63 Willys Wagon refresh

[gmwillys]

This is an on going project on our 63 Wagon. The wagon has been with me since the late 80's. I drove it some through high school, in which we called it the aquarium. The sbc 350 that had been transplanted into it via some barn yard engineering from the prior owners, was less than reliable. The wagon then went by the wayside while work, college, and more work got in the way. It was put into storage after spending some time in the elements. From that point on, it was sitting for around 15 years, until the barn was ready to be torn down. I pulled it out and loaded it up for the 12 trip to it's new home. After getting it back into running condition, it still was a piece of yard art, while awaiting its turn in the garage. In the fall of 2016, I was moving it around, pulled it into the driveway, and then and there decided it was finally the wagon's turn. It is a work in progress, and plan on starting back on it soon.

[gmwillys]

The engine is in need of either a total rebuild, or an upgrade. Might as well start by pulling the front end to see what else needs attention.

[gmwillys]

With the front end off, the frame didn't look too bad. The layers of grease a mouse turds didn't look to be hiding anything too drastic. Some of the barn yard engineered power steering modes, and engine mounts could be prettied up. Might as well strip it down to the frame.

[gmwillys]

I've gone this far, pulling the drive train would only take a little while. Have to see in what condition the frame is in. All in all, the frame was in pretty descent shape. Knock off the make shift radiator support, and clean up the barn yard welds, everything is looking good.

[gmwillys]

I decided to fill all the unnecessary holes in the frame, while I was at it. There was very little rust pits in the frame, except where the hitch was cobbled to the rear frame horns. The front cross member had been modified to remove the steering pivot, so that hole was filled in. The Saginaw steering box is mounted to the frame horn, then the input shaft is run under the cross member. The cross member is trimmed and boxed close to the frame rail, so that the power steering hoses can travel through the cross member. It makes for a fairly clean routing, after the booger welds are cleaned up and faced. The frame was then pulled out and flipped over. No sense in only doing the top side. The axles were slid out of the way for now, on casters. The frame really cleaned up nice. No real grinding was required, except were the welds needed it. Not bad for an Illinois frame. After this point, the frame was tipped over again, and shot with some rattle can frame paint. The axles were reinstalled, and moved out of the garage for the mean time. It was the bodies turn in the garage.

[gmwillys]

If anyone is considering on doing a concourse, Pebble Beach restoration, here are some factory chalk marks hidden behind the heater core/ ballast resistor.

[gmwillys]

Fire wall cleaning and extra hole filling.

[gmwillys]

More firewall work.

[gmwillys]

Wind shield and dash rust.

[gmwillys]

I decided to take the time and make some saw horses to ease in getting the body up enough to comfortably work on the under side, floors and lower quarters. These saw horses will also aid in reinstalling the body to the frame later on. I also invested in a welding cabinet from Harbor Freight. It is actually a pretty descent cabinet. The drawers are heavy duty, with roller bearings. There is enough room in and on it to keep everything welding all in one location. It is expensive for something from the Harbor, but after figuring up materials, I couldn't make one like it for that kind of money.

[pelago]

350 huh Neat, how much did the firewall have to get moved for the V8

[gmwillys]

That would be another option. With the original engine being a straight six, there is a whole lot of room to the forward position, to slide the drive train to keep from cutting into the firewall. The body seam was hammered down just enough to clear the passenger side exhaust. The distributor is a points unit, but it is tight with the firewall. I have considered a magneto set up, but then I might run out of room upward in the cove of the firewall. I have seen HEI distributors withe coil externally mounted. That would be another option.

[Boodogboo]

? I have looked at a lot of videos on primer,just wandering watt primer are you using on the body that you have cleaned.i will be doing the same thing before to long.

[gmwillys]

That would be another option. With the original engine being a straight six, there is a whole lot of room to the forward position, to slide the drive train to keep from cutting into the firewall. The body seam was hammered down just enough to clear the passenger side exhaust. The distributor is a points unit, but it is tight with the firewall. I have considered a magneto set up, but then I might run out of room upward in the cove of the firewall. I have seen HEI distributors withe coil externally mounted. That would be another option.

Being that I am doing mine in sections, I am using Rustoleum self etching rattle cans. It works well for doing spots, then clearing off more old paint ,then repainting. The Rustoleum can be sanded smooth, then painted over with a decent automotive primer for final sealer before paint. Wally World sells the cans for just under $5.00 a can, and it goes a fairly long way. The following pictures are from a M38A1 that I worked a few years back. The primer is the Rustoleum sprayed over the skim coat of body filler. Smoothed out rather well. Your final primer/sealer should be compatible with the base coat that you intend to use. In my opinion, I would first figure out what brand or type of paint I would want to use first, then speak with an automotive paint store to figure out a primer that will live with the color coat. PPG makes some really good products, but you will pay for it. House of Kolors has good stuff also, but again expensive. Shop around, even Ebay has some all in one purchase packages.

[Boodogboo]

Thanks, I just hear all kinds of things about primer and didn't want to mess up and use the wrong stuff and regret it. Thanks again.

[gmwillys]

First, I ask myself what will the Jeep be used for. Back woods trails, or show quality. If I'm painting something in the driveway, then I want something that is not effected as much with humidity. Something that is easy to fix if a bug lands in it, or bird craps on it just after a coat. Implement paint works well for an everyday runner, but does not have a high luster. It's good for back woods trails, where branches and brush would destroy a good paint job. Good paint goes on well, but some of the best paints are environmentally sensitive.

[Boodogboo]

ok Time for more pic, watt u waiting on. lol.

[gmwillys]

There isn't too much new progress to report. We have been working seven days a week, up until Christmas. Finally had four days off in a row, so I had a bunch of things to take care of around the house. I did manage to finish the saw horses for the wagon body yesterday. I have picked up the sheet metal for the repair work on the floor and quarters, now all I need is time.

[LarrBeard]

Very nice set of roll-around horses.

While it takes a while to build a set of those, they save time in the fairly short run.

And, it keeps heavy things from falling on your head.

