- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
Tune, Tweak and Adjust!
Jeep Gregs Willys CJ2a, rusto-mod version
- Thread starter Greg
- Start date
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
After tuning the carb, it seems to run amazing on steep hills and angles! I haven't given it a real offroad test like the Locker Test last weekend, but we have some pretty steep hills (30-40*'s) on our property and I've been able to drive sideways and right up them without an issue from the carb!
And tonight, some more work to get the Willys ready for Moab... a few weeks ago I picked up an OLD Warn M8000 winch. Didn't pay much, but they guy swore it worked and even hooked his jumper cables up to show me, but couldn't quite make it work. Well, after bolting on a Harbor Freight winch plate, securing the winch then connecting the power, the solenoids just click and the winch doesn't turn. I really wanted to have it working as it was supposed to, so I could swap out the sketchy wire rope and have a operable winch for the weekend. I'll have to diagnose the issue, it's probably a bad connection in a solenoid. One more unplanned thing before the trip!
Next, I was complaining about how sore my right foot was after a 2 hour drive on FB and Brennan Metcalf suggested a hand throttle. I found one from Teraflex for a TJ and it was available on Amazon, so I got it coming! - https://teraflex.com/shop_items/hand-throttle-control-kit The install was super easy, took about 15 minutes and seems like it's going to make a world of difference! I'm really excited about it!
And tonight, some more work to get the Willys ready for Moab... a few weeks ago I picked up an OLD Warn M8000 winch. Didn't pay much, but they guy swore it worked and even hooked his jumper cables up to show me, but couldn't quite make it work. Well, after bolting on a Harbor Freight winch plate, securing the winch then connecting the power, the solenoids just click and the winch doesn't turn. I really wanted to have it working as it was supposed to, so I could swap out the sketchy wire rope and have a operable winch for the weekend. I'll have to diagnose the issue, it's probably a bad connection in a solenoid. One more unplanned thing before the trip!
Next, I was complaining about how sore my right foot was after a 2 hour drive on FB and Brennan Metcalf suggested a hand throttle. I found one from Teraflex for a TJ and it was available on Amazon, so I got it coming! - https://teraflex.com/shop_items/hand-throttle-control-kit The install was super easy, took about 15 minutes and seems like it's going to make a world of difference! I'm really excited about it!
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- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
So the Willys went to Moab and I drove the Moab Rim, Cliffhanger and The Pickle... and it was amazing! I only needed a strap once and it was due to a very bad situation. I was pretty nervous about how capable and reliable this thing was going to be. In the back of my mind I was worried about all kinds of things, axle shafts, u-joints, brakes, etc, etc. Plus, I was learning how to drive a totally different rig on very challenging trails, with something so small and simple. The recently added hand throttle, Motorcraft 2100 carb and rear LockRite all made the Willys much more manageable on these difficult trails. The hand throttle was a life saver! I used it on the trail 90% of the time.
I will admit that you have to WORK to drive this thing on the trail. The stock low range gearing isn't low enough and you end up bouncing over stuff due to too much speed, the clutch isn't smooth to operate, the manual steering it difficult when you need to make quick directional changes, the manual brakes even though upgraded, still require plenty of force on steep drops, the low height means it's easy to hang up on the belly and rear cross member, etc, etc. All that said, it's so fun to wheel something that requires so much effort and thinking! Seriously, it's hard for me to put it into words... the challenge of driving a 70 yr old Jeep that's somewhat close to 'stock' on hard Moab trails is massive.
So on the Cliffhanger Flatty run, I had some thoughts about Ole Yeller and what the future will bring. I thought that if I'm going to keep wheeling it, it sure would be nice to have power steering, deeper t-case gearing (TeraLow) at a minimum. I considered swapping in a TBI 4.3 and TH350 automatic, but it seems like the '48 would loose much of the appeal of what makes it so awesome. The carb works pretty good, but can use more fine tuning. It will never be EFI, but if I can make it run well on the trail 95% of the time, I'll be happy with it. Plus, I have the Crawler that's getting a 4.3 and Auto.... so I need to leave this one alone.
