Congrats! What a milestone.
1959 Pickup
- Thread starter JohnMelon
- Start date
agne2520
Well Oiled
Gotta love that! Thanks for sharing
Pivnic
Well Oiled
Hey John, Congratulations Achieving your Willys Pickup's "First Start Up" Milestone! That is a GREAT Accomplishment! Your Facial Expression when that Motor Started Up was Priceless! Enjoy the Moment, You Earned it! Pivnic
JohnMelon
Sharpest Tool
Thanks John! The facial expression is that of my son, the builder. I'm behind the camera.
But everything you've said is true. He absolutely did earn it. I was completely "hands-off" with the engine, offering only advice from experience from time to time. Not exactly in the right order, but I've been behind in getting the family movies developed. Here's a look at some prep and paint work on the cab before mounting it on the frame and installing the engine.
[video=youtube;G7JnWu_2uRc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7JnWu_2uRc[/video]
JohnMelon
Sharpest Tool
What have we done since that first run a month ago? Well, mostly little stuff: lights, interior wiring, a bracket to hold the Engine Control Module (ECM) up under the dash, that sort of thing. The kind of things that just take time to do in a way that you don't have to go back to them again.
With the exception of the bed, he finished painting the rest of the body parts.
We also made a battery tray from - of all things - a battery tray. The original one was more than half-eaten from the acid over the years and was being assisted in it's job by multiple bungees. It would not have held the weight of a battery much longer. Additionally it was displaced by a vacuum brake booster and hydraulic clutch master cylinder.
We started cutting a couple of pieces of angle-iron to make a tray but part-way through, we decided that neither of us wanted to put something that was obviously homemade in the middle of all his other work. So we went out back and found an extra tray from a project of mine that I may actually get back to someday after this one and his younger brother's.
We cut-down the existing tray to hold a battery behind the headland and modified the brackets to fit the angle of the passenger inner fenderwell. Hard to tell in this picture looking at the underside of it hanging sideways being painted, but it was a good fit with battery in and hood closed.
Eventually we added the weatherstripping and installed the cowl vent and hood.
My son, the young builder of this truck, took the ASVAB today and will be joining the USAF when he graduates High School in 2018.
This weekend we plan to install the bracket he made for the ECM and get the wiring back together so we can run it again, but we'd like to run it for longer than the first time when we lacked the cooling system.
With the exception of the bed, he finished painting the rest of the body parts.
We also made a battery tray from - of all things - a battery tray. The original one was more than half-eaten from the acid over the years and was being assisted in it's job by multiple bungees. It would not have held the weight of a battery much longer. Additionally it was displaced by a vacuum brake booster and hydraulic clutch master cylinder.
We started cutting a couple of pieces of angle-iron to make a tray but part-way through, we decided that neither of us wanted to put something that was obviously homemade in the middle of all his other work. So we went out back and found an extra tray from a project of mine that I may actually get back to someday after this one and his younger brother's.
We cut-down the existing tray to hold a battery behind the headland and modified the brackets to fit the angle of the passenger inner fenderwell. Hard to tell in this picture looking at the underside of it hanging sideways being painted, but it was a good fit with battery in and hood closed.
Eventually we added the weatherstripping and installed the cowl vent and hood.
My son, the young builder of this truck, took the ASVAB today and will be joining the USAF when he graduates High School in 2018.
This weekend we plan to install the bracket he made for the ECM and get the wiring back together so we can run it again, but we'd like to run it for longer than the first time when we lacked the cooling system.
Attachments
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JohnMelon
Sharpest Tool
The Cooling System
We could have hooked up the cooling system temporarily, but the fuel injection system compensates for the engine temperature when controlling the air/fuel mixture and we wanted to add the Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) sensor before we bolted-in the radiator. It needs to be in the lower part of the system so it is monitoring coolant temperature even during a low-level condition.
We also could have installed the radiator and then looked for a 'T' of sorts and cobbled the ECT into the lower radiator hose by cutting it in half and installing the 'T' between the two halves with a couple of good sized hose clamps. Potentially a good option for someone not interested in soldering.
Instead, we cut the Jeep Cherokee radiator tank in order to steal the threaded bung that secures the sensor and used the opportunity - sawzall in hand - to discuss the physical operation of a radiator, whether automotive or industrial.