[Boodogboo]

I hear ya, just got home myself. Weather starting to get nasty anyway.

[gmwillys]

I had a set of saw horses for the M38A1 build a few years back, that I didn't make. I liked the simplicity of them, but wanted to build a set that were capable of holding the weight of not only the body, but the body and frame later on. Putting on some wheels worked well for rolling the whole mess around.

Boodogboo, we needed some good cold weather for a change. It's fun to watch the Wally World shelves empty of milk, bread, and eggs every time a flake of snow is in the forecast.

[Boodogboo]

My lucky day today, got that dana 44 front end complete with disc brakes,3.73 , gonna make yaw mad when you hear price,100.00 and with the leaf springs. So that's front,rear and Dana 20 540.00. YeeHaw , now all I need is someone to give me a t18 tomorrow and that will close out my year on a good note.

[gmwillys]

Sounds like you have been a good boy this year! Great find, and a great price!

[LarrBeard]

Every so often blind squirrels find acorns without worms in them.

Just remember - when you're working on old Jeeps - every Yee-Haw has an Awww -Pooh hiding behind it.

Have a safe New Year guys...

[gmwillys]

Same to you Sir. You are correct in your statement. The sun does shine on a dog's butt every once in a while. At bare minimum, he has good bones to start out with.

[gmwillys]

It has been asked about the measurements for the stock placement of the rear spring hangers on the wagons.

These first photos could have been better. The first two pictures are from the lower rear frame rail to the mount.

[gmwillys]

See if the photos help you out.

[Boodogboo]

Yes that gives me a good print in my head,I do believe I can make them. Thanks for the help. Oh you were talking of overtime I did 131 hrs last week. Roll Tide

[gmwillys]

I managed to get a few hours in a row to strip some more paint off the wagon. The dash board and firewall were the first priority, then the floor boards. I managed to make it past the front seat mounts, mid way to the rear seats. The nylon brushes that harbor freight sell cuts through the paint fairly quickly. In my opinion, they work much better than sand blasting. The next step will be replacing the floor boards.

[LarrBeard]

I want to try these on the Donaldson oil bath air cleaner I found for the '48. Sand blasting an air cleaner and getting it full of grit doesn't seem to be that great of an idea.

Which size and grit seem to do the best job for you?

[gmwillys]

The 180 Grit are the orange brushes, and the blue are a 120 grit, if I remember correctly. I use mostly the orange. The paint comes off in fine dust, so a dust mask or respirator will be needed, but a shot from the air nozzle, and your part is clean, and ready for prep sol and paint. The brushes will leave a good surface for the paint to bond to the metal, (just enough scratch). The brushes are hard on drills. The side load does tend to wear out bearings faster than normal. A cheap drill last as long as an expensive one. I usually get two to three complete Heeps per drill, depending if it was a military Jeep or civilian... Or how many coats of paint are to be removed.

[LarrBeard]

That's why I like Harbor Freight.

"Hey, your XXX broke and its only about Y months old".

Keep your receipt and you never wear out a tool. Almost as good as Craftsman used to be. The only way you wore out a Craftsman was to lose it or get it stolen.

But, never buy a Craftsman 1/2 inch box end wrench. They're too expensive to lose or loan out.

Oh, by the way, Mike and Jon @ KWAS helped me figure out all of the matching parts (air horn, hoses, clamps, etc.) to put this project together. It's gonna look slap yo' momma' good......

[gmwillys]

Good deal. I've been meaning to ask how the air cleaner project was going.

Lowe's used to warranty their products, as long as you bought the item from them..... Now you have to dig through a file cabinet full of receipts to find the correct one. The extended warranty is worth it, as long as you don't burn through too many within that time. Harbor freight does have the best deal for warranty, and bang for the buck.

Snap On and the others are not as good as well. No brands are truly all American made.

[Bonsaichuck]

When you lifted the body how did you attach your hoist? I do not want to do any damage but I am on my own like you were. Any progress since you last pictures?

[gmwillys]

My rear valance panel was garbage, so it really didn't matter. If your sheet metal is good, I would add a spreader beam out side the valance, between the two legs of the chain. I ran a chain through the bumper reliefs and hooked into the body cross member. The engine hoist centered at the rear. It took some time to go back and forth from front to rear, cribbing as the body raised, but the whole process took a couple of hours. The engine and trans were still installed, so care had to be taken to clear the shifters.

I have taken the summer to work on a addition to the ranch. The project is very near completion, so back to the wagon this fall/winter.

[DTS_Q!!!]

I just found your build, I will be reading with interest as I hope to own/build a wagon one day.

[gmwillys]

I'm hoping that things slow down enough around here to start back in on it. DTS_Q!!!, Keep on the lookout, they are out there for sale. Stick to the local ads, and Craigslist. Folks on eBay want a fortune for piles of scrap.

[DTS_Q!!!]

gmwillys, I will keep looking. They are hard to come by here in S. FL.

[gmwillys]

I would imagine that the sea air would disolve most any classic car down there. Keep us up to date of the progress of your search.

[gmwillys]

I finally took some time to dive back into the wagon. This will be a bit of hit and miss, because of a lack of free time, but we will do our best to keep at it. After removing everything that didn't belong to the wagon, (various junk and pile-its) and a thorough sweeping out, it was time to revisit the rust. Now, truth be told, I'm on the fence about whether to purchase pre-bent floor boards or to fabricate my own. The floor itself is really fairly simple. Not but a few bends at the tunnel/rocker panel, and only two stiffener ribs going across. I have a 10' X 4' sheet of 18 gauge that I picked up for this project, and might as well use it. The piece from Kaisers is a quality piece, since I have used one of them previously. The biggest thing is coming off the cash for the piece when I can make my own for next to nothing. My long suffering Misses tells me I'm cheap constantly. In my mind, I would rather spend the money on the rocker support brackets, which are a lot more complex to replicate then the floor board.

