blueskies Posted June 29, 2010 Report Posted June 29, 2010 My boys and I are feeling the pits of our stomachs, sad that the Plymouth is going to a new home... We decided we needed something to tinker with to fill the void and I've wanted a Willys Wagon for years. I've been watching craig's-list and other classifieds for months, and finally found a wagon I liked for a price I could handle. I spend about a 1/3 of my Plymouth proceeds on this '60 Wagon, and it is being shipped any day now from Arkansas to Idaho. It has a "Super Hurricane" flathead six, so it will feel right at home in the garage. And it will still give my ARCH RACE RIVAL Don C a run for the money. That and I can drag his blue boat out of the ditch when he takes Deadman's curve a little too hot. The boys and I can't wait for it to get here, it will be great to have a fun rig that we can use year round in the mountains of Idaho. Now to make the old flatty kick-a$$... that made me grin ear to ear- It is going to be very hard to leave it alone for the time being...Here's a couple of shots of my wagon... The door art is just magnet signs. PTO winch, stock drivetrain. the '60 was a transition year, still has the split windows front and rear, but has the later model low profile roofline. First order of business, seatbelts and some interior detailing. Then lots of dirt roads and fishing rods. Cheers- Pete Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted June 29, 2010 Report Posted June 29, 2010 good deal..I like the Willy's wagon...hard to find these in our neck of the woods..you definitely off to a good start..congrats.. Quote
jd52cranbrook Posted June 30, 2010 Report Posted June 30, 2010 I can feel another web site coming on,, Good for you Pete Quote
greg g Posted June 30, 2010 Report Posted June 30, 2010 Pete, we just got back from Colorado, noticed that in Leadville there must be a village ordinacnce that requires each back or side yard to have at least one Jeep Wagon or pickup of that style. If you need parts, I would sugest that Leadville is the place to look. Don't those blowers work more effectively when the hose is connected??? Quote
Joe Flanagan Posted June 30, 2010 Report Posted June 30, 2010 Pete, how long were you without an old car? A week? Has the Plymouth even gone to Texas yet? You've got it bad. I'm looking forward to progress reports. Quote
BobT-47P15 Posted June 30, 2010 Report Posted June 30, 2010 Looks good, Pete. Have fun.......... Quote
Niel Hoback Posted June 30, 2010 Report Posted June 30, 2010 It looks like a nice one, and it found a good home. Fun's around the corner. Quote
Cpt.Fred Posted June 30, 2010 Report Posted June 30, 2010 nice going, pete! i told you it's impossible to live without a decent toy:rolleyes: and please stop posting videos of blown flatties, i 'm very fragile at the moment:D greetings from berlin! fred Quote
Young Ed Posted June 30, 2010 Report Posted June 30, 2010 Way to go Pete. Glad you have something to play with. I think there just wasnt enough work left on the 50 plymouth Quote
Jim Saraceno Posted June 30, 2010 Report Posted June 30, 2010 I'm glad you have a new project. It looks like it's already in good condition. That would make a great fishing car! Keep in touch! Quote
blueskies Posted June 30, 2010 Author Report Posted June 30, 2010 Don't those blowers work more effectively when the hose is connected??? Maybe the guy was afraid the blower would blow the guts out the other end of the engine... I can feel another web site coming on,, Been working on that for a while now... I stared www.oldwillysforum.com to educate myself as much as possible before I bought. I didn't plan to buy a wagon for a couple more years... The wagon I bought is fairly complete, so I probably won't do another website like I did for my Plymouth that covered the entire project. Might just do a page for road trips and outings, small projects, etc. Or maybe nothing more than post on the new forum, time will tell. Pete, how long were you without an old car? A week? Has the Plymouth even gone to Texas yet? You've got it bad. I'm looking forward to progress reports. I wasn't planning on buying anything for a while. Feeling a bit guilty about spending some of the Plymouth money on another ride, but decided that it was probably now or never. It won't be long before that cash is long gone, and the right wagon came along at the right price so i jumped on it. Decided that getting the wagon here before the Plymouth leaves for Texas on the 1th of August would be a good idea to, so that my kids will have something to focus on when the Plymouth drives off into the sunset. Way to go Pete. Glad you have something to play with. I think there just wasnt enough work left on the 50 plymouth Ed- I certainly enjoyed the process of putting my '50 together along with it's website as much or more than the finished product. The wagon still needs some work, but it is pretty much a driver as it is. I didn't want another full blown project, no time or money at this point to take that on. Just want a weekend tinker rig and something that I can run around in the rest of the time that looks decent. I'll post a clip or two when it gets here... Pete Quote
blueskies Posted August 10, 2010 Author Report Posted August 10, 2010 My wagon has arrived... Shipping was an ordeal, it took nearly two months... The wagon is a bit rougher around the edges that I had hoped, but I suppose that gives my boys and I more to tinker with. I've only driven it around the block, but in comparison to the Plymouth, it's a lot like driving a tractor... Here's a couple of pics- Sadly, I will drive my Plymouth for the last time tomorrow. I'm driving from home to Boise, ID, 150 miles, to meet the new owner. He is going to drive the car to it's new home in Arlington, Tx. I have no doubt he will get there without issue. I'm sure we will shed a few tears as it drives off into the sunset.... If he ever sells, I get dibs on first right of refusal... Pete Quote
Young Ed Posted August 10, 2010 Report Posted August 10, 2010 Pete not bad for a truck made in a surplus washing machine factory. (I read somewhere thats why the body panels have all the indents in them). Glad you still have a toy for you and the boys. Quote
