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OT: Retro Wrangler/Willys Pickup (long)

1x1_Speed_Craig said:
You're soooooo anal-retentive. I like that in you. :rotfl: The only additional input I have with the design is that the bed sides look a little high relative to the cab side height. Overall, it looks great, and your fabwork with the model is very high-quality, too. Keep the updates coming.

Craig
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Craig,
Thanks as always. :-) Anal retentive? Yes, I guess so, but hey, the design work either happens now on paper or later with a MIG torch and sawzall in my hands. It is a lot easier and quicker to make and fix mistakes on my computer... by the time I pick up the tools this will be a mere kitbuilding exercise and I can focus all of my efforts on executing what's been planned, instead of figuring out stuff as I go and making construction and design compromises. Oops, sounds like I'm preaching now, sorry :-(

The height of the bed side is a choice between a flat bed or humps in the bed floor to clear the top of the frame. Since the TJ was designed with lots of spring travel, the frame curves up pretty high above the rear axle, as compared with, say, a '41 leaf spring pickup designed for street use only.

I opted for the flat bed floor. BTW, if you look at a photo of a Brute, you'll see the top of the bed is actually even a little higher than my design. Mine might look a bit higher because of the side boards (none on the drawing below), perhaps, and of course I could always eliminate the side boards, they just slip into the stake pockets anyway.

Here's one of my frame design drawings, you can see the bed floor right at the top of the hump in the frame above the rear axle:

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1x1_Speed_Craig said:
The only additional input I have with the design is that the bed sides look a little high relative to the cab side height.
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I think that a big part of that on the model right now is that it has the half doors. His line drawing above with the hard doors looks much better in regards to that and I was also going to point out about the mismatch in the Brute as well...

Thanks for the description on the top construction. I was curious about it too. What would it cost to commission a replica of my postal? ;)
 
The model looks great. I have to agree with the Half-door observation- Full doors will look much better. Also, the white top with the silver body draws attention to the wrong areas- I can't wait to see the model painted.

You did a heck of a job building that top. I have a question, though- is there a reason you went with the overhang on the front? I like the look of your drawing better with less overhang.
 
Randyzzz said:
The model looks great. I have to agree with the Half-door observation- Full doors will look much better. Also, the white top with the silver body draws attention to the wrong areas- I can't wait to see the model painted.

You did a heck of a job building that top. I have a question, though- is there a reason you went with the overhang on the front? I like the look of your drawing better with less overhang.
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I like the overhang. I've always liked those add-on "visors"; they first became popular in the 50's and very not uncommon on 50's pickups. Not sure how much overhang I'll put in the final truck, probably not too much, about an inch, depends on exactly how the adaptation of the CJ top panel to the TJ windshield works out. The overhang on the model is more than I'll do on the full size version.

Yes, until it is painted it will look a little odd. Will paint it as soon as the full doors are installed.

bigwalton said:
I think that a big part of that on the model right now is that it has the half doors. His line drawing above with the hard doors looks much better in regards to that and I was also going to point out about the mismatch in the Brute as well...

Thanks for the description on the top construction. I was curious about it too. What would it cost to commission a replica of my postal? ;)
Click to expand...

Yes definitely the half doors make it look a little strange. I bought a CJ7 kit on eBay the other day, it has removable full doors, so as soon as that arrives in the mail I'll saw the half doors out of the die-cast body and replace them with full doors.

After I made this top panel I was thinking it wouldn't be too hard to make a model of a CJ-8 World Cab top panel, then the sides, then the rear door... maybe make a replica of MY Overlander, not YOURS. hee hee, you can't afford my services, it would cost a you a MILLLLLLLION DOLLARS muaahahahaha...
 
jscherb said:
you can't afford my services, it would cost a you a MILLLLLLLION DOLLARS muaahahahaha...
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I figured as much... ;)
 
Project Progress Update...

1/25 Model - got the CJ-7 kit with the hard doors, almost done adapting them to the concept model. Sort of a pain to saw the half doors out of the die-cast metal model TJ tub, but worked out fine. Finalizing the hardtop fit on the tub, I had left it a little rough and "gappy" until I had the doors to do the final fitting. Also added the "Jeep" embossing to the concept tailgate. And, Eric will shoot me for this, but I took the 32" tires from the CJ-7 kit and put them on instead of the 34/35's the Tomb Raider kit came with. I'll post photos of the model progress within a day or two.

1/1 Project - met today with a hot rod upholstery shop that's a few miles from my house. (How convenient!). Reviewed the project with them and specifically my plan to alter the LJ soft top to pickup cab length. They agree that the design for the modifications I showed them was very doable, they think it is a day or two project. Finding a shop to do this was actually the last big unknown in the project.

So "phase 1" of the build will be the frame lengthening, and all of the sheet metal, pickup bed, fenders, everything except modifying the World Cab parts to fabricate the new hardtop. The phase 1 truck will have a pickup cab soft top converted from the LJ top.

Phase 2 of the build will be the World Cab hardtop, which is a project and a half in itself.

