Scariest thing I have done in my Willys

mikec4193

mikec4193

Precision Fit
Jan 18, 2010
923
Mechanicville ny
First Name
Mike
Willys Model
  1. Other
Willys Year:
  1. Other
HI Everyone

So what is the scariest thing you have every done in your Willys???? I did it this weekend. I welded a hitch onto my 1960 Willys truck with the gas tank in the truck. I had spent a couple of nights cutting and fitting angle brackets to mount the receiver to the truck frame. Many hours before that contemplating how to make this thing work.
I have to say I think what saved me (besides God watching out for me) was a welding blanket I wrapped under and around the the tank before I hit it with MIG welder. I could just barely breath as I was running the beads of weld onto the brackets.

Please let me know what all you gals/guys consider scarey in a Willys.

MikeC
 
Oh, that's easy. Three things come to mind. Maybe not as threatening as a near tank welding, but...

1. Driving on a trail where the side angle got a little too steep for comfort back in 1998. Had my brother with me and told him to lean as far out the window as he possibly could. He says the front tire came off the ground a couple of times. I really didn't want to know. It was only about a 15 foot section of trail, but I won't be doing that again, for sure. :roll:

2. Dry brakes - I have touted many a time on this forum that the stock 11" drum brake set up works just fine for what the wagon is. I can swear to it, because one time I was towing my small boat to the pond at about 45mph on a particular stretch, coming up to a signal light. Just before it turned yellow, I knew I could make it and stayed on the pedal, until...some clown pulled out in front of me not wanting to make the light. With stock brakes and big ol' 33" tires (at that time), I stood on the pedal and all four corners locked, skidded and hopped to a halt, just behind the little toyota pickup. Man was I pissed, but luckily the wagon and the trailer stayed in a straight line. My pucker factor increased by at least 8 on the rectum scale. :eek:

3. Wet brakes - NOT GOOD. I live in the small small town of Knob Noster, MO. We have one 4 way stop in the middle of town. I had my son with me this day. He was 19 at the time, back in 2008 as we headed into a backwoods trail and found a deep water hole that needed crossing. Unfortunately, my confidence was a bit too high and the puddle deeper than I thought. I didn't lock in the hubs and we got stuck. All we could do is stare at each other and say oh well, so we jumped in the hole, locked in the hubs and made our way out. All good, so we headed back out to the road. About a mile up the road was the 4 way stop. I tried to stop at least 4 ways, but we slid right on thru. Luckily, there was only one truck at the corner and he looked pretty pissed as we went on thru. Eventually, as we slowed due to gearing and I kept trying the brakes, we neandered around the block about three times and the brakes came back. Another pucker factor X 2. :lol:

So those are my scariest moments in the Willys...but all fun. Well except for # 2. :cheers:
Steve
 
For both of you....a higher power was with ya, keeping you safe will teaching you a few things to pass on to us here on the forum....Stay Safe people!
 
Showed up at home with it without telling the wife I had bought it! She didn't even know I had been looking for one.
Wouldn't have been too bad if I had driven it home but it showed up as rolling frame with cab on the back of a tow truck and the rest of it stacked high in the back of my truck.
Now it looks like we're turning it into the company truck for her pomegranate ranch! Good thing we chose to paint it red!
 
Here's one only a rookie could accomplish. My buddy razzed me for months to change out my air filter with a fancy chrome/ paper filter and I finally did. Then I'm driving happily down the road and the thing backfires, pops the filter off, the metal lid settles in the exact spot where one side contacts the engine and the other on the positive post on the alternator. Poof, up goes the nice wiring job I just finished between the alternator to the ampmeter then on to the starter, it's all toast. Smoking engine, no power and I forgot my cell phone. The final tally of damage was a new alternator, new amp meter and new wireing all around.

Oh and a new pair of shorts.
 
homewood4 said:
Showed up at home with it without telling the wife I had bought it!
Click to expand...
That is good. I think I might have done this too. :D

I was actually thinking any time I drove it in traffic. Mine had a slow drip from the carb and I was always wondering when it might catch on fire.
 
My donor wagon has only got one good front brake, so stopping needs to be steered into, first time I tried to stop almost shot right off the side of the road.

Drove it to work without too many issues most of the summer, after about a month of driving the fuel line where the PO had installed an inline fuel filter moved enough to catch the hose in the fan blade and cut a slice off the side. About a quarter mile from work started smelling gas, no loss of power, so I drove into the parking lot and when I got out there was gas soaking out from the joint of the hood and fenders. Everything under the hood was dripping but the exhaust manifold, it was smoking. Plug wires and distributer were dripping gas, I was a surprised that none of the possible sources started the fire.

When I went to remove the gas tank from the donor wagon the PO had welded in a hitch and there was no way to get the tank out but to fire up the plasma cutter next to the tank and cut it loose. Was a little nervous when I did it.
 
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