Got the "Willys Fever"

Stu

Gear Grinder
Jan 3, 2010
22
Tampa, Florida
Willys Model
Willys Year:
Hello everyone and Happy New Year. Been a Jeep enthusiast for many years. Presently on my 3rd Jeep. Had a '98 and an '03 Wrangler. Currently own an '86 CJ-7. As I get older and as of late, the old Willys Wagons and Sedan Delivery's are really becoming more attractive to me than the CJ's. Is that normal or am I just getting wierd?

Anyway I'm really getting the itch for either a wagon or a sedan delivery. Don't really have the patience, time, or room for a "project", but a fully or mostly restored vehicle. I know they can get pricey. But I'm very patient for the "right one". I'm very passionate about original and original looking Willys vehicles.

I was lucky enough to have found this site today through a link on the "JeepForum". Looking forward to expanding my Willys knowledge with other Willys affiicianado's who've been bitten by the Willys bug! :mrgreen:
 
Stu said:
I was lucky enough to have found this site today through a link on the "JeepForum". Looking forward to expanding my Willys knowledge with other Willys afficianado's who've been bitten by the Willys bug! :mrgreen:
Click to expand...

Glad you found the forum Stu... Enjoy!

Pete
 
Thank you so much for the welcome Pete! Looking forward to spending alot of time here and asking many many questions!
 
Stu said:
Thank you so much for the welcome Pete! Looking forward to spending alot of time here and asking many many questions! :lol:
Click to expand...

I don't have a Willys either Stu, so I did the next best thing... I started this forum to surround myself with them and to learn everything I can about them until I can pull the trigger on a wagon. By then, I'll be a Willys Genius... ;)

Pete
 
Stu: welcome to the forum... permit me to 'put a fly in your ointment'.

The various jeeps you list as owned are relatively new models, while the Willys wagons, vans and trucks are very much older in design. In fact if you examine the chassis of my '65 wagon (one of the last ever made) it is truly a pre WWII design with only one concession to the decade in which it was built... the engine!
So what's the point? These older vehicles don't drive like anything modern unless they are seriously updated. If there are some Ladies in your life that you imagine driving your old Willys, be prepared for some resistance. My daughter was determined to drive our Willys and did so often until she finally had enough. The steering was too heavy for her and she could not easily park the thing on pavement. The brakes required longer, stronger legs than her small body was equipped with and the non-synchronized first gear in the primitive 3 spd trans was a challenge for her to say the least. The clutch is quite heavy too.
My wife loves to ride for 20 minutes but then will always default to our Volvo 850 wagon - a fortress of modern design.

We really enjoy our Willys and I monkey with it all the time, but that's because I'm of the older male tinkerer (not golfer) persuasion. One final caution - our Willys has the wonderful Tornado (140hp) engine coupled with 4:27 gears, so she will run all day at 50-55mph in top gear. Most older Willys vehicles find 45 mph at the upper end of their flight speeds. If you want to use your future Willys on the highway for any distances beyond 10 miles, get an overdrive (about $1000 new) from Herm the OD Guy. But even then, don't expect acceleration much better than a VW microbus sans steroids.

If you want to see how I have updated the steering, brakes and added seat belts etc, go to:
http://www.members.shaw.ca/pavelb/

Cheers and Happy New Year!

Pavel
 
Hello Stu:

Welcome to Old Willys Fever. If you are interested in the old-style (flat fender) wagons/trucks a good place to start looking is eBay Motors. They always have a good selection. Some guy in Texas is advertising several good-looking ones right now, looks like they all have V-8 conversions though. Be wary of those unless you can be sure the conversion was done right. Get a copy of the restoration/parts manual put out by Willys America. It has lots of info. They have a website. Happy hunting.

Denny Napier
Roseburg OR
 
Welcome aboard, being I 'em Willys crazy, the doctor told me to buy a wagon and call him in the morning...
enjoy 2010![attachment=0:lp3wtp24]DSCN1286.jpg[/attachment:lp3wtp24]
 

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Welcome to the forum! Ebay Motors is a great place to look, I picked up my 1950 Willys P/U there. Just be careful, sometimes you end up with something that isn't quite what you thought it might be...
 
pavel6 said:
Stu: welcome to the forum... permit me to 'put a fly in your ointment'.

The various jeeps you list as owned are relatively new models, while the Willys wagons, vans and trucks are very much older in design. In fact if you examine the chassis of my '65 wagon (one of the last ever made) it is truly a pre WWII design with only one concession to the decade in which it was built... the engine!
So what's the point? These older vehicles don't drive like anything modern unless they are seriously updated. If there are some Ladies in your life that you imagine driving your old Willys, be prepared for some resistance. My daughter was determined to drive our Willys and did so often until she finally had enough. The steering was too heavy for her and she could not easily park the thing on pavement. The brakes required longer, stronger legs than her small body was equipped with and the non-synchronized first gear in the primitive 3 spd trans was a challenge for her to say the least. The clutch is quite heavy too.
My wife loves to ride for 20 minutes but then will always default to our Volvo 850 wagon - a fortress of modern design.