I was really surprised that the anti corrosion coating and undercoating was effective on the underside of the body. There is no sign of rust starting from the underside through to the upper side. The down side is that the rust started on the top side and worked its way down. Road salt and water sat on the floorboards and finally eat through. The underside looks pretty good until you remove the undercoating and coating. Then you can see daylight. The worst part is the inside of the tool box section, that is covered by the seat deck. It is an out of the way place for rodents to make a condo in there, this accelerated the damage done to the floor there.

[gmwillys]

This is the hanging pedal assembly that was adapted to fit from a Wagoneer. The angle mount for the steering column was has been modified for the wagon's dash. It will take a little work to clean up the welds, and to dress up the pie cuts. The Z link for the clutch has an extension added to the link for the hanging pedal. Again, a little cleaning and dressing up, it will be just fine.

[TJones]

Thats what I am about to get started on mine GM, I dont think I have enough room to mount the brake pedal due to the firewall starts to curve in on the right side of the steering column.
I may have to get a little creative unless you know of a set of swing pedals that will work. I am looking at a set of Wilwood pedals and I dont think there is enough firewall to bolt the too.
I want to go with daul master cylinders for the brake and hydraulic slave for the clutch.
Any suggestions??

[gmwillys]

I would go with the Wilwood or Tilton, then fabricate a mount plate that compensates for the curvature, and gives you a solid mount for your pedals. The mount bracket will stiffen up the firewall, since it wasn't designed to 1 hold the weight of the pedal assembly, 2 withstand the pressure of a number 12 shoe trying to push the pedal through the firewall in a panic stop.

The next question, power brakes? If so, are you going to run a cam in the engine? The reason I ask, a large cam will cut down your vacuum, causing little to no vacuum assist. Then that leaves you with a hydroboost, much the same as a diesel pickup/3/4 ton. Then you don't rely on vacuum at all. Chevy Astro vans ran a hydroboost brake set up as well. It is a lot more compact then the ones on the trucks. Next thought that comes to mind, hydraulic clutch or mechanical? If hydraulic, then I would for sure go with the aftermarket pedals from the before mentioned manufactures, just so you keep them in a pair...Just for looks. If mechanical, then I would lean more towards the later Wagoneer or CJ5 pedals. Food for thought.

I am including some links to some discussions that I found looking around.

https://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/jeep-willys/1022475-swing-hanging-pedals.html

http://www.jeepingoffroad.com/vanco.htm

https://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/jeep-hardcore-tech/152418-hanging-pedals-clutch-brake-cylinders-4-my-flatty.html

[pelago]

wow!! looks great

[TJones]

Thanks for the forums GM it made my decision a lot easier.
3815
This picture let me see that both the brake and clutch pedals can be mounted on the left side of the column so I didnt have to cut out the firewall and make room on the right side to mount my brake pedal.
I am going to stick with the Wilwoods bc they probably have 50 different choices of combinations of brake and clutch assemblies.
I'm not usig the booster on the brakes bc like you stated I am putting a cam in the motor and it wont make S*&t for vacum and I am going with a hydraulic clutch.
Once I get them picked out and mounted I post some pictures for all to see.

[gmwillys]

I've made up my mind to fabricate the floor board, now I need to invest in a sheet metal shrinker and a stretcher to Fab the lower section of the seat riser/ tool compartment. I wish I had the room for an English wheel.

[gmwillys]

We spent Saturday off loading 3.5 ton of crusher run limestone, since it was a nice day, and before the next rain. It will be a good base, but I figure that I will only need 16 1/2 more tons to bring everything up to grade.

After the shoveling was done, then I got back into the garage and disassembled the clutch and brake pedals. All the loose parts had the paint removed then primed for the time being. They will eventually get painted the original trim color. Since the mount is bare, it will get all the previous welds cleaned up, then the whole bracket will be modified to remove material to where it will look like it is made for the wagon. Where the two sections do not align, there was two pie cuts made to allow me to peen them back together, then weld up. It will improve the barnyard engineered look of the modified bracket. As long as the bracket was loose, I also marked the holes in the firewall, to close them up for better fitment. I am also planning to continue the stiffener panel over to where the good hinge mounts. This will give the firewall support to prevent the firewall from flexing during a panic stop. This will also help when power brakes are added later on in the build.

[TJones]

Wow, thats a lot of shoveling there GM. I guess I am spoiled with the iron doing all the work for me but I guess you work with what you have!!!!

Your pedals look sweet and I'm sure you will do a good job putting them all back together and mounting them up.

[gmwillys]

I had a guy give me a quote to haul in the gravel and spread it, but after a month of waiting, I ran out of patience. I checked around with different quarries, and they were high on their delivery charges. The local farmer's Co-op had what I wanted for $30/ ton, so I got enough for a base. It doesn't hurt to run the shovel for a while. My daughter also had the opportunity to get reacquainted with the wheel barrow. The whole process only took about an hour.

[TJones]

Haven't heard a peep out of Palego in a few days wonder if everything is OK?

WOW that sounds pretty expensive for (what we call up North #304 Limestone) i'm picking it up at our stone yard for $18.50 a ton and we use a lot of it, the Arsenal job we are starting on Monday requires 9,000 tons to replace the debris we are digging out to fill it back up to grade.

[gmwillys]

I looked today to see when the last time he was heard from. He was on this post last Tuesday, then posted on his on the 4th. Hopefully he is just busy fitting his rear panel, or better yet, taking the body to paint.

It is a 3/4 minus crusher run with fines. It is high, but even higher at the quarry. Then they wanted $175 on top for trucking. The looks you get when you want them to end gate spread it.... When I lived in the north land, I gave $250 for an end dump of crushed concrete. I don't know why it's so high here. I guess that's why a lot of folks use chirt in these parts for a base. It makes a mess, so I didn't want to park on top of it.

[gmwillys]

I placed an order through KW for the rocker support and the rocker panel. The parts arrived two days after the order was placed, and I am extremely happy with the quality of the parts that were ordered. Now I have to clean the oil off of them, drill the spot welds, and prep them for paint. Now, I need to finish pulling the floor out..... Spot welds a plenty.

