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New from College Station

workgoats

NAXJA Forum User
Howdy.

I am in the process of building a Willy replica. I started with a front frame clip and rear axle from an 89 XJ. I built a tube frame and set the axles at the same wheelbase as the original XJ.

It is powered by a Dodge 318, 727 tranny and the 242J from the XJ. I built a "replica" front end from surplus electrical panels and have off roaded it once at Hidden Falls Adventure Park in Marble Falls.

When I get a little more familiar with the forum, I will post build posts and bring it up to date.

Here's a couple of short videos of the first time out. Notice, it ain't finished yet.
www.vimeo.com/63674704
www.vimeo.com/53674705
 
I tend to want something different. So...

I started with a fairly good looking 89 Cherokee. The engine was toast. We bought it for the transmission which was transplanted into my daughter's 88.

img_1-17-2012_02_500X375.JPG


I built one of those fancy devices to rotate a vehicle around so you could easily work on the bottom.

img_2-1-2012_05a_500x328.jpg


When I got through cutting on the XJ, this is what I ended up with.

img_2-2-12_06a_500x374.jpg


I built the beginning of the frame with 2x3 tubing. There will later be a 2x2 tubing frame member that the floor is bolted to.

rolling_frame_1_500x375.jpg


The engine is a 318 that was removed from a running Ramcharger to make room for a Magnum 360. The transmission is a 904 built from a 2x Ramcharger front case and the balance from a 80's Eagle SX-4.

img_0008_500x375.jpg


The transfer is a NP242 from the 89 Cherokee. The input gear had the wrong spline count for the Eagle transmission but Novak people provided the right one.

transfer1_500x375.jpg


I did a final square up on the frame and welded a piece of 1/8" plate above the rear axle and the shock mounts to hold it where it belonged.

3-19_01_500x375.jpg


I had in mind what I wanted it to look like. The plan is to get a Texas title for a Willys replica. I went as far as putting up a concept drawing and lined out a plan for the grille.

concept_1_500x279.jpg


grille1_500x321.jpg
 
Howdy! welcome to the forum. always good to see another member in the CS area. I have a buddy from up here @ aggieland right now so if you need a hand shoot me a PM and ill throw your info his way!
Gig 'em
 
welcome, what is that thing in the second picture?

I built the body on a 56 Willys pickup frame but transplanted it (shortened) to a 82 Ramcharger frame after a wreck. I've put about 50K miles on it as a Dodge.

It has a TBI 360, 727, 208 with 390 gears in stock axles (except for the limited slip in the rear).

It has on-board-air and lots of weight. I do a lot of recovery on the trails.
 
After the frame was established, I centered my time on fabrication of the grille. I planned it to look like a 1948 +/- Willys but I changed the number of vertical bars.

grille2_500x375.jpg


I first thought it would sit on top of the front cross member but it was too high. I was too hard headed to redesign so I modified it a little and mounted it 6" lower.

I found headlight buckets in a couple of old Dodge pickups. One came from a 1953 3/4 ton stake bed and the other from a 1955 half ton pickup.

grille3_500x375.jpg


grille4_500x375.jpg


The vertical bars are light weight 1" square tubing. Modifications to the grille continued. Part of the front fenders are welded to the grille and bolted to the remainder of the fender, allowing removal of the front end (for when I install a bigger engine).

3-31_02_500x375.jpg


The parking lights came from kaiserwillys.com. That is the same source I used for the CJ instrument panel that I bought.

The radiator was purchased from Speedway and it was a tight fit.
 
The grille wasn't sturdy enough at first. When I added the fender extensions it helped a little. After the fenders were built, I filled in the inner fenders and added some structure to the back of the grille assembly.

4-7_02a_500x322.jpg


The radiator had to go so far up in the grille assembly that I had to make a little door for access to the radiator cap.

I built a base for the battery...

4-7_03_500x375.jpg


...and hooked up the power steering.

4-7_04_500x375.jpg


The seats are several inches rear of normal location for a XJ. The steering shaft was completed using a 1996 Dodge 1500 steering shaft, a pillar bearing and half of a Cherokee shaft. The pillar bearing was attached to the inner fender to help provide clearance around the exhaust manifold on the 318.

4-1_01_500x375.jpg


4-1_02_500x375.jpg


4-1_03_500x375.jpg


The bearing and a u-joint are prety close to the exhaust manifold. I plan on placing a heat shield between them before it hits the road.
 
Impressive and ambitious. Nice.
 
The plant where I worked was shut down. I had lots of time but no income...

With the flat floor, the shifter needs to be raised up to reach it. I started here with a surplus electrical enclosure panel. The entire truck is made from these. I measured and marked the pieces for the shifter base.

4-12_01_500x375.jpg


I cut the pieces out, using my soon to be history Harbor Freight grinder. (It has really lasted a while.)

4-12_02_500x375.jpg


In order to get the mig welder to weld decent, the paint has to be removed from the immediate area of the welds. I removed it with another Harbor Freight grinder and a sander wheel.

4-12_03_500x378.jpg


Nick was there and he helped align the pieces. My welding looked like this.

4-12_04_500x372.jpg


After it was dressed up (welds ground smooth) the shifter was bolted to the top and it was welded to the floor panel. I left it at this point and will come back in a day or two to hook the other end up to the transmission.

4-13_01_500x381.jpg


To show that I am really working on it, here is where I stopped tonight on the dash. I have some stuff to do tomorrow to help the other half out, but with any luck at all, the gauges and speedometer will all be mounted and dash wiring started.

4-13_02_500x375.jpg


4-13_03_500x375.jpg
 
WOW.
 
