Wakefield Willys Update 8.2

So it has been a month, an update is needed.

More rust has been removed and we are getting closer to full restoration.  I am almost done cutting away the bad stuff and ready to do repair work.  At this point, old paint needs to be removed and a few rust spots cut out.  But we are at that turning point of rebuilding the body.  In fact we already have done some welding and rebuilding.

I probably should have done a frame off restoration, but I am trying to do this on the cheap.  Well even though I have not done a frame off restoration, I am doing a hybrid version of it.  By removing a large section of the floor, I can get to the frame easily.  I have cleaned it and painted it with this undercoating rubberized black paint.  You can see the newly painted frame in the first photo. 

Sitting on top of it is the new floor supports from Classic Enterprises.  It looks good and I am looking forward to welding that into place, but I need to address the gap between the new floor support and the existing floor support.

Wakefield Willys Update 8.1

So it has been 2 months since I have posted, but work has been steadily been getting done.  Since my last update, I have been patching and welding rust spots on the Jeep Tub.  It sometimes feels like I fix one spot, and 5 more previously unknown problems appear.

The biggest shock was the floor panels.  I knew they were bad, but I thought I could patch it like others had done before.  Boy I was wrong, they needed to be cut out and replaced.

Today, I cut out the driver side floor panel.  It went well.  The frame looks good, thanks to the caked on Pennsylvania Clay.  When I went underneath to inspect the floor, I was stunned to find wood supports.  They are original, from the factory.  They will be taken out and replaced with steel.

The replacement panels come from Classic Enterprises.  They look great, and hope to put the first one in with floor supports very soon.

Wakefield Willys Update 7.2

So I am hoping to get the Willys on the road in 2015.  And days like today tell me it is not going to happen.  Let me explain.

In repairing the tub, I want to fill in all of the holes in the tub from someone drilling into it to attach a top.  And there are a lot of holes.  It is tedious work.  Prep the hole, weld. grind, and then maybe weld again, then grind.  It takes hours to do this work.  In the pictures you can see the process, the holes, the welds and the grinding.  I like doing it, but it takes a lot of time.

Wakefield Willys Update 7.1

So it has been over 2 years since I have created an update.  And that means that for 2 years little work  has been done to the 1960 Willys Jeep.  The main reason for the lapse, is that we just completed major home renovations.  And that included building a garage.  So now, we can for the first time work on the Willys Jeep in the Winter.

So I have set a goal of having the Willys on the road by the summer of 2015.  And I have a lot of work to do.  First up, is the restoration of the driver side of the Jeep.  In the pictures you have the beginning work of removing the paint, and cutting out the bad panels.  

Compare & Contrast : Rear of the Willys

Annual Fall Wrap Up

Every Autumn I wind things down with the Willys as Winter approaches.  To cold to work on the Jeep, and most of the work is body work which does not get done when the temps are under 50F.  So winter brings a break.

So here is where we are, Fall 2012

Rear Valance Installed!

Great stuff.

The Rear Valance is the last piece to be installed.  The Rear Valance is what holds the Tailgate and the rear floor.  It attaches to the rear bumper and is welded to the sides of the Willys.  The welding part has not happened yet as it is being held on by clamps.  But we are close.

The clamps are straightening it out.  It came from the 1957 Willys and it is a bit out of shape.  I had to fix it up when I took it off.  So it was not perfect. 

Once I get some welding in, I think the clamps could be removed.  Can't wait to attach the Tailgate! 

Rear Panels Being Installed

Wakefield Willys Update 5.12

Progress, and new challenges.

The frame is painted, the rear of the willys is painted.  It is time to assemble the 3 remaining pieces of the jeep.  2 rear panels, and the rear valence with the tailgate.  I wish it was as easy as bolting them to the rear bumper, but it is not.

If you look closely at the rear panel attached and the rear corner they don't match up.  Not surprising considering the age of the tub and it has probably been sagging for decades.

So what to do?  See the engine crane lying there in the background.  I think it maybe time to reassemble it and use it to lift of the rear corner.  I might have to do it on both corners, I am fairly certain both sides will need some help.

So I am going to attach the other rear panel and see how bad it is, and then probably decide to erect the engine crane.  Exciting times, glad the tools are here to work with.

Wakefield Willys Update 5.11

With cold weather approaching, painting gets more difficult.  So taking advantage of a mild day, I cleaned, painted and rubberized the rear portion of the willys jeep.  The frame, the rear bumper are all cleaned up and drying as we speak.

Feels good to be done with this, now on to the floor, rear panels and rear valence.  Yikes! We are close to being done!

Wakefield Willys Update 5.10

 Slow but steady.

As you can see by the first picture, the replacement pieces are welded in over the rear right fender.  I am not done, I need to do some grinding and go over with the welder one more time.  Then grind again and then we might be ready to paint.

To weld and get ready to move on to other parts of the rear restoration.  I removed the tires so I can get into to weld and clean up the under portion on the rear of the tub.

Did quite a bit of cleaning the frame today, but still a long long way to go.

