Project: Tetanus Shot - 1948 Willys

[YJJPWrangler]

Looks like you used the barnes universal transmission mount on your crossmember. Their website says it 1/8". Did you think it was sturdy enough?

I actually rebuilt the crossmember and got rid of the poly mount at the transmission. I was able to gain another 1.5"-2" of additional clearance by hardmounting the transfer case to the crossmember and moving the poly bushings to the frame rails. I did use the Barnes crossmember kit with poly bushings and they are plenty sturdy. I still need to weld a small mount to the crossmember so that the transfer case can be bolted to it. Just another thing to add to the list...

 

[YJJPWrangler]

Got my steering started during the snow day yesterday. Picked up a tapped steering box from @XJfreakHO and got it installed.

Still need to pull the pitman arm off and reverse it but don't have a pitman arm puller. Will have to rent one. My 1 ton steering kit came in from @Barnes 4wd. I've used a lot of stuff from Barnes and have been extremely happy with the product and the shipping times.

I still need to ream out the hi steer arms to accept the 1 ton TRE's but that shouldn't be an issue. I will need to cut down the tie-rod slightly. Anyone have a good way to setup the initial(rough) estimate for the tierod? The TRE's are fully adjustable so I will be able to make fine adjustments with them. I was thinking of measuring the front part of each tire and the back part of each tire to get them roughly even with each other. Any better ways? I still need to source a steering column/shaft and order the parts for the hydro assist.

 

[1980CJ7]

Keep at it man, you're getting there.

 

[paradisePWoffrd]

Got my steering started during the snow day yesterday. Picked up a tapped steering box from @XJfreakHO and got it installed.

Still need to pull the pitman arm off and reverse it but don't have a pitman arm puller. Will have to rent one. My 1 ton steering kit came in from @Barnes 4wd. I've used a lot of stuff from Barnes and have been extremely happy with the product and the shipping times.

I still need to ream out the hi steer arms to accept the 1 ton TRE's but that shouldn't be an issue. I will need to cut down the tie-rod slightly. Anyone have a good way to setup the initial(rough) estimate for the tierod? The TRE's are fully adjustable so I will be able to make fine adjustments with them. I was thinking of measuring the front part of each tire and the back part of each tire to get them roughly even with each other. Any better ways? I still need to source a steering column/shaft and order the parts for the hydro assist.

Take the tire off and clamp some pieces of wood or steel to the hub/rotor on each side so that some sticks off the front and rear. Then do as you are planning to get the distances equal. Or find the center of your axle, and measure the distance from each tierod hole to the centerline on the housing. Getting the numbers the same will not guarantee that your knuckles are straight though, just equal side to side.

 

[R Q]

I was thinking of measuring the front part of each tire and the back part of each tire to get them roughly even with each other. Any better ways?

Heck that's how I align mine period!

 

[YJJPWrangler]

Got a little more done and a setback. Turns out the steering box that I picked up will not work. The box is fine but the pitman arm faces forward. When I flipped the pitman arm around, it now steers backwards. Fortunately I had the wagonneer box when I bought the axles. Same style but with the correct orientation of the arm.

I will have to tap this box but that shouldn’t be a problem. Pulled the tires off and rough aligned the front end.

After that was pretty “close” I cut the tie rod to length and tacked everything together. I’m running the Barnes 1tn crossover steering kit. Had to ream out the steering arms to accept the 1tn TREs. Not too bad of a job.

Mocked up the drag link and ran into a small issue with the pitman arm. The stock wagonneer pitman arm has a slight drop to it. Using it would allow the drag link to rub on the passenger side leaf spring. I was able to use the stock Astro pitman arm as it was flat. I have about 1/2”-3/4” of clearance now between the draglink and the leaf spring. I still need to cycle the suspension to see if it hits but in theory it should not.

Steering shafts and joints came in from summit but I will not be able to set up the steering shafts until I have seats and I need to laying out the interior pieces before that.

Next plan of action is to finish the interior and then start installing electrical so I can finally crank this thing.