[TJones]

Looking Good GM!!!!!
Still havent seen anything from the Ole Boy, I Hope everything is Okay with him.......
Wonder if someone should drop a quarter and check on his well being?
I tried to message you again and your mailbox was full:confused:

[gmwillys]

I cleared out a bunch of messages. Each thread is limited to 5,000 words or so. Try creating a new message, and see if that works. Last week when we were conversing, I couldn't send a response back because we had reached the limit. A new message, and all was right in the world again.
Pelago is back on today. He's been working on his tail section, getting it right. He's tougher than all of us combined. That doesn't make us any less concerned about him.

[gmwillys]

Reworking the pedal mount. It isn't done as of yet, just need to finish dressing the welds, then paint.

[TJones]

Looks pretty damn Good GM, I think I should have stock in the 80 grit flap disc'. They sure can make a piss poor welder look like a professional.
I do the same thing, I weld a little then grind a little then weld to fill in then grind some more. It takes a long time but when your finished it looks pretty good and yours does that.
I think if I ever do another project i may invest in a tig welder, that way when your done it looks pretty good and there is not much need in grinding (if you get it down pat).
Until then I'll keep buying 80 grit disc.............

[gmwillys]

The flap disks are great. The original 6013 stick welds weren't too ugly. It just wasn't finished to my satisfaction. While it's apart, might as well make it look alright. I pulled the work cart outside to keep from smoking up the garage, and to put some better light on the subject. The wind was fairly calm, but I did need to put up a wind screen. The welds came out pretty clean, or at least there wasn't any porosity. I turned the flow meter up 10 psi to make sure there was enough gas to compensate for any breeze that may have gone through.

I agree, a TIG welder would be a great addition. We have a guy here that is so good he can TIG beer cans together. I'm not near that good, but it would make sheet metal work so much easier. Harbor has pretty good deals on inverter DC TIGs, but if I was going to drop the money, I would invest in a AC/DC Miller or ESAB. Then you could do aluminum as well as steel. Add it to the wish list, along with a stretcher/shrinker, an English wheel, and an Iron Worker. Then I would have to build a bigger shop.

[TJones]

I agree on Harbor Frieght it is my go to store, besides Menards or Rural King ( its a Menards on steroids here in Ohio ).
A buddy of mine let me use his shrinking disc on a grinder to take out the waves in the sheet metal from to much heat when welding and it worked pretty slick. Just heat it up with friction and drench it with cold water and it pops right out.
The guy doing my motor builds Pro-Stock chassis here in Akron and let me tell you he is the best tig welder I have ever seen, he lays a bead down and it looks like someone put it down with a caulking gun.

[gmwillys]

I had been given stick on ceramic squares. When you are welding on a large panel, and don't want to take all day to weld it up, you stick the squares on and they dissipate a lot of the heat. The only real time I was impatient with a weld job was on the passenger floor of the A1 that I did. Just got in too big of a hurry. The inside curve at the front of the tool box sucked in enough to be vary noticeable. A shrinking disk, (DA paper disk turned backwards) wouldn't put enough heat in the panel to do any good. Had to take the torch and heat up the area, then roll it back out with a baseball bate and pry bar. Took three times longer than if I just would have taken my time.

Down here, we don't have any real good all in one stores besides Harbor Freight or TSC. Living in the north land, we had Menards, Farm King, Farm and Fleet, and Fleet Farms. TSC is good to buy grade 8 hardware by the pound, and the yellow oil based machinery primer can't be beat. Farm and Fleet is like your Rural King, but Fleet Farm is a true man mall. If they don't have it, you don't need it.

[TJones]

Here is the shrinking disc I have GM, it works great3930

Your floor pan is coming out Real Nice,I bet it is tough getting the mounting holes/runners in the exact place they need to be unless you marked the old runners.

I found a couple of good places to buy bolts online, boltdepot.com and mcmastercarr.com
McMaster Carr generally doesn't sell small qty., but Bolt Depot you can get what ever or how many ever you need.
McMaster Carr is in Twinsburg Ohio and its only 12 miles from me but Bolt Depot is in Massachusetts and takes about 4 days to get stuff from them. They both are a Mans Mall for any type of fastener your looking for.

[gmwillys]

The last picture was of a Heep like Pelagro's that was done a few years back. The hat channels were mostly salvaged originals. We had purchased a straight section, and spliced in what was rotten. The white oak that acted as a stiffener/filler holds in moisture, and causes the floor to rot. To keep the channel from collapsing when the hardware was torqued, there were thick wall sections of 1/2" i.d. pipe welded in. So before the channel was installed the sections were painted with several coats of the yellow industrial primer from TSC, then a couple of coats of the por 15, then a couple of coats of etching primer. The mating surfaces were coated with weld through primer to ensure that there would be no exposed metal.
To answer your question, I had a spare frame that the dimensions all matched the original frame. I used it as a jig to ensure that everything fit correctly when mated to the original. Everything was tacked, then rolled over on its side for ease of welding.

I used to have 5 gallon buckets filled with Cat hardware. When Caterpillar changed their logo from the packman C, to the pyramid up the A. They threw out boxes upon boxes of perfectly good, never used hardware. Everything I owned or worked on had Cat hardware.
I put a shrinking disk on my Christmas list, just behind the shrinker/ stretcher I need for making the bottoms of the tool compartment on the wagon.

[LarrBeard]

OK, for those of us who are not metal wizards, what is a shrinking disc?

[TJones]

I'm with you Larrbeard, I had no idea what it was either until my friend that built a 32 Street Rod that took him 5 years to build told me about it. It fits on a big grinder and doesn't grind the metal it just heats it up a area with friction and the metal turns a yellow then blue color then you drench it with a wet rag or pour water on it and the sudden temperature change shrinks the metal from contraction the opposite of when you heat a bolt or nut that is heated up will expand to get it off. You can do the the same with a benzo-matic torch or cutting torch but the out come is very erratic due to you are heating up to much of a area in lieu of a shrinking disc heating up a small section area.
They work Great but it takes some practice to get it down.

