Projects Nasty Habit Willys part 5.....Frame work

Took a week vacation from work to work on the Willys. Only got about a third of the things done that I thought I would but I did get the frame mod's completed. I already had the frame boxed from the firewall forward.I wanted to build a kind of subframe through the middle of the car.
My plan was to add some parallel 3 1/2"x2" rectangular tubing from the boxed front rails to a new 3"x2" crossmember that connects to boxed sections of the original frame located by the front of the rear leaf springs. A couple of struts from the roll bar will connect to this crossmember later. Then to the new frame rails I added a drive shaft loop, a removable trans crossmember and removable mounts that tie the*****tershield to the frame.You can see the beefy solid engine mounts in part 2. I wanted to make the engine/scattershield a structural part of the car. I added some 3/16 plates to the bottom of the frame to help tie the new rails to the boxed front rails and also to give the front ladder bar mounts a good mounting area. then I made the ladder bar mounts with wide gussets to spread the load out.
I feel like all the hard part is behind me and it's alot more car than it was a couple of weeks ago. It's all down hill from here......Right.

Here are the new framerails and how they connect to the new 3"x2" crossmember. Had to keep it high to clear the ladder bars.......




Here are the*****tershield to frame mounts.I want to be able to remove the*****tershield with the engine in place. I also added 4 new angle iron body mounts ......









Got the front of the frame all cleaned up and in primer......



Front ladder bar mount...

 

Too cool. Love this build.

 

Nice Kev....very nice

 

Thanks for the update, you're doing nice work!

--mika

 

lookd good kev,thanks for the update

 

lookin great kev! thanks for the update..

 

very bad**** work.

 

Looking great Kev.

 

Nice, solid, fabrication - looks like it will take anything you can throw at it, and not fold in half first time you launch it.

"If it looks right, it probably is right"

 

Looking good!

 

I'm glad your taking your time and doing it right rather than just trying to get it done very cool fab work!

 

Nice!

 

I love seeing your work Mr. Low Buck.... Solid engineering but simple and nice execution. I'll give it an A+

 

slick!

 

Man, this car is just going to be plain silly when you're done Kev. And I mean that the in the nicest way possible. Can't wait to see some youtube videos of it running at the strip when you're done.

 

The expression 'built like a brick*****house' springs to mind. This is some heavy duty fab work you've got going on there Kev and some well thought out engineering ideas. Great stuff and thanks for the update - I can never get too much of Willys builds. Keep it coming.

 

Thank's guys! I just did what I could to beef it up without removing the body. I also wanted to retain the original frame and suspension. I will be adding an 8 pt roll bar so that will help to beef it up too. A full cage would be stiffer but wouldn't suit the build. It doesn't have to be strong enough to survive the torque of a blown Hemi, just a 327 Chevy. The back 1/4 of the frame remains unboxed but I don't think it needs anything. The roll bar will help support it and with the long ladder bars I don't think the rear suspension will move a much/twist like if it had a regular 4 bar setup with coil overs.

 

looking great, i can't wait to see this one done.

 

Clean and "professional" looking.Almost like "store-bought?"
That's a compliment!
I always learn something when I ogle your work.
Thanks!

 

Looking good, can't wait to see it done and tearing up the streets! Your fab work is unbelievable but I would expect that out of my best friend in Ventura!

 

Come a long way from the smokey old Austin cut into a truck, eh boy!

 

Kev, Your new Frame work, looks firstclass!
Looking forward to the next installment.

Nick.

 

as always, great stuff on this build; spot-on, period-wise. i love the detachable 55-58 location mid-mount brackets and the re-fab of the swap-meet lakewood driveshaft loop into something structural and subtantial. which sbc hydroformed steel*****tershields have the "flats" on there for the mid-mounts like that?

 

Nice fab work and a nice project.

 

Had to do it ...
Beaut*****ter/ mounts etc
Wondering if watts link is in the plan. Could one improve or not improve handling ? Besides that there is the 'look ' issue..
Looks like it's gonna work well as is.

 

Zig Zag.......Bought the*****tershield at Turlock swap meet for $40. Pretty sure it's Lakewood part#15003. Alot of swap meet parts on this car, yard sales too. Found the valve covers at a yard sale for $20.



Spoggie..... When it's sitting back on the ground and everything is*****oned up I'll give it a good sideways push. If it wiggles too much I may add a panhard bar.

 

I do hate you sooooooooooooo. Nice work as always.

 

Great fab work. Inspiring

 

thanks for the info Kev.

ruler!

 

Kiwi Kev is my idol. -- Von Zipper.