 

[YJJPWrangler]

Well, a bit of a hiatus. Finished up my grad school this spring and have finally gotten back to working on the Willys. I pulled the body off the frame so that I can finish welding/filling/patching the body. After that it will get painted(some kind of liner on the interior) and I'm thinking POR15 on the underside. Pictures will be up in a few days but I'm just glad to be back working on it.

 

[rockcity]

Nice. I was wondering how long it was going to be before I saw it posted in the for sale section.

 

[YJJPWrangler]

Nice. I was wondering how long it was going to be before I saw it posted in the for sale section.

...at this point the wife would kill me if I got rid of it.

 

[YJJPWrangler]

2 steps forward...100 steps back. After talking a bit with a friend who has a lot more body experience than me, I've decided to pull out the sheetmetal I had previously installed(rear fenders). Two reasons, 1. I really didn't like the way everything came together, too many little pieces welded together(all based on my inexperience with body work) and 2. he informed me that those pieces would pull apart in no time because I didn't incorporate a seamed joint in them. So I got to learn a valuable lesson.

Sure looks different without the body on it. Also, I'm in need of body mounts as the previous ones were 2x4s.

Tub is pulled off and you can see where I removed the DS fender. The PS side will be removed and replaced. I went and built a metal brake so I can make accurate and clean bends in the sheet metal.

Since I'm incorporating a seam into all of the joints, I needed to find a way to bend the panels with the seam built in. Quick stop by HF and I got a metal stretcher/shrinker and built a small table for them. First time using any tool like this and it was a lot easier than I expected it to be.

I cut out the rest of the rotted rear floor and built a subframe. I still need to pick up a piece of 16ga steel to build the rear floor but have enough metal to finish out the fenders.

I have some very rough templates mocked up for the trans tunnel and I'm thinking I will use weld nuts to attach the trans tunnel to the subframe so it can be removable for trans/transfer case maintenance and adjusting the clutch linkage.

The interior will be herculined(or better equivalent) and the bottom will be POR15'd(or better?). I picked up some Corbeau SS seats from @Oliver's as well as two shiny new driveshafts a while ago. Driveshafts are in and the seats are still in the box. Once the tub is finalized I'll get it back on the body and start wiring/plumbing the engine. Then its on to steering, brakes and I can finally move it. Final work will be paint/cage work.

 

[rockcity]

If you just go ahead and start building it as a tube buggy, you won’t need to worry about seaming body panels.

 

[ghost]

Please share this whole seamed part. I think I understand but would like to see it in pictures if you can.

 

[YJJPWrangler]

In simplest terms, the previous body work was butt welded together. The body work's strength was all based on the weld strength. With the seam or flanged design, the lip of the metal coupled with spot welds will be much stronger. I'm using a 1/2" or 1" 90 degree lip(depending on area). I don't have a spot welder and even if I did, a lot of the area would be inaccessible. So I have been drilling holes in the "seams" and then rosette welding. I reread through my build thread and @WARRIORWELDING said to do this. Obviously I overread that part. @ghost Ill try and get some pictures up on the seam

 

[McCracken]

2 steps forward...100 steps back. After talking a bit with a friend who has a lot more body experience than me, I've decided to pull out the sheetmetal I had previously installed(rear fenders). Two reasons, 1. I really didn't like the way everything came together, too many little pieces welded together(all based on my inexperience with body work) and 2. he informed me that those pieces would pull apart in no time because I didn't incorporate a seamed joint in them. So I got to learn a valuable lesson.

Sure looks different without the body on it. Also, I'm in need of body mounts as the previous ones were 2x4s.

Tub is pulled off and you can see where I removed the DS fender. The PS side will be removed and replaced. I went and built a metal brake so I can make accurate and clean bends in the sheet metal.

Since I'm incorporating a seam into all of the joints, I needed to find a way to bend the panels with the seam built in. Quick stop by HF and I got a metal stretcher/shrinker and built a small table for them. First time using any tool like this and it was a lot easier than I expected it to be.

I cut out the rest of the rotted rear floor and built a subframe. I still need to pick up a piece of 16ga steel to build the rear floor but have enough metal to finish out the fenders.

I have some very rough templates mocked up for the trans tunnel and I'm thinking I will use weld nuts to attach the trans tunnel to the subframe so it can be removable for trans/transfer case maintenance and adjusting the clutch linkage.

