Body is in pretty good overall condition but plenty of rust can be seen:
- in the lower tailgate
- over the rear wheel wells
- in the internal fuel filler area
- at bottom of B pillar (base of the door frame)
40 years of “tin worm” activity can be seen here. It is interesting to note that the worst rust can be found where the inner and outer planels were spot welded together.
- Bottom of this panel is badly rusted but saveable.
- Inside base of B pillar is still in good condition.
- Rear floor behind wheel wells is paper thin – will have to be replaced.
- Floor edge that holds the lower tailgate hinge has already been replaced in this picture.
Typical lower tailgate rust
- Luckily, there was enough material left to form a base for new angle iron repair
- The captive nuts that hold the bolts for the tailgate hinge were too corroded to be useful
- There is no easy access to the inside of the tailgate (no hatches on the inside surface as in other vehicles). The rust preventive measures provided for in the repair included holes at the bottom of the tailgate on either side.
- With headlining removed, ‘heavy’ surface rust on ceiling needs 2 coats of Por15 treatment.
- Roof was “stove in” long ago and has been repaired once – if you look carefully, you can see the roof support is bent down just to the left of the dome light.
- Should I put in a big sunroof similar to the ones in the old VW microbuses?
- You can see an unfortunate mistake made when the driver’s bench seat was reupholstered…. I think the frame should have been under the fabric, not over it (as can be seen in the smaller tiltable passenger seat) but some WillysTech members say this is correct…
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: Saturday, March 24, 2006. Uploaded Dec 23, 2023.
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