Doing so allowed him to see that while many people think the automatic transmission cooler is magically some sort of radiator in the middle of the engine's radiator, it is actually nothing more than a tank for the transmission fluid within the cooler side of the radiator's tank. The inner tank is simply surrounded by coolant:
It's easy to see where Jeep uses the same radiator for manual or automatic transmissions. They just block-off the connection when a manual trans is used.
It also allowed him to see the finned tubes. He understood the concept whenever we discussed it, but it's always better to see.
With that our for the way and necessary part in-hand, we drilled a hole into what I will refrain from calling a "perfectly good" 1959 lower radiator tank. "Acceptable" or "functional" would be more appropriate, but drilling the hole makes one commit to making a repair/modification that doesn't leak. The flange on the bung was quite helpful in ensuring a good joint:
Test fit, fluxed, and ready to go:
And soldered, temperature sensor installed:
It passed a static test without leaks, but it's Friday night and there's a football game at the High School. He's there while I'm posting this. Maybe tomorrow we'll pressure test it and play:
We could have hooked up the cooling system temporarily, but the fuel injection system compensates for the engine temperature when controlling the air/fuel mixture and we wanted to add the Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) sensor before we bolted-in the radiator. It needs to be in the lower part of the system so it is monitoring coolant temperature even during a low-level condition.
We also could have installed the radiator and then looked for a 'T' of sorts and cobbled the ECT into the lower radiator hose by cutting it in half and installing the 'T' between the two halves with a couple of good sized hose clamps. Potentially a good option for someone not interested in soldering.
Instead, we cut the Jeep Cherokee radiator tank in order to steal the threaded bung that secures the sensor and used the opportunity - sawzall in hand - to discuss the physical operation of a radiator, whether automotive or industrial.
Doing so allowed him to see that while many people think the automatic transmission cooler is magically some sort of radiator in the middle of the engine's radiator, it is actually nothing more than a tank for the transmission fluid within the cooler side of the radiator's tank. The inner tank is simply surrounded by coolant:
It's easy to see where Jeep uses the same radiator for manual or automatic transmissions. They just block-off the connection when a manual trans is used.
It also allowed him to see the finned tubes. He understood the concept whenever we discussed it, but it's always better to see.
With that our for the way and necessary part in-hand, we drilled a hole into what I will refrain from calling a "perfectly good" 1959 lower radiator tank. "Acceptable" or "functional" would be more appropriate, but drilling the hole makes one commit to making a repair/modification that doesn't leak. The flange on the bung was quite helpful in ensuring a good joint:
Test fit, fluxed, and ready to go:
And soldered, temperature sensor installed:
It passed a static test without leaks, but it's Friday night and there's a football game at the High School. He's there while I'm posting this. Maybe tomorrow we'll pressure test it and play:
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Gojeep
Well Oiled
Coming along nicely there John. You need to clean the lens of the camera though!
agne2520
Well Oiled
Nicely done as usual, guys. Military is always a good option, as is good life experience and time to figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life.
JohnMelon
Sharpest Tool
Coming along nicely there John. You need to clean the lens of the camera though!
I'm guessing you didn't like the pictures of the hood.
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JohnMelon
Sharpest Tool
Thanks for the reply Brian.
With an retired Vietnam Combat Fighter Pilot Grandfather turned USAF Thunderbird then career Continental pilot, and an Lockheed-Martin employed (also retired Thunderbird) F-35 crewchief Uncle whom he just returned from visiting @ Eglin AFB in Florida for a week, there's a reason his truck is red and blue thus far. The young man already has more direction of what he wants to do with the rest of his life than I remember having when I was thirty. For him, "the military" isn't a means to an end. Success is the journey... and for some unknown-to-me reason I've been blessed with the responsibility of stewardship of this amazing individual until he flies the coop.
The white grill bars and wheels are soon to come since I picked-up that urethane paint for him yesterday. His three color choices are a subtle indication, but the indication of character & beliefs is there nonetheless.
I had no idea either of these projects were going where they are headed when I started them.
agne2520
Well Oiled
Good company. Gotta love that.
JohnMelon
Sharpest Tool
The bung for the coolant temperature sensor worked perfectly and he successfully relocated the upper inlet to the right (passenger) side of the tank to better align with the later model 4.0 water pump outlet. No leaks, not even a drip from either of those locations, but...
We had always noticed the filler neck was bent, downward, as if something was under the hood - on the radiator - when the hood slammed down at some point in it's past. What we hadn't noticed until we were working on it was that the upper tank was also bent, swayed, down in the center to a now-noticeable degree. Connecting the radiator the engine and filling everything worked great. Ran the engine for about 15-20 minutes and then put the cap on to pressurize the system. Niagra Falls. Not from our solder joints, but from the capillary tubes.
