twins come.

Looking good!

Next time you go, let me know. I need to get the rubicon out on the trail as well as mini buggy.

 

[jeepcj3a]

Any updates on the project?

 

[YJJPWrangler]

@jeepcj3a

Nothing too major to update. I did order a new high output alternator GM 1 wire. I still need to get a heavier gauge wire to run to the battery. I installed a new starter which drastically cut down on the "noise" of starting. I picked up a synthetic winch line from @getstucksome and got it spooled on. I'm also planning on installing a belly skid and a gas tank skid but with 2 4mo girls in the house my time is limited .

There's also a bunch of stuff I want to add into the interior in the future, nothing major, stuff like mirrors, a cupholder or two, radio etc. I also need to build a trans tunnel cover and get the interior fully buttoned up.

 

[YJJPWrangler]

Blew the dust off this thing over the weekend. With our deck project finally finished, I found some time to rewire the alternator. Fired right up after not being ran since early spring. The high amp alternator fixed the charging issue so I can cross that off the list. I need to get some metal ordered and start working out some skid plates for this thing. I'm also thinking about redoing the bump stops and maybe taking 1 more leaf out.