I have had this idea in my head for a few years, and now that the good weather is back its really starting to stick. I ran into town in my duallie diesel a bunch of times this weekend, what with yard work and collecting parts to help to finish off my friends new mini stock and it would be nice to have something smaller to use.
The plan is to build a really basic Willys jeep looking thing as an errand runner. I would build a box section frame, add the drive line out of a Suziki Samuri or something similar, and build a body from scratch using light guage steel and aluminum. We are talking as basic as possible. 2 seats up front, bench behind for 2 kids, Lights, turn signals, horn, and seatbelts. Probably pretty good buckets with support and some type of harness, as doors are not in the plan. Nor is a roof or any glass except a windshield. All off the shelf stuff from my massive spares collection or the local NAPA. I would register it with the VIN from the driveline donor. That would probably fly here, but I could also register it as a U built or modified vehicle and have a safely inspection done.
It would be fun to build a vehicle from scratch, I would not have to contend with rust and restoring used parts other than the driveline, and I doubt it would cost a whole bunch. I already have most of the steel I need.
The plan is to do the whole thing next winter between December and April, and for Challenge type money.
So whats the flaw in my plan?
IMHO, it would be cheaper to buy an old 4x4. You can pick up a running XJ for $500, Tracker for $1500, or a Trooper for $2500, or a Jeep for $3500....
I can, but what fun would that be?
Buy a Willys and restore it. More money, but it'd be worth more in the end. And you won't have to deal with getting it registered.
Go with the Willys , this is the ambulance m-180 
Why not build a Speedster?
Then there's this behemouth LaFrance with a 14.5 litre engine.
KIRK! from the HAMB built this:
This is known as Patches. It has a Chevy 1 ton frame, the cowl from a CJ6, fenders and grill from a CJ7 and the rest is 1/2" square tubing and sheet metal from many sources. My late friend Tony built it out of "junk" laying around. He used it as a warm weather runabout. The current owner Dave uses it as a mud bogger.
Now we're talking! I was thinking jeepish, but it doesn't have to be. My wife would be all over a roadster.
Someone here used a Samurai frame and drive line and put a T body on it a few years ago. Made sense. Japanese reliability, not hard to look at.
Dan
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The headers are reversed for the mud pit, before it had a full exhaust on it. The seats are from a 1985 VW GTI. The builder was a high school art teacher. His students loved inspecting it when he drove it to work, the faculty not so much. I drove it once on the street and it needed some fine tuning to the steering and brakes. I hope that these help. If you want detailed photos let me know what you want.
