Rust, we have rust!

Holes just under the driver’s door.

Last night I was cleaning the Jeep and trying to assess the full scope of what is needs to be done to bring the old timer back. I removed the floor mat from the driver’s side and there were huge holes in the floor! The complete center was gone down to the cross member. The mat held moisture under it and made the floor rust more than it would have if there was no mat at all. I double checked the other side and under the mat was lots of rust but on that side the floor had already been re-welded with new metal. This is by far the worst area of rust on the whole Jeep so far. I also got a cover for the Jeep yesterday and it seems to fit really well. I forgot to take a picture of it but I will next time. With most of the junk out of the interior I just need to pressure wash the whole thing and take out the seats. They are full of holes and who knows what could be living in them. I will feel better about working on the jeep once they are torn down to bare metal and all the rotting cushion is in the trash.

Really hard to see the holes but it’s the grey area.

 Today I brought my Willys home for the first time. This jeep was originally owned by a friend of the family that worked with my grandfather, years later he gave the Jeep to my Uncle so he could use the parts for the twin that my grandfather had owned.  Then it was parked in a field about 1986 or so until today. With the help of my Girlfriends dad and a borrowed truck we were on the road to Vernal.  The jeep was at my grandmothers house where it had been for as long as I can remember. When I was a child I would play with the jeep pretending that I was driving impossible trails and fording through immense rivers. It was a dream of mine since I could pick up a wrench to get the jeep working.

 I plan to restore the jeep to working condition and not show quality. I intend to keep the Willys mostly stock with only a few upgrades planned. Most important is the braking system. I plan on adding a power brake system and at some point disc brakes for the front axle.

Here is some interior and engine pictures I took after the Jeep was unloaded from the trailer. It can only get better from here.