I do need to fab up some rocker protection... mine took some abuse and the step at the front was bent up pretty bad. After a close call with flopping, I'm also playing around with fabbing up a proper cage.... but that would take away from the open air, windshield-down feeling!
I will admit that you have to WORK to drive this thing on the trail. The stock low range gearing isn't low enough and you end up bouncing over stuff due to too much speed, the clutch isn't smooth to operate, the manual steering it difficult when you need to make quick directional changes, the manual brakes even though upgraded, still require plenty of force on steep drops, the low height means it's easy to hang up on the belly and rear cross member, etc, etc. All that said, it's so fun to wheel something that requires so much effort and thinking! Seriously, it's hard for me to put it into words... the challenge of driving a 70 yr old Jeep that's somewhat close to 'stock' on hard Moab trails is massive.
So on the Cliffhanger Flatty run, I had some thoughts about Ole Yeller and what the future will bring. I thought that if I'm going to keep wheeling it, it sure would be nice to have power steering, deeper t-case gearing (TeraLow) at a minimum. I considered swapping in a TBI 4.3 and TH350 automatic, but it seems like the '48 would loose much of the appeal of what makes it so awesome. The carb works pretty good, but can use more fine tuning. It will never be EFI, but if I can make it run well on the trail 95% of the time, I'll be happy with it. Plus, I have the Crawler that's getting a 4.3 and Auto.... so I need to leave this one alone.
I do need to fab up some rocker protection... mine took some abuse and the step at the front was bent up pretty bad. After a close call with flopping, I'm also playing around with fabbing up a proper cage.... but that would take away from the open air, windshield-down feeling!
smfulle
Active Member
- Location
- Plain City, UT
Hat with the brim up is an important accessory when the windshield is down. 
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
Hat with the brim up is an important accessory when the windshield is down.
I wish I would have been wearing the full brim hat on Saturday, instead of my RME ball cap... my cheeks, ears and neck got burned! Sunscreen would have been wise, too...
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
So I've been gathering parts for awhile and think I finally have a plan.... now, I'm not going to make any changes to the '48 for some time. I want to finish the Willys Crawler before I make any big changes, so it will be awhile.
I love the old-school, simple nature of this thing and it's hard to take away from that with these mods, but after wheeling it in Moab I noticed a lot of things that could make it easier to drive, more capable & more fun offroad.
So here's my plan, keep the Buick OddFire V6, but run a TH350 behind it (cheap BOP/Chevy adapter $40, plus I have a good TH350 that I pulled from the El Camino), add a Dana 300 that I picked up from @Agility Customs and eventually gear it with a 4 to 1 TeraLow, then swap in a set of narrow track CJ axles (Dana 30 and AMC 20) from a '78 CJ. They're a little wider than my stock axles, I think they have 3.73 gears and open diffs. I think I'd run lunch-box lockers in both axles, upgrade to 1 piece shafts in the AMC 20. The rear drum brakes should provide a little more braking than my stock brakes, simply due to size. I think I could sell my stock axles for a good bit of money, since the front had discs and the rear has a locker & rebuilt brakes.
I'd also love to add GM power steering to the Buick V6, with a standard steering box. I actually have a Astro box with a forward throw pitman arm that I think could do the job. Power steering would be so nice, having the Dana 300 and twin-stick shifter would help on the trail when I want to steer better and run in 2 low.
So that's the plan! I'd like to leave everything else alone, keep it looking like a stock CJ2a. The leaf springs are pretty beat up, but really don't want any more lift with new springs. If I could find a decent riding spring with no lift to 1", I might do that. Some of my leaves are well worn into each other that they've gotten thin!
I love the old-school, simple nature of this thing and it's hard to take away from that with these mods, but after wheeling it in Moab I noticed a lot of things that could make it easier to drive, more capable & more fun offroad.
