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. So instead, I bought my first SUV.
Over the years my husband Howard, our son Greg, and I have 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 very 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!