Browns Metal 58 wagon build.

brownsmetal

Bigger Hammer
Dec 6, 2010
61
Willys Model
Willys Year:
Hello all! I am new here. Name is Gary Brown. I have been working on my 58 wagon for a few months now, fixing all the normal rust. I bought this with a 304 AMC, turbo 400 and a dana20 already installed. Also has a tilt column and power steering conversion. The axles have been flipped.
I have wanted one of these wagons since I was a kid. I was out sunday cruising with my Grandfather on dirt roads and saw a wagon sitting next to an abandoned camp in upstate NY and fell in love. So, fixing all the cobbled up mess and the rust is first. I have already replaced the driver side floor braces,pan,and inner and outer rockers. I had to rebuild the bottom of the seat compartment as well. The firewall was beat in for engine clearance and broke al the welds on the pinchweld across the firewall. Pass side front floor braces were still good so i made a new pan and repaired the inner rocker. I hammerformed new rear wheel archs to look like the earlier archs. I like the way they look better. Fabbed a new rear body crossmember from 2x3 and have repaired the tailgate bottom. I cant wait to get over the rust and on to the fun stuff! I am going to post one pic that will link to Photobucket.
 
Welcome to the forum with another sweet Willys Wagon being saved. It appears by your post name and shop pictures you are a gear head....you found the right spot here on the forum for other Willy Nuts....both guys and girls. There are many, many fine Willy's being built and finished here that you can get good sound advice and new idea's. I look forward is seeing additional pictures...stay safe!
 
Welcome to the forum.

I have to agree with Kevin. It's great to see another Willy's being saved!!!!


Eric B
 
Thanks guys. Maybe you can help me id my axles. They do not appear to be right for the year as the shock mounts on the axle do not match up to the chassis mounts. The rearend tags say it has 3.54 gears and the rear axles are 1 piece. I do beleive they are from a wagon or truck though because the rear 44 has an offset pumpkin.
Do the side sliding windows have any kind of divider bar or seal that goes between the two pieces of glass?
Thanks
 
Eric B,
I just tooka look at your pics. Looks like you have the same rust issues that I have. Seems to be common with these. Yours had house carpet mine had house insulation behind every plywood interior panel including the doors! It all was wet and settled to the bottom. I think If someone had not done that mine woud have been in really good condition.
 
Welcome to the forum. We all will be looking forward to the build. Keep the information and pictures flowing.

As for the windows, I don't believe there is a seal between those sliding windows. I wouldn't know for sure though since I have a sedan delivery and not a normal wagon. I do know that there should be drainage channels in the window tracks with a drainage tube that runs behind the interior panel and out through the floor.
 
Welcome to the forums. Nice looking wagon so far.

There is a seal between the two side windows acording to the catalogs of several of the vendors here. I just bought some from Willys-America a few weeks ago, but mine were missing on both wagons I started with also.
 
Your '58 Wagon should have a DanA 25 Front Axel, the most common gear ration was the 4.27, but a 4.88 and 5.38 was offered as well. Ring gear dia. 7.75", Axelshaft spline count 10, Axelshaft diameter, 1.13", Wheel-mounting surface 59.5" Passenger side dump.
Rear Axel was a Dana 44...gear ratios...4.27, 4.88, 5.38...Ring-gear diameter 8.5", Axelshaft sline count 19, Axelshaft diameter 1.25"
It sounds to me someone did a swap on the axels. Re: side sliding windows...Even after rebuild, I haven't heard anyone that has sealed them yet...from rain and wind noise. I'm making mine solid but with your talents they should be electric one piece ( I saw your company's web page....your to young for all that talent. )
 
62 OlllO said:
Your '58 Wagon should have a DanA 25 Front Axel, the most common gear ration was the 4.27, but a 4.88 and 5.38 was offered as well. Ring gear dia. 7.75", Axelshaft spline count 10, Axelshaft diameter, 1.13", Wheel-mounting surface 59.5" Passenger side dump.
Rear Axel was a Dana 44...gear ratios...4.27, 4.88, 5.38...Ring-gear diameter 8.5", Axelshaft sline count 19, Axelshaft diameter 1.25"
It sounds to me someone did a swap on the axels. Re: side sliding windows...Even after rebuild, I haven't heard anyone that has sealed them yet...from rain and wind noise. I'm making mine solid but with your talents they should be electric one piece ( I saw your company's web page....your to young for all that talent. )
Click to expand...


