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The Slow Evolution Of Givemethewillys' Jeep

Discussion in 'Builds and Fabricators Forum' started by givemethewillys, Nov 18, 2020.

  1. Nov 18, 2020
    givemethewillys

    givemethewillys Been here since sparky ran it. 2022 Sponsor

    New Kent, VA
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    Hey everyone. I've been a member of this forum since the beginning (despite what my profile says for some reason), but I've never started an official thread of my own.

    Meet my jeep, a 1957 Willys CJ5.
    Screenshot_20201118-165846_Gallery.jpg

    Screenshot_20201118-170020_Gallery.jpg

    I've posted most of my progress pics in the "what have you done to your jeep today" thread, but I figured today might be the day to start my own build thread. This won't be a showroom build, and it won't be quick. I'm at the point of my life where I just want to get the jeep going again.

    I'll also throw in progress pics of my Spen model S.

    Screenshot_20201118-171513_Gallery.jpg

    This thread will chronicle the evolution of my Jeep. Pull up a chair!
     
    Last edited: Nov 18, 2020
    Dne007, dozerjim, Jw60 and 3 others like this.
  2. Nov 18, 2020
    givemethewillys

    givemethewillys Been here since sparky ran it. 2022 Sponsor

    New Kent, VA
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    This is how the jeep sat for years. It looked really good from 10 feet, but I knew the filth that brewed beneath the shiny paint. Screenshot_20201118-164904_Gallery.jpg

    You see..... I was "the PO" that we always lament. Under the great paint was pop riveted sheetmetal, covered with up to a half inch of bondo. It lasted great for the first 20 years that I owned the jeep, but it was time to do it right.
     
    timsresort, Dne007, dozerjim and 4 others like this.
  3. Nov 18, 2020
    givemethewillys

    givemethewillys Been here since sparky ran it. 2022 Sponsor

    New Kent, VA
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    In my last post, I mentioned that the sheetmetal work that I did when I got the jeep in the mid-nineties was "bad". I was just a kid, didn't have a welder, and didn't know how to use one. I actually didn't have an angle grinder either!

    40 years of New England winters had taken its toll on the jeep. The 10 after that were garaged, and left the "restored" Willys looking pretty good. When I moved to Virginia, however, I lost my garage space, and being parked out in the weather on a dirt driveway started eating away at my pristine bodywork.

    Time to replace some panels.
    Screenshot_20200710-231949_Gallery.jpg

    Screenshot_20200408-201451_Gallery.jpg
     
    Dne007, Twin2, Jw60 and 5 others like this.
  4. Nov 18, 2020
    Buildflycrash

    Buildflycrash More or Less in Line. 2024 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Gulf Breeze FL...
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    These photos are making me feel a little better about my body work. Bondo is only 1/8”.

    [​IMG]
     
    Dne007, Twin2, dozerjim and 2 others like this.
  5. Nov 19, 2020
    givemethewillys

    givemethewillys Been here since sparky ran it. 2022 Sponsor

    New Kent, VA
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    Buildflycrash, you have NO idea.... I really should just start with a fresh tub, and possibly will at some point, but since covid I've been able to get a few minutes a day here and there working on the jeep, so the plan is to get it back on the road, and then do some bigger projects on the side.

    So like I mentioned, there's a ton of hidden rot on this jeep. Honestly, it's sort of amazing that it's still in one piece. I wasn't the first, either. The rockers had a piece of sheet metal brazed over the original, and the taillight panels had some sort of roofing tin brazed over it.

    The funny thing is that it must have been done well enough that I didn't notice it when I first rebuilt the tub in my parent's dimly lit garage.

    On to the pictures:

    As you can see, there wasn't much left of the rear quarter panel

    Screenshot_20201119-084516_Gallery.jpg

    This should improve things.... making use of my harbor freight dust collector's base. Luckily is is 18 ga steel! Screenshot_20201119-084737_Gallery.jpg


    Add in a corner piece, and voila
    Screenshot_20201119-085056_Gallery.jpg

    Screenshot_20201119-085356_Gallery.jpg
     
  6. Nov 19, 2020
    Dne007

    Dne007 Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor

    Cypress, Tx
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    OMG, I'm so happy you posted all the pictures!!!:bananatool:
     
  7. Nov 19, 2020
    jeepstar

    jeepstar Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Sheboygan
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    wowza. you aint kidding about starting with a new tub!

    i thought WI rust was bad!
     
