OK, i know these threads kinda get the **** end of the stick, but what the hell i need input on this sooooooo restorit dropped the willys PU off at my place yesterday, and its gonna be a fun build, and give me a lil break from the 54 for a bit till i get burned out on the PU build, then its back to the 54 again... i have A.D.D. for real, and its worse in the shop anyhow, im thinkin about ditchin the parallel leaf front suspension, and converting the axle to transverse mounted spring, and moving the front axle ahead about 6" from where it is now... should give me plenty of room for the engine placement i want, and also drop the nose a bit. the back however, i'd kinda like to leave alone. keep the rear axle just where it is now, and also keep the same ride height in the rear to kinda give it that 60's-70's *** high kinda vibe... so, let the shootin match begin! lemme know whatcha think and thanks
I think the forward positioning of the front axle is a cool idea. It kinda gives any vehicle that has it that "cat ready to pounce" look to it. You'll probably drop a few pounds of unsprung weight in the process. That and the greater flexability of the transverse spring design should give you better roadholding and handling. Not to mention the front/rear weight bias will improve. Only thing is if it was me I'd go for an *** low stance, but that's just me.
You & Tingler must have been separated at birth. It's scary to think there are two of you out there... unattended, unmonitored, free to to walk a**** the m***es........... JH
ROFL yea... i know... not your typical build fodder but what the hell... least it aint a "me too" thing. least thats what i tell myself when it keeps me awake at night as for Tingler,,, he's gonna punk outta his willys and build a two row corn chopper hillbilly ghetto style thing now i guess... no HAMB Drags willys PU grudge match
Few of yall know me from Adam, but here I go anyway... Some of the best (and worst) discoverys are done on a whim. Go for it. You can always drop the rear if you have too much rake. I would build a lot of adjustability in the caster in case you decide to change it. Also think about all that empty space under the rear of the truck. You will have a lot of it! If it were me (and I wanted that look) I would feature the rear end and build a crazy set of ladderbars, plus a crazy spring and shock set up. Low cars have a hard time showing off all that stuff. Another idea is to fill up some of that space with some carefully placed exhaust. I have a small amount of "down in front" rake in my coupe. Since I sit pretty far back in it, I lose some long range visibility. A truck might not be as bad, but you will have a lot of rake (if you are not going for the g***er look). You might mock it up first and check it out. Good luck
Not Gay at all. Now Tingler will have some compi***ion,as mentioned earlier. Do it we still love ya'' Spark**x
Think of it this way, with the price of gas, front end up you will always be driving up hill, with the *** end up, you will always be coasting down hill.
***ual favors nah, actually, she was gettin ready to shoot me when i told her about the thing last summer when i bought it from Tom, but after seeing her reaction and her comment about the truck when she got home yesterday and seen the truck sittin in "her spot in the garage" she said "i approve" so. . . i might be building this one and loose it to her oh well,,, this is cheaper than the 32 vicky she lusts after
You're a sick, sick man. But, you're not gay. What are ya thinkin' for power? Willys/Jeep became Mopar, so I'm thinkin' HEMI... But I think that a lot... Got a plan in mind? ~Scotch~
remove cab and flip the frame. Set up underslung suspension. Install engine, drive train. Locate cab wherever it clears the engine. Lengthen front fenders and shorten bed as necessary. Run large enough diameter wheels for adequate scrub clearance. Reference an "American Underslung" car for great profile.
get the truck low to the ground if you are going to drive it at highway speeds. The high roll center is dangerious.
OK so i'm a sick, twisted, insane, A.D.D. suffering GAY bastid who aint got money for a vicky... oh well. for now, motervation is gonna come in the form of the 223 eye-sicks outta the 54, backed by a 3speed truck bell and gearbox... simple, handy and oaid for just needs a quick cleanin and rebuild in a spray can. like i say, i spent a bundle on the 223 and its got that "cool, different but *** like" appeal to it
Screw All That !!!! Do The Hemi ... And Straight Axle It Into A G***er!!!! High In Front, Slicks, Skinnys, Fender Exit Headers...... Paint It Drab Green ..............
