"Secret Willys Revival" (My chopped '53)

[Sam_Fear]

I can tell you're really getting into this rat rodding thing. Keep the pics coming.... [P

 

[Snake Farm]

I can tell you're really getting into this rat rodding thing. Keep the pics coming.... [P

Does it show ? Since taking the cab off on Saturday I've worked on it at least an hour every day! If I can keep that up I will have this thing moving under it's own power in 2011...........or at least have the floor fixed

Spent an hour on it tonight, I'd love to be making blue sparks instead of orange ones but for now the scrap pile just keeps getting bigger

Stay tuned,

Ray

 

[skull]

did the welden' tips he'p??

my buddy was wondering if the welding tips helped?[S

wait till ya get to the wiring, that's where l am, yeaaa real fun[ddd

keep pumpin' it'll get there


:Later

 

[Snake Farm]

my buddy was wondering if the welding tips helped?[S
:Later

Yes, yes they did! My friend still needs a lot of practice but he is now performing mediocre welds with greater ease

Thanks for the tips

Ray

 

[Johnson]

Cool, I would have kept it 4x4, but that`s just me. I`ll be following in your footsteps as far as learning to weld sheet metal here shortly. I like the cab light holes, but I would have kept the drip rails, I think they go well with the wedge shape of the truck(and bed, if you go that way).

Keep it up,
Johnson

 

[Snake Farm]

Not a great deal of progress on the Willys floor this week I've been pretty drained , my day job had me on a roof ten hours a day in the hot sun....I know, I was just complaining about winter not long ago . Anyway I got this in the mail today........

.....shifter boot from a Suzuki Samurai that I snagged on eBay. The round hole fits my Lokar shifter nicely, it came with the metal ring and has just the look I wanted [cl
Hope to get back on the floor patching this weekend[

Stay tuned,

Ray

 

[The Tackman]

Looks nice...I cant wait to order the same shifter for my truck.[dr

 

[chopfather]

just read the whole thread..... awsome .... on your rear fender thing ,have ya looked at maybe gettin a couple more front fenders ,just throwin it out there [

 

[Snake Farm]

Thanks everyone for the continued support and comments.

Cool, I`ll be following in your footsteps as far as learning to weld sheet metal here shortly.

Just jump in with both feet.....that's what I'm doing Granted I'm not ready to weld on any steering box mounts or four-links but I'm improving and I figure I'm safe on the sheet metal.......I can at least weld good enough to keep it from blowing off

just read the whole thread..... awsome .... on your rear fender thing ,have ya looked at maybe gettin a couple more front fenders ,just throwin it out there [

Actually I considered doing that back when I planned to have a shorter bed, but they're not that easy to find around here and now with the longer bed I think I like the full fenders better.

I've been pecking away at the bottom of the cab and I'm slowly making progress. I have the worst of the rust cut out except for a little trimming here and there and have started to patch back in a little....

I found four of these in my scrap metal pile.....

....and made two rear cab mounts out of them........

and welded them in...

More to come.......

 

[Snake Farm]

*WARNING* Graphic pics

Also over the weekend I tackled the bad cab corner and rocker end on the passenger side. Took a piece of metal and a hammer...unfortunately if a piece of metal is not shaped the way I want it the only thing I know to do is beat on it .......and made this end for the rocker panel....

The original rockers on these trucks end abruptly and look funny so I made this a little longer....

....so it would blend into the cab a little better.........I use the term "blend" very loosely

Welded in rocker end and a patch.....

....dressed it up a little

and voila! Rough but sturdy, kinda like a barn LOL. Nothing a little Duraglas and some 80 grit won't take care of

Hang on, got a few more pics from tonight....

 

[skull]

ha ha ha

little more pratice and themel' almost look like real welds


(they are lookin' better)

Later

 

[Snake Farm]

Tonight I made a couple patches for the missing section of the lower cowl.

Clamped on some metal and got out my template I made the other day....

Marked a cut line and a bend line....

Beat it into shape.....

A little test fit.....

Made another for the inner panel, tacked my splits and dressed them up a bit...

Hope to get them welded in later this week and start building the lower/inner rockers. I've got to get this thing back together soon! Tomorrow will make the third Wednesday it's been apart now, and Wednesdays are hard...........that's my night for sitting in the Willys and making engine noises

To be continued,

Ray

 

[Snake Farm]

little more pratice and themel' almost look like real welds


(they are lookin' better)

Later

Thanks man........I'm trying [[

 

[Johnson]

Just jump in with both feet.....that's what I'm doing Granted I'm not ready to weld on any steering box mounts or four-links but I'm improving and I figure I'm safe on the sheet metal.......I can at least weld good enough to keep it from blowing off

I already know how to weld, I learned on an old stick welder(at least 3x as old as I am). But, if you even so much as look at something as thin as sheet metal while your holding that electrode, it blows through. I just got myself a 110v wire feed welder(it can be a true mig, but I`m running flux core right now), and I plan to break it in doing work on my rambler.

Your welds are looking better, and at this rate you`ll have the willys back together soon. More than I can say for my car....

 

[Snake Farm]

Spent and hour or so on the Willys tonight. Welded in the patch panels that I made last night.....

Then it was off to Wednesday cruise night....

Pa chuga pa chuga pa chuga...VVdrdrdrdroooooooooom...............

It's just not the same with it all torn apart

Stay tuned,

Ray

 

[skull]

pratice

l see your'e praticing for the "launch date" on the truck[dr

hahahaaa[ddev

Later

 

[Snake Farm]

l see your'e praticing for the "launch date" on the truck[dr

hahahaaa[ddev

Later

Commence countdown....30 - 29 - 28 - 27 -......those are years ya understand
I really think this is going to be the year though, so maybe I'm getting close to 1 - 0 - CONTACT ! I know I've gotten more enjoyment out of this truck in the last few months than I have in all the years I've owned it.....and that's a good thing ![cl[cl

Later,

Ray

 

[Snake Farm]

Chuggi'n along, slowly but surely. Tonight I put a bottom in the cowl patches..

....and then stuck my fender section back on to see if it came anyways near lining up

....pretty nice fit......this is a Rat Rod ya know

Chipping away at it,

Ray

 

[Snake Farm]

Didn't get any work done on the Willys over the weekend...... worked on the house, went to a local car show and done some family stuff.
Worked on it tonight though for an hour or so. Took a break from patching holes and made one instead. These trucks have these neat little compartments under the seat risers that must have been accessible by lifting up the seat bottom [S....I don't know because I never had an original seat for it.
Anyways, the seat I have planned won't allow for access so I decided to open up a hole in the side of the riser. I made a crude trim ring out of some rod from my scrap pile............

I will use it to reinforce the opening and provide a smooth edge so I don't cut my arm off reaching in there

I'll have one on each side and will probably make some sort of sign or license plate door for it....

.....kinda crude but it's strictly utilitarian ya understand

Tomorrow night it's back to patching holes, gotta get it looking like this again..

Stay tuned,

Ray

 

[Johnson]

A couple G-body Monte license plate brackets would work well for that. Be spring loaded, wouldn`t need a latch. Shouldn`t be hard to find or expensive either.

If you did that, then you should find some `53 license plates to use with it.