51 Willys Overland Wagon

[MrBeast]

Why the gas motor over a good turbo diesel swap? Cool project.... Its nice having a GF that digs projects like this

Well, I bought a 90 suburban for 400.00, Sold the wheels and tires for 250.00 Sold various other parts for about 150.00, used the steering column in my 85 that I just sold, The burban had a really really good running 350, I scrapped the rest of the burban for 212.00 which means basically the guy who sold me the suburban paid me 212.00 to take a good running chevy 350 off his hands.

If I went with a Cummins id have to shell out 2500 bucks to buy one. Then id need the adapter, then id need the intercooler, then id rebuild the pump, then id need the clutch.

I already have a NV4500 out of the 99 GMC I parted, and the right bellhousing, along with all the stuff to make the clutch work, all I will need there is the center force dual friction, and a new flywheel.

The thing I consider is I can get parts for this 350 at any auto parts store, nothing on it is special order because chevrolet produced several million of them. It is easy to find and easy to work on, and well cost me nothing!

I know the Cummins has the cool factor, and belive me I love the Cummins, my 72 chevy truck is gonna have a Cummins in it when I finish it.

An interesting thought though. By the time this build is complete including the camper I estimate that it will still have cost me less than it would to go buy a brand new Chevrolet 1/2 ton pickup.

I spent 1500.00 on the Willys, 800 on the front dana 60, 200 on the wheels, 250 on the NP205, got the dana 60 rear for free, the dana 70 came out of a 93 dodge I parted for the cummins for my 72, The NV4500 came out of a parts truck that I had given to me for pulling the motor and sticking it in a friends truck for him.

The steel for the frame has cost about 120 bucks, so right now im into this thing about 2870.00, and I am estimating it will cost another 12,000 to finish it. and an additional 1200.00 in tires.

Estimated total cost will be about $15,870, even if I go over budget and spend 20 grand, it will be well worth it because of what the rig will be in the end.

Then you consider the cost of the airstream, I will pay no more than 3,500.00 for the trailer, the axles will run me about a grand, tires another 1200, I have wheels for it already, steel for the new trailer frame will run about 1200.00, and I estimate the interior refurb will run another 8 grand.

Estimated total cost for the trailer: 13,900.00

Estimated cost for the total build: 29,770.00

I posted below a lightly optioned silverado 1500, 6.0, some trimmings, steel wheels, 4x4, Price: $34,730

About $4,960.00 more than I estimate the Willys and trailer will cost. The great thing about it, when that 2011 silverado is half as old as the Willys, the willys will still be a relavant cool rig, the silverado will have been scrapped and made into 3 kia's. :smiley_drive:

lighty optioned 1500 silverado:
Your Built 2011 Silverado 1500 Extended Cab Standard Box 4-Wheel Drive LTNext: Summary
PACKAGES:
Chrome Package Chrome Package $276
Protection Package Protection Package $384
On The Job Package On The Job Package $495
Convenience Package Convenience Package $860
Interior Plus Package Interior Plus Package $995
Z71 Appearance Package Z71 Appearance Package $1,245
Chrome Essentials Package Chrome Essentials Package $1,700
Florida Edition Florida Edition $2,535
All-Star Edition All-Star Edition $2,775
Max Trailering Pack
Max Trailering Pack
$3,535
Texas Edition Texas Edition $3,970
Regional Value Package Regional Value Package $3,970POWERTRAIN:
Handling/Trailering Suspension Package
Handling/Trailering Suspension Package
Standard
Z71 Suspension Package Z71 Suspension Package $275
Engine, Vortec 4.8L Variable Valve Timing V8 SFI FlexFuel Engine, Vortec 4.8L Variable Valve Timing V8 SFI FlexFuel Standard
Engine, Vortec 6.2L Variable Valve Timing V8 SFI E85-compatible, FlexFuel
Engine, Vortec 6.2L Variable Valve Timing V8 SFI E85-compatible, FlexFuel
$2,020
4-Speed Automatic Transmission 4-Speed Automatic Transmission Standard
GVWR, 7000 lbs. (3175 kg) GVWR, 7000 lbs. (3175 kg) Standard
GVWR, 7200 lbs. (3266 kg)
GVWR, 7200 lbs. (3266 kg)
Available
Rear axle, 3.42 ratio Rear axle, 3.42 ratio Standard
Rear axle, 3.08 ratio Rear axle, 3.08 ratio Available
Engine block heater
Engine block heater
$75
Heavy-Duty Trailering Package
Heavy-Duty Trailering Package
$350
Heavy-Duty Cooling Package Heavy-Duty Cooling Package Available
Heavy-duty automatic locking rear differential
Heavy-duty automatic locking rear differential
$325
Skid Plate Package
Skid Plate Package
$150
Trailer brake controller, integrated
Trailer brake controller, integrated
$200
EXTERIOR:
17" x 7.5" 6-lug chrome styled-steel wheels 17" x 7.5" 6-lug chrome styled-steel wheels Standard
17" x 7.5" 5-spoke aluminum wheels
17" x 7.5" 5-spoke aluminum wheels
$250
18" x 8" aluminum wheels 18" x 8" aluminum wheels $400
20" x 8.5" chrome-clad aluminum wheels 20" x 8.5" chrome-clad aluminum wheels $1,245
LPO, 22" (55.9 cm) chrome 6-spoke multi-featured design wheels LPO, 22" (55.9 cm) chrome 6-spoke multi-featured design wheels $3,855
20" chrome 5-single spoke notched design wheels 20" chrome 5-single spoke notched design wheels $2,995
20" chrome 6-single spoke design wheels 20" chrome 6-single spoke design wheels $2,995
20" chrome 6-spoke chiseled design wheels 20" chrome 6-spoke chiseled design wheels $2,995
20" 6-tapered spoke design chrome wheels 20" 6-tapered spoke design chrome wheels $2,995
22" chrome 8-spoke wheels 22" chrome 8-spoke wheels $3,855
22" chrome 8-single open spoke design wheels 22" chrome 8-single open spoke design wheels $3,855
22" 12-spoke high-gloss Black painted with highly polished rim design wheels 22" 12-spoke high-gloss Black painted with highly polished rim design wheels $3,855
LPO, Assist steps, chromed tubular, 6" oval (dealer installed) LPO, Assist steps, chromed tubular, 6" oval (dealer installed) $689
LPO, Assist steps, chromed tubular, 3" round (dealer installed) LPO, Assist steps, chromed tubular, 3" round (dealer installed) $495
Chrome grille Chrome grille $422
Body-color grille Body-color grille $422
Provision for cab roof-mounted lamp beacon Provision for cab roof-mounted lamp beacon $30
Outside heated power-adjustable vertical camper mirrors Outside heated power-adjustable vertical camper mirrors $240
Cargo Management System Rails Cargo Management System Rails $340
LPO, Overhead Utility Rack LPO, Overhead Utility Rack $855
Overhead rack/bed divider Overhead rack/bed divider $595
Stationary tool box Stationary tool box $541
Hard tonneau cover Hard tonneau cover $866
Tonneau cover Tonneau cover $966
Soft tonneau cover Soft tonneau cover $477
LPO, Tonneau cover, Hard shell LPO, Tonneau cover, Hard shell $1,495
Rubber bed mat Rubber bed mat $133
Bed rug Bed rug $454
Bedliner Bedliner $365
Bed rail protectors Bed rail protectors $150
LPO, Aluminum bed extender LPO, Aluminum bed extender $338INTERIOR:
Front 40/20/40 split-bench seat
Front 40/20/40 split-bench seat
Standard
Front bucket seats Front bucket seats $995
Air conditioning, single-zone manual front climate control
Air conditioning, single-zone manual front climate control
Standard
Seat adjuster Seat adjuster $275
Black rubberized vinyl floor covering Black rubberized vinyl floor covering Standard
LPO, All-weather floor mats, Ebony deep ribbed rubber LPO, All-weather floor mats, Ebony deep ribbed rubber $69
Theft-deterrent wheel Theft-deterrent wheel $212
Power-sliding rear window Power-sliding rear window $250
Defogger Defogger $175
Mirror, inside rearview with rear camera display Mirror, inside rearview with rear camera display Available
Underseat storage Underseat storage $162
AM/FM stereo with MP3-compatible CD/DVD player
AM/FM stereo with MP3-compatible CD/DVD player

 

[MrBeast]

Glad to see you back on this build, i like the Wagon's.

I was hopeing Midnightburn could resist the urge to go taller than the original 35's but it's still an incredibly talented build. If your not familiar you may find a few ideas here..

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=725859

Yeah, I understand why he did, but I am not feeling the tall tires.

None the less though his is a mighty fine rig, he actually gave me the idea for the 1 piece rear hatch, I think it is pretty damn cool and one heck of a good idea.

Speaking of which I need to call him and see how he is doing, havent seen him online much the last couple of days. Hope he didnt wind up in the hospital again.

 

[dirty Bakers]

That is an awsome plan. It makes more financial sense than any plan the US gov. Can come up with.

 

[MrBeast]

That is an awsome plan. It makes more financial sense than any plan the US gov. Can come up with.