    Jrobz23, fhoehle and Dne007 like this.
  8. Nov 19, 2020
    givemethewillys

    givemethewillys Been here since sparky ran it. 2022 Sponsor

    New Kent, VA
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    I've got more to go, these pics are from a few months back. Lots of progress since this point!

    Thanks for all the kudos folks!
     
    Dne007 likes this.
  9. Nov 19, 2020
    Buildflycrash

    Buildflycrash More or Less in Line. 2024 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Gulf Breeze FL...
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    :shock::shock::shock:
     
  10. Nov 19, 2020
    aallison

    aallison 74 cj6, 76 cj5. Has anyone seen my screwdriver?

    Green Cove...
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    Looks like a good start. Keep posting and keep busy Have it done by spring.
     
  11. Nov 20, 2020
    givemethewillys

    givemethewillys Been here since sparky ran it. 2022 Sponsor

    New Kent, VA
    Joined:
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    Another little update, still not caught up to present day.

    After the rebuild of the passenger side rear section, I moved over and replicated things on the drivers side. This side was in much better shape, and only needed the corner replaced.

    Screenshot_20201120-203654_Gallery.jpg

    This looks a little bit better

    Screenshot_20201120-204025_Gallery.jpg

    As you can see, my taillight panels look like garbage. Initially, they actually looked pretty good, and up until I started really digging I thought they were solid. Turns out, the previous owner (aaaargggg PO's!!!) Skinned over the rusty parts with some sort of really thin sheathing, almost like a roof flashing or something. It was all brazed on.

    I used a bunch of my dust collector base to bang up some taillight panels. For those of you that think you can't do sheet metal work without a brake, I did both of these panels with a hammer and a 4" vise.

    Screenshot_20201120-204417_Gallery.jpg

    As you can see, I couldn't decide which side I wanted to put the panels on. I think they came out ok though.

    Screenshot_20201120-204811_Gallery.jpg
     
    Jrobz23, dozerjim, Rich M. and 6 others like this.
  12. Nov 27, 2020
    givemethewillys

    givemethewillys Been here since sparky ran it. 2022 Sponsor

    New Kent, VA
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    Another update, and now we're getting closer to caught up. As I mentioned previously, the jeep had lived a hard life in NH, and there was a lot of rust on it. I had POR15'd the frame when I refreshed it previously, but after 20 years it was sloughing off in sheets, with a ton of hidden rust.

    The shackle hangers were barely hanging on. Not too long ago, I was planning on stretching another frame that I had (already in pieces, long story) into a cj6, so had bought new shackle hangers.
    Screenshot_20201127-090502_Gallery.jpg

    The process to replace them was pretty easy. I had previously repaired the front frame horns and repaired them with a reinforcement piece, so it was just a matter of drilling out the rivets, cutting off the old hanger along the welds, and bolting the new one on. I was pretty happy with the quality of the omix hanger despite the questionable reviews. My thought was that it's hard to mess up such a simple bracket.

    Screenshot_20201127-090908_Gallery.jpg

    Once i was confident that my suspension wasn't going to fly apart, it was on to a project that o had been fiddling with for the past year.
    Screenshot_20201127-091124_Gallery.jpg

    My new front axle is a dana 30 out of a 1974 cj5. It has 3.73 axles, which I think will be perfect for the light trails I go on in Virginia. The brakes are out of a 1995 geo, with brackets from Brennan Metcalf. I had initially thought that the studs would be long enough, but after finally mounting the wheels, I'm just not sure. I think I'll press in some longer ones.
    Screenshot_20201127-092002_Gallery.jpg

    So far I'm tickled to death with the swap! With my new BDS 2.5" springs and heavy duty shackles, the jeep has a commanding stance, and I love it!