Out came the radiator. Solder the leaks. Pressure test it with a bicycle inner tube between the inlet and outlet and some soapy water. Looks good, put it back in, heat it back up with the 7lb cap back on, half-an-hour later, leaks.
Drain, desolder the frame from the upper tank to gain access to the new leaks (plural), repair, test, reinstall, run, you guessed it. More of the same a little later. Bench test with air is good, but it doesn't respond well to a combination of heat, fluid, and time.
I originally thought the previous owners cap was too high pressure since the tubes pop before the spring lifts, but from what I've read here, 7lbs seems ok.
Further inspection reveals many of the tubes are bowed or bent and are brittle from whatever downward stress they underwent. I'm not about to send him down the road with this one even if I could get it to hold for a time. My question to those reading is this:
From what I've seen in the aftermarket for 6cyl radiators, some already have the upper inlet on the right side. Are wagon and truck radiators different? We can go about cutting-up a brand new one, but if we don't have to that would be ok with me.
With our cooling system efforts at a momentary halt, we pulled the rear springs and took them over to the local spring shop. I should have a quote by phone in a day or two regarding new spring packs and re-bushed shackles.
We had always noticed the filler neck was bent, downward, as if something was under the hood - on the radiator - when the hood slammed down at some point in it's past. What we hadn't noticed until we were working on it was that the upper tank was also bent, swayed, down in the center to a now-noticeable degree. Connecting the radiator the engine and filling everything worked great. Ran the engine for about 15-20 minutes and then put the cap on to pressurize the system. Niagra Falls. Not from our solder joints, but from the capillary tubes.
Out came the radiator. Solder the leaks. Pressure test it with a bicycle inner tube between the inlet and outlet and some soapy water. Looks good, put it back in, heat it back up with the 7lb cap back on, half-an-hour later, leaks.
Drain, desolder the frame from the upper tank to gain access to the new leaks (plural), repair, test, reinstall, run, you guessed it. More of the same a little later. Bench test with air is good, but it doesn't respond well to a combination of heat, fluid, and time.
I originally thought the previous owners cap was too high pressure since the tubes pop before the spring lifts, but from what I've read here, 7lbs seems ok.
Further inspection reveals many of the tubes are bowed or bent and are brittle from whatever downward stress they underwent. I'm not about to send him down the road with this one even if I could get it to hold for a time. My question to those reading is this:
From what I've seen in the aftermarket for 6cyl radiators, some already have the upper inlet on the right side. Are wagon and truck radiators different? We can go about cutting-up a brand new one, but if we don't have to that would be ok with me.
With our cooling system efforts at a momentary halt, we pulled the rear springs and took them over to the local spring shop. I should have a quote by phone in a day or two regarding new spring packs and re-bushed shackles.
JohnMelon
Sharpest Tool
If You Have 10 Minutes...
[video=youtube_share;1Ls78oZ_DPw]https://youtu.be/1Ls78oZ_DPw[/video]
[video=youtube_share;1Ls78oZ_DPw]https://youtu.be/1Ls78oZ_DPw[/video]
Pivnic
Well Oiled
Hi John. Great Video of your progress on your Willys Pickup. I bet that Piano Player was glad the end of the video was coming soon! Great Work done and a Great Video! Pivnic
dirtrider
Bigger Hammer
What an incredible father and son project. There's just not enough of that these days. You've obviously raised him right. Thanks for sharing your build.
JohnMelon
Sharpest Tool
All,
I've recently re-read through much of this thread and if I've come off at all braggadocios at any point during my first year with you I apologize. It is not my intent. I greatly appreciate having a place to share our progress and to be able to glean from the experience(s) of many of you.
Prior to this project, my son had never used a 4" grinder, sawzall, or the like, and his welding experience consisted only of the quick tack welds necessary for a few high school projects. Looking back it's impossible not to be proud, but without the gestures and tonality available in face-to-face communication, it can be rough to come across as intended in text.
The most recent posts consisted of radiator repair/reconfiguring and a mention of dropping the rear springs off at a local shop. Both were miserable flops. While Jack's soldering of the water necks held-up OK, the previous abuse was more than the rest of the radiator could bear. If we continued, we would have been patching patches.