[TJones]

P.S. I am not a metal Wizard just a dumb Ole Excavator.............

[gmwillys]

Dumb Ole Excavator? Hardly. It takes a lot of talent to be a good iron hustler. I have had a lot of seat time in different machines, but can not be considered an operator. One outfit I worked for part time had a peat moss fire. I spent 20 hours in the seat of a 300 Kabelco excavator mixing water in to help put out the fire. I don't remember how many tanker trucks were dumped in the hole, but I'm sure it was enough to float a battleship.

[LarrBeard]

What not to say to your wife.

"Uh, dear. I have this great new tool that removes wrinkles from the metal on that Jeep I'm working on. Could I give you a facial?"

[gmwillys]

Yeah. Don't add Bondo spreaders to the Wally World list, then get asked what they are for..... Mr. Sensitive I am not.

[gmwillys]

The driver's floor is coming out over the weekend. The base of the tool compartment separated fairly easily.

[gmwillys]

More photos.

[LarrBeard]

It looks like a ship in overhaul at Alabama Shipbuilding and Drydock. You would declare it would never go anywhere again.

[gmwillys]

Hopefully this project won't become an artificial reef.

Could be worse.....

[LarrBeard]

Willys America has a fire wall heat and sound insulator that looks like it should really kill a bunch of heat and noise from up in the engine room. On hot summer days that little F-134 in the '48 seems to dump as much heat back to the cab as it throws out through the radiator.

[gmwillys]

I was able to save the original firewall insulation, but am toying with the idea of installing the Dynamat behind the insulation, to keep with the original look. I don't want to spoil the look of the outside of the firewall with insulation, within the engine compartment. The biggest area of concern would be under the floor. I don't want to detract from the look of the steel floor and the oak runners. My only choice would be to apply the Dynamat to the underside of the body. A Line-X application would be a better solution for the exterior floor, and the dollars and sense would be comparable to the true Dynamat application. I foresee the application of both the Dynamat for the interior doors, roof and quarter panels, then the Line-X for the environmentally exposed underneath.

One may ask to why I am considering to go this route? Well, lets review the overall plan for the Heep. The wagon will be an everyday capable all season driver. It was already converted over to a SBC V8 before purchased 30 years ago. The engine will be either upgraded to a gen IV SBC L96 364 C.I. plug and play engine, or I'll rebuild the tired 350 and throw on a stand alone fuel injection system. The remainder of the drive train remains the original axles/T-case/transmission, in which they will remain for now. The future would bring some upgraded, one piece axles, and a higher road gear. The transmission will stay, but an overdrive would be added to the T-case. Tires would remain close to a stock size, because I'm not getting any younger, and am too fat to jump into any vehicle. As far as the climate control, I am not an A/C guy when driving, especially with the wing windows, cowl scoop, doors and rear seat sliders open. f it gets really warm, the upper tailgate can be opened as well..... Just wait for the hatch to come crashing down when galloping over railroad tracks.


http://www.dynamat.com/automotive-and-transportation/automotive-restoration/dynaliner/

http://www.linex.com/protective-coatings/security-and-defense

[LarrBeard]

It sounds like a pretty well thought out plan and you have the ability to execute it.

As the Old Gunny said;
"Everyone has a plan until those first rounds go 'snap' over your head."

[gmwillys]

We have good practice at maintaining things that get shot at. It's not the rounds overhead, but the ones that lurk under the roadway that make for a bad day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsWXFJxYp8U

[gmwillys]

Today was a good day to see what could be salvaged from the removed floorboard.
I also decided to hang the driver's door to ensure that the door gaps are staying where they need to be. It ended up being a good plan, because the cowl relaxed a 1/4". It's shored up now.

[gmwillys]

Storms are starting to roll through, and my poor viscous guard pup wasn't happy. She wasn't feeling good this afternoon anyway. Then my shadow wasn't to happy sharing her garage.

[Tim..]

Looking good gmwillys. I'm going to have to replace the right floor pan soon. I should probably replace both of them but the left side is a lot better. Still trying to figure out how to weld on thin meatal. The little welder I got at Harbor Freight wants to burn through the metal. I see more practice welding in the near future.

[gmwillys]

Tim,

Sheet metal isn't as hard as one may think. I run a Miller 110VAC welder, with .035 solid wire, and 25% Argon gas. I like running the thicker wire for filling gaps and ground out rust holes. Old sheet metal withstands heat much better than modern steel, and a whole lot better than the foreign made steel. I can set the heat much higher, with a slower wire speed then stitching in a newer floor pan. When you do weld in a floor pan, focus your heat on the original steel, and draw in the new steel into your puddle. Bounce around a lot, to prevent from causing wrinkles.

[TJones]

I hope all is well with you and your family after the tornado swept through Alabama GM.

[gmwillys]

All is well on the upper east side. It rained pretty heavy, but the wind wasn't too bad. The latest count was 23 souls lost to include small children. They had less than 10 minutes of warning, but most were lost within their interior rooms. Most of the houses were wiped clean off the foundation. Most houses do not have basements. Either they are built on a slab or elevated on a crawl space.
We had a slightly smaller tornado go through last March, and destroyed most of Jacksonville State University. We are butted up against the mountain, and storms usually divide and go around us. The one last March went up and over the mountain just a few miles down the ridge. The prevailing wind path is out of the Southeast, going to the Northeast. That storm came out of the Northwest to the Southeast.

[gmwillys]

Yesterday, I had some time to start on starting the driver's side floor. I took the old floor and cut out the insert that fits under the tool box, to aid in the layout process. I'm still convinced that I can make my own floor board, so a blank was cut from a sheet of 18 gauge. After the blank was cut, the original floor board was used to help form the blank around the door edge. In full disclosure, I did screw up the measurements. I cut the blank to match the floor board, but neglected to read my notes or double check the measurements of the empty space on the body. In short, (no pun intended) the blank is 3" short. Not a big deal, but I was intending to make the repair in a single piece. I had forgotten that I had decided to cut three inches beyond the floor piece in the front to get rid of some more cancer, and even jotted the change down. Measure once and cut twice.... There are some complex bends that will need to be made for around the tunnel and around the throttle pedal that will have to be made in separate pieces. I've come to the realization that I need to invest in a shot bag and a variety of hammers to work on making complex shapes. An English wheel would be nice as well, but shop space is a premium as it is now.

