Jeep Enthusiast Forums banner

You are going to hate me, 1945 Willys MB build.

15K views 62 replies 21 participants last post by  Muzikp 
#1 ·
We'll I'm sure some of you are going to like this build and some of you are going to hate it. It involves me cutting up my 45 Willys MB.

So Yeah I have a MB that has been in my family for years. It was my grandpa's ranch toy, there were two but one got sold some years ago. I learned to drive in it when I was around 9 years old and would take it down to the river bed and through the fields finding every hill or obstacle I could. Its been in the barn my whole life other than when i convinced someone to let me take it out and drive it around the ranch.

About a year ago following a series of family events and me getting bored with my XJ I decided it was time to pull it out of the barn. My brothers and I had long since moved away and scattered all over the country. No one left to take care of the ranch it fell into a disgusting mess. Anyway I pulled out my MB and got to to my friends house till I could ship it back home.

















My wife was happy to help cleaning up the axles


The plan is simple. Keep it as low as possible, keep as much if the patina and tub as possible, and make it fun

Component wise
YJ springs
NT D44 axles, 5.13 gears, lockers etc
Toy ifs steering box with hydro assist, speedway column and wheel
D18 Tcase. Probably put it in a 20 case eventually
T90 trans
Kubota v2203 engine
Comfortable seats
Wildwood master cylinder

I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff
 
See less See more
9
#2 ·
So far I have the Dana 44s under it with YJ leafs. I used the front in the rear and the rear in the front. There is practically no weight in the back of this thing VS the engine up front it sits pretty level for now. I picked up come crap 35s from a friend over the 4th weekend. ordered some 15x8 cragers with 4"BS and tossed on some rock rings for the fun of it. After looking for months on craigslist for some wheels as soon as I got the new ones a set came up. I have also completely rewired the whole jeep, modern fuses, LEDs everywhere, and so on.

The rear got a new crossmember/bumper and all the spring hangers but I left the springs stock width under the frame. I figured It would help lessen some stress on the frame. I left the spring hanger in the stock spot and with the yj springs being 4 inches longer it moved the axle back 2 inches



For the front I had to move the springs out and the spring hanger back an inch. This left the axle 3 inches forward of stock. I chopped off the frame in front of the grill mounts and made a new front end with 2x3 box and welded that on. Then mounted up the Toy IFS box. Fun fact if you ever need to sleeve a hole for a 1/2" bolt go to lowes/homedepot and get some 3/8ths gas pipe. Remove the seam on the inside and its perfect for 1/2 inch bolts.




It sits pretty much level, the top of the rear tub is 42.5 inches from the ground and the front wheels are 2 inches off the ground in this pic.


Yes I know my garage is a mess haha I'm in the middle of moving out my roommate(homeowner) and moving in my wife.

I got my pitman arm in the mail today, I also picked up the dom for my steering links. Maybe this weekend if the wife gives me time I'll tap the steering box and get my steering built then work on the ram mounts
 
#4 ·
The_ocho said:
So far I have the Dana 44s under it with YJ leafs. I used the front in the rear and the rear in the front. There is practically no weight in the back of this thing VS the engine up front it sits pretty level for now. I picked up come crap 35s from a friend over the 4th weekend. ordered some 15x8 cragers with 4"BS and tossed on some rock rings for the fun of it. After looking for months on craigslist for some wheels as soon as I got the new ones a set came up. I have also completely rewired the whole jeep, modern fuses, LEDs everywhere, and so on. The rear got a new crossmember/bumper and all the spring hangers but I left the springs stock width under the frame. I figured It would help lessen some stress on the frame. I left the spring hanger in the stock spot and with the yj springs being 4 inches longer it moved the axle back 2 inches For the front I had to move the springs out and the spring hanger back an inch. This left the axle 3 inches forward of stock. I chopped off the frame in front of the grill mounts and made a new front end with 2x3 box and welded that on. Then mounted up the Toy IFS box. Fun fact if you ever need to sleeve a hole for a 1/2" bolt go to lowes/homedepot and get some 3/8ths gas pipe. Remove the seam on the inside and its perfect for 1/2 inch bolts. It sits pretty much level, the top of the rear tub is 42.5 inches from the ground and the front wheels are 2 inches off the ground in this pic. Yes I know my garage is a mess haha I'm in the middle of moving out my roommate(homeowner) and moving in my wife. I got my pitman arm in the mail today, I also picked up the dom for my steering links. Maybe this weekend if the wife gives me time I'll tap the steering box and get my steering built then work on the ram mounts
Love the way you boxed in the spring mounts. Very clean work. How much clearance do you have between the pitman arm and the spring during compression? Keep it up.
 
#6 ·
Amazing! subbed

been working on a 1947 and 1951 for a client, very fun to work on. Everything is so simple and yet very functional. Keep up the good work!
 
#7 ·
Amazing! subbed

been working on a 1947 and 1951 for a client, very fun to work on. Everything is so simple and yet very functional. Keep up the good work!
Simple and to the point. Nothing fancy or anything that makes you scratch your head and ask why they would do it that way. I work on Jets for a living and I have tires that are more complicated than this jeep haha.