By measurement, we ordered a new radiator that should fit our needs... or at least need very little in the way of bracketry. Time will tell. It's for a '69 V-8 Mustang and while the inlet & outlet are all wrong for use with the proper 6cyl in these trucks, they are in the correct location for our 4.0. I couldn't find one without the internal transmission cooler, but it doesn't hurt not to use it.
I've recently re-read through much of this thread and if I've come off at all braggadocios at any point during my first year with you I apologize. It is not my intent. I greatly appreciate having a place to share our progress and to be able to glean from the experience(s) of many of you.
Prior to this project, my son had never used a 4" grinder, sawzall, or the like, and his welding experience consisted only of the quick tack welds necessary for a few high school projects. Looking back it's impossible not to be proud, but without the gestures and tonality available in face-to-face communication, it can be rough to come across as intended in text.
The most recent posts consisted of radiator repair/reconfiguring and a mention of dropping the rear springs off at a local shop. Both were miserable flops. While Jack's soldering of the water necks held-up OK, the previous abuse was more than the rest of the radiator could bear. If we continued, we would have been patching patches.
By measurement, we ordered a new radiator that should fit our needs... or at least need very little in the way of bracketry. Time will tell. It's for a '69 V-8 Mustang and while the inlet & outlet are all wrong for use with the proper 6cyl in these trucks, they are in the correct location for our 4.0. I couldn't find one without the internal transmission cooler, but it doesn't hurt not to use it.
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JohnMelon
Sharpest Tool
Likewise with the Rear Suspension
Back in my day 100 years ago and living in another state, I'd go to Bridgeton Spring and tell them what I wanted to do. They'd give me an education from their years of experience working on semi's and dump trucks and two or three days later I'd happily go pick-up my new stuff... always a small job to them.
Weeks ago we both drove out to our local, as advertised, "Spring & Suspension" shop. We met with the owner and left the original springs and shackles behind on the floor in the little box of an entrance, being told he'll have a quote for us in a day or two. Two weeks later, nothing. Not a quote, not a call. I finally get a hold of the man on the phone and am met with "Who? Oh yeah, you were on my to-do list. I can't find any direct replacements and would have to have something custom made." The price he quoted was more than our Supporting Vendors get.
"I thought that's who I was dealing with." I told him. "I thought you did the work there."
"No. We get in whatever we need and do 'all the installation'."
"Oooh. Big deal." I thought to myself, "all the installation. That's what we do here."
I could tell I was a bother to him and I honestly don't think he even tried to find anything. Disappointed and disgusted, we drove back and tossed all of our parts back in our truck.
The springs weren't broken, but seeing what every other component on this truck had gone through, my hopes were to put this job in someone else's hands and at a minimum have them re-bushed and new pins and clamps installed leaving us to work on other areas (like the radiator above). Not to be. If you want it done right....
We hit the internet and ordered some of the parts from our known Willys vendors and some component parts like spring pins and clamps, etc. from spring suppliers. With our re-bushed & refurbished spring packs complete, he re-installed the rear and the wheels.
Back in my day 100 years ago and living in another state, I'd go to Bridgeton Spring and tell them what I wanted to do. They'd give me an education from their years of experience working on semi's and dump trucks and two or three days later I'd happily go pick-up my new stuff... always a small job to them.
Weeks ago we both drove out to our local, as advertised, "Spring & Suspension" shop. We met with the owner and left the original springs and shackles behind on the floor in the little box of an entrance, being told he'll have a quote for us in a day or two. Two weeks later, nothing. Not a quote, not a call. I finally get a hold of the man on the phone and am met with "Who? Oh yeah, you were on my to-do list. I can't find any direct replacements and would have to have something custom made." The price he quoted was more than our Supporting Vendors get.
"I thought that's who I was dealing with." I told him. "I thought you did the work there."
"No. We get in whatever we need and do 'all the installation'."
"Oooh. Big deal." I thought to myself, "all the installation. That's what we do here."
I could tell I was a bother to him and I honestly don't think he even tried to find anything. Disappointed and disgusted, we drove back and tossed all of our parts back in our truck.
The springs weren't broken, but seeing what every other component on this truck had gone through, my hopes were to put this job in someone else's hands and at a minimum have them re-bushed and new pins and clamps installed leaving us to work on other areas (like the radiator above). Not to be. If you want it done right....
We hit the internet and ordered some of the parts from our known Willys vendors and some component parts like spring pins and clamps, etc. from spring suppliers. With our re-bushed & refurbished spring packs complete, he re-installed the rear and the wheels.
