FrankenWillys
- Thread starter BABOOZLE
- Start date
BABOOZLE
Caught the Bug
So I just picked up a new Jeep the other day. A guy I work with bought it and used my trailer to pick it up. The Jeep had no rear axle so it sat on the trailer for about 5 weeks with no progress. I decided to make him an offer because I really wanted it. He gave in and sold it to me. I decided to add it to this thread because it fits in well with the theme here.
It’s a 1952 Willys Truck. Sits on a J20 frame that is already boxed in. Drivetrain consist of an AMC 360, TH400 and Dana 20 transfer case. Also has a Closed knuckle D44 up front and nothing in the rear. The entire truck is in pieces but complete. My plan is simple, one ton axles, 40s, simple and reliable. It has a flatbed already but I’m going to chop it a bit so that it sits inboard of the tires. It should be a super fun build. I already bought a 35 spline Dana 60 for the rear for a $100. I’m going to build this like I did with my YJ and try to get everything secondhand. I now need to look for a GM Dana 60 for the front.
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It’s a 1952 Willys Truck. Sits on a J20 frame that is already boxed in. Drivetrain consist of an AMC 360, TH400 and Dana 20 transfer case. Also has a Closed knuckle D44 up front and nothing in the rear. The entire truck is in pieces but complete. My plan is simple, one ton axles, 40s, simple and reliable. It has a flatbed already but I’m going to chop it a bit so that it sits inboard of the tires. It should be a super fun build. I already bought a 35 spline Dana 60 for the rear for a $100. I’m going to build this like I did with my YJ and try to get everything secondhand. I now need to look for a GM Dana 60 for the front.
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catahoula
Caught the Bug
BABOOZLE
Caught the Bug
Thanks! I’m excited about this one. Probably won’t really get started on it until after Moab.
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notnalc68
That dude from Mississippi
The willys made it to Moab and made it through two trails. Let’s hope I can make it back to Vancouver.
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BABOOZLE
Caught the Bug
Just finished up our trip to Moab. Many people asked me what vehicles we were taking and they would always smile when I mentioned the FrankenWillys. The next question they would ask is if we were trailering it. I would say no and the smile would turn into a look of shock. A 2000 mile road trip in old technology doesn’t sound appealing or possible to most but we wanted to try and knew it would be an adventure.
We met up with RedBeard and the FrankenWillys 4 hours into his trip in La Grande, Or. He was filling up every 100 miles because the gas gauge didn’t work and was using an app on his phone to track mileage and speed. It was having a hard time idling so we played with it and it seemed to do better.
As we started on the highway with our convoy I didn’t know how fast the old Jeep could go and maintain. The Willys could hold 70 mph just fine and so we ended up maintaining around 68-70 mph for the trip. That speed worked well for all the Jeeps. We all were getting 16-19 mpg with chase truck (2013 Silverado) getting 21 mpg. The Willys was getting 13-16 mpg with the old Slant Six which was impressive.
Near Twin Falls, ID, the XJ in the group threw a rod or two through the oil pan and we were all wondering if the Willys was next.
We left the XJ in ID and kept moving. When we got to Salt Lake City, the old Jeep started to overheat in the stop and go traffic. Traffic didn’t last long and we made it through the city. Made it to Moab around 10 that night and woke up the next day to the beautiful cliffs that surround the town.
Our first trails in Moab were Hurrah Pass and Jackson Hole. They looked easy enough for us to get first day jitters out and I knew the Willys could probably hang with everyone.
With mechanical brakes and no power steering the Willys was a challenge all day. It would die every once in awhile but would start back up. The day was full of breakdowns spread throughout the group. So it was good that we started off with some easy trails.
On the climb back up from Jackson Hole the Willys died and would not start. We decided to tow it to the top so it would be a little safer to work on.
Fiend, CSSAHARA, Klungly, RedBeard and the others started to troubleshoot. The Carb wasn’t getting any fuel. We checked the lines, filter and tank level. All checked out. The mechanical fuel pump was suspect but then the old Jeep started up so we headed off the trail before it got any later.