blueskies Posted August 10, 2010 Author Report Posted August 10, 2010 Pete not bad for a truck made in a surplus washing machine factory. (I read somewhere thats why the body panels have all the indents in them). Glad you still have a toy for you and the boys. That's funny Ed, maybe I should name it the "Tub".... It's certainly got some good, bad, and ugly. The ugly is unfortunate, but buying sight unseen it's hard to expect much more. The seller wasn't completely honest and lied about a couple of things. But, overall, its in pretty good shape. Pete Quote
Young Ed Posted August 10, 2010 Report Posted August 10, 2010 Everybody will think its a nash product then. Maybe the machine? At least thats another AMC name Quote
P-12 Tommy Posted August 10, 2010 Report Posted August 10, 2010 (edited) Ahhhhh.. the REBEL MACHINE 1970 only. Tom Edited August 10, 2010 by P-12 Tommy change wording Quote
hkestes41 Posted August 11, 2010 Report Posted August 11, 2010 My dad had one of the old Willys wagons that he put a 289 in to take hunting in Colorado. My uncle who bought it from him when he turned 16 in about 1970. Had my dad paint it kind of a hunters green metal flake then he put a multy colored striped shag carpet in it with bean bag chairs in the back. Topped it off with a green metal flake steering wheel and chrome wheels. Real shaggin wagon or so he thought. Good luck with your Pete, I'm sure you and your boys will take a different path than my uncle did and have fun doing it. Hopefully I will now get to see the Plymouth in person since it will only be about 30 miles down the road. Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted August 11, 2010 Report Posted August 11, 2010 Pete, gald your wagon arived, they are amoung my favorites in the Willy's line up but if I got one for here in the south, I would have to have the 2 WD version. Never bee a $ WD fan..I am sure there are some upgrades for refined ride if you want to go that route but probably at thessacrafice of off road handling..It is probably just a new experience and one you will get accustomed to and learn to enjoy the vehicle..then it be just old hat stuff again..I have learned that if I get 50% of what is shown in a picture..you have done good that is if the price was right..keep it a Willys and not a shllim (wheels on the ground) Quote
james curl Posted August 11, 2010 Report Posted August 11, 2010 I have a friend doing one for a client using an early Chevy S-10 front clip, engine and T-5 transmission. This is the second one that he has done. The widow of the first client sold the first one and I missed it,too much money, sure would like to have had it. Quote
T120 Posted August 11, 2010 Report Posted August 11, 2010 Hi Pete,Nice looking wagon.Pretty tough to find a 50 year old vehicle that doesn't have a few issues.The wagon looks like it will be in the right place exploring the back country in Idaho.Have fun. Quote
PatS.... Posted August 11, 2010 Report Posted August 11, 2010 Pete, that's a real nice replacement for the Plymouth. It's a great idea to have the boys involved so they can learn about vehicles. Even if they never pursue cars as a hobby, they'll know what the "mechanic" is talking about when they are told the turbo encabulator needs replacing and it will be $2000. In the meantime, you know where they are if they are working on the Willys. Some of my best memories are of wrenching on old cars with my dad. Who gets his drivers license first?? Keep us up to date, or at least post a link every once in a while Quote
blueskies Posted August 11, 2010 Author Report Posted August 11, 2010 Pete, that's a real nice replacement for the Plymouth. It's a great idea to have the boys involved so they can learn about vehicles. Who gets his drivers license first?? Keep us up to date, or at least post a link every once in a while Pat- The boys are old hands at old cars... Joseph started wrenching on the Plymouth when he was 2 1/2, Ben was a few days old at the time. The are now 12 and 9... They were pretty sad this morning when I drove away in the Plymouth to deliver it to Boise, but they are fired up about digging into the Wagon. Joseph wants to find a Willys pickup right away to start tinkering on so that when he gets his license in a few years it will be road worthy then. I said to him, what would we do with it in the mean time, and he said "we'll just park it out back, and when my friends come over, I can show them my pride and joy!" I think I have successfully passed on the old car affliction... The wagon has a laundry list of fix-it stuff. Most of it small, but a few big issues. It looks great in the pictures, but it's a 20 footer to be sure. The first order of business is to pull the rear axle and re-do the spring perches. Seems that the axle was replaced at some point, and the spring perches weren't welded on. The result is that the axle has slid to one side about 1.5 inches, causing the tire to rub the body. One of the issues the seller failed to mention... I will be posting a build thread on my Willys site, if anyone wants to follow along. www.oldwillysforum.com The Plymouth will officially change hands at 6pm tonight... I hope Michael is happy with his purchase. I'm very sad to see it go. We'll just have to build another kick-a$$ Plymouth in a few years when Ben is ready to drive... Pete Quote
Reg Evans Posted August 11, 2010 Report Posted August 11, 2010 Pete, Will you be turning the Super Hurricane into a Super Duper Hurricane ? Quote
Young Ed Posted August 11, 2010 Report Posted August 11, 2010 Pete I went and looked at my Jeep book and it really only covers the WWII jeeps and amphibian vehicles. So I have no idea where I got that thing about them being stamped out on surplus washing machine makers. Quote
Barabbas Posted August 11, 2010 Report Posted August 11, 2010 Ed, I picked this up from another site: "the 1946 Willys-Series CJ-2A was built primarily in the Willys-Overland Jeep plant on Willys Parkway in Toledo, OH. Prior to its incarnation as a Jeep manufacturing plant, the Willys-Overland plant was once a washing machine factory! (Ever wonder why the front ends of early Jeeps were so square? That's why!" That Plant on Willys parkway was still being used in the late 80s, so Pete's Willys will probably still have some agitator in it Quote
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