When I was young, I always thought it would be fun to own a Jeep. I pictured myself cruising to the beach, with the top down, on a warm, sunny day. After I got married though, I felt I should get something more practical. At the time, we were living in Connecticut, planning on buying our first house and starting a family. I needed a vehicle with four doors, comfortable for road trips, and lots of cargo room to haul things. Instead I bought my first SUV. Over the years my husband Howard, our son Greg, and I developed a true passion for old cars. We have restored and currently own four classics. To us they are not just cars but members of our family. Our first project was our 1969 Plymouth Barracuda “Barry” which we bought in 1989 when we were newlyweds. Our parents thought we were crazy and still do but Barry’s original 318 engine is still running strong today. Barry is Howard’s favorite and the convertible I always wanted. As Greg was getting older, he couldn’t wait until he got his license. He enjoyed watching the movie “Smokey and the Bandit” and the “Dukes of Hazzard” re-runs. When Greg was 14 we surprised him and restored his dream car a 1978 Pontiac TransAm “Bandit”. He loves driving Bandit to car shows and cruises with us, but we didn’t want him taking it to school or work. Greg really wanted a classic of his own so we took on our third project his beloved daily driver, a 1974 Dodge Charger.
It was now, however, time again to replace my SUV. To me, all the cars on the road today look the same. They have no character, are made of plastic, and have “spaghetti” under the hood. I told my husband I didn’t want a new vehicle, but a restored classic car just for me! Of course, I had a very lengthy wish list. The vehicle had to be unique, solid steel, “old school”, affordable (no 440 six-pack for me), very reliable (drive it anytime and anywhere), comfortable, spacious, easy to repair (with readily available parts!), and above all, fun. One day, Howard found an ad for a 1963 Willys Wagon. Neither one of us had ever heard of such a thing. We went to check it out and I immediately fell in love with him. I now have the Jeep I’ve always wanted and the SUV I’ve always needed!
Considering my boy was 50 years old when we bought him, my Willys Wagon was in pretty good shape. The body was straight, not too much rust, and the previous owner had already put in a Chevy 305 engine. Since he was still on his original frame, however, he didn’t handle higher speeds very well plus, now living in Florida, air conditioning is a “must-have”. For the past two years, we’ve been working on a full, frame-off restoration. Slowly, but steadily, we’ve been making progress with a ton of help along the way. Willys is about 95% complete now and we’re hoping by year end 2014 he will finally be finished. It’s amazing how many people can’t wait to see my Willys done! Basically, we’ve replaced almost everything and made Willy better than when he came off the assembly line. We put my Willys Wagon body on a 1992 GMC Jimmy S15 chassis with a 700R4 automatic overdrive transmission. We’ve installed power steering, power brakes, power windows, air conditioning, new glass, all new interior, and, thanks to Kaiser Willys, found lots of needed parts. Since I really like the look (not the maintenance) of the old Woodys, we painted my Willys Shelby Cobra Blue with airbrushed wood grain panels and six layers of clear coat. I know a Jeep purest might not be happy with my Willys, but to me, I have the best of both worlds, old and new. I love my Willys!
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Hi James,
Give Mike a call toll free 1-888-648-4923 Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM EST and he will be happy to help you with this! He has someone that he can send you towards to help you further. Have a great day!
I know this may be a stupid reeuqst but I have been rewiring my 1948 jeep willys and I can everything working but the ignition and need some help. One difference I have is a voltage regulater and I continued to wire it as it was because not sure what else to do.My real problem is trying to figure out what the box you have labeled AMP is. I have tried many different combinations and have not figured that out. It appears to control the ignition and light switch which I can not get either to work. I think I have something wired backwards. On the back of the ignition it has BAT IGN ACC and in the center START. On the solenoid it has an ING & START so I ran the wire on the solenoid START to the START on the ignition and the solenoid IGN to the IGN on the ignition and BAT side of solenoid to the BAT of the ignition switch.When I try the lights nothing or the ignition switch nothing. I can bypass the light switch and all the lights work and I can bypass the ignition and the starter works, just cannotn get it to work through the switches. Believe it may have something to do with the box AMP what is it? Is it a switch, junction or what? Thanks for any help you can give me OH yes I have a 12 volt system.Jerry
Ken,
Thanks for your interest in my Willys! After lengthy research, my husband and I determined that the wheelbase and length of the late 1980s and early 1990s four door GMC Jimmy or S-10 Blazer were very comparable to the Willys Wagon.
Willys Wagon
Width – 71.75″
Length – 176.25″
Wheelbase – 104.5″
1992 GMC Jimmy
Width – 65.4″
Length – 176.8″
Wheelbase – 107″
The GMC Jimmy also provided us with the 700R4 automatic transmission with overdrive, plus modern brakes, shocks, suspension, etc.
In addition, we found some very helpful information on the Old Willys Forum (www.OldWillysForum.com). A member of their forum, Midnight Burn, did a full frame-off restoration and has posted extensive detailed information and photos. Here is a link to Midnight Burn’s info:
http://www.oldwillysforum.com/forum/showthread.php?136-Midnight-Willys
Hope you find this information useful. If you have any other questions, contact Amy at Kaiser Willys and she can put you in direct contact with me via email. Feel free to contact me anytime!
Good luck with your project!
Carla Raphan
i have the same questions as bill whipple. would love to know how to do the same thing . i have a 52 1/4 ton truck , a 52 cj 3a and a 50 ? window wagon. there advise would be very helpful. thanks ken
Bill,
Thank you for your interest in our Willys Wagon restoration. We would be more than happy to provide you with any information we can. I will email directly.
Best regards,
Carla
John,
Thanks for your kind comment! Our family has always enjoyed working on our cars together. By attending car shows/cruises, we have meet a lot of great people and made numerous close friends. As parents, It warms our hearts to see our son, his friends, and the next generation keep the hobby alive!
Best regards,
Carla Raphan
PERFECT! What a great way to keep a good family structure. Beautiful cars. I do love the jeep.
Thanks
John
I just got a thought from reading this story from Carla Raphan about her trasformation of her Willy’s using a 1992 GMC Jimmy that rolled but still has a good frame and engine… I would love to know how they did the transition! What a great Idea! I have 2 Willys , one that is running and the other is just the body that could be used to build on top of the Willys frame. How can I get in touch with her and her husband???
Thank you,
Bill Whipple