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The Volvo-powered Willys CJ3a

Thanks culberro! It’s been a journey, that’s for sure.

I have a spare pump here from an 850. I’ll pull that one apart first to learn on. I found that one should definitely be putting out 1081-1181 psi. Hopefully I can put something together between the two of them that works.
 
I took the relief valve out and swapped it with one from the spare pump. It’s 90% better. Still not as quick as it could be, but definitely much better. It now strains at full lock, and I can turn lock-to-lock with some speed.

I’ll put a new pump on my wish list. I think this one is worn out.

If anyone is wondering why I didn’t just switch pumps, the one from the 850 is a piggyback reservoir and it won’t fit under my radiator hose.
 
Punch list is getting smaller. Shifters for the t-case are done.

I chopped the shifter tower off an old Dana 18 and whipped up a mount that bolts to the transmission.

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Here?s the shift pattern of a Dana 300 when you switch it to a twin stick:

bE2RacL.jpg


So the options are:
4wd high range
4wd low range
Rear only high range
Rear only low range
Front only low range
Neutral
 
This parking brake (from the Isuzu Rodeo) was a pain in the butt. What I started with was close to working as it was, but just wrong enough that every piece had to be modified to some extent.

Here?s what all the brackets and linkages ended up looking like.

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The cables split the cage member, and I stuck a bracket in there to keep the outer cable away from the tire.

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Parking brake disengaged:

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Engaged:

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Here?s the shift pattern of a Dana 300 when you switch it to a twin stick:

bE2RacL.jpg


So the options are:
4wd high range
4wd low range
Rear only high range
Rear only low range
Front only low range
Neutral
Awesome project, thanks for the bleacher seat build enjoyment!

For the shifters, it's one shifter per axle (L/N/H), right? Is there a lockout to prevent the bad combinations, such as Front Low + Rear High? Will it do shift-on-the-fly at all?

Long ago, I had a Series III Land Rover. There was a big red shifter - 4wd low/Neutral/2wd high, and a yellow knob that you pushed down to go into 4wd high. You could start in 4wd low and while moving, with the clutch in, go to 2wd high. You could also engage 4wd high while moving. Some clunking involved, but no grinding. It also had a Fairy overdrive that gave you a half gear in between all the other gears. Freeway speed, and merging, were still challenges.
 
Thanks bobxyz! I never know how many people are watching... I feel like the kid who got invited to the party because he received another kid’s heart transplant, and the family only has a connection to the heart. :)

Yeah, it has an internal ‘pill’ in between the shift rails that prevents any mismatched ratios. Shifting from 2wd to 4wd on the fly is possible if the front lockout hubs are engaged.

The pill removal in the old Dana 18s was necessary to run in 2wd low range, but no gearing mismatches were possible. The shifters were just high/N/low range and front axle engaged/disengaged.

I have the pill removed from the Dana 20 in my other Jeep, and that one can get weird. Left shifter is rear drive, right shifter is front drive, and any combo is possible. Binding ensues!
 
I did the same shifter mod on our Samurai.it helped a lot being able to run low range in 2wheel. At 12000’ elevation it needed low range all the time. Only down side was that it was a guessing game on where the gears were.
 
I FOUND IT!!!!! Two hours of searching every box, bin, drawer, cabinet and countertop, then I decided to check outside around the scrap pile, and there it was in the mud where it?s sat for probably the last four years.

GhHcaml.jpg


In designing my center console, I really wanted to find this latch to design it around. I knew it was somewhere!

A day wasted, but worth it.

Very rough draft...

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This padded topper from an early V70 (mounted backwards) will be hinged separately and held down with a magnet. Lift it to access the latch.

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The small box in front is for the radio... something like this marine gauge unit.

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I considered a cup holder of some sort, but it seemed like a waste of space down there. I?ll make something to clamp to the roll bar above the shifters at some point.

Here is what was behind the armrest that needed to come off in order for the lit to have full range of motion.

jiT2GLJ.jpg


I had to tear the seat apart to cut this off without scarfing up the fabric or foam. You can see the plate I made to cover the hole in the fabric in the last pic in this series.

CltNTeP.jpg


Here are the hinges on the console. I used old door hinges with removable pins. If the Volvo glove box latch?s internal mechanism ever failed, I wanted to make sure I could still get the lid off without cutting it apart.