Anyway here are some pics of me getting her home. I think I ended up paying like $200 bucks to have it shipped from my home town in California to Vegas, Not a bad deal.







Okay right now I need to hold off on going to bed and get these steering links done while its only 85 in the garage.
 
#9 · (Edited)
This thing is something that I can never let leave the family. It served the family since the 70s like it is now and I have so much history with it. I remember every weekend going to the family ranch and my grandfather telling me it was mine and letting me drive it. Now its going to be good for another 70 years haha and with the eventual diesel swap 30MPG may put it into DD status.

Anyway I said no sleep until steering links were done so here they are. Im waiting on a tube clamp before I can mount my ram and in the pictures the pitman arm is hardly on, it still has another 1/4 inch to fully seat. I still need to pull the box apart and tap it so there is no reason to drive it home.

Standard stuff here, 1.5"x.250 wall dom, hex tube inserts, and GM TREs







I have been taking this thing pretty slow over the last year, ordering things here and there as the budget allowed, well I have now given myself 2 weeks to get it driving again. There is a 4x4 show/park thing on the 3rd and I will be there... I probably wont have shocks, I will still be rocking the stock metal seats, I dont have the gears in so looks like ill be driving in 2low, and I sure as hell wont have put a floor in it yet but ill be there.

What I have left to drive it,
pick a PS pump and make a mount for it to work with the L134 and find a belt
make/Run lines for the PS pump
Mount my master cylinder
Run brake lines
Install new fuel pump
buy a battery

and shocks would be nice
 
#11 ·
:thumbsup:

Not a super productive day, I have been waiting on parts before I can move forward with much. That and me working nights makes me want to sleep all day not work all day.

Anyway I got my power steering pump mount made. I started with an XJ sway bar relocation bracket that I had laying around. cut it and bolted it to my head studs. The piece I cut off got some 3/16ths tabs I made welded on to it. this will make the hinge side of the mount, I'm waiting on my pulley to come in so I can line up the belt before I weld it in. The holes where it bolts to the head are slotted so I have about 3/4 inch movement forward and aft on the motor for belt alignment. I will be using a turnbuckle bolted to the water pump and bottom ear of the PS pump for a tensioner. To make this work I had to move my Alt from the forward grove on the crank to the rear grove. Now the crank and alt have a belt and the crank, WP and PS pump share a separate belt. I would have loved to get it all to work with one belt but because of the lower rad hose I couldn't get the Ps pump low enough to engage the water pump.

The pump is a Xj pump. Standard TC style pump, that will get the pressure port drilled out some. I also need to pull the Res off and make a tube so I can run a remote res. I doubt this thing will hold enough fluid for my system.





Obviously not the fastener that will be used haha


Just FYI for anyone working with these old motors. They used to run wide belts, so the crank and water pump have big Vs in them but modern pulleys are made for narrow belts. I have found a Gates brand belt that is 1/2 inch wide, Its just wide enough to engage the old stuff without slipping and narrow enough to engage the modern stuff. It comes in a variety of sizes and is in stock at your local shop I ran a gates 9415. Its an Gates XL belt as they call it. anything from that line will work. Ill be picking up a 33 inch one for the alt and however long I need for the other belt. Also if you don't know how to read belt numbers. the last three numbers is the size. 9415 is 41.5 inches. so a 9330 is 33 inches.

I have to add that I love my UPS driver. Always comes at the same time, which happens to be when my wife isn't home :cool: Today I got my first batch of whats left to get it driving
Master cylinder and assorted brackets for that and pedals and resd pressure valve
brake hoses
fuel pump
Hyd ram, hoses, fittings
steering u joint
and I wend down to sears and picked up a battery( hoping for 10 years out of this one haha)





Whats left, well Polyperformance never told me my tube clamp I ordered 10 days ago was back ordered for another week, so that wont be here in time for my drive date, I ended up ordering another one from ebay and my friend will buy the original one when it gets here.

So I need that tube clamp
Power steering fittings and pulley
-6 hose for Ps pressure line
belts
and to run brake lines for the front end, rear should be good thankfully.
 
#12 ·
Keep up the great work! :cheers2:

I think my passion for Jeeps probably started when we visited my Uncles and would go out a play around with his Jeep sitting out in the yard. I never knew what year it was but remember it as an old flat fender and small enough to be kid sized.
 
#13 ·
I had forgotten how small these things were. none of my friends could fit into it when I told them to go drive it.

Today was just more little stuff. I tapped my steering box, I wont got into detail on how to tap a Toyota steering box on a Jeep forum but if you really want to know there are plenty of how tos out there. Basically the same as any box just drilling holes in different spots.




I also got the fuel pump installed and a line ran from the pump to the fuel cell in the back.