[gmwillys]

Had some time on Sunday to piddle around in the garage. The steering column for the wagon has been moved around several times as things are rearranged. After looking at it setting on top of the cabinet, It was time that the steering wheel received a little attention. The plastic has cracked on both sides plus a couple on the top and bottom. Some would say that it isn't worth the trouble, but I'm hard headed. The wheel is out of a first gen wagoneer, so there aren't repops available. I like the feel of the wheel, so it stays.

Now to fill the voids: A two part JB Weld epoxy. Clean the metal ring that was exposed within the crack, and rough up the plastic for the epoxy to bond to.

Then the fun part. Shaping and sanding to make the repair seamless. More photos to come as I get it looking right.

The last step will to be to buy into some steering wheel paint and clear.

[bmorgil]

Oh man I did not know you had this going! Nice project gmwillys! I like the daily driver concept with the SBC. That is going to be one nice cruiser. I like the repair on the wheel with epoxy. Not many realize that that stuff makes for some real good repairs. It is very strong and workable.

I cant wait to see pictures of that baby on the road.

[gmwillys]

It's a painfully slow process. Too many irons in the fire, but hopefully by spring I will have my garage expansion well underway. Then I will have more room to work.

[5JeepsAz]

Great steering wheel! So glad to see it being kept and repaired.

[gmwillys]

I spent the day moving everything out of the garage and doing a deep cleaning. Think of it as either early spring cleaning or a pre-mess clean-up. I did pull the passenger door out of storage and mounted it. This is to help keep the body square while working the floor replacement. Hopefully there will be more work to follow soon, in between working on the garage extension.

[okiemark]

I have a cleanup ahead of me too. My neat little shop has a coat of dust everywhere from grinding rust and dried up grease and dirt off my project. I built a small room inside a larger building that was intended for small projects where I could warm or cool it and get a lawnmower in if I wanted too. The jeep just barely fit in.

[okiemark]

That wagon is going to be beautiful when you get it done.

[bmorgil]

That is a nice Wagon! It is going to be a looker' that's for sure.

[TJones]

Sure hope you get it done in time for the Toledo Jeep Fest gm,It will be a close battle between you, Larry, and Bob, then if Ira decides to make it who knows who will walk away with a Trophy!!!!

[LarrBeard]

We had to repair the steering wheel on the '48, but it didn't stay fixed, another ongoing project.

I kept the original flat horn button/ring/whatever and it didn't match the newer wheel, so there is a barnyard fix with 10-32 screws to mount the horn button.

JB Weld will mend most anything except a broken heart and the crack of dawn - it has held the upper ramrod ring on my muzzleloader for about 6 or 7 deer so far.

[TJones]

We had to repair the steering wheel on the '48, but it didn't stay fixed, another ongoing project.

I kept the original flat horn button/ring/whatever and it didn't match the newer wheel, so there is a barnyard fix with 10-32 screws to mount the horn button.

JB Weld will mend most anything except a broken heart and the crack of dawn - it has held the upper ramrod ring on my muzzleloader for about 6 or 7 deer so far.

That is Hilarious about JB Weld:):):)

[okiemark]

It worked wonders repairing a rusted out place in the bottom of the oil bath air cleaner on my project.

[gmwillys]

To make Toledo this year, I would have to bring the 2A.... Not a prize winner, more like a poster child for getting a tetanus shot, but it is trusty. It'll be a while on the wagon.

LarrBeard is a poet.

[LarrBeard]

"LarrBeard is a poet."

You'd never guess it, he isn't a Longfellow .. yuk> yech

[gmwillys]

More like Edgar Allen Poe. Nevermore.

[bmorgil]

No trophy's at the Jeep Fest. It's all about the gathering of Willys vehicles and Jeeps, lots of Jeeps.

Be careful with LarrBeard, he fired a heavy across the bow in a prior post. Something about "pay back". Stay out of the water!

[gmwillys]

True. His aim is pretty true.

[5JeepsAz]

Where we at in the refresh? Finished? You might appreciate this. So I'm reading your encyclopedia chapters on here, find one, dig in, ok. cool. next one. I get to this thread and I see that steering wheel again and I was ready to reply even though I'm just browsing, but you know what? Thats the only thing I replied to originally. And I'm still interested. Was that steering wheel too ugmo or did it fail? Why need replaced? Was the new one different so much the vintage horn button would not fit? What'd you end up with for steering wheel?

[gmwillys]

It seems that when the pandemic hit, I've been busier than normal. Trying to make production numbers on vehicles at work when our suppliers are behind due to COVID case shutdowns, has made for some long days. I have been doing some maintenance to the 2A and racking on some miles on it. In the meantime, I have been making purchases of the sheet metal I've been wanting for the floor repairs. New front floor boards, rockers, support braces, cowl lowers for both sides, lower tail gate repair panel, and the rear body cross member. The only items that are still on the wish list are the tailgate hinge and the rear bumper valance, (just in case the fuel tank fairy is listening). As far as the steering wheel, I'm sticking with the Wagoneer steering wheel and column. It looks right, and since the mount holds the hanging brake and clutch pedals, I'll keep it around. Now all I need is a stretch of a few days with nothing pressing to do, and the sparks will fly. Argon tank is near full, the 11 pound spool of MIG wire has plenty, so I'm running out of excuses.