I managed to get it outside on April 14.

It may not look like much has been done, but I have been working on it. I had to remove the floor and add bracing for the seats when I determined where they would sit. I've also spent a bunch of time on wiring.

4-14_01_500x372.jpg


There is still a bunch of grinding to do. I don't even want to think about painting.

4-14_02_500x406.jpg


It won't be long before all the wiring is ready for startup. I'm working on stuff behind the dash now.

4-14_03_500x375.jpg


The dash is in place and a bunch of wiring has been done since these pics were taken.

4-14_04_500x375.jpg


4-14_05_500x375.jpg


I really need to get something in the back to hold the rear axle down. (gas tank, roll cage, spare rack, tool box, rear bumper, hitch...)

4-14_06_500x375.jpg


Nick just had to take this picture. I think he is jealous of the shirt and wants one too.

4-14_07_500x375.jpg
 
By April 19th I had added some structure and made a determination on where the gas tank would mount. The gas tank took out some of the floor space but it is way out of the way of the ground and rocks.

4-19_01_500x375.jpg

4-19_02_500x375.jpg
 
Then we move to April 30th. I still had a vision of taking it out for a trial ride on June 1st with a group at Hidden Falls. (Marble Falls, TX)

I had been working on the shifters and transmission cooling lines. I added some on the roll bar.

4-29_01a_500x292.jpg

4-29_02_500x375.jpg
 
We were now up to May 18th. It doesn't look much different from previous pictures but I had been busy. I managed to drive it out of the garage and turn it around. It goes forwards and backwards.

I found that the one wheel cylinder that I elected not to replace will still get to be replaced. Should have done it to start with.

I have a transmission pan leak. The pan is damaged and a new one is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow.

I had removed the back seats from my red truck to have room for a trip and will be installing the seat belts from them. I have another set coming to replace the borrowed ones.

I had also installed a compressor for on board air but it didn't have any oil in it so it just served as an idler for the alternator belts. Also, there isn't a tank yet. I have the idea that it could be used with a portable tank plugged into the quick connect fitting.

And YES, it needs larger tires and doors and a hood. It will get them all some day.

5-18_06_500x375.jpg


5-18_02_500x375.jpg


5-18_04_500x375.jpg


On May 25th the project hit a rock wall. Although I had driven it up and down the street a few times I started rebuilding the outer ends of the front axle when I went to turn it around the modified 904 transmission governor came apart, parts went through the adapter and into the driveway.
 
It was the middle of June before I started tearing down the rig to replace the broken transmission. Here is what I found when I removed the floor.

6-13_01a_500x312.jpg


It does certainly appear that the malfunction is in the transmission...

A recap: This transmission is a 904. The case is from a mid-80s 2x RC. The innards are from an 82 or 84 Jeep Eagle SX-4. I put it together years ago for a project that got cancelled.

I set out to put this on a 318 and to install a 242 transfer out of a Cherokee. The Jeep transfer had the wrong spline count to match the transmission and I changed the input gear to match the spline count on the tranny.

Here are the comparisons between the 904 and the 727. The 727 is from a 87 Ramcharger. It was a 360 engine so I removed the balance weight and put it on my 318.


6-13_03_500x431.jpg


I found parts of the governor in the driveway and felt that was what cratered. Here is what it looked like when I pulled the adapter off the end of the 904.

6-13_08_447x500.jpg


I think this cratered because I did not check the differences between the Jeep parts and the Dodge parts.

Here is the adapter end of the Jeep transmission, followed by the end of the Dodge transmission.

There is a big difference between the distances. The Jeep adapter is much shorter and has a seal after the governor. The Dodge is over 2 inches deeper and does not have a seal.

6-13_04_500x394.jpg


6-13_05_500x407.jpg


The input gear that I installed in the transfer case had the right spline count but may have been too long. The parts of the governor did not show any contact with the gear and there are no scratches on the gear but it might have had something to do with it.

Here are pics of a 208 and the 242 after I have installed the new gear. There is a bunch of difference but I do not have the transfer that originally came on the Jeep transmission so I don't know what it looked like.


6-13_06_500x381.jpg



6-13_07_500x425.jpg



It appears to me that the 242 will fit on the Dodge adapter without any conflicts. The spline count is correct and the bolt pattern is the same but I measured for interior clearance at least 4 times before I put the two together. ???
 
The 904 transmission has now been replaced with a 727 from an 87 Ramcharger. The adapter is much longer and ended up raising the transmission and transfer about an inch. The transmission is larger in the bellhousing area too. So, I ended up removing flooring and structure as well.

Here's what it looked like when I got ready to start back with the floor.

6-20_01a.jpg


I have spent at least a day rebuilding the transmission shifter from the 89 Cherokee. I had to approach the transmission from the wrong direction but it didn't make a lot of difference because the Jeep transmission (4 speed) and the 727 have different throw lengths and it would have taken a bell crank of some sort even if I wasn't changing direction.

Here is what the new (tack welded only) hump looked like.

6-20_17a.jpg


I built and installed a fan shroud out of scrap aluminum. I also changed out the original fan for a 6 bladed fan from a '90 360 (D-350).

06-28_01a.jpg


I also built a rear bumper and covered up the gas tank.

06-28_02a.jpg


And, I closed up the last of the hump over the new transmission. When I pull the hump to weld it up, there is one little corner that will need some backing put back where I cut too much out for the new tranny.

06-28_03a.jpg


Here are a couple of videos of the Willyreplica at this point in its life.

vimeo.com/44550481
vimeo.com/44590605
 
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