Projects Oh no not another Willys Gasser build, this time a Willys shop truck

Thanks Mark, and a very happy Xmas to you and your family too, hope the new year brings better things for everybody on here.

 

Well I was glad to knock off a bit earlier today, been cutting, grinding & sanding the front axle for the last 6 hours !!! Now covered in black dust, started off bad this morning when I tried to remove the old brakes and spindles, kingpins were rusted in solid, enter Mr 9" grinder with cutting wheel fitted it made short work of the spindles & brakes, had to pop to my mates and press the remaining bits of kingpin out.

Next I set about cutting off all the lumps and bumps I didn't need, there were a fair few, a few holes were tigged up and then the mammoth sanding started !!!

Heres what I started with








Heres how it looks now, next job is to set it up on the mill and bore out the kingpin hole as its bigger than the early ford so needs to be sleeved and reamed, then off to be media blasted as its easier than trying to clean out the middle of the I beam.







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Don't know what else to say. Just a pleasure to watch a pro in action. So appreciate you sharing your work with us Steve!

 

your work is outstanding , and your threads are a treat to follow , a great read

 

Hahaha thanks mate, its just me hacking away at it with a grinder !!!

 

Damn.
Driver? Sure it is.

Hey Steve- how about some pics & details of your equipment. The lathe, mill, etc.
Your garage looks very modest. It's amazing what you roll out of there.
My garage is new w/ all the newest equipment. I can barely chase a thread w/o screwing that up.
You are inspiring!

 

Yes Steve it will be a driver but a tidy one, most of the underneath will be black powdercoated.

Yes my workshop isnt very big, I can work comfortably on 2 cars and I have an extension on the back that I refer to as my dirty room, it houses the lathe, mill, polishing machines, drill stands, tig & mig, belt & disc sanders etc etc.

I learn't a long time ago that its not the size but what you do with it that counts
I''m also quite lucky that I have a good friend just up the road with an engineering factory and he lets me use stuff when I need too.

I've had the big expensive workshops in the past and i'm quite happy working from home on my own, I don't much like working with other people to be honest, prefer to be on my own and get on and do stuff, I expect to much from them I guess !!!

It also helps to be passionate about the hobby, I would prefer to be in my workshop than watching Tv anytime.

 

I've been in Langy's shop and small is the operable word but very, very tidy. If you ever came up with a ratio that compares shop square footage vs what top of the line stuff is produced, Langy's would be one of the highest ....

 

When you havn't much room Tom you got to keep it tidy and well organised.

 

Well today was gonna be a normal working day but due to the fact that the whole country appears to have shut down I thought I would do the same
Tried to get stuff from 4 different suppliers this morning and all closed till Jan 6th !!! No wonder the country is in a state

Anyway popped home and picked up the front axle and went to my mates engineering shop, hooray still there and beavering away the bridgeport was busy today so we used the Condor mill, lovely old bit of kit. Brians got 10 mills so we was spoilt for choice !!!

First job was how to hold the axle, Brian found a lump of I beam that fitted perfectly across the spring pads so we drilled holes and bolted the axle to the i beam, then the i beam was clamped down to the bed of the mill. next we laid over the head to 8.5 degrees (spindles are 9 but I want to run 0.5 negative) next the head was laid over in the other axis 4 degrees as the axle has 4 degrees of castor built in, next a suitable cutter was selected and the ends bored out.
















Next we put in a fly cutter and straightened up the kingpin faces to the bore as the original bore was 7 degrees and the new spindles are 9 degree.








Next 2 sleeves were spun up in the lathe and press fit into the kingpin bosses.








These were then reamed to 0.812" to produce a nice snug fit for the kingpins.








Fitted up with the hubs and viola we have a front axle assembly






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Man you are a font of knowledge. You make it look so simple LOL.

 

Yea man this good stuff alot of respect for the work here send lots more of this build

 

That's a beautiful axle now Steve! Sure is nice to have all the right tools to make that old axle like new again!

 

Hahaha, it is simple if you have the knowledge my friend after 43 years of building hotrods I think I should know, it would be embarrassing if I didn't, thanks for posting & happy xmas.

 

Looking good Langy! Maybe I missed it, but what are you going to use for the cab on this one? Merry Christmas!!!

 

Thanks dude appreciate the interest, Happy xmas

 

yeah i'm pleased how it came out Vall, gonna put some holes in it next

Happy xmas to you and your family

 

Not sure if this will go down well but it will be Gasp !!! fibreglass, I can mould the front half of the cab in our coupe mould and we have a rough original cab back and doors to mould off, then I will join the two halves together, blend and fettle it all and then take a mould from the finished article, I'm also looking at stretching the tiny cab slightly but not a lot as for me the radically stretched ones lose their proportions and don't look good.

Happy xmas

 

Thanks Steve! Merry Christmas to you and yours too!

 

Well with xmas finally done and dusted i can get back into the workshop, heaven !!!
I got straight back onto the drilling of the axle that I had already started, all went well but I came across 1 hole that just won't drill no matter what I try !!! Its like a hard vein in the steel, I tried a brand new milling cutter but it just dulled the cutting edges, had it on the last one of these axles but managed to get all the holes done, I'm gonna pop to the machine shop tomorrow and see if my mate Brian has something to do the last hole.








This is the bit that won't drill





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Weird how that old metal can have variations in hardness. I was surprised how easily my E100 axle drilled with plenty of cutting oil and a holesaw.

 

I'm sure you did, but did you try it from the other side ?

 

Subscribed.

 

I must of drilled over a hundred axles over the years Vall and this is only the 3rd time it happened !!! two times its been my own axles

 

Yes Phil that was one of the first things we tried, hard there as well

 

Well the machine shop is shut today so the hole in the axle will have to wait, I've being getting bits and pieces made so when a bit of decent weather comes by I can attack this with a vengeance and get a rolling frame together in a day, Today i made up the firewall mounted brake pedal assembly.

Its all 1/4" BMS, could of got away with 1/8" but it just doesnt have the look.

Heres the main bracket








Next spun up a phosphor bronze bush for the pedal pivot. Pedal is 1/4" BMS but with a 1/8" BMS stiffener, makes it into an I beam












Heres the finished assembly, had to use the master cylinder of my 26T project as the one I ordered hasn't arrived yet.





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In between working today i've been thinking about engine mounts, I really like the look of a front Hurst style mount, After I finished I hacked about a bit of plywood to get a rough shape, I picked up off the lower 4 timing cover bolts, they are 3/8", yes I know the centre hole is 1/4" off, I thought it was central between the 4 holes, it isn't, its 1/4" off

I think I may have it, next transfer to metal









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awesome work. I really like the I beam style brake pedal and all the holes in everything. Your builds are always so inspiring and well documented also. thanks for taking the time.

 

Thanks mate, glad it was/is of interest to you.

 

Steve, that timing cover looks familiar, what engine will you be running? Love the mount so far!