Project Chilly

cheepin · Post by **cheepin** » Thu Apr 23, 2020 8:58 pm

So this past fall I was offered a 1952 Willys Wagon for free. Had to pull it out of a field where it had been sitting since 1969 after the engine let go. The interior had been stripped. But the body is in awesome shape for sitting so long.

Well I've had this 1986 K20 sitting around for a couple yrs. It was complete with a bad engine. So the obvious thing to do was combine the two.

Stripped the K20.

Moved the rear axle forward.

Wheelbase is at 117"

cheepin · Post by **cheepin** » Thu Apr 23, 2020 9:06 pm

Pulled the wagon body off the stock frame.

Decided where I wanted the body and fab some front body mounts.

Sideview after that. Rear needs to come down. That will come.

Front floor was a little rotten. So it got cut some.

Cut the rear of the frame behind the spring hanger and fabbed a new section out of 2x3x .250 wall. The rear bumper is 2x5x2.50 wall. This let the rear come down to where it needed to be.

Bumper will get wrapped around the sides.

cheepin · Post by **cheepin** » Thu Apr 23, 2020 9:10 pm

Fabbed some boomer rang shackles for the rear along with body mounts and shackle hangers.

How it is sitting after all that. Body is sitting nicely on the frame.

cheepin · Post by **cheepin** » Thu Apr 23, 2020 9:17 pm

Started on the front. Fabbed a front bumper/ winch plate out of 3/8" plate. Cut the stock front K20 body mount/ spring hanger off.

Pulled the drivetrain out. Bumper will be cut and finished at a later date.

Broke out the front clip. Cut and notched the grille to sit down in the frame a tad. Welded in some 16 ga. for a body mount.

Took a page form YJ lopes build. And holesawed a couple of aluminum body pucks for the grille.

Here's how its sitting now.

vb · Post by vb » Thu Apr 23, 2020 10:16 pm

Two good projects going on this old board!!

YJLopes · Post by **YJLopes** » Fri Apr 24, 2020 6:08 am

Pretty cool!

cheepin · Post by **cheepin** » Fri Apr 24, 2020 6:56 pm

So about when the lock down started I found a 82 C20 with a 6.2L diesel for cheap. It had been sitting for sometime after the trans let go. Figured this would be a decent engine and different. I know most won't agree with this choice. But I have an '84 K30 crew with one and it does fine getting our camper around in the mtns.

So for the record the drivetrain will be 6.2L diesel with SM465/np208. Currrently has a 10bolt front and semi 14bolt rear. With 4:10 gearing. Do have a 10bolt/FF 14 bolt sitting with 4:56 gears also. Along with another FF14 with 4:10s. But I have an '84 K30 crew with one and it does fine getting our camper around in the mtns.

Truck is in really good shape and should be able to use parts for the Crew and my Son's 87 Suburban. Plus being a 2wd it has the correct box for crossover steering on the Chevy frame.

YJLopes · Post by **YJLopes** » Sat Apr 25, 2020 8:51 am

When I was a kid my dad had a shop that was one of the first shops around installing ATS and Banks turbos on those early diesels. My old man could make those things sing! His truck (86 F250) was the demo truck. We'd pull I70 westbound with a customer in the right seat and the kit was sold.

cheepin · Post by **cheepin** » Sat Apr 25, 2020 5:16 pm

YJLopes wrote:When I was a kid my dad had a shop that was one of the first shops around installing ATS and Banks turbos on those early diesels. My old man could make those things sing! His truck (86 F250) was the demo truck. We'd pull I70 westbound with a customer in the right seat and the kit was sold.

My crew runs really well. The fuel has been turned up a tad and I believe the injector timing also. But I haven't verified that. PO manages a diesel shop. I do have a Banks kit sitting. That I need to install.

74BuckinBronc · Post by **74BuckinBronc** » Mon Apr 27, 2020 2:40 pm

Subscribed! Love to see a different Willys build!

cheepin · Post by **cheepin** » Sat May 09, 2020 7:17 pm

Well got some time to work on this. The boys and I pulled the engine and trans from the donor.

He loves getting his picture taken. LOL

Need to order a flywheel and pilot bearing and then we can install the drivetrain. This will open up and bunch of work to do. Like floor pans,driveshafts,cooling, etc....

cheepin · Post by **cheepin** » Sat May 23, 2020 8:27 pm

Haven't done anything to this lately. But did put some different wheels on with some 35" BFG's. Good enough tread to use for now.

cheepin · Post by **cheepin** » Sun Mar 05, 2023 9:34 am

Still slowly working on this. Engine and drivetrain are in. Ended up using a TBI 350 we pulled out of my son's Suburban that is getting a 5.3 swapped in. Bored .030 with 10.1 compression. Ordered a clocking ring for the t-case to get it up out of the way. Picked up a striker plate for the passenger door. So now it opens and latches shut.

Also got the radiator mounts fabbed up.

Need to cut the lower outlet off and reangle it. Fan is hitting. Or run and electric fan. Either way it needs reangled.