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Old 11-18-2013, 03:07 AM   #1
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Default Scrap Metal

I stumbled into a lot of you building these! Too cool!


Away I went to eBay to secure one.... or more. When the first one arrived I flipped it over to pull the frame and get started... no frame.

***TIP**** Apparently there is a learning curve. Go figure.

So off to the scrap metal bin I charged to find some suitable metal for a frame. I dug to the bottom of the barrel and found a large and hideous piece that just might work.

After a few measurements and the aid of a contour gauge I cut out a couple of frame rails, bumpers and a cross piece.





In 1987 I purchased and built a ClodBuster; it has been sitting on a shelf in my garage for 25 years with a worn out mechanical speed controller So I pulled it down and yarded out the axles to donate to this project. Yea, I know they don't lend them selves to a puritans view of scale... but I kind of got a little crazy and ended up with 3 Willys. Sooo this first one will have to be my Guinna pig cause I don't have a clue what I'm doing. With any luck, by the third one I'll get it figured out.

I pulled the Clod axles apart and was really surprised at how well it survived the beating I gave it before it was relegated to a dust catcher. I added a little JB weld and locked up the spider gears and replaced the axle tubes and steering knuckles with some aluminum ones.







As previously noted I am out of my element (whatever my element is?) and wanted a little larger tire and wheel for the Axial JK and stumbled into a set of 2.2 Pit Bull's that I knew would be just the ticket. When they arrived I realized my mistake (they were taller than the hood of the JK... So when life serves you lemons; make lemonade! And just like that I had a set of tires and wheels for the Willy (albeit a bit on the large size).

I have seen a few 1:1's on 38's that look pretty similar, so I'm hoping that the finished product won't look crazy out of scale. Here is a mock up shot from underneath.



And from the side.


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Old 11-18-2013, 08:58 AM   #2
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Die Hard bro.
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Old 11-18-2013, 03:35 PM   #3
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Default Re: Scrap Metal

if bruce willis is driving somethings bound to blow up...just sayin
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Old 11-18-2013, 03:53 PM   #4
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Problem numuro uno seems to be the mass of the clod axles (sitting under a flat platform). I can see the merits of having a Lexan body to sit atop the whole package and have full swing of the suspension. It's pretty clear that I will need to put a bend in the links to clear the motors.

Back to the scrap metal bin for some 1/4" round to mock up a four link suspension.

Having never made links before I cruised around a bit and read every thing from chucked up in a lathe to just taking after it with a hand held drill. I opted for the center punch and drill press.





Not perfect, but I think it will get the job done.





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Old 11-18-2013, 03:53 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by Diesel-tech View Post
if bruce willis is driving somethings bound to blow up...just sayin
Yippy ki-yea!

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Die Hard bro.



Sometimes I'm a little slow!!

Last edited by THX_138; 11-25-2013 at 10:59 PM.
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Old 11-19-2013, 04:40 AM   #6
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I had to scratch my head a little to figure where I should connect the links. I have it my head that I should try and keep the frame rails as clean as possible. Why? Not a clue.

I was going to notch the center plate and come at it from the sides like my Axial JK, but in the end settled on adding a plate as an attachment point.







That took care of the bottom links. I picked up a couple of upper link pins that mount in the steering linkage position on the transaxle. All well and good but it is a no go if you want any kind of suspension travel at all. Not to mention the body would need to sit crazy high to accommodate the upper link system. Cutting a hole in the floor of the Willys didn't seem like the right thing to do.



So a different location needed to be used. I also built another mounting plate for the upper links to attach to the frame.



I think I have settled on using spacers and longer fasteners to achieve the proper spacing to mount the links directly to the upper transaxle. This might present a structural issue at some point... I may build a torsion bar of some sort to do some of the heavy lifting. OR, that may give me a reason to pick up an aluminum housing.







Sans the shocks, the articulation is not binding and is quite free. Very happy with that.

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Old 11-19-2013, 04:56 AM   #7
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Checking the ride height.


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Old 11-20-2013, 05:18 AM   #8
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I've also been tinkering with the body. Some modifications had to be made regardless. The front and back end where the frame rails should be to have the bumpers in the right locations.

I used a Dremel and a file for most of the work.







I decided to strip this one down and remove all of the "extras" (soft top, shovel, axe, handles, etc.) so I ended up with a ton of holes. I took one of the handles and diced it up to fill all of the holes in the body; cutting them flush and sanding. For some silly idea I thought it needed a gas cap...





I really need to assess how far to take the body work. For something that you know will be bashing into rocks and rolling over down said rocks, just how much time should I invest in something that will look new just once!

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Old 11-21-2013, 04:20 AM   #9
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I wanted to disable 4 wheel steering on this project. I have seen a couple of different ways to lock out the steering knuckles, but I didn't find anything that I liked.



Back to the scrap metal bin for a small piece of angle.







Got to commit to it now!



Just like I had it drawn up





If I change my mind down the road these knuckles aren't too expensive to replace.

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Old 11-22-2013, 04:57 AM   #10
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I didn't much care for how my red G shocks were looking so I decided to go a different route..



I had to come up with a bracket to mount them to the axle - yes, the scrap metal bin. I roughed in one then bolted it to another piece of scrap to duplicate it for the other side. Then mounted them to the axle and then to the frame.

Not too bad, I like the looks of the shock tower and dual shocks way more than my last idea.











I am absolutely going to hate to have cover all of this up with paint...

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Old 11-22-2013, 05:04 AM   #11
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I think it's time to go fishin...

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Old 11-24-2013, 12:31 AM   #12
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Time to tackle the roll cage.

****TIP*** Don't use the coated brake line! Holy cow... it took a couple of hours to get it sanded clean.















Primed and ready for paint. This was my first attempt at brazing brake line; I was surprised how fast it took the silver solder once the heat was right.

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Old 11-24-2013, 02:34 PM   #13
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****TIP*** Don't use the coated brake line! Holy cow... it took a couple of hours to get it sanded clean.
Tip for ya- chuck up the brake brake line in a drill ( before you bend it) and hit it w/ a piece of sand paper, the green coating will be gone within a minute.

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Old 11-24-2013, 02:48 PM   #14
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That would have been an awesome tip BEFORE I welded it all together!

I don't know what I was thinking only sanding off the areas that I was going to put the flame to... lesson learned for sure
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Old 11-25-2013, 03:48 AM   #15
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All freshly undercoated. It is taking forever to dry...



And making some progress on the seats. After some tweaking I made a template so I can duplicate another for the other side.




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Old 11-25-2013, 03:52 AM   #16
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I held my breath and smoke tested the OEM motors; I half expected to see all of the smoke escape... Hard to say what kind of condition those windings are in after a quarter of a century.

They spun right up! All the smoke stayed in the confines of the insulation.

Life is good.
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Old 11-25-2013, 12:08 PM   #17
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Default Re: Scrap Metal

The dual shock setup looks nice!

Mini-Bruce Willis is sorta creepin' me out though...
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Old 11-25-2013, 12:18 PM   #18
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Man! All sorts of awesome scratch building going on in this thread. Looks great.
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Old 11-26-2013, 04:23 AM   #19
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The dual shock setup looks nice!

Mini-Bruce Willis is sorta creepin' me out though...
I loved the look of those dual shocks as soon as I saw them, so much so, I bought 6 shocks and the boots (4 up front and 2 in the rear).
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Old 11-26-2013, 04:33 AM   #20
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Man! All sorts of awesome scratch building going on in this thread. Looks great.
Thanks, it's kind of an off size and with the Clod axles it's a little different than most others. I'm hoping it will match my vision for it in the end.

Measure once and cut twice!
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