The interior will be herculined(or better equivalent) and the bottom will be POR15'd(or better?). I picked up some Corbeau SS seats from @Oliver's as well as two shiny new driveshafts a while ago. Driveshafts are in and the seats are still in the box. Once the tub is finalized I'll get it back on the body and start wiring/plumbing the engine. Then its on to steering, brakes and I can finally move it. Final work will be paint/cage work.

I'm needing the same tool for my build (when I get to it). Got any pics of the final product frim the shrinker / stretcher?

 

[YJJPWrangler]

I'm needing the same tool for my build (when I get to it). Got any pics of the final product frim the shrinker / stretcher?

I've already got it welded in to the Jeep but when I do the PS side I'll grab some pictures. Both the shrinker/stretcher is $150 at HF. Obviously the thinner the metal will stretch/shrink easier but you run the risk of tearing the metal if you stretch it to far. They are pretty simple to use as well.

 

[WARRIORWELDING]

Butt welding or edge to edge can create a lot of issues. Mainly warpage and ductility. Mig welding panels can be a challenge to not over heat and create a brittle joint. Any flange or overlaping also creates structure. Now high end builders choose depending on the area. Or recreation of factory perfect. Almost all use Gtaw in a true square edge profile. Musch easier to control heat and keep good metal qualities.

Nice build, I love to see the progression of knowledge and taking on learning new skill sets along the way.

If you really want to dive in deep.....this dude will blow your mind! So much talent and technique.

 

[YJJPWrangler]

I went down a rabbit hole on youtube and watched a guy build an entire CJ3B tub out of sheet metal. He built it to exact factory specs, blew my mind. He had a lot of old Willys and a lot of mid 40s-50s tooling and equipment to do it with. It was very impressive.

Anyway, back to the pile. Got the bodywork about 95% done. I still need to figure out how to build/mount my transmission tunnel. I think I'm going to use weld nuts to secure it and make it removable. The entire underside of the body was coated liberally in POR15. Getting off years of dirt/grease etc was fun to say the least. Body is mounted back on the frame and I started running the engine wiring. I used Jim's Performance to cut/rewire the harness and he did a great job. Everything was clearly labeled and put together well. My plan is to stick the ECU on the passenger side under the dash which should keep it out of harms way.

I still need to address my steering shaft. With the current intermediate shaft that I have, my steering shaft angles are not good at all. I have to snake the shaft through the exhaust manifold(I'm running headers). I was able to clearance the motor mount today and am thinking of cutting the intermediate shaft down a couple inches and angling the steering box up a few degrees. This should give me the necessary angles needed to have a decent steering shaft angle. There are still a thousand and one small things to do but I should be able to get it started in the next couple of weeks so any progress is good progress.

 

[YJJPWrangler]

Got some more done in the last few days. I began addressing my steering linkage issues and started playing with different angles to see what would be the best way to route everything. I still need to pick up another steering U-joint to finish it but I "think" this will work for now. Its pretty damn tight in there. I had to re-drill my steering box mounts and angle them up as much as I could.

I had to remove the DS motor mount and remove some unnecessary metal so that the steering shaft could fit. As of right now, this is the only way that the shaft can run angle wise. I still need to get another U-Joint to correct the angle under the dash but that shouldn't be an issue. I'm open to ideas on this as this is not a pennant solution(yet)

Tomorrow will be spent heading to the junkyard to find some misc odds and ends for the motor so hopefully it will be productive.

 

[grapehead]

How close is the steering shaft u-joint to that header tube?

Is there a u-joint at the steering box connection, or no? If so, you'll want a support bearing on one of the shaft sections, if not it wouldn't hurt to have one.

 

[YJJPWrangler]

How close is the steering shaft u-joint to that header tube?

Is there a u-joint at the steering box connection, or no? If so, you'll want a support bearing on one of the shaft sections, if not it wouldn't hurt to have one.

