1:6 Willys MB Jeep - Metal Build

[chugdugdadug]

So I got one of the hasbro jeeps at the flea market for $10, and I was thinking about cutting it up but I was wishing it was metal because I would like the way metal looks when it gets beaten up and rusty. Well instead of trying to weather the plastic and make it look patina'd, I felt like trying my hand at scratch building one using dimensions of the GI Joe jeep. As a disclaimer, this will be no where as amazing as most of the scratch-built rigs on this site, so bear with me as I learn to craft through experience. And enough typing, here's some photos of the beginning:

Here's what I started with:


Pattern making with masking tape and paper:


And some metal:


Beginning assembly:



More to come in the next couple days!

[Fumbles]

Cool - this'll be fun to watch.

[Big Mike]

Good score for only a ten-spot

Interesting start for sure, I'll be watching...

[chugdugdadug]

Did some more work tonight, I realized I am terrible at joining metal together. I will have to go for the "beat up from the start" look instead of the "factory new" look. That's what I planned on anyway so I guess it's working out... Maybe when this is done and I have some experience with joining metal I can make some more, and then I will have a junkyard full of parts jeeps as I make better ones!

I had to use some persuasion on my pieces, the patterns I made weren't exact so it took a little bit to get things to fit but it's coming together ok. It's going to be one of those "ran when parked outside 30 years ago" jeeps you find on craigslist.



Compared to the original:

[HONCHO22]

nice

[HONCHO22]

if you dont mind me asking,where did you get the tires thats on the Yota in the background?

[chugdugdadug]

They are imex dually tires, I got them really cheap with a crawler, parted out the crawler, I kept four and sold off the other four. A little bit of work but I basically got paid to have them! I think they are discontinued but they pop up in ebay every now and again.

[Jeepster13]

Looks awesome!

[chugdugdadug]

Got some work done on the grill. I haven't been measuring or cutting straight, I figure I'll just throw it together and it'll look good as a beat up jeep, makes it easier that way. It just sounds like too much work to make everything perfect, and I don't think I could right now anyway! I was thinking of getting some thicker metal for it, but I had flashing already and didn't want to go buy or find anything else so I stuck with the thin flashing. Got to be pretty solid once it was all soldered up.

Piecing it together and scorching my table:


Finished product:


Mock up on the tub:


And I roughly bent a hood just so I could get an idea of what it would look like. Starting to look like a jeep! :

[HONCHO22]

Luv how this is turnin out

[GreeceRC]

Very original build!

What material are you using and what is its thickness? Where did you get it from?
And what welding / brazing technique are you using?

[chugdugdadug]

I'm just using galzanized flashing, I sanded off the finish so it would accept the solder. I also want it to rust eventually. I just used some thick silver solder and a torch. I still haven't figured out the best way to do it so it's pretty sloppt, and my pattern was quick and rough so it took a little persuasion and extra solder to fit things together.

[dealwithit]

very nice progress for a first scratch! theres another build just like this on here, i think it started from the same jeep as well. he got it all primered and rusty too. ill see if i can find it.

edit* here ya go! lowslowTJ's patina and rust build

[chugdugdadug]

Thanks for that link, pretty awesome build, definitely inspired! I sort of want to quit this build and go for a smaller jeep build.