[mrgrtt123]

It seems that when the pandemic hit, I've been busier than normal. Trying to make production numbers on vehicles at work when our suppliers are behind due to COVID case shutdowns, has made for some long days. I have been doing some maintenance to the 2A and racking on some miles on it. In the meantime, I have been making purchases of the sheet metal I've been wanting for the floor repairs. New front floor boards, rockers, support braces, cowl lowers for both sides, lower tail gate repair panel, and the rear body cross member. The only items that are still on the wish list are the tailgate hinge and the rear bumper valance, (just in case the fuel tank fairy is listening). As far as the steering wheel, I'm sticking with the Wagoneer steering wheel and column. It looks right, and since the mount holds the hanging brake and clutch pedals, I'll keep it around. Now all I need is a stretch of a few days with nothing pressing to do, and the sparks will fly. Argon tank is near full, the 11 pound spool of MIG wire has plenty, so I'm running out of excuses.

It is a good way to keep yourself busy during this time. A lot of my friends are busy modifying their cars as well.

[gmwillys]

Why don't I get anything done on the Heeps? Here are two reasons from this weekend. The first is a new to me S10 with a hurt 2.2, (broken timing chain). This truck is screaming for a 502 BBC and a Jerico clutch less trans, but will be put back to stock for my daughter to drive come fall. The second project for the weekend is a Allis Chalmers D12 that is in need of some TLC. The owner brought it by saying that there was water in the oil, and it was overheating. Well, it was overheating a bit, and running on about two and a half cylinders, but the oil was clean and the antifreeze was all green. The points were cruddy, along with the cap. After all that was cleaned up and it was firing on all four, it was still not sounding off. Pulled the valve cover and found the the valves were way out of adjustment as you can see in the photo. Now it is a waiting game for the parts to come in for the tune up and thermostat. At least the tractor is a paying gig. Hopefully next weekend will be an all Willy's weekend.

[bmorgil]

I would say the weekend is done!

Man that is some serious lash under that rocker. Whats up there gm? Looks like the valve didn't make it home or the cam lobe\lifter is not there any more.

[LarrBeard]

That lil' D12 is so freakin' cute. It looks like a tractor only a lot smaller.

[gmwillys]

The adjuster was lose, and was backed out on three rockers. The only thing that saved the top end was that the pedestal studs were lose as well. After inspection and tightening the mount studs, the valves adjusted nicely. The cam looked good with a visual inspection, and the amount of lift. The day before the tractor was brought to me, it was used to disk several acres. If it were me trying to do that, it would have self destructed. Now, after a good carb and valve adjustment, it will idle low enough to count the fan blades as they turn. Now just waiting on the parts order to come in for the valve cover, the exhaust, and a tune up kit. The only real work will be to tighten up the steering and setting the alignment.

[bmorgil]

gm breathes life into her! Nice gm, keeping those old rigs running!

[gmwillys]

Another chapter to the saga of why I never get anything done on the wagon.... I made the mistake of saying out loud that I was going to get back to working on the floors of the wagon, (I'm waiting on a deal to go through to salvage some lumber from a house that is slated for demo, for the garage-ma-hall project). So with a few weeks of nothing pressing, why not burn some wire on the wagon??? Nope. My first born decided to see if her car was capable of air mail delivery. First of all, she wasn't hurt, with the worst injury coming from my boot to her backside. After a couple of weeks of waiting for parts, and a couple of weekends welding, beating, and pulling, she's back on the "road". She can now go back to terrorizing pedestrians and small animals.

[bmorgil]

Yikes! That mailbox jumped right out there.

[LarrBeard]

Phone? Or will the truth ever be known?

[51 CJ3]

I had a niece do something similar on her way to school one morning. She swears she wasn’t on her phone. The tracks (gravel road) looked like she just drove into the ditch. No sign of braking or swerving before the tracks entered the ditch.

[gmwillys]

That was about the same set up with her. The good thing is that it was a fairly easy fix. To be perfectly honest, I believe that she was messing with her phone. She went off gradually on the right, then yanked it over through the oncoming Lane into the ditch for 20 yards with no sign of braking. Then jumped a culvert, sailed for another 10 yards into the mailboxes.

[gmwillys]

The fix wasn't too bad. A new core support, radiator, A/C condenser with lines, a stub harness, and a bumper. The drivers side uni-body stub had a pucker that ironed out alright. The most time was taken up by fitting the core support, and getting it welded in.

[bmorgil]

Hopefully the lesson was well learned! The flying isn't bad, the landing is usually rough.

[gmwillys]

Wagon work resumes. The lower cowl needed some love, so a new panel was purchased. Some of the inner panel had to have some rust repair before proceeding, just because it is much easier to clean up from the outside. Some metal finishing will be needed on the inside to make it neat. To ensure that all the lines were good, the front fenders were put on to make sure everything lined up. I put the grill in just to tie everything together, and to make it feel like I was making more forward progress, ( at least a boost in motivation).

Next, the driver's side floor is being fitted for size. I will need to add a little more around the center transmission tunnel, because the wagon was a little more soft in that area than normal. No hill for a climber, just a little more work involved.

[bmorgil]

This is going to be a sweet addition to your fleet!

[TJones]

WOW gm married life must be doing well in your world, somebody must love wheeling more than you do!!!
Looks like your off to the races on the wagon, looking Good!!
Wont be long you’ll be able to get dealer tags for your Fleet :cool::cool:

[gmwillys]

Yep, all the girls like going out riding in the Jeep/Heep, and are looking forward to cruising in the wagon. Yeah tags..... I just gave the state a check for $820 for all the tags that I'm currently running. Just might have to check into dealer tags. I do have a manufacturers tag issued to me from work, guess I could borrow it on the weekends....

[bmorgil]

gm don't you have "Historical" tags down there in God's country? I have them on everything older than 25 years. One time registration of $30 for the rest of the vehicles life in Ohio.

[LarrBeard]

"One time registration of $30 for the rest of the vehicles life in Ohio."

Just over the line here in Indiana, you have to renew the tags every year. It takes a trip to the local DMV since you cannot (a) Renew a historical vehicle on line (b) You have to pay extra for "Year of Manufacture" tags and (c) You have to execute an affidavit swearing that you are not using the vehicle as a daily driver to beat out a few dollars in license fees.

