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59 Willys, circle the wagons!

61K views 155 replies 37 participants last post by  73FJ 
#1 · (Edited)
Howdy, this is the intro to my 59 Willys wagon thread. I will be doing a complete body off resto/refresh on this truck. I have never done a frame off before so this should be an adventure, I have however rebuilt my 73 FJ40 from almost the ground up in the last 3 yrs. I also have a 56 wagon that may or may not provide some parts for the 59. My plans are wide open right now as I tend to plan as I work, but I'm thinkin fuel injected SBC, maybe an NV 4500, x case, dunno yet, axles, not decided, SOA, maybe coil front, tube front fenders along the same lines as Firewiz has done on his truck, new Autometers, blah blah blah...well there you go. I should also say that this will probably take me the better part of the next 2 years as I aquire parts and such, unless I win the lottery :shaking:., so patience will be useful. Now I gotta find some pics
 
#101 · (Edited)
Today I worked on closing off the ends of the Chevy floor that I adapted, I made a pattern and notched and squared up the front and back, then made another pattern to make the pieces to fill the notches, all 24 of them. I tacked them in place then removed the panel to finish weld it.
 

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#102 · (Edited)
Then I put it back in the truck and had a cold beer......or maybe even 3,things are going well and I think I will have the frame built this summer too. I made a quick piece from a test pattern that I will attach to the seat cap to basically blend in the cap to the bed. Enjoy the pics.
 

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#105 ·
things worth doing are worth doing rite the first time. nice work:smokin:
 
#107 ·
Hey man, just finished reading your build, and I must say , excellent job !!!! I'm in the middle of a frame off on a 53 wagon for my dad right now so seeing the lengths you have had to go makes me feel a little better about mine:). One thing I noticed on yours that is different is the roof, I've never noticed bead rolls , our 53 is just smooth and I can't remember if the 62 dad used to have was smooth or rolled.

Great work so far, I can't wait to see how it turns out !
 
#108 ·
Thanks!

I don't know when they started bead rolling the roofs, my 56 is smooth. Someone else with waaaay more Willys knowledge will chime in I'm sure. Post up some pics of your wagon.
 
#109 ·
Today I made a 1k road trip and got some seats and tools, the seats are out of a 2003 Acura RSX, going to be very easy to mount these.
 

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#112 ·
Nice!

Very nice work! This thread and Midnightburn's thread got me to register here as I've recently acquired a '59 Willys wagon. I've yet to actually pick it up but I know it needs new rear quarters and a new floor. I'd have liked to find a better one body-wise but beggars can't be choosers in Wisconsin where just about everything gets eaten by salt and slush. It was the right price anyway and comes with a PTO and ramsey winch along with all the original paperwork from the dealer. The interior is ALL there and original. I couldn't believe it. In fact, the only thing apparently missing is whatever the rust took away. :laughing:

I'm already the proud owner of a '59 truck but have always wanted a wagon; even if it's just to have and hold on to for a while. :)


Anyway, the pickup bed floor was a great idea! Where did you get it though? My google-fu must be weak today because I can't seem to find just a floor; only whole beds. How perfect width wise was the bed?

Also, I'm a little new to body work...what the heck are those copper things you have sticking out of it all over the place? Oh, and what did you use to drill out the spot welds?
 
#113 ·
Very nice work! This thread and Midnightburn's thread got me to register here as I've recently acquired a '59 Willys wagon. I've yet to actually pick it up but I know it needs new rear quarters and a new floor. I'd have liked to find a better one body-wise but beggars can't be choosers in Wisconsin where just about everything gets eaten by salt and slush. It was the right price anyway and comes with a PTO and ramsey winch along with all the original paperwork from the dealer. The interior is ALL there and original. I couldn't believe it. In fact, the only thing apparently missing is whatever the rust took away. :laughing:

I'm already the proud owner of a '59 truck but have always wanted a wagon; even if it's just to have and hold on to for a while. :)


Anyway, the pickup bed floor was a great idea! Where did you get it though? My google-fu must be weak today because I can't seem to find just a floor; only whole beds. How perfect width wise was the bed?

Also, I'm a little new to body work...what the heck are those copper things you have sticking out of it all over the place? Oh, and what did you use to drill out the spot welds?
Jc Whitney sells new bed floor pieces.

copper things are cleco's or temporary rivets they come in 1/8 3/16 so you drill a hole and use them to temp. hold things in place. You can weld the holes up or install rivets if its that type of job.
 
#115 · (Edited)
I think I paid around $300 for the bed, it came in two pieces which I had to custom fit, by no means a bolt in. I sectioned and narrowed the pieces until it was right. I got them from a local NAPA store out of the catalog they had. I used a 3/16" drill bit and some spot weld cutters for all the spot welds.

Post up some pictures of your Willys man.
 
#116 · (Edited)
Ah, OK. I was under the impression that the width was right and the length just needed to be trimmed. Either way is fine; I just thought I'd better order the exact same thing if the width was right. Since it's not, I'm free to shop for deals. :)

I don't have any pix of my '59 truck on this computer but here are some pix of the new wagon:

Ah...............maybe not... No attachments on this forum??? I don't see a "manage attachments" box....Maybe I'm blind? Maybe I need a certain number of posts first?
 
#117 ·
Last spring I bought a dimple die kit for sheet metal and this weekend I gave them a try. I had made some crossmembers for under the bed and decided they might look cool dimpled.
 

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#118 ·
Then I put the roof back on temporarily to repair the rusted drivers rear. I wanted to make the repair in two parts but three worked better
 

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#119 ·
I will finish weld it tomorrow hopefully. The small piece at the back took over an hour to form but it fit perfect and was worth the time for something you will never see.
 

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#120 ·
Got it all roughed in and cut out some more
 

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#123 ·
Thanks man!
I was trying to maintain some momentum on the truck but flamed out due to work. But last week I made a wooden form and put my pattern to metal and made the first front quarter piece, turned out ok but my notches were wrong on the curve, so tonight I made a new one and the notches are very close. Still needs final fitting but I think it turned out ok.
 

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#125 ·
I'm watching this and a few other builds of wagons. I was in MOAB for Easter Jeep Safari and got to really look over the wagon put together by Mark Allen of Chrysler. I had a chance to talk with him for a bit and building a wagon is all I can think about. Your work here is awesome! I'm loving watching it come together. It's def a inspiration! My wife is going to leave me.... Lol
 
#128 ·
:laughing:, hey guys, gotta make some room in the garage, shuffle some Cruisers around and make some space, then I'm all over it like mustard on a wiener......
 
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