I also made a trip to the hardware store and picked up a bunch of bolts and washers and stuff, pretty much everything I'll need to get it back together except for the steering box bolts, I forgot those... My power steering pulley and pressure fittings should be here today. Once I get those I can finish the bracket and go get some belts.
 
#16 ·
I got the master cylinder and ps pump mount done today.

Master cylinder was a bit of a pain. I had to cut off the bracket that holds the pedals to the frame and install a later CJ style one. The MB style mounts to the side of the frame and the CJ mounts to the bottom of the frame. I had to cut the bracket that goes inside the frame out as well. would have been a lot easier if I had the body off and engine out. Anyway got that all done, The rear brakes are plumbed, I need do the front still, also plumbing in the brake light switch and 2lb residual pressure valve



then I pressed the pulley on and tacked the bracket together. I also got some hardware store turn buckles and used those for tensioners on the alt and pump. Now I gotta get a -6 line made for the pressure side of the pump.



Maybe Ill make a mount for the steering column tomorrow, the wife doesn't work so I doubt I'll have much free time.
 
#17 ·
Today was one of those days where it feels like I accomplished more than I did.

I had a pressure hose made for the PS pump
Mounted the cooler and plumbed most of the Ps system
Got the belts installed on the engine
Made the shaft from the column to the box
Mounted the ram, had to cut off one of the ends and rotated that
got the new bolts for the knuckle stops in not that they will be used.
Made the tube for the third bolt on the steering box
Got all of the brake system laid out and bent up the lines, I still need to flare them though.
Started painting the last wheel so I can finally mount the tire and get it on the rig.

Once I get these brake lines flared, make a ram collar, and fix a fitting at the fuel cell I should be good to drive it.


 
#18 ·
Look who made it out of the garage today!



Today was pretty productive, I slept though most of work last night and hit the garage as soon as I got home. Flared the brake lines and finished up the brakes. Then Filled the PS system and got all the air out of that. No leaks with either systems first try. Ill never be able to do that again. I also pulled the front housing off the D18 and removed the interlock. I figured I might as well since the front shaft is out.

All I can say is this thing is worth its weight in gold. Never even bother with the poop manual ones
 
#21 ·
Wicked! Great build so far. I kind of like the body rusted up, gives it character.. Keep up the good work.
 
#26 ·


After a long brake from building and driving the jeep pretty regularly its back apart now, I got really tired of the dirty engine and the more I cleaned it the more it leaked. Thats how things normally work in my experience atleast. So now its apart for a new oil pan gasket, valve cover gasket intake/exhaust manifold gasket, valve adjustment, and a deep engine cleaning. This thing has maybe had 2 oil changes in the last 50 years so there was a bit of build up. While it was all apart I figured why not rebuild the carb, it ran great but I could never seem to get it perfect.

Before

After
.

I havent snapped pics of the bottom end but it looks pretty good. I also ordered some 10 spline 1310 CV yokes. These mixed with some XJ front drive shafts should work out well, it also gives me an excuse to pull the dana 18 and try to seal it up the best I can. Bump stops and shocks will be next after that. I think I am going to put Air Bump cans on all four corners, then just run some 2" tubing with regular rubber bumps on the end. This will give me adjustability and let me fine tune things. plus if I ever upgrade mounts will be there.

Man Do I love this picture
 
#34 ·
Nothing too exciting this weekend, I got frustrated as the carb I just rebuilt leaks from every hole possible. I used a rebuild kit from Kaiserwillys, I think its a ****ty Omix one. It came with every part I could have hoped for but every single gasket leaks. really killed my flow as I was really hoping to drive it next week. Oh well I ordered another rebuild kit to replace the gaskets. after all the little things I put into the engine I decided its time to ditch it. My original plan was to do a Kubota diesel but once I started crunching numbers and really thinking about the practicality of it I'm going another route. Now Its a GM 4.3V6. Easy to adapt, Easy to work on, Parts are super common and cheap. My logic is If I break down in some small town in the middle of nowhere their parts store will have parts for me, I cant say that about the kubota. I haven't decided if I want to keep the fuel injection or go Carb, both are super simple and reliable. keeping the FI will probably be cheaper. Iv started my hunt for a T90,civilian d18, and a reasonable 4.3. Funding it all by selling off some of my original parts.

As for what I did this weekend, Finally trimmed my rear wheel wells. I need to go pick up some 3/16th rod to cap off the sharp edge of the cut metal. I need to rebuild the passenger tool box, I reshaped the driver side as it was still good.
 
#38 ·
things are moving along finally. I picked up my engine the other day and promptly tore it down. Its from a 98 S10 vin code X with 80K, It looks fantastic inside. The lucky part is the engine came with a fresh flywheel and clutch. Christmas parts have been coming in pretty quickly. 486 casting bellhousing, Edelbrock 2114 intake. Holly Truck avenger 470. Skipwhite HEI distributor. My plan is to run a SBC waterpump and some low mount alt and ps brackets.




I got the engine out last night, now to start cleaning up the frame, rewelding what is already boxed and boxing what is not.


Anybody want a complete running L134?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top