It's pretty damn close. I am worried about motor flexing and hitting the shaft. Currently I have two u-joints in play, one that you can see in the picture and one at the the end of the intermediate shaft. I had to cut down the intermediate shaft a good bit for the angles to work. If anyone has a better idea or design, I am open. I do have two support bearings that I need to install which should be able to adequately support the steering shaft.

 

[YJJPWrangler]

Friday I went to the local junkyard hunting for odds and ends for the motor. I needed some various vacuum lines, the coil to distributor electrical connection and a water pump pulley. Out of the 20 or so S-10's they had, only one had the correct motor/configuration. I was able to get everything I needed for about $25 so it was a good day. I still need to figure out my radiator lines as regular S10 hoses won't work, I might have to to go with flexible hoses or just spend some time at the parts store hunting them down. Was able to mount the water pump pulley, install the fan belt and the AC delete pulley. Eventually, I would like to run a air compressor but for now this will work.

The motor is about 95% complete and hooked up. I still need to finish buttoning up some connections and installing some new sensors etc. Started figuring out the layout of my gauges and painted the dash. Im going to try and resuse the original gauges as they are in decent shape and will add some of that old school look and feel to the interior.

 

[YJJPWrangler]

Made some big progress over the weekend. Finally started the wiring job. I sent my harness out to Jim's Performance in Maryland and he cleaned up the harness and labeled/tested everything. Highly recommend him. Started laying out various switches on the dash.

The left toggle switch will power the fan and the right toggle switch will be the "kill" switch that provides power to the ignition. The push button on the far right will be for the starter. I may or may not add another toggle switch for the fuel pump for added security. I plan on getting some safety rocker switches but these will work for now. The body came with a fuse block that I am planning on using. I managed to wire up the fan to the fuse block and everything works. I also hotwired the lights and they both work. Both headlights have 3 connections. High/Low and ground. On both lights, the hi/low have blades installed for the connection but the ground doesn't have a blade. It's just a nub. Do I need to order new lights or is there a special connector I need?

Lastly, tonight I fired the jeep for the first time. It turned over and immediately popped the belt off. After some investigating, I found that the powering steering pulley is slightly offset from the rest of the pulleys.

I'll have to rent a power steering pulley puller and slide it back on the shaft a bit more to line up(plenty of room on the power steering shaft). This should correct the issue. Once I get the pulleys lined back up, I'll continue to bump start the motor(just cuz it makes me happy). I need to hook the computer up and make some additional connections and figure out a way to rig a gas can/pump up to see if I get fuel. Starting to come together now...

 

[badbsa]

What an impressive build. I went back and looked at your first post just now... coming up on two years!

I get the feeling you knew more about this starting off than I do but, I also see some similarity... Keep posting those pics and writing up your progress. I for one, am extremely grateful. Also, thanks for your input and advice on the Demi Jeep...

Now to get off this tablet and back to the garage!

 

[YJJPWrangler]

What an impressive build. I went back and looked at your first post just now... coming up on two years!

I get the feeling you knew more about this starting off than I do but, I also see some similarity... Keep posting those pics and writing up your progress. I for one, am extremely grateful. Also, thanks for your input and advice on the Demi Jeep...

Now to get off this tablet and back to the garage!

I "built" an 87 Wrangler back in high school and helped others wrench on their jeeps. This build has been very challenging but very rewarding. I've spent hours on here and other places looking/reading/researching. Can't wait to see your plans with your build.

 

[YJJPWrangler]

Spent a few more quality hours in the garage tonight. Rented a power steering pulley puller and was able to get the PS pulley back in line with everything else and got the belt mounted up.

Then spent a good bit of time on some wiring. I was able to wire the headlights, fan, and ignition switch up and in their "semi-permanent" locations. I'll still need to add some wires for the computer to the ignition but this is a good first step. Both headlights work as well as Hi/low beams. Wiring is definitely not a strength but I'm learning a great amount already. Everything is being run through the fuse block for power. Are there any recommendations for fuse amperage for the systems? i.e fuel pump/fan/ignition etc? I know the fan will not run on a 10amp fuse as it blew it immediately. I popped a 20amp fuse in there and its humming along happily.

Lastly, showing the ignition sequence. I'm going to start buttoning up the computer connections and "maybe" go for a full test fire this week.