OBTW - you still pay excise tax on it.

To top it off, just about every year the DMV employee takes me out to the lobby to show me how easy it is to renew without having to bother her/him. Then - when the robot in the lobby tells her/him that "This transaction cannot be completed - please see a DMV agent", we go back and do what I asked to do in the first place.

Harumph - I guess I'm getting older and grouchier. But - still better than the other option...

[bmorgil]

Wow I will never complain about the Ohio DMV again! There are some restrictions here also. They are not easily enforced however. Most 25 year old cars in the rust belt are not traveling a lot anymore anyway.

[gmwillys]

It is a principle issue. I'm not too inclined to let someone tell me when and where I can drive my heeps. The Wrangler is 31years old now, but I drive it daily. Could I get away with driving on a classic license plate, probably, but one State Trooper would make for a bad day. Both plates for the Wrangler and the 2A are $60 for both. It's the newer car and truck that get deep in the pockets. Then the state has you renew on the month that is assigned to the first letter of your last name. Mine is June, so everything is due then.

[TJones]

gm don't you have "Historical" tags down there in God's country? I have them on everything older than 25 years. One time registration of $30 for the rest of the vehicles life in Ohio.

UNLESS Bmorgil, you did like I did!!!
I got a personalized Historical “Tim’s 52 3A” and didn’t put any sticker’s on it I just stuck the sticker’s for the county and month they expire in the tool box and drove, and next July rolled around and they wanted me to pay another $60 or $80 bucks bc it was a “personalized historical plate”.
Sooo I’m just driving the Ole Orange Crate around with “EXPIRED Historical Plates” :D:D
It’s always better to beg for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission!!!!

[bmorgil]

I don't see any Constable catching that one! Worst case scenario you have to pay back registration fees. I don't think in Ohio you are going to have any trouble as long as the plate says historical or, is a plate from 1952. I didn't pay the extra for the personalized. I just use the white and black tag they give you. Looks like it was a good thing! Though I have always wanted to get a 1950 plate.

It is hysterical that your historical plate is expired. I can see you in court now. Your honor, it is historical or hysterical either way!

[LarrBeard]

The '48 had been sitting for about 35 years. Once I got the title boondoggle settled, I finally had enough papers to try to register it. Since I was late in renewing the last set of plates I had put on it in about 1975 - I had to pay a slug of "late renewal fees" (maybe 5-years worth) to get new registration papers.

Freakin' bureaucrats...

I have to have my historical plate physically in the vehicle, but since I have a "year of manufacture" plate, I don't have to show the historical plate. BUT - I have to have a current year sticker on the "year of manufacture" plate. Go figure.

I'll drive the truck in the New Haven 4th of July Parade today. The Summit City Wheelers are a Jeep/UTV club that show up with 15 to 25 tricked out vehicles that would look right at home at JeepFest. I spoke with the organizer yesterday, and I get to lead the pack of young Jeeps down the parade route. The old man gets to show the kids the way.

This is what it looked like in 2019.

[bmorgil]

I spoke with the organizer yesterday, and I get to lead the pack of young Jeeps down the parade route. The old man gets to show the kids the way.

This is what it looked like in 2019.

A smart man your organizer! That Senior Chief, is how you lead a parade.

[TJones]

Susan and I were going to take the Orange Crate to downtown Akron tomorrow and participate in the 4th of July parade/car show but on Monday night some young kid decided he was going to out run the police on route 8 at 90 some mph and when they got close he decided he’d make them stop chasing him by firing a couple warning shots at the cruisers and it went incredibly down hill fast:(:(
Needless to say it ended with one 20 yo dead with 60 some bullet wounds and 90 some empty casing on the ground, a massacre to say the least, so Akron decided to cancel all events downtown due to riots every night since.
Im telling you it’s Horrible in Akron Ohio right now:(:(

[bmorgil]

Wow saw that on the news. A very brief mention that the boy fired at the police and they returned fire. The news is cranking it up to riot status.

[gmwillys]

The world is going hell in a hand basket. That's why I only leave the ranch as little as possible.

Since I had a week off, I did get some forward progress on the wagon. The drivers side floor pan is 90 percent completed. I did run into a slight rub on positioning the forward hat channel section. The floor pulled upward in that section from the heat from the welding... (No matter how many times I've done a floor pan, I do this at least once to where I cause myself more work to make it right). Oh well, break out the shrinking hammer and dolly for a little more practice. After pondering the universe and consuming a beer and a Lucky Strike, it came to me why don't I try to sub assemble the passenger side. That went way better in my opinion... until it comes to putting it into place. It shouldn't be too bad. The passenger side wasn't near as rusted out as the driver's side, so there won't have to add any extra sheet metal.

[bmorgil]

Man that is looking nice gm! I am amazed at how you put these back together after God dissolves them.

[TJones]

Looking pretty D**m good gm, you are a Master!!!

[LarrBeard]

You guys who bend metal to do your will amaze me!

[gmwillys]

Talk about a back burner project.... Well, at least it's still on the stove, and not pushed off to a corner of the rust ranch. Anyway, I managed to take some time while I'm on vacation to work on the wagon lower passenger cowl, fit the floor sub assembly, and fix some rust holes in the inner body structure/door jams. Everything was going well until I ran out of argon, so I'll have to finish the final fitment and weld when I get some more time. I'm not planning on taking another year and a half before getting back on it again.

[TJones]

Happy New Year to All!!!
You are definitely a Master GM!!!!!
Good to hear you finally got some Well deserved time off.
Stay Safe and Healthy Everyone!!

[bmorgil]

It is great the way the projects will wait for you. Picking right up where you left off gm. Looking like it is coming back to life. It is growing new skin! You do great work gm.

[56willys]

It is very easy to get side tracked and not work on projects. However that is looking great! Good work sir!

[gmwillys]

Thank you all for the New Years wishes. Yes, the project has been on the back burner for too long. I won't get back on it this weekend due to work, but next weekend should be a go.