Willys M38 Build

So we decided we needed a little more room to carry all our camping gear. Nothing is done by halves at Wainui Willys Works so we are now into trailer production. As a few of us were keen on the idea, we're building 3 at present and will build a forth a little later on. The plan was based on a military M100 shape but re-scaled to be a little wider and a little shorter. First up we scratched out the frames and set up the suspension. We've all gone for different automotive springs (Mine are Nissan, the others are Jeep) that we're either cheap or already in stock. The advantage of automotive over trailer springs is the length meaning smoother riding trailers! We'll also be running shocks. One stack of trailer frames Three out of the four frames will be running Jeep hubs and stubs. This makes maintenance and carrying spares easy and is also cost effective with a lot of parts already on the shelf. Don had plates laser cut to match the axle and the stub. We then d...

The Jeep has been all up and running for a wee while now and apart from a few teething issues, it's been great. On our first shake down run we had a few carb issues (running a Holley 1904) and she'd putt out as soon as she looked at a hill. More than a little frustrating! While it's a lot better than it was, I will revisit this later on and wouldn't mind having a ply with an SU style carb. The last time it would look perfect. Airing down for the first off road excursion. First wee river crossing. Can you find all 3 flat fenders in this pic? After the first trial run, I took my rather apprehensive partner out for her first off road excursion in the Jeep. It was our clubs annual champs - based on national trials rules here in NZ, we all run the same obstacles with the objective of getting to the end of the hazard without stopping or driving outside the course. You can see by the pics that she enjoyed it a lot more than she expected! ...

And further from the last post - Green at last! Still lots of little things to do but at least now it looks the part. Hoping to take my partner out for her first ride tomorrow.

The hood has been an on going battle with paints and things reacting to one another and it being a pretty manky example to start with. Hopefully I've finally got it under control and it'll be green by the end of the weekend. I used a spray filler and finishing putty then another coat of spray filler and sanded back. Another coat of primer and then it can go green.

Not much to report really. I'm tidying up a few things like oil leaks (I'll never get them all - it's a Jeep) and mounting the UHF radio, intercom, interior light among other things. I need to make a spacer that'll fit between the bellcrank mount and the frame just to bring it down about 2 mm. It doesn't touch but seems awfully close and who knows what'll happen once the chassis flexes a bit. I'll also be rewiring the tail lights. The sockets I bought just aren't up to the task and keep crossing circuits or just not working at all.

Well the radiator is now in for good. I had to cut the top spout off and have it welded back on further to the left so the hose wouldn't foul with the fan. My clearances between the cross member to radiator to hood are pretty tight but they're there! I went to the local wreckers and found an overflow bottle I liked and mounted it off the battery tray. I would have preferred it on the drivers side above the chassis rail next to the radiator but it was a little too tall and the spout off the radiator comes off the passengers side anyway so it still looks tidy. Running a 160 degree thermostat and she sits dead on that while running in the driveway. It'll be interesting to see what happens under load on a hot summers day! The removable section of the floor is ready to go back in now it's been repainted again and I've made a new clutch rod as the old one was slightly too short and didn't allow any free play. Overall it's coming along really well and th...

Jeez about 3 months since the last post - I'm getting worse! Since the Jeep has been home, I've wired it with a loom from  http://www.ezwiring.com/  They're really cheap compared to the big name brand looms but still very nice to work with and I'm really pleased with how tidy it has come out. I've repainted the guards, painted the grille, windscreen frame and tailgate and had a window fitted. Wiper motors are in thought not yet plumbed and a new alluminium radiator has been mounted though needs a little modification to make it perfect. The hood is going to be the last thing that gets done on the old girl. It seems every time I have a crack at finishing it something goes wrong so it can wait until all other boxes are ticked!