1950 willys jeep wagon

RBManufacturing · Sep 19, 2003

Hi Guys,
Thought I might share info. on my new vehicle. Bought a 1950
Willys Jeep Wagon last Friday. Had to travel 250 miles one
way to get her. Had to drag it on a flatbed (U-haul) with a
winch. Brakes locked up. Previous owner swares she ran when
parked 4 yrs. ago. Would not start. Bad gas? Rebuilding carb
now. No brakes. 5 broken windows. Surface rust only.
Owner showed Proof?? of 68,000 miles. I was looking for a
postal jeep, but could not find one. Willys is 4wd. Got it to
run last Sat. but ran VERY badly. Plan to drain tank, flush,
and tune her up. Then try again. If anyone knows where-
abouts of an old klunker for parts, PLEASE give me a call.
Most parts from 1946 to mid fifties will fit. Internet has an
abundance of parts also. May also need a good engine
overhaul mechanic. Anyone interested????? BTW, don't buy
an out of state vehicle if you're in Missouri, and it's an old
one. Requires Highway patrol verification of VIN. You have to
take it to them. No brakes, doesn't run, not towable, but you
HAVE to bring it in for inspection of VIN to get title transfered.
According to info. on internet, Many old vehicles VINs do
not match title. Seems dealers sometimes used their own
numbers when they sold the vehicle, not the VIN on the title.
My title does not match the vin on body, or engine. I spoke
to the son of the original owner, and he says his dad bought
it new in 1950, and sold it in 89 to the guy I bought it from.
He checked, and found old papers and says title I have is
the one his dad had. May never get it titled. Still some
options to try. Rick

s1120 · Sep 19, 2003

So Rick, the burning question?? Where are the pictures?! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

My Dad had one of those when I was real young. From what I hear, I just LOVED to ride around in it. I guess they had to pry me out. I don't remember that, but have always been a fan of the old Willys pickups, and wagons.

RBManufacturing · Sep 19, 2003

Hi Paul,
My older brother says we had one when I was about 5 or 6.
Says I loved it too. Says dad had a snow plow on it, and I
loved to ride with him when he plowed snow around town.
Don't remember it either. I had to shove it in a tight spot
next to my garage, and can't move it very easy to get pics.
I plan to get a few soon. I have to try to find a new carb, or
kit. She loads up so bad, it won't stay running. Floods out.
Not sure where to get one yet. Going to try internet maybe.
Put an electronic fuel pump on her today, and tune up kit.
Didn't help. Still runs poorly. She has alot of potential.
Great body. No rust holes. Alot of surface rust.
Hope to have pics soon. Rick

Bird · Sep 20, 2003

Rick, my first "salaried" job was delivering the parcel post for the Post Office. The delivery truck was privately owned by a local businessman and leased to the Post Office. It was a 1949 Willys panel truck with the driver's door removed and NO muffler at all! It also had no ignition key (having been replaced years before by a toggle switch) until it was stolen one night. It was easily and quickly recovered and the thief arrested because it wouldn't run very fast and a police officer heard it start up and take off. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif But after that, they put a new keyed ignition switch in it and we had to take the key inside at night. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

RBManufacturing · Sep 20, 2003

Hi Bird,
I have already been tempted to leave the key in this one,
hoping someone would drive it away in the middle of the
night. Someone has done something to it, or some little
something has gone bad in it. She still misses out, and floods
out. Going to try to find a carb for her today. Hope this fixes
her. Like to get her running before cold weather. My garage
has become storage space for my company. Going to have
to do all work on her outside. I use to do bodywork and
custom painting about 30 yrs. ago. Ever seen lace paint job???
I think a little lace on her might look good. Maybe a little
spider webbing also. Maybe not. Lace is very hard to do, but
looks great if done right. Got the title straightened out
yesterday. Hope to get her titled in my name today or Monday.
I'll keep you posted on my progress, IF I EVER MAKE ANY!!!
Rick

chim · Sep 20, 2003

<font color="blue"> Ever seen lace paint job??? </font>

My Grandma donated a tablecloth to the effort back in '70. I had just gotten a brandespank new El Camino and wanted just a touch of something different. Approx the center 1/3 of the tailgate had what looked like woodgrain contact paper between two chrome trim strips (clear anodized aluminum really) on it from the factory. Off came the plastic film, and on went the lace. It was white base and black lace for starters. Next was a transparent blue to color key the white part to the dark blue car and give it some depth. Funny how so many years the memories can be triggered. I recall the squarish plastic clips that slid onto what looked like short nails welded to the tailgate skin. The "nails" were real handy to help hold and center the right part of the tablecloth pattern in place. The rectangular backup lights were in the lace panel, and they were just a teensy bit out of level. It bothered me, but some people had a difficult time seeing it even when I pointed it out to them. If you ever see a 70 EC (and mebbe 71 or 72) take a look. The factory probably used the same die on all of them. Thanks for the trip down memory lane...............chim

RBManufacturing · Sep 21, 2003

Hi Chim,
Sounds neat. BTW,I GOT HER RUNNING GREAT!!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Called 12 different places looking for new carb. No such thing
available without ordering. $118.00 to $160.00 depending on
who you order from. Found a carb rebuild kit for $20.00.
Never had much luck with kits, but this one worked great.
I may never have found the problem, but the kit had a tiny
steel check ball in it. Old carb did not. Rebuilt it, and put
check ball in place, and it started right up. Runs good.
Plan to start on brakes soon. Anyway, IT RUNS>!!! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

r0GuE · Sep 25, 2003

Was this the one on autotrader?? Kind of blueish green/grey in the photo I saw.

RobertN · Sep 25, 2003

A few things you can do to get things rolling.

1. Get the registration sorted out first. It would be a shame to put money into it, and then have registration problems.

2. It sat, so figure on taking the tank out and flushing it. I got a car that had sat about that long. Put a fresh carb on it, filters, ect. Turned out the tank was a mass of corrosion. Had the tank hot-tanked and sealed; worked fine.

3. Change all the fluids. After sitting that long, change all the fluids before you run her more. No telling how old or funky they were when it was parked, much less 4 years later.

4. Do that complete tuneup. New rotor, cap, plugs, condensor, wires, air-cleaner, oil filter, gas filter, ect Put new belts and hoses on while you're at it.

5. Clean and replace as necessary the battery and connections. Pay close attention to the grounds.

6. Think about a pro rebuild on the carb. Kits work a lot of the time. But, I have seen carbs with poor throttle shaft bushing that leaked vacuum real bad. Kits don't have stuff to properly fix that.

7. Take your time, and enjoy it! It's fun tinkering with stuff like that /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

scruffy · Sep 25, 2003

Rick,
Not the first carb I have heard of, ran into, or had happen to me that swallowed a check ball! Had a Rambler American twin stick that swallowed one on a trip from Boston, MA to Eureka, CA. Turkey would get out run by vw's! LOL. Took me all the way to West Yellowstone to figure out what had happened. Like you, a 20 dollar bill and an hour or two alongside the road got it running like a charm again.