Jeff
 
Model Build Progress Photos

I'm posting the photos in B&W because until it is painted there are now too many confusing colors on the model - the new parts are yellow. Progress in today's build:

- Hard doors.
- Better fit for hard top, was waiting for the doors to do the final fitting
- Swapped the 34/35" tires of the Tomb Raider kit to these 32's. My 1:1 build will ride on 32's so these are the correct size.
- Put the embossed Jeep logo from the CJ7 tailgate on this tailgate.
- Cab rear window weatherstripping and sliding pane dividers
- Jerry can
- Added a box in the bed. I'll need one for extra storage, this is the size I'll use.

Unfortunately the CJ7 kit I got was missing the spare tire so I still cannot mount the spare on the side of the bed.

The model still needs lots of filler ("scale Bondo"?) and prep before it can be painted, but getting there. Did a little painting on the bed floor.



Build6-1.jpg


Build6-2.jpg


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Man, I CANNOT wait to see that painted. It looks awesome!
 
Jeff, the full doors definitely help with the lines on the bed.

Truck
 
Painted Model Photos and Graphics

I'm nearly there with the 1:25 scale build... here are some shots of the painted model. I can't finish it for a few days; this Testors model paint needs to harden up completely before I can handle it a lot, but it's 95% done as you see it below. The front flares have the pocket holes filled in and they're painted, I think they go fine with the rear fenders. And the stock TJ flares are more angular, so they will look even better. Still to be done are a lot of details, incuding:

- Tail lights. Will mount the stock Wrangler lights on the sides of the rear stake pockets.
- Rear window "glass"
- Front bumper. Unfortunately the Tomb Raider kit came with a goofy prerunner bumper; mine needs a stock Wrangler bumper. I guess I'll have to buy another Tomb Raider kit to get the rear bumper to put on the front.
- Side mirrors, paint isn't hard enough to glue those onto the doors yet.
- Spare on the side of the bed; have to get another CJ kit to get a spare tire.
- Need to find a source of 1:25 fog lights to mount on the front bumper.
- Haven't 100% figured out where to mount the rear license plate, probably in the middle of the rear bumper.
- Left the bed side boards off for these photos, probably will make narrower ones.

I still want to make a model soft top to see what that will look like, maybe I'll get to that next week.

I'm really happy with the way the hardtop finished up, it's got exactly the right retro/raked look I was going for. Notice also the third brake light/bed light on the rear of the hardtop. On the full size project, a Ford Ranger will donate this part.

Also below the photos is what will be the graphics/emblem package. I don't have a convenient way to duplicate this in 1:25 scale so you'll have to just look at it on a red background.

So now that you can really see the full concept in the model, what do you think? Should it be built? Comments, suggestions? Everyone's been really helpful in getting the design to this point so far.

Painted1.jpg


graphicsgif-1.jpg
 
Amazing, Stupendous, WOW. That looks GREAT! Go for it, and hurry, I'm getting anxious to see the 1:1 version!
 
WOW is right! Build it! That looks awesome! The ride height/tire size looks great too. And...I think I like it better without the sideboards. I'll bet the guys at AEV are looking at this thinking "Why didn't we think of that?".
 
jscherb said:
graphics.gif
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I think it looks great. Only problem is the emblems. The one above in the lower left should be flip flopped and read "Truck's Jeep" :D :D

Truck
 
Truck said:
I think it looks great. Only problem is the emblems. The one above in the lower left should be flip flopped and read "Truck's Jeep" :D :D

Truck
Click to expand...

Here' ya go...

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Now when you build your copy of my pickup you can get the logos right :-)
 
I love it, this build is going to rock.

I do wish that we could see the front with a flatfender setup... I do kinda agree with the thought that might work/match better with the ones on the bed. They do look better without the pockets.

That's getting really nitpicky though, what you have there is just sweet. :thumbsup:

Can't wait to see the build.
 
bigwalton said:
I love it, this build is going to rock.

I do wish that we could see the front with a flatfender setup... I do kinda agree with the thought that might work/match better with the ones on the bed. They do look better without the pockets.

That's getting really nitpicky though, what you have there is just sweet. :thumbsup:

Can't wait to see the build.
Click to expand...

Thanks.

You might be right... but I think the best thing to do is to get the phase 1 and phase 2 builds done and see how it looks. Once that's done I can take my time on more "cosmetic" things like the front fenders.

I do have a design idea for "flat" fenders that takes design cues from the original Willys pickups; they wouldn't be flat like tube fenders but would have a "lip" like the Willys did. Maybe I'll work on some sketches, but I wouldn't do them in the first two phases of the build :-) Phase 1 priority is to get the conversion back on the road and driveable (with converted soft top); phase 2 priority is to get the steel hardtop done. After that we can work on finer points like front fenders, how does that sound?
Jeff
 
I hear you, certainly isn't going to hurt to wait on that. I want to see it driving as soon as possible too! :D
 
Looks incredible. Only one question, how have you been able to keep that scale model out of the sand box? If it were mine, I would have broken it, playing, by now...
 
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