So here's my plan, keep the Buick OddFire V6, but run a TH350 behind it (cheap BOP/Chevy adapter $40, plus I have a good TH350 that I pulled from the El Camino), add a Dana 300 that I picked up from @Agility Customs and eventually gear it with a 4 to 1 TeraLow, then swap in a set of narrow track CJ axles (Dana 30 and AMC 20) from a '78 CJ. They're a little wider than my stock axles, I think they have 3.73 gears and open diffs. I think I'd run lunch-box lockers in both axles, upgrade to 1 piece shafts in the AMC 20. The rear drum brakes should provide a little more braking than my stock brakes, simply due to size. I think I could sell my stock axles for a good bit of money, since the front had discs and the rear has a locker & rebuilt brakes.
I'd also love to add GM power steering to the Buick V6, with a standard steering box. I actually have a Astro box with a forward throw pitman arm that I think could do the job. Power steering would be so nice, having the Dana 300 and twin-stick shifter would help on the trail when I want to steer better and run in 2 low.
So that's the plan! I'd like to leave everything else alone, keep it looking like a stock CJ2a. The leaf springs are pretty beat up, but really don't want any more lift with new springs. If I could find a decent riding spring with no lift to 1", I might do that. Some of my leaves are well worn into each other that they've gotten thin!
Magerdgr
Have gun, will travel
- Location
- My secret underground lair
I have a good set of front stock springs for a 2A if you want them Greg.
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
Maybe.... I'd really like some soft-ish 1" springs, but there isn't much out there. I'll let you know, thanks Wade!
Magerdgr
Have gun, will travel
- Location
- My secret underground lair
Ok, sounds good Greg, it's looking great btw!
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
I've been wheeling the '48 Willys quite a bit and I love how raw the thing is, but have had a few exciting moments with it already and have wondered if I'd be better off with a full cage. Also, after a long day on the trail my back ends up hurting for a week+ afterwards.
I'm running the stock seat frames with minimal padding, plus the thing has shot leaf springs & shocks with about 1.5" uptravel. It's pretty rough to spend much time in, especially when you're running bumpy trails. I plan to get around to changing the suspension eventually, but for now a cage and seats would be a good start.
I think far as the cage, I'd do something pretty simple. And since I'm doing the cage, I'd add seat mounts, cut into the rear wheel wells and make room for some suspension seats. Probably some nice light colored low-back seats like PRP's, I don't really want black Corbeau's. Here's a sweet cage that I really dig, (this one belongs to Sammy in Ogden.)
I'm running the stock seat frames with minimal padding, plus the thing has shot leaf springs & shocks with about 1.5" uptravel. It's pretty rough to spend much time in, especially when you're running bumpy trails. I plan to get around to changing the suspension eventually, but for now a cage and seats would be a good start.
I think far as the cage, I'd do something pretty simple. And since I'm doing the cage, I'd add seat mounts, cut into the rear wheel wells and make room for some suspension seats. Probably some nice light colored low-back seats like PRP's, I don't really want black Corbeau's. Here's a sweet cage that I really dig, (this one belongs to Sammy in Ogden.)
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
Oh, I LOVE this pic from the Feb RME Run out at White Wash Sand Dunes.... figured I'd share it here, too.
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
Yeah, it would take away a little from the open air feel that it has with the windshield down, but a full cage is just the smart thing to do. There were a couple moments at the dunes blasting around where I got a little worried about coming off a dune and rolling over. The current roll bar is OK, but doesn't offer full protection.
Magerdgr
Have gun, will travel
- Location
- My secret underground lair
I’d be very interested in your OE seats if you swap them out and want to get rid of them Greg. I’ve got a set of buckets out of a ‘68 GTO that my dad put in my A1 back in the day when it was his daily driver that I might let go. Lots of Random parts of you need anything too.
- Location
- Grantsville, Utah
I like the shape of the cage in the pic above, but I would delete a few bars, which would help with the open air feeling. The grab handles aren't needed, and nether are the intrusion bars. Your never gonna see a high speed roll in that Jeep.
It’s not the speed, it’s the distance of the roll. The xj at white wash would have rolled many times down into that ravine. You can pick up some serious forces on a roll like that.
- Location
- Grantsville, Utah
Definitely low back seats!
