WillysFolks
New member
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2014
- Messages
- 2
Greetings from WA...
The wife and I are taking on a new project that we thought this forum might be interested in... a 1954 Willys AceDeluxe 4-door sedan resto-mod conversion with a 1999 Chevy S10 short box chassis and short block 350 / turbo 400 swap.
Yes, the Willys line of passenger cars were all unibody, but the S10 frame fits perfectly within the original frame rails of the Willys - and - the 108 vs 108.1 inch wheelbases between the two are too close to consider any other alternatives. Yes, the front Willys body mounts and other issues were a concern, but just like everyone else on this forum, we simple work through things as they come up. Turns out a '69 Camero trunk pan and gas tank work out rather nice for replacing the rusted out Willys trunk bed and spare tire well.
And - like many of you, we've been "condemned" by the Willys restoration purists, but my wife's safety and future serviceability of the car are more important to me (and the thought of working the 350 up to 400-HP doesn't hurt either). Pulling out the Super Hurricane 226 and Hydro-matic was easy because the entire Willys front clip was installed using screws! Dropping out the differential and rear coils & leaf springs... well, think torch! And no dip stripping, it's all being done by hand.
So - thank you for allowing me to join the forum. I'll keep you posted as things progress. In the meantime, I'll attempt to attach a couple of "Before" and "During" shots of "Lil Willy", but my initial attempt was denied because of "security token" issue! Yup - I notified the forum's Admin.
Until later...
WillysFolks
The wife and I are taking on a new project that we thought this forum might be interested in... a 1954 Willys AceDeluxe 4-door sedan resto-mod conversion with a 1999 Chevy S10 short box chassis and short block 350 / turbo 400 swap.
Yes, the Willys line of passenger cars were all unibody, but the S10 frame fits perfectly within the original frame rails of the Willys - and - the 108 vs 108.1 inch wheelbases between the two are too close to consider any other alternatives. Yes, the front Willys body mounts and other issues were a concern, but just like everyone else on this forum, we simple work through things as they come up. Turns out a '69 Camero trunk pan and gas tank work out rather nice for replacing the rusted out Willys trunk bed and spare tire well.
And - like many of you, we've been "condemned" by the Willys restoration purists, but my wife's safety and future serviceability of the car are more important to me (and the thought of working the 350 up to 400-HP doesn't hurt either). Pulling out the Super Hurricane 226 and Hydro-matic was easy because the entire Willys front clip was installed using screws! Dropping out the differential and rear coils & leaf springs... well, think torch! And no dip stripping, it's all being done by hand.
So - thank you for allowing me to join the forum. I'll keep you posted as things progress. In the meantime, I'll attempt to attach a couple of "Before" and "During" shots of "Lil Willy", but my initial attempt was denied because of "security token" issue! Yup - I notified the forum's Admin.
Until later...
WillysFolks
