This might be a little off topic, but my secret plan is to hot rod this vehicle if possible. My wife wanted a small SUV to drive to work, so I talked her into getting a cl***ic one that would hold some value instead of a new ****mobile. (and one that could be upgraded maybe later), I thought we might get one and restore it together. So she decided on a 1949 Willys wagon, not the original SUV as pointed out here but a very popular one. We got it home last friday and I tinkered with the 4 banger to get it running while she started taking interior apart. Got the little engine running and it runs perfect. I think I'll leave it for a while then talk her into putting a flathead Ford v8 in it later. It would look cool with two 97 carbs and edelbrock blocked letter heads. Wasn't going to do a frame off as this one didn't seem to have as much rust as these cars usually have. But as always there is twice as much as you see. So it's frame off and lots of panel replacing, going to paint it the original Tunisian red with the mahogany and birch colored woodie style paint scheme and paint the wheels with moon hubcaps. I think I have created a monster though. We started taking it apart together Fri night and by Sun it was all stripped off the frame and I was cutting out rusted panels. Woke me up at 6 am Sat and Sun like a kid at christmas. We are having some fun though.
I've always liked those and parts are somewhat readily available for them. It won't be very fast with that little four banger but it should be pretty reliable.
Atta boy, my wife and yours must be kin' This is how it started. Then I found alot of rust, then I found another body, then in went the V8. The 4 banger and stock axles will do great around town, but on the highway look for 55 max. They are great cars and I've wanted one for a long time, and I had asked a friend about his (the red one) well he gave it to me when he was tired of it. My wife can't wait for it to be hers. Let me know if there's anyway I can help. Here it is now and getting closer everyday, I even scored a set of slots for it. Won't be long and It'll all be red again. Congratulations and welcome to the cult, Tim
Awesome! Please keep us posted. I've wanted a Willys wagon for a long time. Went and looked at one last weekend...typical Michigan rust bucket....Someday.
very cool...I used to have a 57 and wish I would have kept it...my wife informed me the other day that she really liked that one...figures
Great idea. I had thought of that once as I had a '52 4x4 pickup and thuoght it would be an awesom family hauler to the soccer games. But it didn't happen. Good luck!
In High School I drove the Jeepster Commando that came stock with a 225 Buick V6. The Commando was the convertible version after the wagons. It had plenty of power and had a distinctive Jeep sound to it. Conor
Isn't it great to have a wife that will help you with the project ! My wife is that way also ! We are all just plain lucky ! Keep us posted on your progress .
Man, that's neat that your wife is so excited about the project and you're working on it together! People need to do more stuff like that. Plus it'll be a super cool little truck when it's done. I also wish more people would think about using older vehicles like that instead of newer. That's infinitely cooler than a minivan or an exploder
Always wanted one of these, finally went to buy one and damn are they tight inside even for a medium-sized guy. But perfect for the wife. good luck with it.
I'll trump that with a 1936 Ford woody, Factory authorized Marmon Herrington converted All Wheel Drive!!
Model T with a delivery body or a homemade built on camper I guess would trump both those. Or Conostoga wagons if you go back far enough. Anyway corrected it and it is no longer reffered as the original SUV.
Lucky guy, my wife has no problem with my old cars but if she wanted an SUV, it would be go pick it up - new and shinny. She wouldn't have the patience to wait for it to be build, no matter how shinny or how new all the parts are.
The Jalopy Journal