We really enjoy our Willys and I monkey with it all the time, but that's because I'm of the older male tinkerer (not golfer) persuasion. One final caution - our Willys has the wonderful Tornado (140hp) engine coupled with 4:27 gears, so she will run all day at 50-55mph in top gear. Most older Willys vehicles find 45 mph at the upper end of their flight speeds. I

If you want to see how I have updated the steering, brakes and added seat belts etc, go to:
http://www.members.shaw.ca/pavelb/

Cheers and Happy New Year!

Pavel
Click to expand...

Hello Pavel, and thanks for the welcome. Happy New year to you and yours as well! I'm all too familiar with the less than "Cadillac ride" with my CJ. My wife really dislikes riding in it. As for myself, it doesn't bother me a bit. I only travel 10.4 miles round trip to and from my jobs, almost never go over 45 mph, never take it off road, and never ever take or want to take the CJ on the interstate. I only clock about 3300 miles a year.

Thanks again for the welcome and the link of updates!
 
JBingham said:
Welcome to the forum! Ebay Motors is a great place to look, I picked up my 1950 Willys P/U there. Just be careful, sometimes you end up with something that isn't quite what you thought it might be...
Click to expand...


Thanks for the welcome JBingham! Oh, I've been scouring the net quite a bit lately, and yes I've read and heard some not too happy stories about purchasing through Ebay. As I said on my initial post, I'm very patient, and I can wait for the "right one". That's why I'm going to stick within my tri-county area, so I can actually go see, touch, and test drive my possible prospects.

Thanks again for the welcome!
 
62 OlllO said:
Welcome aboard, being I 'em Willys crazy, the doctor told me to buy a wagon and call him in the morning...
enjoy 2010![attachment=0:26p3mygx]DSCN1286.jpg[/attachment:26p3mygx]
Click to expand...

Thanks for the welcome Kevin! I've been Willys crazy for many years. After almost 45 years, 2010 looks like a good year to finally realize my Willys dream!
 
Welcome to the site. There are some great guys here. If you have a passion for the circle W's you have found the place to be.
I look forward to seeing what you get and what you're doing to it.
 
dennyscars said:
Hello Stu:

Welcome to Old Willys Fever. If you are interested in the old-style (flat fender) wagons/trucks a good place to start looking is eBay Motors. They always have a good selection. Some guy in Texas is advertising several good-looking ones right now, looks like they all have V-8 conversions though. Be wary of those unless you can be sure the conversion was done right. Get a copy of the restoration/parts manual put out by Willys America. It has lots of info. They have a website. Happy hunting.

Denny Napier
Roseburg OR
Click to expand...

Thanks for the welcome Denny! Yes, I've been looking at those particular wagons in I believe Texarkana. Like the blue one the best, however it's sadly now an automatic. As I'd mentioned in my initial post, I'm very fond of original and original looking Willys. I'm going to be very patient for the "right one" and am going to stick within my tri-county area, so I can actually see, examine, and test drive my possible prospects. Don't believe in handing over my hard earned money after only seeing pictures, especially after hearing and reading some not too happy stories through Ebay or Craigslist.

Aside from my full time job, I'm also employed with Xtreme Jeep here in Tampa. They retail strictly Wranglers, YJ's, and CJ's as well as repair and service all Jeeps way back to '41. Just happen to have a mechanic there that's been servicing and repairing Jeeps since the early 60's. Being they are also a Jeep parts and accessories retailer as well, and have a body shop to boot, I would get a fairly good discount on parts, service, installation, bodywork and paintwork since I am an employee.

Again, thanks for the welcome Denny and all the members who responded to my post. It's great to be here and am looking forward to learning everything Willys from you guys! Oh, and hope you all don't mind, when I do find a listing in my area with pictures, I'd like to post it here to get opinions and advice from all of you. If that's alright, yes?
 
roundss said:
Welcome to the site. There are some great guys here. If you have a passion for the circle W's you have found the place to be.
I look forward to seeing what you get and what you're doing to it.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the welcome Steve! Yes, I've received nice welcomes from the members. I truly adore the old Wagons, Panel Delivery's, Pickups, and Flatbeds, and am really looking forward to soaking up all the Willys knowledge from all of you! Thanks again!
 
Welcome! So you are in sunny Florida? You can send some warmth up this way, it has been pretty cold here in NC lately. I have relatives down there not too far from you - Okeechobee and West Palm.....

Used to have a CJ8 I sold to a guy from Fla too but don't know where he lived.

Take Care and look forward to seeing what you can find.

Tom
 
Thanks for the welcome Tom! As of the start of this week, it's been pretty nippy down here with lows in the high 20's to low 30's and highs in the 40's and forecasting highs the rest of the week in the low 50's. That may not seem frigid to the northern forum members, but down here in the Sunshine State, that's an "arctic blast"! Especially since the highs here are in the mid to upper 90's and sometimes past 100 10 months out of the year!

Again, thanks for the welcome! I'm really enjoying this forum! :thumbup:
 
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