Let's get caught up on the Old Blue Willys project

A short walkaround video on the Old Blue Willys project here at Brennan's Garage, spring of 2023. There is no way I can cover everything in this one short video, so if you have any questions, please let me know in the comments below. If you would like to see some of the build process pictures to this point, search #OldBlueWillys on FB or IG social media.

[@VLEEZY1]

Really Cool Thx 4 Sharing

[@brennanmetcalf]

No problem 👍

[@jessidupuis7500]

great job very nice

[@timothyreents9826]

Great to see you on KZbin. Followed you on Pirate. I learned a lot from your builds. Looking forward to the videos.

[@brennanmetcalf]

Thank you for following along!

[@6363cash]

Sooooo nice! I love the well thought out attention to detail and awesome fab work!

[@brennanmetcalf]

Thank you very much

[@dannydowell9979]

Incredible! The only thing that surprises me is that the ubolts are hanging down

[@brennanmetcalf]

Good eye. They have yet to be final cut for length.

[@PaulKaiser42]

It looks awesome!!

[@monette44]

awesome! thanks for the walk around! 👍

[@amx19733]

Great content!!!!

[@MaxIsCoolest]

Great update. I really like the build 👍🏻

[@chrishenry5945]

Love this build.

[@brennanmetcalf]

Thank you

[@Hickeyjones]

I freakin love this build. 😎

[@brennanmetcalf]

Thanks bud

[@gregshields6741]

I like it a lot! Crazy tricks here and there super fun!

[@brennanmetcalf]

Thank you. I felt like I only got to show a few things.

[@dwilsonmfg]

Very cool to see the details of this build. That dash tie in to the front of the cage is cool.

[@brennanmetcalf]

Thank you very much

[@48Flattielife]

Wow!!! So freaking sweet man! Your so talented!!!

[@brennanmetcalf]

Thank you very much

[@jameshenderson9228]

You've done a wonderful job

[@brennanmetcalf]

Thank you

[@roarkfabworks]

Thanks for making the video. Very cool little Jeep.

[@brennanmetcalf]

Thank you very much

[@christopherthompson4359]

Great build. Love the stance

[@brennanmetcalf]

Thank you!

[@MrErik038]

Nice videos! Good to see your construction-metods. Helps me whit my bould. Im boulding a mini version of a willys-truck myself. The fronts starts like the W jeep, backside is like the truckpickupp..:) Its very narrow and the weels stick-out besides the body. Its all based (components) on a very small car whit a 3 cyl 1liter daihatsu engine with 13inch tires (56 hp). Greetings from holland europe

[@brennanmetcalf]

That sounds super fun. I have been gathering parts for something similar. Geo Metro 3cyl 1L engine with a Samurai 5spd, Transfer case, and axles. Sidekick aluminum 3rds. I will be using 34" UTV tires and making a custom frame and aluminum body for it. The goal weight is 1200lbs. I am calling it the #MinnieWillys if you want to look for social media posts on FB and IG. I'll check out your channel for more info on your project!

[@justinschlaud9443]

Amazing work! Super cool rig! Great products! Keep up the wonderful work. I’ve used the disc brake kits. One of the best mods I’ve done on my locker stocker. Looking forward to using the 225 power steering kit in the future

[@brennanmetcalf]

Thank you

[@erickaiser501]

Very nice work! I love that frame and all the little details.

[@brennanmetcalf]

Thank you. I feel like I only got to cover maybe a quarter of the details!

[@erickaiser501]

@@brennanmetcalf I’m looking forward to seeing more. You have definitely given me some ideas to integrate into a future build…and a list of parts to order from your store 😆

[@FurionAlchemist]

Awesome progress. Been following since your UA debut

[@brennanmetcalf]

Thanks!

[@DaddyJeepGarage]

I love it. I really need to start my 2a build one of these days and it will likely be similar to your style. What did the wheel base end up to be.

[@brennanmetcalf]

This one is 86"

[@thefreeak]

A good light with a diffuser would help your video quality.

[@brennanmetcalf]

I'll check into that, thanks for the tip

[@chrishenry5945]

Such a shame the forums have tapered off. They were such a source of knowledge for so many people.

[@brennanmetcalf]

Forums where great, but the communities just fell apart after PhotoBucket crashed everything right at FB and IG where making it VERY easy to share stuff.

[@bradywilliams2666]

@@brennanmetcalf True. But the problem with FB and IG is the info is gone quick. The forums were great because you could search and find info. It's all about instant gratification anymore.

[@Lawrench00]

Thanks for the details! Do you happen to make/sell the throttle body relocation tube?? I just put a York setup on our 4.3l ‘49 and need to rerout the intake just like you’ve done here.

[@brennanmetcalf]

I will be selling a nice version of that part shortly. I need to finish the prototype off, specifically the throttle cable side of things.

[@tommyhare1029]

Afternoon Sir, Would or do you make the dash mount for the roll bar? I am building a CJ2A now and was planning to mount the roll bar the same way for the same reason. Very nice work on the blue jeep. Thank you for your time.

