Builds Research Archives

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Scott’s “TTT” Tiny Trash Truck

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features, Fire/Police/Industry Vehicles This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Cowboy shared this photo from Scott Ingram, who built a Tiny Trash Truck out of an old DJ-5 (Scott operates a garbage collection firm in Paris, Illinois). I don’t see an obvious seat, so this may only be for show. That’s something I’ve never seen done with a DJ-5.

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Race Jeep Instructions

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Ann fired up her Cricket yesterday and printed out some labels that also act as instructions for starting and managing the jeep. She also add “ON” and “OFF” labels to make clear what switches need to be pressed. Starting the jeep is a five step process:

  1. Power
  2. Fan
  3. Fuel pump
  4. Ignition
  5. Start (button)

In the first pic, the “2-” for the fan label is hiding behind the switch.

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Racer Progress Pedaling Along

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

More progress made on the racer this weekend. The floors are installed and mostly bolted. The pedals are all in place. The steering was in place, but I was unhappy with the final angle of the front support bearing, so I plan to redo that support so that it angles differently. Hopefully, I will get that done and installed today.

Here’s how the rear top crossmember that holds the rear fire extinguisher looks. The two holes on either side are the shoulder strap attachments.

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Here are the three pedals (with the steering drive shaft disconnected from the quick-turn unit).

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One thing I still need are a brake and clutch pedal pad. Any recommendations on what I can use that has a similar mount point and size? (these were from the yellow racer .. I didn’t like the other racer’s pedals). These look to be rubber casings over metal pedals, but both pedal bolts are in bad shape. this is the good one …

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The master cylinders are attached (the brakes are ready to go). I have to get an adapter to connected the clutch line to the clutch master cylinder. Everything is fitting well. I have to say the fire wall turned out better than I thought. Remember, I flattened the old firewall from the yellow racer and re-bent it into the shape I wanted.

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Here side view of the gas pedal setup. One thing I learned from my first race jeep was that having a firm, stable gas pedal was greatly beneficial when racing, due to the bouncing. I could plant the bottom of my foot firmly, while using the top of my foot to feather the gas. This setup is based on what I built for Biscuit, but heavier duty.

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Racer Updates

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

I’ve made some assembly progress. The tank is installed and hooked up (which took me a short while to remember exactly how I fit it into that tight space, lol), the battery is setup, the upper wiring is in place, the rear sway bar is installed, the rear lights are installed and wired and the gauges are in place.

Currently, I am focused on setting up the wiring. I saved the previous wiring, since little will electrically, so it shouldn’t take too long to alter some wire distances. 
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Feel Good: A Group of Students Rebuild Jeep

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Bill shared this nice story about a group of students who rebuilt a family’s jeep after the owner died.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/08/06/jeep-mechanic-coronoa-students-porter/

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John’s Completed His 1955 USAF M-38A1 Build

• CATEGORIES: Builds, M-38A1 This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

John’s complete the build of a 1955 M-38A1 USAF. Looks well done!

My 1955 M38A1 is finished.
I bought it in late 2021 and has Dave Arnold (the area’s leading MV guy) go over it.
It had recently had an engine rebuild, so it was just the usual stuff as well as all new seals, radiator and wiring harness.

Wanting seatbelts, I wanted something period correct, so I used aircraft seat belts like the motor pool could have gotten from base supply. They were reconditioned by an aircraft supply store.
I also got an orange/white “flightline flag”, that vehicles had to display back then. The holder used an existing hole. Finally, there is a decal on the dash explained the control tower traffic signals; back then they used a light gun in place of a radio.

The power plug is operational and I bought a slave cable that is compare with airplanes (today’s planes use the same 24v plug). So when I’m at the airport, I could jumpstart aircraft.

Lacking a hood number, I put it in USAF Markings and made it from Larson AFB (Moses Lake, WA), and my dad’s unit circa ’55-57…the
62nd Troop Carrier Wing. I was born at Larson a couple of weeks before the Jeep was built.

The current Hood number is, in AF style:
55 (year contracted for),
K (Military vehicle, General Purpose),
82551 (Willys serial).

The paint is the PPG formula, (I fixed test shots of the other two and This looked best). Growing up in AF based and spending 20 years in myself, I knew what looked correct to me.
Since gloss finish shows body issues, I had some minor bodywork and final paint done by a pro body guy.
When our purchased, it was straight (except the back panel was pushed in a bit from a backing accident…we straightened it, but most of the damage was covered by the spare tire) with no rust except in the fuel tank well.”

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Unusual Customized CJ-3A(?)

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features, Unusual • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

David Adams posted this oddity on Facebook. He was hoping to learn more about it. The jeep appears to be a CJ-3A that’s been modified for some purpose that’s not clear.  The side looks kind of like a Willys Quad; was that a coincidence?

