BIG RED IS FOR SALE – 1960 WILLYS JEEP
FC 170 DRW $65,000
Big Red started life as a ‘forest service green’ truck as it was originally
delivered to the US Forest Service in New Mexico. After it served there the
truck was auctioned to a buyer in Arizona who decided the government issued
green had to go and repainted it the reddish-orange color with a funky white
stripe. I believe the stock rack and PTO winch were original, either from the
factory or dealer installed on the new truck when delivered to the original
purchaser. The third owner was the fellow that sold me the truck and he told me
what little I know of its history. He was an outfitter in Silverton, Colorado
and used the truck extensively in his business. He would set up hunting camp in
the mountains for out-of-state hunters during elk/dear season and used this
truck to haul horses and other live stock to camp in the mountains. Apparently
it was used pretty hard during its prior lifetime as it was pretty worn out when
we did finally purchase it. We live in Grand Junction, Colorado and heard
through a friend about an auction coming up on Saturday that had an FC Jeep
listed for sale. It was a Saturday afternoon that also happened to be my wife’s
birthday and we were looking for a nice day trip in the mountains. We were not
really looking for another truck but the poor thing looked so cute but tired
that we fell for it and decided to bid on it. Curiously, we won the bid and
ended up dragging it home, where it sat behind our auto repair shop for 12
years, until the bug to ‘fix it up’ hit us.
We removed the engine and transmission, dropping the assemblies out through the
bottom, No easy feat! The engine took a while to rebuild as it was a ‘filler’
project for the shop. Finally it was time to reassemble the truck. It almost
took an act of Congress to drop it out the bottom; I thought it was going to
take an act of GOD to levitate the whole assembly back up, so we decided to
remove the cab to make installation easier. With the cab absent, removing the
bed as well seemed like a logical next step. The bare frame looked a bit dismal
so we rolled it outside to steam clean. That made for a clean but still not very
attractive frame to put the nicely re-done engine on. So we bought a small sand
blaster for the shop and never looked back. Starting with the frame, every part
of this truck was sand blasted to bare metal and repainted, powder coated, or
re-chromed as needed.
The cab was sand blasted to bare metal before it was sent to the body shop for
straightening and refinishing. The stock rack was also sand blasted to bare
metal and refinished. The frame was taken to bare metal, primed and painted
before the engine was returned. The engine was rebuilt and repainted. Next we
replaced all the internal parts in the original T-90 three speed transmission
and installed all new seals. The original model 18 transfer case was opened and
inspected with new seals and bearings as needed. Both were painted with a ‘cast
iron’ paint finish.
The power take off case (PTO) was resealed and painted to match its aluminum
case. The original PTO winch mounted on the front bumper was repaired with parts
from a donor winch from a different project. We fabricated the mounts and
installed the fairlead roller.
The original Dana 44 front axle and Dana 70 rear axle were serviced and
inspected with new seals and bearings replaced as needed. Both ring and pinion
gear sets were still in very good condition and were reused. Brake drums were
resurfaced and new brake shoes installed. New wheel cylinders and brake hardware
completed the axle repairs. We replaced all the steel brake lines and rubber
brake hoses.
The original split rim wheels were sand blasted and powder coated with new
tires, tubes, and rim liners installed and balanced. All tie rods and drag link
were also replaced for original steering. The drive shafts for front axle, rear
axle, and PTO all received new u joints and fresh paint.
When the frame was prepped and rolling on its axles again, we assembled the
power train. The flywheel was resurfaced and a fresh clutch and pressure plate
bolted on. The engine was then mated to the transmission and transfer case with
the PTO case bolted on to the back of the transfer case. This rather large
assembly was then positioned onto the frame with new mounts.
The next step was to hot wire the engine and start. It was better to find any
issues now, before the cab was replaced, burying the engine from view.
Fortunately the engine started fine and with some minor adjustments ran pretty
well.
While waiting for the cab to return from the body shop, we got to work on the
bed and stock rack. Using the original beams as a pattern, we reproduced both
the large 4x6 frame members and the 4x4 cross pieces to attach the bed to the
frame and for a place to mount the floor decking. We fabricated new mounts for
the dual fuel tanks that had been cleaned, tested and resealed.
When the cab was returned and mounted on the frame, reassembly began. A new
wiring harness was installed with new speedometer head/gauge cluster. The
missing vacuum wiper motor was replaced with a replacement that was engineered
to fit exactly and offered electric reliability with two speeds. A new brake
master cylinder was installed and filled/bled to complete the brake system. The
panels in the interior were assembled using all new stainless steel screws.
All of the glass was replaced along with all new rubber to mount the glass. Both
door window regulators were cleaned and lubed, as well as the door latch
assemblies. New weather stripping was applied to both doors. New door panels
were fabricated, upholstered, and installed. The seats were stripped to bare
frames. The frames were then sand blasted, repaired, and painted. New upholstery
was installed on the seat frames. A new head liner was fabricated and installed.
The wood on the sides and floor of the bed was all rough cut wood we custom cut
and finished in house. Ponderosa pine from a local sawmill was finished with
honey oak stain and multiple coats of spar urethane finish. Custom steel straps
were fabricated, drilled, and powder coated. The loading ramp was stripped and
the metal was conditioned with POR 15 rust treatment. The wood was replaced and
finished like the sides and decking.
All headlight rings, turn signal bezels, and interior door and window handles
were re-chromed. Original FC – 170 emblems were re-chromed and hand painted to
factory condition. Original style mirrors were installed. Careful attention to
detail has been observed to recreate a visually pleasing, yet fully functional
restoration of this rare American classic.
This vehicle sold at auction for
$32,500 |