When Mike Kent purchased this Willy's Pickup it was exceptionally preserved but he was not happy with the stock frame and running gear. Mike purchased a 1978 Jeep Wagoneer donor chasis that would provide a nice boxed frame, front disk brakes, power steering and linkage. The Wagoneer also had Dana model 44 differentials front and rear. The axles were rebuilt with all new parts and a double bevel clutch set was istalled in the rear powerlock along with a set of rear disc brakes. For suspension, a 4" BDS lift was added to provide some ground clearance and room for wheel travel. The first big step after this was to locate the cab correctly on the frame.

After careful placement of the cab, the stock body mounts were removed from the chassis (see photo), and about 30 holes were filled so that the frame did not look like swiss cheese. We're going to use a set of energy suspension cab mounts for a chevy pickup as they provide much better insolation than the original 1/8" of rubber used for mounting. The cab was set on the chasis in a spot that allowed just enough room between the grill and front bumper for a winch.

The next step - installing the motor fabricating motor mounts.
* The bed on this truck will be shortened 18" to accomodate the frame length.