Here’s one of his posts (there were several posts and I got several IMs about it).

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Making More Progress on the Racer

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Sorry the pics aren’t better, but the focus is on creation and not documentation. The goal is to be able to drive it during the first week of May.

The clutch and brake pedal system are all ready for install, though it’s apart for paint. The floor framework is partly complete as of today. I should have the floor frame and floor itself ready for some paint by Sunday (assuming there aren’t more distractions (there have been plenty of those ..).

I ended up building a custom bracket system for the clutch and brake. Because of the holes in the firewall from the old clutch/brake system, I sandwiched the firewall between the bracket I made and a thin sheet of metal to make it look cleaner. Here’s a very rough look from a few days ago. Both pedals had bends, which I straightened (and are straighter than shown below) with the press (as I didn’t need the bends).

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Below are some of the parts with a layer of paint. There’s nothing fancy here. I’d love to have the time to tear the whole jeep down, properly clean it, then paint it. But, I want to run the racer first to see how it does before investing more time doing a big overhaul.

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Propane Powered 6×6

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Barry Andre posted pics of his 6×6 to Facebook. It’s a pretty cool rig.

837017479769475https://www.facebook.com/groups/837017479769475/?multi_permalinks=2504533526351187&ref=share

“Here’s my 6wd Willys 231 Aluminum Industrial Buick 231 V6 on Propane Twin Stick Transfer case Hydraulic Steering and all 6 wheels drive when it 4wd”

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Cage Progress and Corner Brackets

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

The weather has warmed up some, which made working outside much more pleasant! Since the last set of pics, I made some corner brackets and added them to the cage. I’ve also added a cross bar that will be the base for the sets and some curved support bars on eat side of the front loop.

I’ll post some pics of the cage below, then add some pics of how I made the brackets (in case that’s of interest to anyone.

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Below I show how I made the corner pieces.

This first pic shows 5 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ 16 gauge steel squares. The paper above it shows my attempts to figured out the rough size I wanted:

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Racer Update

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Once the water got fixed (found a retired local plumber who still does small jobs and did previous work on our house, so that worked great), I returned to the cage.

The front “loops” have been bent and added, along with a top and mid cross bar. I also added one side bar, with the other almost ready to spot-weld in place. Unfortunately, I ran out of materials, so I need to get a couple more tubes.

As you can see below, I found a seat placement I like. My head rests just below the top of the seat, so plenty of room for a helmet. Now, I just have to figure out how I want to mount them. I was going to weld in the seat frames, but I think I am going to bolt them. This will make it 1) easier to install the floor pan and 2) allow me to change up the seats/position if I’m unhappy with how it feels.

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Back to the Racer

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

After an unexpected detour of 6 months, I finally had a chance to return to working on the racer.

My first project was to create the side bars by reusing the 2 1/2″ side bars from the yellow racer. You can see them mounted on the old racer here (my finger is accidentally pointing out the driver’s sidebar in this pic). I cut both of them off this chassis.

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Here is a side view of the old chassis. These sidebars are angled upward to attach at the angled portion of the frame near the engine mounts. I liked the look of them, so figured I’d reuse them. At this point, I also plan to build the new racer cage similar to what you see blow, but with a few changes.

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Somehow, I managed not to take many pics of this process, but I started with my new metal saw by cutting the side bars so they’d sit flat (I removed the sidebars from the other chassis with a sawz-it-all, so the cuts weren’t great).

Trying to get this angle just right on the front portion of the bars was tricky. So, I cut the back bar first to the optimal length, then dropped the front of the bar over the edge of the table until the tube was level. Then used the flat edge of a carpenter square to draw a straight edge on the bar.

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Here, the cut has been finished.

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Next, I welded plates to each tube end. Then, I clamped the tubes to the sides of the frame. With that done, Ann and I put the body in place to make sure it fit over the angled side bar, which it does.

2023-01-08-racer-build6Here’s a view from the back:
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Since it looks like things will fit correctly, I will pull the body back off, pull the side bars off, clean off the paint where I need to weld on the frame, and attach the sidebars.

Next, I’ll spend some time determining how the floor, cage, firewall, and the seats will mount, and how the side of the body will attach to the cage (the body sides are weak rather flimsy, so it needs a good mounting system).

 
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Custom CJ-3B Build

• CATEGORIES: Builds, CJ-3B, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Robert Baxter posted this “CJ-3B” to Facebook the other day. He spotted it at a car show in El Segundo, California. The chassis is a deuce-and-a-half. It looks like the body is extra tall and stetted, which gives it an unusual look. Cool rig!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/502884336980336/permalink/1100033907265373

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Disassembled the Black & Green Race Jeep

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

A couple days ago I took disassembled some of the black and green race jeep. The cage for the narrow body is tool small to be useful for me. So, I will bend my own cage, built for the yellow parkette body, and outboard the rear springs while I am at it. I will also swap out the current swing pedals for the ones on the yellow racer. Hopefully, I can get this project done by August, in time for Summer Convention. We will see….

