I got to drive past a really cool place the other day. I was passing through Toledo and went by the Dana factory that's on the site where the original willys plant was. The willys overland smokestack is still standing. It was neat to see a piece of history, and the facility where we now get axles from!
Also I'm assuming that site is where flossy would have been built!!
That is the sacred ground where Flossy was built. They tore most of the plant down in 2002, and the rest in 2007. It was built in 1904 to manufacture bicycles. In 1910 it was turned into the first Willys plant. It was a very interesting setup. The Jeeps started assembly on the first floor and made their way to the roof where they were driven off a long ramp to the shipping lot below. I spent a few hours in there! There were 3 smokestacks. The port authority of Toledo felt for the history of it all, they would leave one smokestack standing. I am glad they did. I drive by it often. It always brings memories. I want to someday take a picture with peeJ and the stack in the background.
That's really awesome info, thank you! I'm glad they were able to keep a piece of it standing to show the history. That would have been a cool sight seeing a parade of brand new jeeps driving down off the roof!! Wish I could go back and get one of them rust free, compression ring intact willys and transport it to today, haha! I'm super happy I was able to see that site, I had been to the new jeep assembly plant years ago, and probably drove by the old willys site, but it means more to me now that I own something that came from there.Originally Posted by bmorgil
You gotta make that photo happen. We were able to get a picture of my Dad's TJ in front of the Bantam factory, where the first jeep prototype was made. That's something I should do with flossy, the Bantam factory is still standing, only 45 minutes from my house.
Edit, I forgot, we weren't able to get the jeep up close, only on the entrance road by the Bantam avenue road sign. It was a long time ago(hence the very young version of me in the back, haha) but here's a photo of the Bantam site from Google.
Last edited by 56willys; 04-13-2025 at 09:48 PM.
America First on that valve cover!! Well done.
Some great memories for you there 56'! What a handsome young man in the back seat!
I wish I had taken a bit of time back in '21 when I brought the Heep up to Toledo for Jeep's 80th anniversary festival. It would have been great to take a photo with the remaining smoke stack. Great photos there '56 of Bantam.
Come on back gmwillys! We will get a picture.
So, in the gasket kit from Kaiser, I got 4 of each of these seals pictured. The style on the left is the rubber O ring for the intake valves. The one on the right is a flat, not flexible (similar material to a normal gasket) I haven't been able to find these ones on right listed anywhere. And I don't know where they go, I don't think there is any seal on the exhaust valves? Could it just be a different version of intake valve seals, and I just choose if I want it instead of the rubber style? I don't remember seeing anything like these anywhere when I tore the engine apart.
O-Rings on the intake valves, nothing on the exhaust. The flat washers go on the lifter cover under the nuts.
Last edited by bmorgil; 04-15-2025 at 05:56 PM.
That makes sense, thank you. I hadn't thought of that, since there were copper washers in that place before.
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