Suicide door Wagon Does exist

That is pretty cool!...can you open both doors?....i would like to see how the doors latch closed?

As others have suggested i am thinking it could be a Fairmount built wagon? though i dont remember them having suicide doors. which leads me to believe that thus one was somehow modified to have the suicide doors? i dont think anybody intentionally built the wagon that way. just a hunch ...i might be wrong ...
but a pretty neat wagon none the less ...is it stock or show signs of modification? .....what engine/tranny does it have? 2WD 4WD? T-case? how bout showing us the rest of it.....interior/exterior dash..... cargo area ...undercarriage ...engine bay .....everything from different angles so we can see what exactly you have there.


Larry
 
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Question / Answer: I found this advertised on a popular auction web site. The title is from Louisiana. The seller said it was in storage for the last 15 years and a relative had found it.

The year is 1954. The engine is a 6 cylinder, not super hurricane. It does have a Warn overdrive that looks original. No radio with dual glove boxes. Optional heater with original under dash 3 position switch.

The interior is all still there. Enjoy the photos and let me know what you see. The Jeep is new to me and you may see something that I have overlooked.
Willys Suicide Wagon (2).jpgWillys Suicide Wagon (3).jpgWillys Suicide Wagon (7).jpgWillys Suicide Wagon (12).jpgWillys Suicide Wagon (15).jpgWillys Suicide Wagon (18).jpgWillys Suicide Wagon (21).jpgWillys Suicide Wagon (26).jpg
 
Really neat Wagon. Amazing shape for being in a humid climate too!
A lot of work to turn the side panel with sliding window into a door.
Rural taxi service? Hope you can learn more about it -- I suppose it could have been modded for fun but more likely for a purpose...

One odd thing stands out:
The tail gate lever extensions bother me. The levers to close the tailgate should be easy to operate and not require that kind of additional leverage. The oem handles lay flush in the recess of the tailgate so there's no interference sliding a load in or out.
 
Totally cool and seemingly well thought out beforehand. It doesnt quite look production. This deserves to be restored. Glad it went to a good home! Keep us posted on what you find out.
 
I see two things...the extra amber lights below the original stock tailights ....other thing i see is the interior door release...front doors have the later 52+ lever handles while the rear set of doors have the early 51- push buttons like my truck has. i am not that familiar with the wagons as i am the trucks but i see certain details when they dont match. .....what does the engine look like? whoever did this modification did a pretty decent job of it...as i am still not convinced it came from the factory that way.


Larry
 
I want this to be a one of a kind super rare find with a great back story...but...and I don't know wagons that well...why is this not a 4 door wagon where someone changed the hinges from the B pillar to the C pillar for some reason. Or....are we thinking the factory took a 4 door wagon and did a special one off order?
 
As noted above, the tailgate area is modified, the closing or locking handles are MUCH longer than stock and there is something odd about the lift gate hinge. What it is, is not obvious in the picture. A close up of that area would be interesting.

Edit: And yes I want one!
 
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Absolutely awesome!
Paul Barry made a presentation at the Spring 2014 Mid-West Willy's reunion that included a nice section on the four-door wagons.

Have a look at:
http://www.oldwillysforum.com/forum...on-at-the-Spring-2014-Midwest-Willy-s-Reunion

The portion covering the four-door wagons is in the first video. (For full-screen capabilities -- so you can better see the details -- view it on Youtube at
.)

See from about 14 minutes 11 seconds in for information on the Fairmont-produced four doors, but stick around for until at least 20:11 for Willy's factory-build special order four doors. Paul makes no mention of suicide-door versions, but perhaps if you were willing to pony up the spending cabbage, the factory craftsmen would agree to get a bit more creative.

(I'm betting most of you guys will be watching both halves of this presentation from start to finish...)

The year of your wagon seems to point towards the Willys factory as the likely manufacturer.

What fun, Duffy! You lucky dog!
 
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Joe B said:
Absolutely awesome!
Paul Barry made a presentation at the Spring 2014 Mid-West Willy's reunion that included a nice section on the four-door wagons.

Have a look at:
http://www.oldwillysforum.com/forum...on-at-the-Spring-2014-Midwest-Willy-s-Reunion

The portion covering the four-door wagons is in the first video. (For full-screen capabilities -- so you can better see the details -- view it on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=873&v=TjYTwYjnGqU.)

See from about 14 minutes 11 seconds in for information on the Fairmont-produced four doors, but stick around for until at least 20:11 for Willy's factory-build special order four doors. Paul makes no mention of suicide-door versions, but perhaps if you were willing to pony up the spending cabbage, the factory craftsmen would agree to get a bit more creative.

(I'm betting most of you guys will be watching both halves of this presentation from start to finish...)

The year of your wagon seems to point towards the Willys factory as the likely manufacturer.

What fun, Duffy! You lucky dog!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the links!
I'll be damned -- at 21:15 minutes on the Youtube, Paul does mention and show a (factory?) 3 door w/suicide door.

The factory work was so rough it would be easy to replicate at most any shop.
 
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