Here is a comparison of the Parkette full-size body vs. the narrow body. The difference is enough to give a person more room at the feet (more room for gas, brake and clutch). The narrow body would probably work better for an auto transmission with just a gas pedal and brake (I prefer to have enough room to the left of the clutch to help brace myself.

The narrow body seems better built, perhaps a slightly thicker fiberglass job. The Parkette needs some reinforcement in my opinion (which I will do).

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Her’s the narrow body racer without the body. Thankfully, unlike the other racer, this cage was bolted, rather than welded, to the frame.

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Well, the seat support piece was welded to the rollcage and to the frame, but it was easy to cut. I will have a different setup for the seats. Note the broken driveline ‘safety’ loop, that wasn’t very safe. I have a much stronger one from the other chassis.

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Here is a trail run of Parkette body on the racer.

2022-06-02-race-jeep-2Besides the new roll cage and the rear springs being out-boarded, the side bar will need replacing (it was built for the narrower body). A new firewall needs to be built (it will be wider, thanks to the wider parkette body, than the current one). The steering wheel needs to be angled differently and will have a tilt column (my preference).

Thankfully, the power train can remain in tact, as will the front spring setup. So, that saves a bunch of work.

 
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Closer Look at “Little Miss Sunshine”

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features • TAGS: , This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Ann has dubbed the yellow racer “Little Miss Sunshine”, due to the yellow color. I don’t know if that’s the end-all name, but it’s a fine name for now.

Yesterday, I decided to remove the body so I could get a better look at the condition of the cage and the suspension.

Let’s take a look first at the rear suspension. The suspension in the rear consists of 2.5″ ranch springs that have been outboarded, to which a sway bar and arms have been added. In the pic below you can see the sway bar behind the axle and the arms in front, connected under the frame. The springs are outboarded six inches. For example, the spring holder in the back consists of a 2×4 rectangular tube, positioned horizontally (under which the spring holder is welded), was welded to a 2×3 tube positioned vertically, which was welded to a 1/4″ plate that was then welded to the frame.

The front of this rear setup is similar, only for additional strength, a 2.5″ tube was welded to the spring holder and frame, which is then welded to the side bar that sits outside and under the body.

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1946 CJ-2A With Custom Body and Top

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features, Unusual • TAGS: , This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Eric postedthis cool little jeep to the Willys CJ-2A Facebook page. His grandfather did the original work. The redesigned jeep had fallen into disrepair before Eric began the work necessary to resurrect it back to how his grandfather’s build.

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https://www.facebook.com/groups/18657808157/permalink/10159871614563158

 
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Dutch’s High Hood to Low Hood Project

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Bill shared this post about a rough CJ-3B that was rebuilt into a CJ-2A-looking jeep. The result looks good, but it is also a good reminder that what appears to be a particular model may not be so thanks to the interchangeability of parts.

https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-1946-jeep-cj-2a-1953-cj-3b-mechanical-mules-and-a-covid-project/

 
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MotorTrend Article on a CJ-2A M-38 …

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

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Bill shared this article that describes this custom build as a 1948 M38. However, it’s appears to be a modified CJ-2A. It’s an interesting build, but calling it one of the “greatest flat fenders ever built” is a stretch (in my opinion).

https://www.motortrend.com/features/willys-m38-flatfender-rock-spider-soni-honegger/

“Fans of the War Wagon, the Scorpion MK1, and this apocalypse-ready toy hauler might already be familiar with this Willys M38 (the military version of the civilian Jeep CJ-3A) built by Soni Honegger. It’s been called the “Slickrock Spider” for its remarkable ability to articulate its way over and through some of the hairiest obstacles known to four-wheel drive vehicles, especially with Soni at the helm. Let’s take a look at what makes this machine one of the greatest Flatfenders ever built.”

 
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Green Army’s Wood Body Reproduction

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features, Wood bodies This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Here’s a good bit of history on the efforts to create a wood body for the WWII jeep. This group built a wood body replica, which, given the lack of specific info, was a good challenge. Check out the finished body using the link below:

https://www.greenarmyproductions.com/wooden-jeep-body-project/

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Collecting Jeeps in the Dominican Republic

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
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Antonio and his jeep collection.

Antonio reached out to me from the Dominican Republic the other day. He told me he collects jeeps and was working on restoring an M-38. He needs the following parts: A windshield, the hood and the radiator front grill. Can be used but in good condition to restore. (If you think you can help him out with the parts he needs, email me at d@deilers.com and I’ll share his email.)