NwQZDKq.jpg


I bent some strips to 110? and welded them along the top to make the rim stiffer and pleasant to reach past. I bent the front/center area square to act as the catch for the latch.

pwXqrO0.jpg


Here is the tubing framework that got welded to the cage. The box drops down onto four studs and is secured with locknuts inside.

tQBsrND.jpg


I raised it up a bit to work as an armrest, and I lopped off the top corners to more-properly follow the contour of the pad and compliment the look of the stereo box under it.

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Upper lid open to expose the latch. You can see the magnet next to the latch. It sticks to a screw in the lid.

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Opened...

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The framework will get finish-welded next time the cage is out.

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I took it out for a thorough test drive. I figured out the cause of some steering vagueness... all four of my tires registered at 0 psi on my gauge. The tires are so old and hard, they support the weight with no air. After I fixed that, road test felt great, and I tested 4wd with good success. Front driveshaft had no noticeable or visible vibration with hubs locked in 2wd at ~45 mph, and crawl gearing feels good. Not a hardcore rock crawler, but good general gearing at 40.5:1 compound low. This, on 32s, feels the same as my 3b that has 47:1 on 33s, plus it feels like it lugs better than the old Jeep engine. The fuel injection has a bit of a ?governor effect? down low. Also, the parking brake is very strong; it easily locks the rear tires.

Very pleased so far.
 
Thanks Vol242vo!

A few little things...

I made a plate to mount one of the ECMs to. The big holes are there to tack it to the body. This one went just to the left of the driver’s feet.

TpJjbNl.jpg


CPUqeEs.jpg


The hood was missing half of the hinge. I’m too cheap to spend $30 + shipping for a new hinge, so I made one out of old door hinges.

m7qU8X4.jpg


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I put all its clothes on for a beauty shot. I can?t wait for this thing to be one color.

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This little mount was a pain, but it turned out nice.

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I made it so I could mount the ignition control module on the driver?s coil spring bucket, far from any engine heat.

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I spent the last two days cleaning up the wiring in the engine bay.

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Now the nightmare of under-dash wiring...

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My buddy stopped by and filmed a test drive.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wLRqt1bvhto" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
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cj drive

well nice video . Now we see the original idea of the red block from a tractor been put into the use it was meant to do!!!
Nice ride Take care
DZ:cool:
 
I had to step away from this for a little bit. I?ve decided to sell my custom made fat-tired dirt bike to fund this Jeep to the end, so I had to jump on that to strip it down, clean/blast/powdercoat/reseal.... everything to make it run great and look pretty.

I?m waiting for parts to arrive, so I had some time to jump back on the Jeep. I started working on the floor. It needs to be made in two sections so it can come out without removing the cage. I started with the rear section by cutting a bunch of 1? strips out of 1/8? material. I?m making the floor framework out of this, then filling the inside with 18g.

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I made these stiffener ribs out of 18g

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I?ll drill and tap the floor to bolt this down to.

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All cleaned up...

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I?ve started on the front. It?s a pain in the butt. More in a few days.
 
It?s been a while since I?ve updated.
Floor is basically done.

SvcjdxV.jpg


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Built a cover for the battery.

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I?m working on a drawer for under the rear seat.

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Drawer cabinet:

yFRa79P.jpg


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Framework for the rear seat seat-back and seat belts.

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Thanks guys!

what bender do you use to make the bends in the tubing?

Not sure which tubing you?re referring to, so I?ll go through them all....

The main 1 3/4? roll cage tubing was bent with this bender:
https://www.trick-tools.com/Pro-Too...MI8Z3AqZ-x6AIVkq_sCh0I5QR9EAQYASABEgKqgvD_BwE
I only have one die and shoe for it because they?re so expensive.

The 1? spreader bars in the cage are just 3/4? pipe that I bent with an old $100 hydraulic pipe bender like the ones at Harbor Freight. They bend pipe just fine, but they kink tubing.

That seat was an aftermarket Kayline seat, and the frame was made from crappy galvanized conduit. I just re-used that frame and cut some bends out of the lower section and welded them in where I needed them.
 
It?s all back apart for hopefully the last time.

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Cage and components are painted...

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Body is off, ready for about a month?s worth of body work...

mW60vSo.jpg


The cage is back in place for storage.

p8HncbV.jpg

nM3L1cC.jpg
 
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