Mogger
Bigger Hammer
- Apr 17, 2025
- 40
- First Name
- Roy
- Willys Model
- Forward Control
- CJ
- Willys Year:
- 1950
- 1964
I just needed a pickup truck. Have never really owned a typical pickup, but gold mining has created the need for one. It must carry moderately heavy, bulky loads, be on the small side, nimble, economical, reliable. And tough, simple…
I couldn’t find anything I liked. Nothing recent appealed to me. The modern pickup isn't very utilitarian. I need to haul Rokons, sometimes bulky mining equipment, crushers, shakers, processors. Fuel tanks, drums. Welders, torches, repair tools, parts. Up and down ancient little mining tracks that would impale a normal car- even the average truck.
Back in about 1983 or so, I had an FC170. Someone brought it to my shop with a small block chevy installed but not finished. The cab was zebra striped, the OE bed was copper color; not a ton of rust. It drove, but that was about it. I finished it, became a pretty decent rig. The customer decided they couldn’t pay the bill and gave it to me cheap. Had it for 3 or so years, then reluctantly sold it.
Well…if newer trucks are so unappealing, how about the ugliest truck ever built: Frankenstein’s head on a roller skate- the FC 170? Without realizing I was looking, I looked. And found an M676 version FC 170, 50-60% rebuilt. That was last fall (2024), an ad everyone probably saw, on FB marketplace, with the roof cut off. The absent roof obscured the rundown on the truck. I got a great deal on it.
It once was a troop carrier, had a cover over the bed. And only carried people, so the bed is about as perfect an FC bed as you’ll ever see. The odometer says 60582, and I bet it’s only been around once if at all.
The undercarriage has been completely gone thru. The military rigs had limited slips front and rear, all came with the Warn overdrive, this has a Ramsey PTO with separate shifters for front and rear, and 4.88 axles. Everything underneath had been rebuilt…new brakes, tires, reworked springs, axles, gear boxes, steering- all freshly painted and never driven. But the topper: The previous owner had squeezed a GM LS 5.3 engine into the engine bay. It’s new, complete with a scattershield bell housing, flywheel, and clutch.
That engine doesn’t actually fit, not in my book. You’re not behind the steering wheel, but almost out the drivers door. The engine is simply too huge for an FC- unless you want to change the whole rig. The freshly rebuilt OE drive train can’t handle the muscle. That motor would twist the little Warn OD into a pretzel in a heartbeat. The drivetrain is tough stuff, but not against 250 hp. I figure it once had the 3 cylinder Cerlist diesel; better stay with Diesel, and go with odd number of jugs. Three up to Five!
The V-8 is removed, up for sale. I bought a driving 1985 Mercedes Benz 300D sedan for the engine. It’s the 5 cylinder OM 617A turbo. The car runs and drives pretty well, interior shot. The engine has about 120K on it. Several companies make adapters to GM/Chevy.
What’s my goal for this old beast? Only a pickup truck! A very tough little pickup, capable of clambering up some very steep, super narrow mountain trails while carrying decent loads. It will be dependable and reliable, just a work horse, but look so cool doing it! It will probably see some highway miles, but won’t usually be a freeway driver.
I'll break this up into pieces: taking the cab as a piece, the drivetrain, any electricals etc in pieces. Stay tuned!
I couldn’t find anything I liked. Nothing recent appealed to me. The modern pickup isn't very utilitarian. I need to haul Rokons, sometimes bulky mining equipment, crushers, shakers, processors. Fuel tanks, drums. Welders, torches, repair tools, parts. Up and down ancient little mining tracks that would impale a normal car- even the average truck.
Back in about 1983 or so, I had an FC170. Someone brought it to my shop with a small block chevy installed but not finished. The cab was zebra striped, the OE bed was copper color; not a ton of rust. It drove, but that was about it. I finished it, became a pretty decent rig. The customer decided they couldn’t pay the bill and gave it to me cheap. Had it for 3 or so years, then reluctantly sold it.
Well…if newer trucks are so unappealing, how about the ugliest truck ever built: Frankenstein’s head on a roller skate- the FC 170? Without realizing I was looking, I looked. And found an M676 version FC 170, 50-60% rebuilt. That was last fall (2024), an ad everyone probably saw, on FB marketplace, with the roof cut off. The absent roof obscured the rundown on the truck. I got a great deal on it.
It once was a troop carrier, had a cover over the bed. And only carried people, so the bed is about as perfect an FC bed as you’ll ever see. The odometer says 60582, and I bet it’s only been around once if at all.
The undercarriage has been completely gone thru. The military rigs had limited slips front and rear, all came with the Warn overdrive, this has a Ramsey PTO with separate shifters for front and rear, and 4.88 axles. Everything underneath had been rebuilt…new brakes, tires, reworked springs, axles, gear boxes, steering- all freshly painted and never driven. But the topper: The previous owner had squeezed a GM LS 5.3 engine into the engine bay. It’s new, complete with a scattershield bell housing, flywheel, and clutch.
That engine doesn’t actually fit, not in my book. You’re not behind the steering wheel, but almost out the drivers door. The engine is simply too huge for an FC- unless you want to change the whole rig. The freshly rebuilt OE drive train can’t handle the muscle. That motor would twist the little Warn OD into a pretzel in a heartbeat. The drivetrain is tough stuff, but not against 250 hp. I figure it once had the 3 cylinder Cerlist diesel; better stay with Diesel, and go with odd number of jugs. Three up to Five!
The V-8 is removed, up for sale. I bought a driving 1985 Mercedes Benz 300D sedan for the engine. It’s the 5 cylinder OM 617A turbo. The car runs and drives pretty well, interior shot. The engine has about 120K on it. Several companies make adapters to GM/Chevy.
What’s my goal for this old beast? Only a pickup truck! A very tough little pickup, capable of clambering up some very steep, super narrow mountain trails while carrying decent loads. It will be dependable and reliable, just a work horse, but look so cool doing it! It will probably see some highway miles, but won’t usually be a freeway driver.
I'll break this up into pieces: taking the cab as a piece, the drivetrain, any electricals etc in pieces. Stay tuned!