[@brennanmetcalf]

The dash mount rollbar was a custom system I built for this project. I can reproduce them, but it would be a custom project. If you are interested, drop me an email at [e-mail]

[@motobum2001]

Love this. What's the wheelbase?

[@brennanmetcalf]

This one is 86

[@LivingLifeDressed]

What seats are those?! Awesome work!

[@brennanmetcalf]

They came in the customers donor rig. I think an early Beard seat perhaps.

[@stevehamilton9728]

What do you think is the best length for front leaf springs on this short wheelbase, and what are those springs based on ?

[@brennanmetcalf]

I use rear length CJ2-3 springs on all 4 corners of my flatty builds like this. I think that is the perfect balance of length vs flex vs clearance.

[@brandonwilson7908]

Wow. Looking for another project?

[@brennanmetcalf]

I'm always looking for an interesting project, but I only do one customer build at a time. The list is a few years long at this point. Drop me a email if you want to talk about a possible project. [e-mail]

[@luretattoo]

Did you have to outboard the front springs? I thought wagoner axles would be to wide. Thanks

[@brennanmetcalf]

The front axle was narrowed on one side to fit the stock 27.5 flatty spring center.

[@stevehamilton9728]

Very cool looking jeep, shocking that it’s a decade since you built Rango. That frame chassis looks interesting on this blue one, is it all on Facebook in stages ?

[@brennanmetcalf]

There are a lot of build pictures on FB and IG under the #OldBlueWillys tag

[@lousypirate]

two questions: 1. who are you having do the rear axle shafts, and are you planning drive slugs or lockouts in the rear? Couldn't remember what you had for traction aid F/R, and didn't recall hearing it in the vid. 2. was the main reason going d20 vs d18 the lack of clearance for the seats with the offset rear output?

[@brennanmetcalf]

I will have Dutchman or Branik so the shafts. This one will be getting 30 spline Yukon locking hubs on all 4 corners as the owner wants to be able to flat tow.

[@lousypirate]

@@brennanmetcalf nice, although I am positive if I did that my buddies would constantly be unlocking my hubs when I wasn't looking.

[@drumdude68]

Did you move the engine forward to gain rear drive shaft length? If so, by how much? I measured a 4.375 difference between the V6 and a V8, and was considering moving my engine forward in my rig, but I'm concerned about vehicle balance, transmission shifter placement, etc.

[@brennanmetcalf]

I didn't really have much of a reference for what 'stock' was for engine placement. I put it in the best place for all the other things considered. This is a GM 4.3 with a rear distributor, so it is far enough forward I can JUST pull the distributor ( without the cap ) without having to butcher the firewall. The rear driveshaft is still pretty short on this one because the owner had a SM420/D20 transmission and transfer case he wanted to use. The powertrain is also up for a flat belly.

[@halvardhenriksen3540]

What kind of shocks/ shock valving are you going for?

[@brennanmetcalf]

This one will be getting a Fox 2.0 Performance Resi Shock with valving done by Accutune. Nothing too crazy, but good enough to really make a difference with the custom springs.

[@luretattoo]

I have a couple random questions. What is the approximate pinion angle front and rear? And what kind of lathe do you run? Thanks

[@brennanmetcalf]

Pinion angle. Rear axle. It is rotated to run a CV rear driveshaft ( with the Dana 20 this is a must ), so having the pinion joint about 1-2 degree down from zero at rest is what I am shooting for. Overall the rear axle is rotated up a good amount, but I don't know how much. Front axle is whatever is cast into an FSJ D44 center section stock. It isn't worth the headache of changing it for a front driveshaft. The lathe is an old 13 inch Clausing.

[@revoltmachine5467]

are you making the roll cages yourself? can you tell me what wall thickness on the tubing? thanks!

[@brennanmetcalf]

Yes, I did all the cage fab myself. It's generally all 1.5 x 120 wall DOM.

[@revoltmachine5467]

@@brennanmetcalf great, thanks. are there any good/reasonably priced benders that you could recommend? everything i’ve come across seems cheap and inadequate or prohibitively expensive. especially for my limited needs.

[@brennanmetcalf]

I have old vertical DIY bender kit that uses ProTools 105 dies powered by an air over hydraulic HF engine hoist ram. Not super cheap, but will last the rest of my life.

[@vlander005]

Sorry if you already mentioned this, but what leaf springs are you running?

[@brennanmetcalf]

It has some of my custom designed springs based on rear length cj2-3 springs on all 4 corners

[@vlander005]

Thank you. I’m trying to figure out what factory springs would be a good fit for a 52 m38 project. Going for a similar look to yours. I love it.

[@jameshenderson9228]

What size tires are you using?

[@brennanmetcalf]

This one has 37x13.5r17 BFG KM3 tires

[@marcosierra1822]

Love your style! Your flat fender caught my eye ever since UA years ago. I didn’t know you did full builds🫢. Do you work on CJ5s? I know their fenders aren’t flat, but they are old and look good when low and fat!😁

[@brennanmetcalf]

I'll build anything, I only play favorites a little bit, most of this tech would transfer over to a CJ5 very well.