Projects Gene (Moonlighter) Cromer's A/G Willys Resurrection

Thanks bud. HRP

 

The side pieces for the rear safety panel mount

 

The sides installed

 

The other side

 

The sides for the panel if you look close you can see that I made a small brake around the out side of the panels for looks and strength.

 

All the panels installed I left an 1/8 gap around the out side of the panel to the body so if the body moves any it won't bend the panel. The little brake goes all the way around the out side of the panel but you can't see it in the pic.

 

Another angle. It's not finished yet but you can tell what it's going to look like, I think it turned out good.

 

Quain, ....... you are goooooooooooood !

 

Turned out good is a understatement,,it turned out great! HRP

 

looks great! wow

 

I had to make a new panel for the alumn. trunk pan to bolt to the old one had been cut out. It's welded to the lower rear panel I rounded it like the rear panel and then turned a 5/16 lip down for strength. It's hard to see in the pic just look for the new metal. You can also see the old dzus fastener tabs that held the trunk lid down.

 

The new alumn. trunk pans are ruffed in. The old original rivet holes were in the frame rails that was the clue that I needed to make the trunk pans just like they were when the car was built in 1963. The brakes are in the same places and the same angles. The battery box is the original and sticks up through the trunk pan just like before. I did weld some threaded bushing to the side of the box for battery hold downs.

 

Another angle of the trunk pan bad lighting again.

 

Nice work!! most people don't realize how difficult fitting tin is and how long it takes! still haven't figured out how you formed the small end on the trans tunnel? Chris

 

Sure is great to watch it coming back together.

What do you think Gene? ? ? ? ? ? ?

 

Looking good. Real nice work.

 

Looks great! Will all these panels be removeable with dzus fasteners, or will they be permanent?

 

Only the trans cover will be removable when it's all finished.

 

Been following along since the beginning - GREAT PROGRESS!! The 'ol girl will roll out in the spotlight once again in due time! I would kill to see this ressurected gasser on the drag strip after 40 years of silence! Here on the east coast, in todays times, we rarely get to see these famous gassers do exibition passes! Maybe this will change since this baby is being ressurected here on the right coast!!!

 

If all goes as planed you will see it back on the track this summer with the original driver

 

I'm not finished with the sheet metal and alumn. work yet but I had to get away from it for a while so I would not get burned out. Today I'm going to get started on the rear end housing. Cromer dug us up an old housing from the junk yard to start with. I'm going to a lot of trouble to keep from putting a brace on the back because it didn't have one on it before. The tracks are some much better now then they were back then I need to make the housing stronger but still look the same as it did back then. This is what's left after I cut the old thin axle tubes out you will see what the notches are for in later pics.

 

First I weld the over lap seam on the inside

 

The heat marks on the out side show the new weld about a 1/2" over from the original factory weld this makes this area a lot stronger.

 

What did Gene's Willys have for a rear suspension?

 

To install the axle tubes straight I have an old third member with alumn. bushings in place of the side carrier bearings with a 1 1/2" hole through the middle. A lot of ya'll know how to do this sort of stuff so if I'm getting into to much detail let me know. I left this part of the build off of my willys build thread so here it is for the ones that care.

 

The shaft, bushings, and new axle tubes they are 3 1/2 by 1/4 wall seamless tubing should hold anything that ford engine can give it.

 

The bushing go in each end of the tube then the 1 1/2 bar slides through them then into the bushings that are in the third member that's 4 points it's got to be straight now.

 

Now you can see what the notch is for I run the tube as close as I can to the side carrier bearing there will also be more bracing inside the housing to the end of the tube. This is the area where the stock housing flexes the most.

 

All welded up always tack it good in several places then take the bushings and bar out the welding will warp it a little and the bar won't come out then it's all junk. leave the third member bolted in so it don't warp in this area.

 

The back side, I may fill the notch with weld then grind it down so you can't tell anything has been done to the housing. Remember the best chassis in the world is no good with out a good rear end housing.