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The Volvo-powered Willys CJ3a

What does the body need in terms of bodywork ? I remember my CJ5 having issues with rust in the rear corner, how's your tub ?

Will you sandblast it or take a grinder to it ? Looking forward to this part of the build, your attention to detail should pay off in spades.
 
Thanks Matt.

The tub is mostly new metal.... The trouble spots, at least. I replaced the sides at the beginning of this build and stretched the rear wheel openings 3” rearward. Enough to help lengthen the wheelbase, but not too much to look awkward.

Where the floors meet the sides inside, it needs some sort of metalwork bent to form the corners, I need to make a removable box around the distributor in the firewall, there are about 10,000 holes to fill in the wheel wells, dash, firewall, etc..., every old sheet of metal is warped from bodywork in the past being done with a torch (and the new metal from my sloppy work 10 years ago when I put the sides on), there’s a dent in the cowl I want to remove, and the list goes on. It’s just going to take a ton of patience. My shrinking disc is going to get a workout.

Since there’s not very much paint left to hit, I’ll probably hit what I can with a wire wheel, then reach the rest with a spot blaster.
 
Here?s what I?m dealing with everywhere. It?s 71 years of abuse and poorly executed bodywork.
That?s a straightedge up against the inner rear wheelhouse.

UKnPAyc.jpg
 
Love all the fab work, especially the time put into making things clean while forming something convoluted like that tranny cover, or the front radius rods.

Eric
Visalia, CA
 
itlksez said:
Here?s what I?m dealing with everywhere. It?s 71 years of abuse and poorly executed bodywork.
That?s a straightedge up against the inner rear wheelhouse.
Click to expand...

Standard Jeep stuff haha, I spent yesterday and today undoing bad frame repairs on a Jeep so we can fix it properly.
Project is looking good!
 
I sold my beloved fat-tired dirt bike so I could get this project finished. I spent enough on parts the other day that it got my credit card locked. Updates should go straight to the finish line from here out. Finally getting this thing finished after 12(?) years!
I spent the weekend painting. 2 coats black epoxy primer, 2 coats metallic blue, 3 coats clear.

gCQg85r.jpg


C1eQbZA.jpg
 
It?s slowly coming together. New tires and wheels are on.

Cpf7ToZ.jpg


I took it for an awesome test drive the other day, but only after a 7-hour fight with an intermittent start/poor running issue. It was a tough one (two?) to diagnose. I finally found a broken distributor cap after removing the plastic cover.

f7HpeZz.jpg


One of the backfires through the intake blew the cap off the check valve on the brake booster. Temp fix is a nickel and some ultra black.

FKAohry.jpg
 
Blue Jeep

Nice Color!!!
The rims remind me of the 80s when i used to be with my uncle in Puerto Rico in dirt competitions. Those were the days!!!!
Nice job!!!!
Hope is done soon so you can enjoy the hard work put into it !!!!
take care
DZ:oogle:
 
Thanks brickcupra!



I?ll throw this up here in case it helps anyone in the future.
I got aftermarket VDO gauges for this thing. They sent me the wrong sending units (SAE) for the water temp and oil pressure, but I doubt the ?right? ones would?ve fit anyway. It worked out in the long run, and here?s how.

For the oil pressure, I drilled out the tip of the old sender and tapped it to 1/8? NPT. I threaded the new sender into the tip of the old sender, then cut the old sender off.

Sv8yt14.jpg


There was a perfect gap between the old and new for an O-ring to seal.

kIR24FH.jpg



For the water temp...

1eWPVDg.jpg


...I removed all of the plastic from inside the old sender and basically did the same thing. I had to drill the top out as far as I could in order to fit a socket in there, and for the tip of the sender to stick out (hopefully) far enough.

ek3XuiD.jpg


2ZRuGRg.jpg
 
So I guess I?ll put this thread to bed. I?ve been driving this thing around, and it?s an absolute hoot to drive. Here?s a dump of finished pics.

JpKw1qK.jpg


pzQTfGH.jpg


SbPQYDm.jpg


UKsCywh.jpg


ogmt24d.jpg


WUFlt1J.jpg


KdwaESR.jpg



Oh, and @ZVOLV, you can suck it. :lol:
From 2015, Re:
ZVOLV said:
Based on questions asked, I have to display my pessimism that it will never get completed. If it does, please post back with pics.

If one asks about how to cap off wires, or crap, if a computer is needed to run EFI, that means doing a Volvo engine swap in a Jeep is most likely a pipe dream.
Click to expand...
 
Looks like it fits nicely in there. Great project. Something I wish I had done to my YJ when I used to own it.
 
Very cool of you to share the whole build. I love the finished product. Well worth the effort, I imagine.
 
Congratulations! What a great Willys build. That metallic blue paint looks awesome :love:

And I see that you even added the appropriate York AC setup -- does that go to a dash gauge? Completely over the top...
 
Thanks guys!

bobxyz said:
And I see that you even added the appropriate York AC setup -- does that go to a dash gauge? Completely over the top...
Click to expand...

No gauge on this one. I just have a switch that kicks it on at 90psi and off at 120psi, and a master switch that only runs it when I want. I wanted to keep a very minimalist, stock-ish look inside the cab.
 
Very cool! Is this the first ever finished TB project?!?! I thought no project car is ever finished haha.

Awesome and thanks for sharing, inspirational.
 
Blue Jeep!!!

Hey Nice job!!! Everything fits so well. Now the fun begins!!!!
You almost tripled the hp from about 48 to 114. that's a lot of pull for a tractor engine.
I recently got plates for my wagon and im just doing finishing touches before i get to put her on the road like wrapping the exhaust, ( just redid the entire system 2.5 inch after the primary cat and removed the resonator) , install the engine oil cooler, change the oil idiot lite from led to regular bulb,( it looks like the sensor doesn't like leds:omg:) install the valance to hide the intercooler piping, finish the door stripe, finish the window switches( converting them to led lighted from a Volvo 850) finish the stick shift rubber cover and some other nicks and nacks around. Im trying to get them done at least most of it by the end of September.
Ok men, thanks again for the great memories , by the way my cousins have supped up jeeps and run them in competitions. The name of one of them is " El Desconocido" , the uknown.
He is running a solid motor mount v8 with a 850 cfm carb, welded diff, special release trans torque converter kit and he is doing close to high sevens in th 1/4 mile. Ok seeya
DZ :cool:
 
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