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We met up with RedBeard and the FrankenWillys 4 hours into his trip in La Grande, Or. He was filling up every 100 miles because the gas gauge didn’t work and was using an app on his phone to track mileage and speed. It was having a hard time idling so we played with it and it seemed to do better.
As we started on the highway with our convoy I didn’t know how fast the old Jeep could go and maintain. The Willys could hold 70 mph just fine and so we ended up maintaining around 68-70 mph for the trip. That speed worked well for all the Jeeps. We all were getting 16-19 mpg with chase truck (2013 Silverado) getting 21 mpg. The Willys was getting 13-16 mpg with the old Slant Six which was impressive.
Near Twin Falls, ID, the XJ in the group threw a rod or two through the oil pan and we were all wondering if the Willys was next.
We left the XJ in ID and kept moving. When we got to Salt Lake City, the old Jeep started to overheat in the stop and go traffic. Traffic didn’t last long and we made it through the city. Made it to Moab around 10 that night and woke up the next day to the beautiful cliffs that surround the town.
Our first trails in Moab were Hurrah Pass and Jackson Hole. They looked easy enough for us to get first day jitters out and I knew the Willys could probably hang with everyone.
With mechanical brakes and no power steering the Willys was a challenge all day. It would die every once in awhile but would start back up. The day was full of breakdowns spread throughout the group. So it was good that we started off with some easy trails.
On the climb back up from Jackson Hole the Willys died and would not start. We decided to tow it to the top so it would be a little safer to work on.
Fiend, CSSAHARA, Klungly, RedBeard and the others started to troubleshoot. The Carb wasn’t getting any fuel. We checked the lines, filter and tank level. All checked out. The mechanical fuel pump was suspect but then the old Jeep started up so we headed off the trail before it got any later.
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Samuelh3
Caught the Bug
So awesome! Hope to do this one day with my CJ5. What an adventure!
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BABOOZLE
Caught the Bug
The next couple days we did Fins and Things, Hell’s Revenge, Poison Spider Mesa, Golden Spike and Gold Bar Rim. We left the Willys at home because it was probably a little much for the old Jeep. Towards the end of the trip we started talking about doing Top of the World. RedBeard (brother) wanted to take it. We did our research and figured we could make the trail with the old Jeep. So we got up at 3:30 in the morning to try and catch the sunrise. The lineup we had was a TJ Rubicon, 1974 FJ with front wheel drive only, my 2010 JKU, fiend’s 2010 JKU and the FrankenWillys. We trailed the FJ to the trailhead which was clutch in the end.
If you’ve ever been on this trail, 3/4 of it is easy. The last bit gets harder and harder with bigger rocks and bigger ledges. But the Willys kept chugging. A couple of times, the frame flexed enough to put the fender into the alternator shooting sparks out. Old motor mounts didn’t help either. I had to pull the FJ up a couple ledges.
Sunrise was quickly approaching and we were nearing the end of the trail.
A 1000 ft before the cliff, the Willys died and would not start. We tried all of our tricks and it would not start on it’s own. It would start with gas being poured down the carb but that was it. The old fuel pump finally let go. We decided to push on and get to the end. It was rough not getting the old Jeep to the end but it will someday. The view here was amazing.
Here’s RedBeard on the ledge without the FrankenWillys.
We headed back down the trail and I towed the old Jeep 10 miles back to the road over every rock and ledge we came over. By the end, all the bolts broke holding his seat to the floor and his wiper motor fell of the firewall. Luckily we had the trailer and trailered it the 30 miles back to town. The FJ drove back.
At town we met up with the rest of our group who checked out of our house and was ready to get on the road back home. I had called ahead back on the trail and had them resource a replacement pump or an electric one. We met at the Shell gas station and it was all hands on deck. We all started working on the Willys to get the new fuel pump and lines installed. It wasn’t pretty but it worked and the Willys roared to life.
