Willys Jeep: Badger Engine and Steering Improvements (Pictorial)

In Jeep by J Michel Metz2 Comments

If you’ve been reading up on my work on the Jeeps so far, you’ll know that I love before/after pictures. It makes me all warm and goose-pimply when a lot of hard work can be seen at a glance. Sometimes, however, it also is just a reminder that some patience and hard work will actually pay off. Today’s edition of before-and-after photos …

Willys Jeep: One Tough S.O.B. (Steering On Badger)

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Today was the first day in a long time that I’ve 1) been home and 2) the weather has been nice enough to actually get some work done on Honey Badger. Over the New Year break I had managed to get some new parts and tools to help get some work done on the civilian Jeep and I’ve been itching …

Willys Jeep: Axle and Frame Reassembly

In Jeep by J Michel Metz2 Comments

For much of this project there has been a lot of “one step forward, two steps back,” especially when it comes to things like brakes and suspension for Porkchop. My exasperation was mitigated a bit, however, when I made some excellent progress within a two weeks time with the help of my wife and a friend. In the short video …

Willys Jeep: Quick and Dirty Axle Before-and-After

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  I don’t have a lot of time, so this is going to be a pure photo extravaganza. Just brought the Badger’s axles back from the restorers. Due to time constraints I haven’t even had the chance to take them off the trailer yet. I’ll write more about that later. For now, though, here are the comparisons for the axles …

Willys Jeep: Calm Before The Storm

In Jeep by J Michel Metz4 Comments

It all started so well this morning. A beautiful day, sunny and cool. I had finally gotten the right tools (after my third trip to Home Depot and another one to Sears) to fix the problems that I couldn’t get to last week. I started off working on Honey Badger, trying my hand at my first-ever tap in order to …

Willys Jeep: The Frame, Before & After (Photos)

In Jeep by J Michel Metz2 Comments

As promised in my earlier post, here are the before and after photos. I tried to figure out a way to do this so that the comparison was easy to see, but I didn’t have the time to do anything too special. Thankfully there are online animated gif programs. I hope this works the way I wanted it to. This …

Willys Jeep: The Long and Painful (Frame) Journey is Over

In Jeep by J Michel Metz3 Comments

8 months. It’s been 8 months since I took the frame, completely free from other parts of the Jeep, to get the front crossmember to get welded. It’s been 7 months since I was able to bring the sandblasted frame home and deal with the reality of not being anywhere near completed. It’s been a very long road since then. …

Willys Jeep: Went to See a Man About a Jeep

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Yesterday I drove 7 hours (round trip) to take a look at a Jeep just north of Sacramento. The seller had advertised it for $1500, but didn’t know exactly what kind of Jeep it was – just that it was a 1949. It had an overdrive and a Saginaw steering system, as well as a V8 (which I would sell) …

Willys Jeep: We Missed a Bolt!?

In Jeep by J Michel Metz1 Comment

If you’ve been following along the trials and tribulations of the Willys Jeep saga, you’ve probably read (with some amusement) about some of the things that have made this project interesting – including my ongoing exploration of the depths of my automotive ignorance as well as the discovery of the addiction to tools. This past weekend I hit a major …

Willys Jeep: Some Progress

In Jeep by J Michel Metz3 Comments

After a couple of months hiatus on working on the Jeep, I finally had a chance to get working on it again. This post is actually a summary of some of the things that have been happening since June, when we moved into our new house.

Willys Jeep: Steering Through Obstacles

In Jeep by J Michel Metz2 Comments

So, this is where the frustration is starting to set in. At the moment, it’s raining – hard – and it’s the one day in the past 3 weeks that I’ve actually got time to work on the car over a two week period, and I’m dying to get working on the Jeep. In the meantime, I thought I’d update …