If it was the US government id be building 2 of them, because thier rule of thumb is why build one when you can have two for twice as much! :victory:

 

[dirty Bakers]

heres our rig. The grandson to yours, we have about $4800 including the cummins 4bt roof rack and third row that have not been installed yet. We are just building it as we go.

 

[MrBeast]

heres our rig. The grandson to yours, we have about $4800 including the cummins 4bt roof rack and third row that have not been installed yet. We are just building it as we go.

NICE!

I have also always loved the newer waggys. That looks like a mighty fine one you have there, and even though it was already a cool rig, it is much much cooler with the Cummins! :smiley_drive:

 

[AmericaOverland]

Mr. Beast, it looks like a nice build! So, you have your own shops and can do restorations? I'm trying to get names for a possible restoration in the future... Or a modification of the hard top on my 1977 Scout to make it into a small camper.

 

[MrBeast]

Mr. Beast, it looks like a nice build! So, you have your own shops and can do restorations? I'm trying to get names for a possible restoration in the future... Or a modification of the hard top on my 1977 Scout to make it into a small camper.

I have a towing company and a welding shop, I am moving more into custom builds but have not really got there yet.

Id say pay attention to my build and if you like what you see perhaps we can get something rolling.

When it comes to modding the top on the scout, it would be a lot easier/cheaper just to build you a new one. I need to get better at my aluminum welding and that is something that would be well within my capabilities.

Really depends on how crazy you wanted to go, if you wanted a pop up that isnt that big of a deal either if you wanted to do a wedge style one.

On that note though my advice would be to steer away from putting a camper on the back of your scout, because they are already a narrow vehicle and you dont have to try exceptionally hard to roll one, I think you may be disapointed if you make a camper that goes on the back because it will signifigantly raise your center of gravity causing the Scout to really start to suck on a sidehill, and even more so if you get the center of gravity too high it will be really unstable at highway speed and be prone to rocking, and you will lose your ability to tow a trailer with it.

What I would strongly recomend for your purposes instead is a trailer, I could easily put one togeather for you out of steel, depending on how rugged you wanted it would depend on how thick of a wall material id use.

The trailer could be built to run the same size tire the scout does, so if you have a spare in the scout and one on the trailer you always have 2 spares, and the finer point of a trailer is you can set up a base camp, and if nessasary go to the store or on an adventure with out having to break camp.

Also you will find if you do a trailer you will be able to get much more useable space out of something that is a similar size to the scout with a lower center of gravity than a truck camper would have.

And in all actuality building a trailer would be cheaper because in the design process I wouldnt be stuck trying to make it fit in the back of your Scout, and the plus side of it is you wouldnt have to leave your Scout here while I was building it.

If you wanted to go crazy I could probably even get you setup where you could have a shower/toilet in the trailer. granted you would have to sit down to take a shower, but that would be much more preferable than having to go with out. As well with a hand held shower head you could shower outside of the trailer if you wanted.

I think being able to do it in the trailer would be nice if you are in an urban area.

If you want to discuss it further shoot me a PM.

 

[MrBeast]

Not a huge update today, worked for about 7 hours tonight just taking a lot of measurements and checking fitment, looking up parts, figuring out the driveline and floor angles, then doing more measuring.

I did however fab up a pair of motor mounts.

And I did test fit the front clip.

Over all I am very pleased, it came togeather nicely.

I dont know if I will have time to mess with it much again until the weekend but when I do I am going to shoot for getting the motor and tranny test fit, and getting the floor and firewall cut out, as well as getting the interior gutted.

Playing around with it, at the ride height I am going with I am going to have about a 9 degree angle on my pinion if I go with the 14 bolt, and I will have a 7 degree angle on my driveshaft. This is assuming I keep the engine and transmission set at 5 degrees.

I also welded out the point where the old frame meets the new frame from the inside, when I get into the next phase I will be grinding into the joint from the outisde and filling it to make it super strong.

As well the motor mounts will have to come back out so I can plate the inside of the frame, the plate is going to overlap 4" so as that I can be sure to have a good strong joint.

 

[dirty Bakers]

Looking good my friend. Is the original engine and trans up for sale?

 

[McZippie]

Nice Rig!
Do a first class job of building it ...and I'll buy it when you're ready to sell.

 

[MrBeast]

Nice Rig!
Do a first class job of building it ...and I'll buy it when you're ready to sell.

I doubt I will ever sell this one, but that doesnt mean we couldnt build you version 2.0 :victory:

 

[MrBeast]

Looking good my friend. Is the original engine and trans up for sale?

It is, and if no one buys it quick im going to haul it off to scrap because I have wayyy too much stuff sitting around right now.