Grand Willys Project

[85IrocZ-28]

As always, this looks great! Nice design.

[Gojeep]

Thanks mate.

[JosephIV]

I just finished reading through this build. Great work, it's really inspiring to see such a clean and well thought out build! Thank you for sharing.

[Gojeep]

Not as much time to work on it lately, but thought I would throw up a little update anyway. All little bits done still add up in the long run.


Time to make up some rear coil mounts. These are the ones from the Grand Cherokee that I had unpicked from the frame. Will just use the coil locating part with the threaded hole for the bump stops.


As nearly half the mount will hang out to one side of the frame, it needs to be supported. Rather than just a couple of triangular gussets, thought I would make something similar to how it was originally supported on the donor Jeep. One was cut out and then a template made from it so a duplicate could be cut out.


I only had some 90mm/3.5" heavy walled pipe to use, but really wanted 100mm/4". So the pieces were cut out a bit bigger so they could be modified. Drew out a circle to the size I wanted and then slowly shaped the pipe on the anvil until it matched the larger 4" size.


Welded them to some left over 4mm plate for extra support


The support plates were cut out bigger by the material thickness of the coil perches all round so it could be welded right near the edge and then ground smooth. If you make both pieces the same size and weld on the edge, once ground, the weld will be lost. All the existing holes will be used as plug welds for extra strength.


All welded up and smoothed out. The back sides were sprayed with weld through primer to stop any rust between the layers.


Just sitting there at the moment and looking from the top side, gives you some idea how it will look once mounted. The covered area of the frame has already been coated as well as the back of the mount.

[OverlandZJ]

Outstanding Marcus.. really look fwd to your updates although i dont chime in each one.

As a newb to welding and fabrication you have taught me quite a bit without realizing it.. just by being so indepth with your details. Thank You..

[shawn.m]

Very clean work

[Gojeep]

Good to hear you like the posts and is helping some as well.

[wildspear]

One of the most important things I've learned through all these post is "Think". Think about what your doing and think about what you want at the end. Many of us start a project, then along the way we compromize just so we can finish sooner. Not really ending with what we wanted but what we'll settle for.

[Gojeep]

It is great I have no 'must complete by' date. Too often if there is pressure to finish, short cuts are taken. Always takes longer to do something twice than right the first time.

[Gojeep]

Just making up the outer support for the rear shock absorbers. This gives them what is called double shear support as supported on both sides. The folds were done at a 8* angle so I would end up with a 8* slope to match that of the threaded boss that has already been welded into the frame.


Here you can see the result. The face that the bolt goes through is at 8*. This is to match what was on the Grand Cherokee as the lower shock mounts on the axle are wider than on the chassis. I also added an extra 16* in the legs. The top would have tilted downwards 8* other wise and I added another 8* so it actually tilted upwards for a better look.


The folds were simply hammered over in a 6" offset bench vise so I would get a softer fold. I clamped the centre section for both folds as wanted that to remain as flat as possible.


I added holes in the support top plate as well as the legs to take the heaviness out of the bracket.


All welded up. Was going to grind and sand them smooth, but thinking I might just leave it as is?


This how it will sit on the frame rail with the shock angle 8* outwards. Also will be angled similar to this to reach the axle which will be centred forward of the mount.


The bolt was only done up finger tight and had a piece of card placed in-between to allow for paint thickness.


As nothing will be welded directly on the other side of the mount, it would cause bending as the weld starts to cool. So I used half of the old bumper that was on the Willys and some 1/4" flat centred over the mount and clamped it down.


The pressure applied is in the reverse direction to which the welding will try to pull it. The weld will try to pull downwards and the clamps, with the flat underneath, is trying to bend it upwards.


The tricked worked quite well with one side remaining perfectly straight and the other just moving a fraction, which I pressed out straight.