Finishing what I started (55 Willys truck)

bobcat481

bobcat481

New member
Ok, story goes: guy finds '55 Willys truck. Guy works on truck for a couple of years. Guy loves truck. Guy finds girl. Guy works to get girl for a couple of months. Guy LOVES what girl has. Buy forgets about truck. That was 10 years ago. I spent lots of time/money on this back in high school, then found the a girl, got married and then got poor. It's sat in my dad's barn since then, and I decided it was time to finish it up.


The Specs:
  • Frame-off restore from the ground up.
  • 350 Chevy, double hump heads, alluminum Edelbrock intake, shorty headers, Quadra-Junk
  • Muncie 4-speed (M-21)
  • Advanced Adaptors tail piece to a
  • Spicer (Dana) 18
  • Dana 53 in rear, 44 (closed knuckle)up front
  • 4:86 gearing---no lockers yet
  • Warn Gold lock-outs
  • Frame has been gusseted (sp?)
  • 23 gal. fuel tank in place of the original
  • All new leather for the inside
  • Bucket seats
  • Tilt dog house
The Pics:

DSCN2623.JPG

DSCN2622.JPG

DSCN2625.JPG

DSCN2624.JPG

DSCN2628.JPG

The Game Plan:

  • Fab an alternator bracket
  • Fire up and let rings re-seat
  • Put S.S. Brake lines on/ bleed out brakes
  • Clean-up body >> get it painted
  • New bronze windows (was planning on using the old ones, but they ALL got broke when S**T got piled in the back of the bed)
  • Put leather interior in
  • Finish wiring lighting
  • Go through and tighten all fasteners that I forgot when I was 18 yrs. old:shades:
  • Hurculine the bed/floor board
  • Plate it >> get it on the road.
The Future plans:
  • Power steering
  • Disc brakes
  • Re-dress out the engine
  • Oak planks in bed (pretty)
  • Oak head liner shelf for radio/storage
  • Plus others as I get the itch/ideas
This project was 80% done, and I got pulled off it to grow up and be a husband / father / money-maker. I figure it's time to "get 'er done". I will try to post pics as I finish it up, and maybe a video of me shredding my front yard up when it's done. Ok, last delete the last part, I like to sleep in my own bed:razz:. If anyone has any advice/comments/complaints, let me hear them. Later, Brad
 
Alternator bracket fabbed tonight. I gonna pick up a belt on the way home from work tomarrow. Once I drop the tank and clean it out, it should be ready to fire up. Then I'm going to change out all the fluids a couple of times just cause. Brake lines and bleeding and it's about ready for a test drive.
 

IT'S ALIVE ! ! Dropped the tank...nasty stuff came out. Flushed it with a couple rounds of good gas, threw it back in. Top off the current fluids, a little shot of eather (sp?) and we have lift-off. The carb. needs re-built or maybe tuned, I'm guessing. Idles fine, but has no pick-up. Temps. came up to normal, oil pressure good. Time to change the oil, although it looks clean, and filter. I've got a valve tapping, and need to check into that with due time. All in all I'm glad it rolled over. Now on to cleaning up my age 18 wiring job. Later
 
Awsome project! Sounds like you started out with all the rite ideas, even when you were younger. At least you didnt hack it up, and have to go back and fix a bunch of bad decisions that could have been made at that age!
Good Luck!
Keep us posted!
 

Theres a Willys truck, a little older than yours, in this years Top Truck Challenge...
theyre just cool
 
Looks really good. mine has the skids for awhile, I don't think it's gonna be 10 yrs though. Glad you're back on it . . have fun.
 

Went to Pick-a-Part today (in the rain) and found a brake-booster, master cylinder,proportiong block, hydraulic clutch, slave cylinder, and pedal setup. Now to figure out how to mount it all. I figure this way I can get away from the old, and hate to say it "crappy", setup that is on it now. Good-bye pedals through the floorboard, with nasty old brackets and levers, manual brakes, and somekind of lever-action clutch rod thingy, hello 1980's.:D Later, Brad
 
well.. you had me till I saw this


Quote:
Dana 53 in rear, 44 (closed knuckle)up front
??? I'm confused. Elaborate a little for me.

And I might do a little cutting on the Thornturds down the road...maybe. I hate to say it they were mainly for looks. I heard alot of bad about them, and expected to catch some flack when I bought them. They are 80% looks, 20% function. This truck won't see too much nasty stuff. It's too old, and nice to tear up. Mainly gonna see some cornfields, and a few yard jobs;).
 

Nice truck! What part of Indiana are you from? I live just west of Greenwood. I have a buddy that has a 54 with a small block in it.
 
bobcat481 said:
well.. you had me till I saw this


??? I'm confused. Elaborate a little for me.
Click to expand...
Sorry it was in jest that I mentioned it but..
I ment the axle choices.. the 53 is actually fairly tough, less aftermarket support than the D60 brother and the semifloating tapered shafts raise my eye... but still good for what your going to do. The front I would have searched for a reg D44, the closed knuckle are not ideal, but will work for you.
 
10-4 Johnny. I didn't take any offence at all. I just wondered what you were digging at. Actually the axle choices were made for financial reasons, and the fact that I had no idea of what I needed at the time. The neighbor who I bought the truck from had them laying around, so they were cheap (he was helping a kid out), and the closed knuckle I thought was a good thing or at least "looked" like a good thing. At the time I really knew nothing about axle selection, but for $100 bucks for both, I don't think I got hurt. Man, that was a paycheck back then now that I think of it.
 
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Oh, Vlad. Your just north of me man! I'm down about 5 miles north of Martinsville (Henderson Ford Rd.) What's that about 15 minutes away? Dang, I've been looking for someone close to wheel with. Maybe we can hook up sometime. You know any good spots other than the usual "pay parks" that are ALL 2 hours away? I got about 20 acres or river bottom I play in, but that's about it.
 
I am actually in a local club and we have "Jeep night" every wednesday night in Waverly, we get together and hang out work on Jeeps and most of the time make a trip to Bargersville for free wings at Red's, come on up sometime. Oh and I lived in Martinsville until about 6 years ago.
 

What??? I never knew of this. Send me some details please. How can something this good happen 5 miles north of me and not know it? I kinda wonder if I might know you or have bumped into you. I thought everyone of Martinsville knew each other anyways. You got a name?? PM me. Later, Brad
 
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