Inspirational Restoration on a 1956 CJ5

I spend some time at earlycj5.com, a website for guys like me. Some great guys, very helpful website.

Anyhow, a member is selling a Willys in AZ, and he has documented some of his restoration. Very very nice job. I need to learn from his work as I need to do some similar body work.

Here is the link to his restoration.

Learning Patience

Working with rusty bolts have a way of teaching patience.

Drew & I have been needing to get busy on the aluminum top on the 1957 Willys Jeep. It is bolted on to the tub and we need to remove it. Eventually, it will end up on the 1960 Willys.

It is very very very well bolted on to the Jeep. So rather than using penetrating oil, we are just going to cut the bolt off with a rotary tool. Drew did an excellent job cutting the bolts. He cut, while I supervised and finish the job of removing the bolt. 8 bolts down today, and one cutting disk destroyed. More bolts are waiting to be cut.

One of the things I like about this project is how it teaches patience. I have certainly learn patience, and Drew is learning it as well. Good life lessons for father and son.

The small things

Often when I put up a post, I focus on big projects. Brakes, removal of bumper, major parts purchased, etc.....

But a lot of my time is doing the small things.

For example, take a look at this picture. What you are looking at is the hardware associated with the hood and one battery top. These parts, like the big ones, need to be cleaned, primed and painted.

I have found if I only focus on the big projects and leave these small items sitting on the sidelines, when it comes to moving forward and reassembling the parts, I am rushing to clean up the small things. I really have tried to avoid that scenario. So if I have an hour or so, I will just work on the small things.

A Tale of 2 Tailgates

Over the weekend, Drew & I picked up a number of parts for our project. A gas tank, front springs and a few seat frames. All good stuff, but the real important purchase was an original "Willys" Tailgate with no rust holes.

Virtually an impossible find in the Northeast, but we found this one after 2 years of searching eBay, craigslist, and Willys forums.

I am very excited we finally found a good looking tailgate, now if I can find a fender like this we will be all set. The project is coming together.

I took this picture because I thought it was a great contrast. A 1960 or older "Willys" tailgate compared to a 2008 Ford "Super Duty" Tailgate.

The only similarity is that they are both stamped. Other than that, the size, weight and even technology are vastly different. The Ford has a camera, built in stairs and locking mechanism. The Willy is a simple steel tailgate, no thrills other than the hard to find "Willys" stamp.

Anyhow looking forward to cleaning this up and getting it ready for painting. Should be done by the end of the summer.

Craftsman Tool Box => Done!

Wakefield Willys Update 3.1

Warm weather means Willys Work. 50+ degrees today, perfect for working in the backyard.

Craftsman Tool Box Project.
Bottom Box is done, pictures in previous post. Stripped the top box, primed and started on painting. Give me a week or so, and it will be done. Glad to have this project almost done. I am thrilled to have the toolboxes, and the extra space is good for storage.

1960 Willys
Removed the Windshield Hinges, required a torch and drilling out numerous screws. Sanded a few parts, removed the hood to be prepped for painting. Removing hardware, excited to get the body work started on the Willys. Still no tailgate or fender.

1957 Willys
Removed its hood, cleaned it a bit and put it on the 1960 Willys. Just did not want to leave the engine exposed. Tried to work on removing the top, had little success. Need to get serious about removing the top.

Craftsman Toolbox Project (After)

Willys Color Contest

Here we have a close up shot of the 1957 Willys Hood. And if you look carefully, you will notice it has been painted a different color at one time.

Actually, it has been painted several times. How many colors do you see? Willys are famous for this, folks tend to repaint these several times. Given it is over 50 yrs old, we should not be surprised.

We plan to strip all the paint off right down to the bare metal. My angle grinder with a certain attachment has shown it can get the job done easily.

So if you guess the right amount of paint colors, you win a free ride in the restored Willys! Whoo Hoo!