Just another new and fresh member from Serbia :-)

mladen.caver

Bigger Hammer
Feb 9, 2010
182
Knjazevac, Serbia
Willys Model
  1. Wagon
Willys Year:
Hello there ye Willys fans! A friend of mine, presvjetli, suggested this forum to me! My name is Mladen and I also come from Serbia. Our ex-yugoslav army received somewhere around 30 Willys station wagon vehicles during the 60's , as some kind of military help from the States (as far as I've heard). Today willys wagons are a rare find in Serbia (and other former yugoslav republics), and I am proud enough to have one in the family. Luckily enough, my grandfather bought it in 1970, and it has been in the family ever since.

The vehicle hasn't been driven for some 10 years now, and is currently under re-construction. I mean, grandpa and I intend to do as much as our finances would allow, so it wouldn't be a FULL restoration project. We intend to make some necessary work in order to put it back on the road, but nothing so much sofisticated has been planned so far. The Hurricane engine is OK, and the tin body needs to be carefully taken care of :roll:

I will post some pix here, but here's one for starters:

vilisjeep.jpg
 
Hello from Georgia, USA.....Welcome to the forum! Look's as if Grandpa was a good driver, no dents...and that rear back bumper looks straight. The vehicle doesn't look in to bad of shape...I love Serbian food so have grandmother to send some over!
Have a Safe Day!
 
Hello Mladen - welcome to the forum. There are plenty of ex-Yugoslavs over here in Canada...
Keep this forum up to date on your Willys work - if you want to see what our Willys wagon looked like years ago, go here: http://www.members.shaw.ca/pavelb/before.html

Cheers!

Pavel in Vancouver, BC
 
Wow, thank you all for your hospitality on this forum! I am looking forward to good cooperation and exchange of tips and tricks when it comes to the unique Willys vehicles family. And when it comes to serbian food :lol: , it's indeed more than delicious!

Stay tuned, I will post some pix later on during the day. Meanwhile, here's one more :
(this one's bad quality, taken with my poor vga mobile phone camera)

willyswinter.jpg
 
Mladen,

I'd also like to welcome you to the forum. That is definately a nice looking wagon you have there. :thumbup: How is it finding parts for it in Serbia?
 
splinterguy said:
Mladen,

I'd also like to welcome you to the forum. That is definately a nice looking wagon you have there. :thumbup: How is it finding parts for it in Serbia?
Click to expand...

Thanks, thanks. Glad you like it. Well, as for the parts, during the time when he was a mechanic and (professional) truck driver, my grandfather managed to find some of the spare parts, some of which are still hidden under the cobwebs in his garage. He also bought an almost ruined wagon during the 70s that he disassembled for spare parts. So, somehow we manage to make ends meet :D
 
Mladen: I can't quite see from the pictures, but is that a full floating rear axle in your wagon? Looks like something is sticking out from the center of the rear wheels - is it a drive flange?

I notice that you have a pit in your garage... now that is very handy!

Cheers

Pavel
 
pavel6 said:
Mladen: I can't quite see from the pictures, but is that a full floating rear axle in your wagon? Looks like something is sticking out from the center of the rear wheels - is it a drive flange?

I notice that you have a pit in your garage... now that is very handy!

Cheers

Pavel
Click to expand...

My knowledge of the "technical" language is not that great, but I think I understood you. There is a "connector" for the (cargo) trailer, if that's what you meant by "a flange"? It's welded on the rear bumper....

The pit is very useful, as a storage place for them pumpkins as well.... ;)

BTW Pavel, I took a glance at your website and your restoration, that was amazing! You did a great job, congrats! I especially liked your work on the brakes and the damn belts! And the paint color is great!
 
I just posted two more images in my gallery. Here's one, showing grandpa's first Willys vehicle that he bought during the 60s. The cats were his dear companions :mrgreen: I believe this must ve been an MB model or some CJ, not sure. However, he sold it after he'd bought the Wagon.

image.php


and this is the body with the chassis of the wagon that he bought in the 70's and that he used mostly for spare parts... Today it resides in a forest, waiting for me to haul it to my yard and maybe make something funny and useful out of it...

image.php


So, you see, Willys vehicles have always been part of my family - I wouldn't like to sell the wagon, didn't have the heart (neither did grandpa), and that's one of the reasons for deciding to put it back on trail.
 
Mladen,

It looks like your forest wagon has swing out (barn) doors on the back, might be one of those travellers that Alberto was asking about. Looks as though you may have a few useful bit and pieces left there as well.
 
splinterguy said:
Mladen,

It looks like your forest wagon has swing out (barn) doors on the back, might be one of those travellers that Alberto was asking about. Looks as though you may have a few useful bit and pieces left there as well.
Click to expand...

Seems you're right! I thought this wagon resembled those "medicine-purposes" willys vehicles (ehm, since it was white, evidently), but it may even be the TRAVELLER type. If it helps, here's the plate:

image.php



Having in mind that the wreck has been out in the open for some 30+ years now, it's in a really decent condition, don't u think? :thumbup:
 
I'm intrigued by the door handle. It doesn't look like it was a retrofit, but i've never seen a "stateside" willys with that particular pivot type handle. Not even on the late forties models. Does anyone have insight to this one?
Steve
 
Mladen: sorry, I didn't explain clearly enough. By "full floating" rear axle I mean the design of the ends of the axle and hub where the wheels bolt on. If you look at the front axle, you will see that the centre of the hubs (that hold the wheels) have a round disc with 6 bolts holding it on. On many 4 wheel drive vehicles, there is a way to lock or unlock the hubs from the axles inside. Now on the rear axle of many heavier trucks there is the same idea. If the axle breaks, the hub and wheel stays on because the hubs have all the roller bearings - the bearings do not touch the axle. The axle is called "full floating" because it is not bolted to anything at either end but rather "floats" in splines. Your Dad's old jeep looks like a WWII vehicle - it would have a full floating rear axle.
Many Willys people want to change their rear axles to this stronger design but it is expensive. I was wondering if Willys vehicles exported from the USA to Yugoslavia had the better designed rear axles.

Look up on Wikipedia under "Full Floating axle"

Thanks for the kind words about our wagon! I hope you took our "Bluebell" for a drive on our Home page!

Cheers

Pavel
 
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