57 willys pickup on s10 blazer chassis

[dansmith89]

so the plan is to pull both bodies of both vehicles and mount the willys on the blazer chassis with its current 2.8l v6 and suspension and all... let me know questions comments concerns criticism or anything else that could be help full.

 

[Eric B]

Big project!

Take lots of photos!

 

[retmotor]

Welcome, Dan. What's the status of the drivetrain currently in the Willys?

 

[dansmith89]

well the drive train seems to be alright, the motor was replaced with a 289 ford and as of my knowledge it ran that for a few years then sat for about 13 years, after getting it hauled home and doing some tinkering i got the motor to fire up and run quite well actually... then there was a problem with the brakes... no i didnt not drive it on to the road to find this out but it was a shear dissapointment.. after doing some research and cost analysis i decided to just do the swap as im short on funds and what i save on the brakes, the brake conversion to disc, and wheels and tires, not to mention the gas. this should turn out to be an alright daily driver.

 

[mikec4193]

Hi Dan
My 2 cents here. There is a young guy on the cj2a website. He built a Dodge Power Wagon and he did the same swap. I would say from a driveable standpoint having a modern driveline would make it easier as far as getting parts. You can run to the local NAPA store and get most anything you'll need. As far as the swap goes be prepared to spend many long nights getting all the mounts on the Blazer chassis to meet up with the Willys cab. You gotta really watch (I did a s10 frame swap onto a 53 Chevy) where the front and rear wheels will sit inside the fender wells. I took my front frame mounts off twice before I got it right. If the floor pan on the Willys is rotted out that might actually help in the process of mounting too. An inch here and another 1/2" there really makes a huge difference with the way it looks when it is done. I ended up having to mount the front fenders on the cab and then move the cab around until it looked right. Lots of measuring tape time too. Good luck...make sure to share all the pictures you want. I have a line on 2 more trucks and a wagon. I would love to see how you do it.

Mikec

 

[dozerjim]

Dan,Mike has some very good points,I mounted my 55 pu on a77 chevy pu frame,had to shorten,straighten,and build and move all the body mounts,had a good time but lots of head scratching and studying,now that its done,it was worth it,makes a great driver now.Did you consider useing the Willys frame and switching the running gear?That would give you modern running gear with alittle less fabricating,keep us informed on your build progress,s-10 donors are a popular choice.....Jim

 

[white52]

Gotta agree with Jim's response. My 55 has the original frame and springs, but modern axles, engine, tranny and transfer case. Seeems to work good for me. :cheers:

 

[dansmith89]

i have considered several options and if i had to ever plan using the pickup for anything more then just driving around i would want to keep its frame which is much stronger and its suspension the s10 blazer is rated at about 1/2 ton capicity and at that im already giving some of that up just in the body swap, another reason i am pushing the blazer chassis is that i am not one who likes to drive a large vehicle and the blazer is shorter by a bit... the plan there meaning to shorten the bed so its not hanging off the end of the frame so much. in the end i will have a lighter, shorter (in length), softer riding vehicle.


today i tried to upload some photos had some problems with this... i dont know :?

 

[dozerjim]

Sounds like a well thought plan,take lots of pictures and keep us informed on your progress.....Jim.....I still haven't figured out how to post pictures!

 

[cnsay]

To post a picture in a thread look under the save, preview, submit line there are two tabs. Click the Upload attachment one, you can browse your computer to find a picture, then click add the file. It will be uploaded when you submit.

If you are trying to post a picture off the net click the Img box above the text box. there will be two sets of [] with img in them put the address of the picture between them.

Also sounds like a big job, take some pics for us, we like to see what other people come up with.

 

[dansmith89]

[attachment=0:2p4ontt5]willys 1.JPG[/attachment:2p4ontt5]

ok just a picture of the original truck with some paint gone

i have another picture of the willys, and then a picture of the blazer just to remind people what model im using for the swap. and they are located in my gallery

 

[Pivnic]

Hello dansmith89. I also have a 57 Willys Pickup and I am doing a Willys/Chevy Chassis Conversion Project. After much research, I selected an 87 Chevy Shortbed 4X4 Pickup because it has the same wheel base as the Willys Pickup. Check out my whole story on cardomain.com where I have been documenting my project. Here is the link to my project's story. http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3805815/1 ... lys-pickup. I hope this helps. So far my project is going well. Good Luck! John

 

[flashman]

Back in the day they used a SW chassis to convert the 2wd Jeepsters to 4wd which is how mine is done. They say the willys frames were prone to twist especially with a v8 conversion. It seems to me the designer, Brooks Stevens, would have used every new modern improvement to upgrade his original design but the suits in Toledo would'nt let him. The s-10 roller can be updated easier than the original but both have thier headaches to contend with. I say, go forth.

 

[dansmith89]

well its been quite a while since i have had un update on here, the willys has been completey stripped down to the metal except the bed im holding off on that. and the cab and bed have been removed from the frame. on the blazer things have just started moving in the past two days and the is now entirely loose the wiring removed mostly intact, and all mounts have been removed and the body is ready to be taken off, and as much as it weighs i will be waiting for some friends to come over and give me a hand.

 

[dansmith89]

here are a few pictures to visualize where i am on this again i have no lifts or jacks or stands or anything of the like so things move slowly when i have to wait on help.

[attachment=3:1k8p8odt]0107111319.jpg[/attachment:1k8p8odt]
[attachment=2:1k8p8odt]0107111319a.jpg[/attachment:1k8p8odt]
[attachment=1:1k8p8odt]0107111330.jpg[/attachment:1k8p8odt]
[attachment=0:1k8p8odt]0107111330a.jpg[/attachment:1k8p8odt]

 

[dansmith89]

waiting for help doesnt always work either, i got impatient and i took the blazer off with some "help" from my girlfriend. it actually went very smooth pretty physically demanding but was successful and now i can truely begin building this thing up. i am heading off to bed now but i will post some more pictures tomorrow

 

[Gojeep]

Great to see a update and look forward to more pictures.

 

[dansmith89]

i just wanted to throw this picture on. today i am not going to have much time to work on it, but im planning on cutting some of firewall off the blazer and cutting a hole in the willys and and merging the two. and im going to cut the threads of the spare tire holder, and use mine from the blazer and make it so i can fit these smaller wheels on there and thats about all im fixing to do today,

now that things are moving along a bit better and i should be posting more often is there any way to move this thread to the builds section?

[attachment=0:29qgmny0]0107112021.jpg[/attachment:29qgmny0]

 

[Pete]

... is there any way to move this thread to the builds section? ...

Moved! :cheers:

Pete

 

[dansmith89]

haha thanks pete your deffinately on top of things here