March 2006
- Repair/modification of ’65 Utility wagon with Tornado six is about to begin
- Budget: $9000Cdn
- I pressure-wash Bluebell‘s undercarriage – strange-coloured dirt appears and mouse nest falls out (was up inside fuel filler hose area)
- Parts for Saginaw steering and seat belts are collected from boneyards
March 2006
- Preparation for Saginaw Power Steering Upgrade begins
- PTO Koenigs Winch/front bumper are removed
- Biggest problem will be the fabrication of the bracket to hold the “can of ham” power steering pump. There are no easy factory attachment points on the engine
- Sister-in-law painted “Bluebell” on hood will be replaced with a more stylish design. Will a stick-on decal be more efficient?
July 2006
- Willys arrives at Ron King’s Autobody shop for prep and paint. I will be Ron’s slave to do a lot of the grunt work. This work will take months
- Rusty panels have already been repaired by the remarkable panel beater and welder, Capt’n Jack Sparrow – note new lower tailgate sheet metal.
August 2006
- Body Prep begins
- I grind off the old paint/remove glass
- extensive prep will include Por15 underbody painting and sealing
- Why am I giving the “Victory” sign? Many automotive battles are ahead of us.
January 2007
- Driven straight home from the body shop – did not even stop at a pub
- Chrome and weatherstrip must be added; electrical system improved; winch to be repaired, brakes to be updated etc. etc…
Spring 2007
- With temporary licence and insurance, wife installed, born-again-Bluebell is driven into the local Village. Several old men make positive comments.
- She runs well although the distributor is stuck at 20 degrees BTDC!
- Radiator recored; carb adjusted and almost useless brakes adjusted. I realize, a disc brake upgrade is essential for safety when driving in city traffic.
2008
- Front shot of Bluebell in public, body looks very good. Note the front 2″ trailer hitch receiver – a very useful accessory.
- Installation of shoulder seat belts front and back improved safety this year. See Seat Belts Page for details.
- I was concerned that painting the grill bars white rather than having them rechromed would look cheesy. It looks fine – besides, Ron, our paint and bodyman, did them for free!
The bottom bar was missing when I bought her 10 years ago…it became clear why when I tried to install a replacement. There wasn’t enough clearance between the bar and the galvanized winch cover, so I cut off a bit of the nose and welded a flat piece of 16 gauge in place (arrow).
July 2009
While out on a single day insurance permit, we tested the new disc brakes for improved stopping distance. Even with a spongy pedal, there was a huge 35 percent improvement!
Once the new pads are bedded in and the spongy pedal problem is solved, there should be a further 10 percent improvement.
This was a critical safety upgrade that I highly recommend. See Brakes Page for details.
February-March 2010
In order to have a chance of passing BC AirCare, I installed a Ford EDIS distributorless ignition system that is fully programmable. The little MegaJolt Lite Junior programing controller V4 kit came from Brent Picasso at Autosport Labs in Washington State.
This is my first attempt at updating the Bronze Age Tornado engine in our Willys.
Here is a picture of the son assembling the ‘surface mount’ circuit board.
See the Megajolt Ignition Upgrade page for details.
Warning: any change to the factory design of your vehicle has potential dangers which could result in injury or death. Make sure any design changes or repairs are performed by competent, experienced technicians.
This content last updated: Sunday, Aug 12, 2012. Uploaded Dec 23, 2023.
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