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JohnMelon
Sharpest Tool
He's Non-Stop Now
I haven't liked the rear driveline angle for some time, our interpretation of this conversion being the equivalent of somewhere around a 4" lift of the donor XJ. The Willys additional wheelbase helps, especially in the front, but a dad is a dad and this dad just wasn't happy with the rear angle.
I ordered the Advance Adapters Slip Yoke Eliminator (SYE) to allow for a double-cardan CV driveshaft. I told him it was coming and that he'd have to pull the transfer case back apart to install the other output shaft. By his own admission, it originally took him "over a week" to rebuild that transfer case. (More like two or three by my recollection but that's the difference between a father and a son I guess.)
The SYE showed up a day or two ago and the night before last when I got home from work, he was under the truck unbolting the tailshaft housing. We talked some and then I went in the house. He came in later. The next day (yesterday) I had to take his younger brother to an appointment and would be gone all morning. By the time I got home later that afternoon, this is where he was:
"I thought you were just unbolting the tailshaft housing!"
"I was", he said, "but I couldn't slide it back far enough to take it off. It hit the crossmember... so I pulled the whole thing last night."
"And you've put the kit on?!"
"Yeah. I had to split the halves and pull the whole thing back apart anyway. It was more than we thought and there are some modifications you need to make too.", he says as he points out specific paragraphs in the accompanying instruction manual (in the back of the image), "It was easier to do on the bench and I knew what I was looking at this time."
"So where are you?"
"I'm done. I just need to put it back in the truck."
"Do you want help or do you want me to stay out of the way?"
"No. I could use some help. Taking it out I had gravity on my side."
I think he's just 'letting me', but I wasn't missing out on an opportunity. Without hesitation and without first going inside, I grabbed half of the case and we set it on the floor. Together, on a piece of cardboard on the concrete floor, we lifted his re-rebuilt transfercase into position and installed it.
With an accurate measurement on paper, we'll be calling for the Tom Woods driveshaft on the 2nd when everyone resumes normal business.
We're so close to it moving under it's own power that we're reminded to finish the rear brake lines.
I haven't liked the rear driveline angle for some time, our interpretation of this conversion being the equivalent of somewhere around a 4" lift of the donor XJ. The Willys additional wheelbase helps, especially in the front, but a dad is a dad and this dad just wasn't happy with the rear angle.
I ordered the Advance Adapters Slip Yoke Eliminator (SYE) to allow for a double-cardan CV driveshaft. I told him it was coming and that he'd have to pull the transfer case back apart to install the other output shaft. By his own admission, it originally took him "over a week" to rebuild that transfer case. (More like two or three by my recollection but that's the difference between a father and a son I guess.)
The SYE showed up a day or two ago and the night before last when I got home from work, he was under the truck unbolting the tailshaft housing. We talked some and then I went in the house. He came in later. The next day (yesterday) I had to take his younger brother to an appointment and would be gone all morning. By the time I got home later that afternoon, this is where he was:
"I thought you were just unbolting the tailshaft housing!"
"I was", he said, "but I couldn't slide it back far enough to take it off. It hit the crossmember... so I pulled the whole thing last night."
"And you've put the kit on?!"
"Yeah. I had to split the halves and pull the whole thing back apart anyway. It was more than we thought and there are some modifications you need to make too.", he says as he points out specific paragraphs in the accompanying instruction manual (in the back of the image), "It was easier to do on the bench and I knew what I was looking at this time."
"So where are you?"
"I'm done. I just need to put it back in the truck."
"Do you want help or do you want me to stay out of the way?"
"No. I could use some help. Taking it out I had gravity on my side."
I think he's just 'letting me', but I wasn't missing out on an opportunity. Without hesitation and without first going inside, I grabbed half of the case and we set it on the floor. Together, on a piece of cardboard on the concrete floor, we lifted his re-rebuilt transfercase into position and installed it.
With an accurate measurement on paper, we'll be calling for the Tom Woods driveshaft on the 2nd when everyone resumes normal business.
We're so close to it moving under it's own power that we're reminded to finish the rear brake lines.
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Nice work. Sounds like you are teaching him to fish. As a parent of 2 young ones, I aspire to that. Appreciate all of your posts.
Happy new year.
Happy new year.
dozerjim
Sharpest Tool
- Nov 11, 2009
- 326
- First Name
- Jim
- Willys Model
- Pickup
- Willys Year:
Just caught up on your son's build,very nice job,good to see the next gen may take an interest in building and not just buying something....congrats.