Hey man, I like the ider of the 6. Not so sure that Willis frame could handle a Hemi, either the torque nor the extra weight, without a bunch of extra work. Now, bout that suspension thing... That got the flat front fenders? You gunna run the fenders? How about the nose piece, you move the front wheels forward, will they clear the nose when you turn the wheels? The nose piece is whats cool bout them trucks, would be a ***** to loose that. Lowering the front end would make it a bunch more stable, but the front fenders being opened up to clear the forward moved tires would offset any advantages lowering it would have. Could be a hand full at 80 on the interstate...oh yea, the 6 probably won't go that fast, could be a handful going down the interstate at 60? 55? 45? You got someone to follow you to pick up the stuff that falls off? I think its time to do a little photo chopping. Play wit the pictures until you get the look you want, then build the truck. Could be a down-n-dirty cheap ride. Maybe then I could have someone to crooze down the strip...er, um, race...yea, race with down the strip with at Mokan with this summer? LOL Gene
Somethin bout the word Willy and Gay in the same post makes me wonder bout you folks in the north I think you may have slipped and hit your head on the frozen Tundra....... Damn son get somethin goin for the drags sittin in the back of a minivan at the track aint right........ I would make it a g***er........... Shoe
LOL you n me lined up at MOKAN, right arms out the window and we'll BOTH jump the light by a cool 3 or 4 seconds... sounds like a plan to me far as the fenders go, they are the flat(ish) ones, and even if i laid the frame ON the axle they'd clear on top, and in front also... the fenders are completely open to the front. (only cover the rear and top of the tire) but im not really sold on the idea of using the fenders at all... prolly use the hood and for sure keepin the willys trademark "jeep" lookin grill surround, headlights, markers and all. i think i might have a pic of it that Rocky sent me when i first bought the thing from restorit last summer that he took when he first got it at auction. . .i'll need to look round a bit and see... i DID crawl around the front of the truck today with a tape measure, and there aint NO way in hell i could get away with a spring under axle setup and keep them little's up front... the draglink and hell even the bottoms of the u-bolts are JUST above the scrubline as it is now... just going to need to get creative with the shackle mounts on the frame, and take out a leaf or three from each pack to get the thing down... from what i could see, i can prolly squeeze 4-6" of drop without major work or worry about scrubline issues at the same time... new springs are gonna be needed, at least a new main leaf. . . unless anyone knows how to repair spring eyes that have been pried open?
i kinda dig the g***er idea. . . slap the fenders back on it, and stuff a healthy SBF in there. . . hmmmmm far as the drags go, aint no WAY in HELL im running the inferno red mama fiddy mini down to MOKAN this summer... even if i gotta buy a friggin s-10 and slap the dam thing on that ch***is. . . ok ok... thats even more gay
Looks like the wagon pictured has an independent suspension on it. Probably won't wanna go that way... About the way the leafs mount to the frame, does the front, top of the shackle go through a bracket thats riveted to the frame? is the leaf positioned directly under the frame, or does it sit inside or outside of the frame? How is the rear of the spring connect to the frame? Pictures would help out a bunch. I've been involved with moving a few leaf springs in my day. Is this a 4wd front axle? Would it be a huge project to kick the leafs inside or outside the frame rails? You could gain more drop if you can kick the springs outside the frame rails, if all you have to do is weld on a couple axle spring pads. All you really need to move them is enough to mount the spring brackets along side the rails, maybe a couple inches each side? As far as Mokan, I might be thrashing a new ride togeather for this year too. My 54 is on the bay and things are starting to look like it may be moving on. Hell, I might be in my 4x4 this year! 4 wheel burn outs? UM, probably not.... long walk home carrying the suit cases & giving the little lady a piggy back ride. Gene
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