Yeah its a 25 front and a 44 rear. Did any year wagon come with 3.54 gears? The rear axle tags are stock to the axles. Did any come with one piece rear axles?
I like your idea of making the side windows solid to prevent noise and leaks. I like to keep things simple on my own projects. What were you planning on using for a glass seal?
Thanks for the kind words.
 
Gary,
I know that Kevin is planning on doing single side windows to reduce the noise. I think you would just use the normal seal.... Not 100% sure though. If it makes noise and lets in some water that's fine (it has a drain tube going out the floor) But it still needs character. Its 50 years old come on....

Yes the P.O. for mine had installed house carpet on my floors, and then used 3M adhesive spray inside the panels with house insulation.... That has been a PITA to clean out.

If you still have the original dana 44, It is most likely not a 3.53. It should be a 4.27. Atleast that's what mine is....
 
gallery/image_page.php?album_id=155&image_id=1843

I have been making a bunch of progress. body shell is in finish primer. I spot blasted the interior and painted all previously rusted areas with POR 15. Then sanded the whole inside. Hammered an dollied all the dents out of the wheel houses and the worst ones out of the floor. Seam sealed everything then epoxy primed the whole interior. Next it got 2 gallons of lizard skin on the floor. I painted the interior and door jambs today. The color is 2007 cyrysler Jeep green. I also insulated the roof skin and rear interior with 3/4 inch high density closed cell foam used for insulating amonia lines in factories. A friend of mine gave me enough to do it! Next step is to pull the body and do the bottom. the bottom will get the same treatment as the inside except it will be bedlinered instead of lizard skinned. My goal is to seal this thing up and protect it well enough that I never have to fix rust again! It will be driven as a normal vehicle year round.
I figured out that my axles are from a mid 60s wagoneer and the trans is the early jeep turbo 400 that uses the bellhousing adapter. It is mated to a dana 20 transfercase.
 
It's alive.....lizzard green....glad to have you back...how about some pictures??? Keep working at your project!!!!!
 
Nice progress there mate.

image.php
 
gallery/image.php?album_id=155&image_id=1854

I guess this is a link to my album. If someone could give me a lesson here on pic posting I would be very happy. Anyway........ decided to set the gauge panel in the dash to check it out. I am a long way from installing these but little mock ups like these do wonders for my ambition. I got my front bumper done tonight.
 
brownsmetal said:
http://oldwillysforum.com/gallery/image.php?album_id=155&image_id=1854

I guess this is a link to my album. If someone could give me a lesson here on pic posting I would be very happy. Anyway........ decided to set the gauge panel in the dash to check it out. I am a long way from installing these but little mock ups like these do wonders for my ambition. I got my front bumper done tonight.
Click to expand...

Quote my post with your photo in it and you can see how I put the address from the photo in between image tags.
 
Hey Gary

Welcome from the land of salt and rust (upstate NY)...I love that wagon but of course I gotta ask my typical stupid question of the day....how did you fabricate the rear wheel opening??...where I come from these wagons are gone from the window sills down...
Also I visited your website really quick...looks like you like the old school stuff too....kinda wierd that you like Willys Jeep Wagons too...I am a rusty rat rodder at heart but I love the way these smelly old Willys Jeep trucks look...

I hope you can teach us lots with your fabrication skills...

MikeC
 
Ha, I am also from upstate. Lyons Falls actually, just north of Boonville if you are familiar.
I formed the wheelwells on a hammer form that i made from plywood. Real easy to do, If you can run a jigsaw and a hammer anyone could do it. I did not take any pics during the process but I am sure if you do a google search for( hammer form sheetmetal) it will be explained. My Willys is a 58 and it had the flat wheel openings that were rusted out. I like the look of the round openings better so I made them. I actually killed two birds here because the inners were rusted out too. with the round openings they went up high enough on the inners that the rust got cut off.
I am trying to sell my house here so I can move my shop back to NY. I am actually building the Willys to meet my needs in the winter back home. I want to be able to make it into camp all winter. It will be getting front and rear lockers and recievers in the front and rear bumper for a removable winch.

mikec4193 said:
Hey Gary

Welcome from the land of salt and rust (upstate NY)...I love that wagon but of course I gotta ask my typical stupid question of the day....how did you fabricate the rear wheel opening??...where I come from these wagons are gone from the window sills down...
Also I visited your website really quick...looks like you like the old school stuff too....kinda wierd that you like Willys Jeep Wagons too...I am a rusty rat rodder at heart but I love the way these smelly old Willys Jeep trucks look...

I hope you can teach us lots with your fabrication skills...

MikeC
Click to expand...
 
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