Great Lakes 4x4. The largest offroad forum in the Midwest banner

LS Powered Jeep Willys Pickup

58K views 233 replies 36 participants last post by  Ryanw10 
#1 ·
Finally getting back at this project so hopefully by starting a build thread it will keep me motivated to get it finished.

I bought this truck when I was a freshman in college for $150 plus some random engine accessories I had left over from the LS swap in my Wrangler.



It may not look like it but the truck was in extremely good shape, as in no rust holes and pitting other than the floor boards. We stripped it down and gave the chassis a good coat of paint. It had a 4.2L ghetto fabbed to the originally transmission and t case that we got running and actually drove the truck around for a little while.



I started all the body work and that where I started to get burnt out on the project. The hood, fenders, and grill were all sandblasted and primed, and the cab was sanded/sandblasted and the dents filled with bondo. I ditched the flat bed in favor of a stepside bed from an 80s chevy, and then this is how it sat for pretty much the last 3 years.



Just a couple days ago I picked up an 05 5.3L with 156k for $150, the guy said the lifters wore into the cam. So I will rebuild this motor for the truck very similar to my wrangler motor with a cam, pistons, and some big fuel injectors

I already have a 4l60e with a beast sunshell, corvette servos, etc.. just needs new clutches and steels so as soon as the motor is done I will do a quick rebuild on this with new seals, bearings, clutches, steels and so on.

I also already have a ford 9" that I plan to put into the truck and keep it on leafs. For the front axle im thinking a passenger drop 44 as I already have a gm np231 I can use. If I can find a cheap way to mate a driver drop T case to the 4l60e I will steal the built hp44 from my wrangler and use it in the truck. Either way the front will get linked with coil overs.


The end goal for this thing is going to be a street friendly truck on nothing bigger than 35s that can be a good dune cruiser my dad can use and then follow us at the offroad parks if he chooses too.
 
See less See more
3
#80 ·
The cold has seriously slowed down progress but I'm still moving forward. Transgel is useless when it gets cold so I need to get my uninsulated barn up to 60 degrees and keep it there to be able to get stuff to slide together nicely.

TCI was nice enough to include an upgraded 3-4 clutch pack but not nice enough to include a thinner apply plate to get the right clearances... Once I get the right one though I will have all the sub assemblies together and I can finish getting the guts of the case installed


Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
#86 ·
Everything is looking good so far at full bump, track bar is about level and will be able to clear the diff cover with no bend. I was really worried about that with the axle side mount lower and the pig on the passenger side.

Also looks like the truss will double nicely as a bump pad like I was hoping



Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
#88 ·
To be determined haha. My knuckle is a flat top so I could have it drilled and tapped for a hi steer arm, or I will do the y link set up. Gotta stare at it some more and decide on a steering box first

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
#91 ·
I have been struggling to come up with a steering box that will package nicely. I started with my wrangler box and that was pretty obvious it was not going to work. I flipped it around to try and simulate an astro van box but still not going to work. I then came across the Toyota IFS box that looked pretty promising but I don't like that it mounts outside of the frame. The steering box from my wife's JK looks like exactly what I want but those are still pretty expensive to buy. My latest find is a Jeep WJ box so I'm hoping to grab one of those from the junkyard this weekend.

I also have a set of fox 2.0 resi coilovers that should be here next week to get this thing back on its own weight!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
#94 ·
I figured someone might bring that option up, and I'm not totally against it yet.

But with that said I won't run any bigger than a 35" tire with this set up so hydro will never be "necessary"

A mechanical linkage set up will be quite a bit cheaper than a hydro set up.

It will see very little highway use, any long distance travelling it will be put on a trailer.

It will see a lot of street miles between car shows, ice cream runs, mall runs, etc.....

My parents will drive this a lot more than I will and I'm told full hydro can take some getting used too

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
#97 ·
I braved the cold this weekend and pulled a wj steering box and then started mocking everything up.

Y link steering is for sure not going to work

Tie rod over the knuckle with the drag link on a high steer arm seems to be the best option so far, only issue is the steering box sits pretty high on the frame and it is the most expensive option.
Track bar and drag link are within an inch in length and at the exact angle.

Another option I messed around with is the tie rod under the knuckle and the drag link on top. The steering box sits lower on the frame but track bar and drag link angles are way off.


Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
#99 ·
I have everything mocked up right now and as it sits, I'm happy with it. Clearance is close with the 1" od mock up tie rod so if that ends up being an issue a flat pitman arm will for sure be the solution.

I just finished up my coilover towers at work today so this weekend I will get those tacked in place and start cycling through the suspension

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
#114 ·
Lower radiator mounts are set in place, I welded up a 2" diameter by .5" thick puck tapped for a 7/16" bolt to the tank and formed a bracket to weld to the frame. I have my doubts though that in the current set up i will be able to route the lower hose.

When I set the motor in place I put it as far back as I could and as high as possible. What's crazy is I just did the exact same thing with my wrangler and the crank pulley on the truck sits 3" higher at ride height. The truck has 5" of useable up travel and the wrangler has 8". If I can't figure out a radiator hose solution the motor in the truck will get lowered, but that's worst case scenario




Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
#119 ·
Lower radiator mounts are set in place, I welded up a 2" diameter by .5" thick puck tapped for a 7/16" bolt to the tank and formed a bracket to weld to the frame. I have my doubts though that in the current set up i will be able to route the lower hose.
I hope that's not the final product. I'd HIGHLY suggest a larger hole in that bracket with a pass-through rubber, poly, or silicone isolator on the mount. Frames flex and I'd be amazed if it didn't crack the radiator tanks right around the welds holding those pucks in if you hard mount it like that.

I tried that at auto zone one time with a cardboard cut out of the shape i needed and the guy at the counter asked me "what's the make and model?" So I said nevermind and went over to auto value and the guy at the counter came back and helped me find what I needed

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
I've done the same, works well if you find the right shop. Napa, Carquest, and local mom and pop shops seem to be far better about it than the generic Autozone and OReilly's types with the mouth breathing counter staff.
 
Top