    Next steps: installing the freshly rebuilt t18 transmission and d-18 transfer case

    Screenshot_20201127-092455_Gallery.jpg

    And my freshly rebuilt dauntless

    Screenshot_20201127-092608_Gallery.jpg
     
    Jrobz23, timsresort, fhoehle and 7 others like this.
  13. Nov 27, 2020
    Dne007

    Dne007 Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor

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    are your valve covers on correctly, or are mine on incorrectly?:confused:

    [​IMG]
     
  14. Nov 27, 2020
    homersdog

    homersdog Tulsa, Ok 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Tulsa, OK
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    yours are correct.
     
    Dne007 likes this.
  15. Nov 27, 2020
    givemethewillys

    givemethewillys Been here since sparky ran it. 2022 Sponsor

    New Kent, VA
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    About 6 months ago, I asked the question about which side the valve covers go. There's a change in the configuration based on whether the engine had a paper filter or an oil bath. Looking at the pic, which is from when I got the engine back from the shop, they were on backwards. It has since been corrected.

    In my engine builder's defense, he did ask me which direction the valve covers went on, and going from a pic on the Internet, I chose wrong. Should have followed in Dne's excellent footsteps!
     
    Last edited: Nov 27, 2020
  16. Dec 10, 2020
    givemethewillys

    givemethewillys Been here since sparky ran it. 2022 Sponsor

    New Kent, VA
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    So progress, but not much worth noting. When I started this "restomod 2.0" project, I had big plans. I was going to cut the jeep in half, stretch to CJ-6 length, swap from the F134/T90 to a 225/T18 drivetrain, and the list goes on. I even cut a pretty darn decent '69 frame in thirds to add longer boxed rails.

    It was after mentally creeping my project into something that was completely untenable given my available time and budget, that I came to the realization that I really just wanted to get this thing running. My current frame and tub are fairly poor, as you have probably noticed. However, I'm trudging on now with the intention of just getting things together and running.

    With that in mind, I've tacked in some v6 engine mounts. My elation didn't last long, as I realized that the bellhousing hits both the Ross steering and the brake master cylinder. I haven't sulked enough just yet to muster the motivation to rip those out, but that'll be next.

    In other news, a fellow member here might be picking up a few parts Jeeps, and my intention is to snag the frame and tub off of a '70 (as long as they're in good enough shape). Basically, it means most of the work that I've done in the past year has been for naught, but I've enjoyed tinkering, and I've learned a lot, so it's worth it in the end.
     
    fhoehle and Rich M. like this.
  17. Jan 13, 2021
    givemethewillys

    givemethewillys Been here since sparky ran it. 2022 Sponsor

    New Kent, VA
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    So I did a thing. After years of treading water with this tub, and knowing that it was more work to fix it than it was worth, I stumbled into something great.

    I got a call from a new jeep buddy that lives down the road. He stumbled on a pair of parts jeeps, and only wanted certain parts.

    Well, I wasn't in the market, bit I couldn't pass up a mostly rust free tub, frame, and flanged offset rear axle for a great price!

    I'll update the thread when I get it home!
     
    Jrobz23, fhoehle, dozerjim and 6 others like this.
  18. Jan 13, 2021
    Dne007

    Dne007 Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor

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    I can't wait to see what you got!!!! When do you get it???
     
  19. Jan 13, 2021
    givemethewillys

    givemethewillys Been here since sparky ran it. 2022 Sponsor

    New Kent, VA
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    It still has a drivetrain and hardtop installed right now, and since I know the seller(he's a member here too), I'm not pushing the transportation. Hopefully this weekend or sometime next week I'll bring it home.
     
  20. Jan 15, 2021
    givemethewillys

    givemethewillys Been here since sparky ran it. 2022 Sponsor

    New Kent, VA
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    A sneak preview of what's to come. Hardtop is gone, but the rest is there :bananatool:

    Screenshot_20210115-183500_Gallery.jpg
     
    blalp!, Dne007, fhoehle and 2 others like this.
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