Unloaded off the trailer and hit the road. It ran better and idled better with the new constant fuel supply.
We continued the trip without any issues from the old Willys. We did blow an intercooler pipe on the Powerstroke towing the FJ. Made a patch with the upper radiator hose from the FJ and limped to Price for a replacement.
The Willys finished the 2000 mile round trip which was a huge accomplishment. Hopefully I can take mine to our next trip to Moab.
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If you’ve ever been on this trail, 3/4 of it is easy. The last bit gets harder and harder with bigger rocks and bigger ledges. But the Willys kept chugging. A couple of times, the frame flexed enough to put the fender into the alternator shooting sparks out. Old motor mounts didn’t help either. I had to pull the FJ up a couple ledges.
Sunrise was quickly approaching and we were nearing the end of the trail.
A 1000 ft before the cliff, the Willys died and would not start. We tried all of our tricks and it would not start on it’s own. It would start with gas being poured down the carb but that was it. The old fuel pump finally let go. We decided to push on and get to the end. It was rough not getting the old Jeep to the end but it will someday. The view here was amazing.
Here’s RedBeard on the ledge without the FrankenWillys.
We headed back down the trail and I towed the old Jeep 10 miles back to the road over every rock and ledge we came over. By the end, all the bolts broke holding his seat to the floor and his wiper motor fell of the firewall. Luckily we had the trailer and trailered it the 30 miles back to town. The FJ drove back.
At town we met up with the rest of our group who checked out of our house and was ready to get on the road back home. I had called ahead back on the trail and had them resource a replacement pump or an electric one. We met at the Shell gas station and it was all hands on deck. We all started working on the Willys to get the new fuel pump and lines installed. It wasn’t pretty but it worked and the Willys roared to life.
Unloaded off the trailer and hit the road. It ran better and idled better with the new constant fuel supply.
We continued the trip without any issues from the old Willys. We did blow an intercooler pipe on the Powerstroke towing the FJ. Made a patch with the upper radiator hose from the FJ and limped to Price for a replacement.
The Willys finished the 2000 mile round trip which was a huge accomplishment. Hopefully I can take mine to our next trip to Moab.
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BABOOZLE
Caught the Bug
That thing looks awesome! Thanks for all the help again.
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BABOOZLE
Caught the Bug
wjtstudios
Hooked
Awesome adventure and story! Looks like you guys made a lot of great memories.
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BABOOZLE
Caught the Bug
Picked up some rollers today for free. They are 37s with some ok tread so they will get me by until I get some 40s. Hopefully I can start this week on cleaning up the rear axle and getting it ready to install.
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fiend
Caught the Bug
Excellent. Needs to be ready in time for Moab 2019! [emoji23]
BABOOZLE
Caught the Bug
Another thread revival. I’ve covered three different Jeeps on this thread. We are going back to the 1955 Wagon now. My brother and I fixed it up and he drove it from Vancouver, WA to Moab and back. Since then it has sat for 3 years in Eastern Oregon. I couldn’t let it sit any longer so I decided to snatch it up and bring it back to WA.
Willys was full of yellow jackets and spiders. Had to take care of most of them before I could even try and start it.
A quick jump and some starting fluid had it going again. I was actually able to drive it up on the trailer with some persuasion.
Also the new tow pig worked flawlessly. Very happy with that purchase.
Final goal is to have the Willys be a daily driver. I’ve got my work cut out for me. I’ll take and closer look over the next couple days and update the thread in the direction I intend to go.
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Willys was full of yellow jackets and spiders. Had to take care of most of them before I could even try and start it.
A quick jump and some starting fluid had it going again. I was actually able to drive it up on the trailer with some persuasion.
Also the new tow pig worked flawlessly. Very happy with that purchase.
Final goal is to have the Willys be a daily driver. I’ve got my work cut out for me. I’ll take and closer look over the next couple days and update the thread in the direction I intend to go.
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JKbrick
Active Member