I wrote back and asked if he could send some pics. He generously shared the following pics and a short history of how he got hooked by the Willys Sickness.

“My first vehicle was a Willys cj3 b that I bought in 1989, after several years using to work on it, I sold it. Several years later, in 2002,

I acquired another cj-3b which was very poorly rebuilt and I decided to convert it to military originality, (M-606 Sand desert in the photo), then I acquired an M-38-a1 and rebuilt too.

From, that moment I have not been able to stop. Now, I have several military Jeeps which I have rescued and rebuilt as best as possible.

I also have other willys from Japan and another from Spain, Ebro brand.

In the future I intend to create the first jeep museum in the DR. It would be located in my hometown, Constanza, a military city located in the center of our island, which is the coldest and highest city in the country.”

Here’s a good pic of his collection:

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This show one of Antonio’s sons jeeping with a 3B in the mountains of the Dominican Republic.

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1969 CJ-5 “462” Profile on Hemmings

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Bill shared this story from Hemmings about a restored 1969 CJ-5 with the 462 package.

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2021/12/30/after-eight-years-of-commuting-and-four-decades-of-plow-duty-this-1969-kaiser-jeep-cj-5-has-been-restored-for-leisure-use

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Jordan’s 1964 Tux Park CJ-5: “The GoGo Gadget Jeep”

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

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Jordan offered to share some pics of his uniquely modified CJ-5. It’s a pretty cool jeep with lots of details. It looks like it was a serious jeep for off road exploration. Here’s Jordan’s story:

I call it the GoGo Gadget Jeep. I bought this CJ-5 about 7 years ago in the foothills between Sacramento and Tahoe. The guy I bought it from had not had it very long and had not done much with it. He bought it from the estate of the guy who built it. It probably sat around since the early ’90’s when the guy died or just stopped driving it.

Apparently the original owner did search and rescue work with it in the Sierras. I have taken some stuff off that I did not want, a rack over the rear bumper, 9 horns, a single side band radio, a winch fairlead that folded down (probably built to pull rigs up cliffs), and a few other things.

The wiring is still a mess, but I am driving it around the Estacada, Oregon, area. It came with a brand new in the box full top (white), the bikini top in the pice, a worn out full top, some extra motor parts (Buick 225), a second set of tires that are in some of the pictures-I had to get new rims because I got 5 tires, but 3 rims of one type and 3 of another), and a few other odds and ends.

The extra set of tires are Goodyear Wrangler Mud Grips. I have only found one picture of them online, and no info.

It runs great with about 40,000 miles, overdrive, PTO Winch, turning brakes (those are the tall levers between the seats). The levers between the seats are the turning brakes, then the PTO engagement lever, then the overdrive lever, and then the shifter. The transfer case shift or is down below the dash.

I wish I would have met the guy that built it. It seems he was an aerospace engineer, based on some of the stickers on it. It may be that someone on your site will recognize the jeep. I would love to hear from them if so. I imagine that it was well known when it was running around the Sierras way back when.

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Scott’s “De Luxe” Wagon Remodel

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Speaking of De Luxe wagons,  I wanted to share Scott Gilbert’s effort to create a De Luxe looking wagon from his wagon. He was diligent enough to locate NOS cane stickers for the sides, an item stored away for years that was owned by someone on a non-jeep forum. I’m looking forward to seeing how his wagon looks once he finishes the restyle.

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CJ-5 Truck

• CATEGORIES: Builds This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Blaine shared this build that combined a CJ-5 and a GMC bed was featured a few years ago on Autowrecking.com. It was a product of necessity; he builder had an old CJ-5 and needed a truck.

https://www.autowrecking.com/blog/custom-1957-willys-jeep-CJ5

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Anyone Recognize Tracy’s 1944 MB

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features, Sedan-jeep • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Tracy shared pics of his grandfather’s WW2 jeep that was customized at some point, either motor-pool modified or post-war modified. He’s hoping someone might have more information about it.

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1944-mb-tracy1“This Willys came to me by way of my grandfather, a WW2 veteran of Normandy where, D-Day+1 his unit was shelled by 88’s and he lost his leg.

I have no idea when he, himself, acquired it as I never even knew it existed until I was called to remove it. Since my father never mentioned it to me, it is likely he didnt know either.

I can only assume he had visions of restoring it. Now, that falls to me, and I gladly accept that.

My plan is to do more of a “restification” on it than an all out restoration.

You see, the modifications that have been made are completely, and thoroughly welded in place. As it looks to have been this way since, at least, the era that it was acquired as surplus, if not before, it has really become part of the vehicle’s story and it will remain. The workmanship is very well done and, whoever did these modifications was a very skilled welder/fabricator as all welds, fit, and finish are top notch.

So, I share it here in hopes that I may find information on that history.”

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