Once the underneath is cleaned and painted, I will get back to putting the rear panels back on and finishing up the rear.

Can't wait to see this finished.  Should look great.

Willys Wakefield Update 5.9

Still working on the Right Rear.

This was not on the list of fixing up the rear.  But as I was working back there I found holes that were not easily repairable.

So in the picture you can see what I have done.  Cut the bad steel out and plan to weld in a new piece.

The new pieces are fabricated, just waiting for another day to get the new pieces in.

I was able to work on the rear bumper, the rear left and clean up some parts.

A lot of work, but not much to show for it.  Hoping that will change before the snow flies. 

Foiled by my own Handiwork!

This is kinda funny.

See that small grey primer piece of steel?   It is not suppose to be there.

So as I was tearing apart the rear of the jeep, I was getting frustrated.  Why is this corner not coming apart?  It was acting like it was reenforced.  How is that possible?

So as I was able to see inside the right rear corner, and I see this grey L shaped piece of steel welded into the corner.  And then I remembered, I put it there!

Last year when finishing up on the passenger side, I saw some rot in that rear corner and thought I would take care of that by welding a nice strong piece of steel in there.

Fast forward to today, and I am cutting and cutting and getting no where.  I had to laugh.  Foiled by my own handiwork!

Wakefield Willys Update 5.6

Just a quick update.

These 2 rear panels came in from Classic Enterprises, and I am prepping them for installation.  I cleaned them, and will prime them, paint them and set them aside.

Here is the progress on the rear of the jeep, this is going to take a while......

Rear of the Jeep

These pictures are mainly so I can remember how bad it looked.

This summer, I hope to finally fix the worst part of the Jeep, the rear.  As you can see from the pictures, it looks terrible.  Dents, holes, rust, everything that makes this project a project is located in the rear.  

The driver side is not that bad.  It is not as bad as the passenger side was.  So that does not concern me.  The real work is like I said, the rear of the Jeep.

Here is just a partial list of things I have to do:

Remove rear valence, remove both rear panels, clean and paint the frame, repair a corner, fix the rear floor and replace a post.  And that is just the salvage part.  I have not included the rebuilding part.

I think once this hurtle is crossed, the Jeep is really going to come together.  I say that because from the front, it looks decent.  From the rear, it looks like this.  Once this is completed, both ends of the jeep will look solid.  Right now, the rear looks more like Swiss cheese.

Stay tuned, once I set aside the windshield, full steam ahead with the rear of the jeep!

Wakefield Willys Update 5.2

With the warmer weather, work on the willys has begun for the Spring.

The focus this Spring is the dashboard, windshield and the rear valence.  As you can see in the pictures, the dashboard was first up.  It went through the regular process of having all its parts removed, the paint stripped, welding repairs and finally primed ready for paint.

I was a bit disappointed in the warping of the dashboard from the welding.  But that will be corrected when mounted to the tub.

On to the windshield.....

Wakefield Willys Update 5.1

 Happy New Year!

Yep it is 2012 & the CJ5 is still not done.  I still have a lot of work this year and I suspect 2013 will start the same way.

Yet progress is at hand.  I had salvaged the dashboard, rear valience and a corner piece from the 1957 Willys.

Salvage work is not just ripping stuff out to save, it takes a lot of work.

The dashboard is a great example.  So many wires, switches and I am going to need to know how to reassemble it with new parts.  It is important to make sure I catalog my work for future consideration.

The end product is in the final picture.  A few more things need to be taken off, and it will be ready to be restored.  Most likely sometime in the Spring.

My hope in 2012 is to have the majority of body work completed.  We will see.

Fall / Winter Projects 2011

I mentioned in the previous post, I am changing gears with the weather and focusing on smaller projects.  Projects that take one day, maybe two.  Painting is optional, depending on temps.

So here is the list: (in order of priority)

windshield removal & evaluation
tailgate hinges restored
rear panel replacement found
rear valence replacement found
rear driver side corner prepped
spare tire restoration
dashboard removal
rear frame restoration
air cleaner replacement
secure battery

Tub - Passenger Side Finished

Spare Tire Mount Fix on a Early CJ5

Milestone!

Less than 24 hours ago I finally finished the passenger side of the Willys Tub.  Yes, there are some odds and ends to address, but for the most part, we beat the cold weather and got the side of the Jeep painted.  Pictures of that will be coming hopefully soon.  I need to get the Willys back on its tires and get it running.  It has been a while.

Anyhow, what we have here in these series of pictures is common problem in these older jeeps.  The spare tire mount after years of use bends and warps the metal and eventually rots the corner away making a repair necessary.

Learning from a fella in AZ who made this fix, I used treated wood to help secure 2 of the bolts that before simply went into the sheet metal.

The fix is fairly straightforward.  Cut out the bad steel, attach the wood cross section to the steel cross section and then weld a new piece of steel to the rear fender.  A little grinding, drilling of new holes and you are ready to paint.

I have found some interior work that also needs to be done to really make this fix stick.  But as I said, for the most part, it is fixed and ready to take a spare tire!