Rango.....1942 Willys MB

[Metcalf]

MMMMMMmmmmmm clearance.

I got the other front fender to the point it could bolt on and set the hood on. Now you can see the difference in height on the hood. Its 2.75" taller

Then I was like....why not cut the hood, you haven't had anything to drink yet. Mark a line at 2.75" from the bottom edge. Continue that back till the fender ends.

Get the angle of said fender with handy dandy angle finder thing....

Transfer angle to the hood....

Cut out with jigsaw. A bosch 32 tooth jig saw blade is my new favorite. They cut like BUTTER and don't get caught up at all. I drilled a hole at the angle change so it would be a nice round inside corner.

It look like this when you get done.....very exciting. Repeat on the other side.

When its cut and set on it looks like this. Its still far from 'done' but you get the idea. I will probably spend the rest of the weekend and then some doing all the little stuff like stretching the back of the hood 1.38", welding in a 3/16" rod on the hood cuts, and making the headlight mod to the front of the fenders......

If I get most of that done, or get stuck I will be moving onto the rear wheel tubs. Stay tuned!

 

[reece146]

Looks great.

The first thing that popped in my head when I saw this image was "CJ3B".

Hmm... highline a 3B... lots of vertical engine clearance and it ends up looking like a "normal" flattie.

 

[reece146]

Of course, google tells me someone has done it before:

Still kinda goofy in the front end.

 

[Metcalf]

I want to try a CJ3B tub with a normal hood and the fenders raised up to meet it BUT then install a normal MB, CJ2/3a, or M38 grill. Slope the front frame up more to meet the shorter grill. This would give your front axle even more room for vertical compression travel.

I think the rear tire would run out of room though, the vertical height of the rear of the tub is still the same as a non-3b tub.

 

[67390FE]

Thank you....I was wondering if anyone was still looking? :elkgrin:

I am still following! I am just at a bit of loss for words (there are those who do not believe this is possible)! You have mad skills and I am plagiarizing ideas for my '48! Thanks!

Dann

 

[Metcalf]

The little time consuming stuff....

This is the new headlight 'bucket' in the fender. When you raise the fender you headlight won't fit so you have to remake the front 6.5" of the fender at bit.

It was generally a pain, but came out well. My free sheetmetal brake and the edge of the table and a hammer sure came in handy! This is a little complex part for sure. it dead ends into an area of the fender around the factory battery box. That tapered cut with a tab at the end was pretty challenging.

That might help some people trying to duplicate my work. I can't really tell you all the bend angles and stuff. Most of it I just go by eye and test fit it till I get it right. The nice thing about metal is that you can generally play with it for a while without hurting much.

This isn't rocket science. I guess its almost more art. Most of the time I just wing it. If your free brake won't make a small flange close to a bend....just use the edge of the table, some scrap, a few clamps, a crescent wrench to get it started, and finally a dead blow hammer to finish it off.

If your going to spot weld the flanges drill the holes for that BEFORE you make a super complex bend.

I did the other fender also, it was much easier so far. I also extended the bottom tab to grab the first bolt on the grill. I need to add some metal to the first fender to do this same thing.

This was a total PIA. Its not my best work, but it seals up the fender and makes the structure that more rigid. This little piece took forever to get half way decent to weld in! This pretty much wore me out for the evening. I might go back out and do a similar ( simpler ) piece for the drives side later.

 

[reece146]

Looks good. It's the stuff like this that takes the most time. It also differentiates a billy bob bush buggy from a nicely put together driver's rig.

 

[Metcalf]

I'm kinda going for half-way in the middle. :sombrero: I want it to look kinda like a 70 year old concept vehicle from WWII. Its not going to be perfect, the body will not be perfectly straight and smooth, and there will always be some patina....

Its going to be a blend of WWII, rat rod, rock crawler, vintage Willys, low rider, etc.

 

[lstzephyr]

Those little patch panels are always a gigantic pain. I had to patch a plastic harley seat pan once upon a time with a couple little panels like that. I about beat the guy when he asked why it wasn't done faster!

Looking good and I like that design idea of yours! I have dreams about getting a Colombian yipao and doing this type of thing too. I would love to have one, especially like that 3b, with a vw tdi, and some whatnot(like a chick to fill that other seat!) to wander around south america.

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

Just read this end to end... very stoked on following this build. Nice work my friend, that frame looks like it will be stellar, and the other mods look functional, and well executed.

Two thumbs up!!

Subscribed.

 

[jeepdreamer]

Half of what amazes me with you build has nothing to do with the build at all! Most of your work so far is great and at a level most of us aspiring wrenches could attain. But what really amazes me is how well your write the build! Lots of pics and details and its all understandable!! I don't know how you find the time! I tried keeping a thread on my Scrambler alive but I just couldn't manage the build AND the write ups very well. And I was always forgetting to take pics. Thanks so much for compiling all this so well!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now get back to work! heehee!

 

[reece146]

Its going to be a blend of WWII, rat rod, rock crawler, vintage Willys, low rider, etc.

Perfect. Kinda like the Willys your Dad resto-modded in 1972 for a specific purpose. That's the kind of the look I like also. Well done and well used.

 

[Metcalf]

Looking good and I like that design idea of yours! I have dreams about getting a Colombian yipao and doing this type of thing too. I would love to have one, especially like that 3b, with a vw tdi, and some whatnot(like a chick to fill that other seat!) to wander around south america.

That sounds too fun! I have thought about installing a TDI-M engine in this little guy more than once. I already have a cute girl for the passenger seat :sombrero: The 3B jeeps are cool, but I think they are an acquired taste. There are some really cool little diesel engines in South America that I wouldn't mind getting my hands on. MWM made a sweet little 4cyl diesel for the S10's.....2.8L, nice and compact, mechanically injected, etc. Oh to dream....

 

[Metcalf]

Half of what amazes me with you build has nothing to do with the build at all! Most of your work so far is great and at a level most of us aspiring wrenches could attain. But what really amazes me is how well your write the build! Lots of pics and details and its all understandable!! I don't know how you find the time! I tried keeping a thread on my Scrambler alive but I just couldn't manage the build AND the write ups very well. And I was always forgetting to take pics. Thanks so much for compiling all this so well!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now get back to work! heehee!

Thank you. On the one hand I think I spend a lot of time at it, on the other hand it doesn't seem like much. During the week I probably spend about 2 hours in the shop. It really help being able to leave everything where I can find it ( most of the time ) and come back the next day. I try and take pics as much as I can, there are even mor in my photobucket that I don't use On the weekends I usually spend most of one day in the shop also.

As long as I do something every day it seems to add up.

I will try and write as much as I can without making it all boring. Honestly, I don't think this building stuff is THAT hard, you just have to get a mental picture, some metal, cut it, drill it, maybe hit it with a hammer a few hundred times, and then you have something. As my friends know, I think and plan this stuff out weeks, months, or years in advance. The concept for this buildup is probably 7-8 years old at this point. I basically decided to build what I had instead of chasing unicorns.

I miss the tech articles from the like 1995-2000ish FourWheeler magazine. They always had good projects like the postal jeep, tugboat, etc.

 

[Metcalf]

Perfect. Kinda like the Willys your Dad resto-modded in 1972 for a specific purpose. That's the kind of the look I like also. Well done and well used.

Pretty much! I would love to do one someday with earlier parts like a flathead v8, willys wagon axles, etc. I just used what I had, what I could find fairly cheap, and built the rest out of new metal.

Its not going to be the ultimate anything when its done, its just going to be a fun little totally unpractical, different, cool, old Willys jeep.