Why a Electric Willys Jeep Restomod is the Perfect Cruiser | MODIFIED

If a vehicle is so heavily modified, to the point that it carries only two original from-the-factory components, is it now deemed an imposter? A fake? Or is its identity more than the sum of its parts? Matt Farah tests that theory on this week’s MODIFIED with a deep-dive into AI Design’s first-ever EV build: A World War II-era Willys Jeep. The vehicle looks the part of a classic Willys, but with nearly every piece replaced, has it lost its soul?
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Special thanks to Eric Martinez (@ericmartinezph) for the jeepney footage.
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Episode chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:19 Willys Jeep vs. Willys Jeep
00:55 A Jeep icon in name only?
01:39 WWII-era Willys Jeep overview
02:15 Filipino Jeepney overview
02:47 Para, Po! (Stop the jeepney!)
03:31 Owner-type Jeep overview
04:30 Matt, the philosopher
05:11 Driving impressions
06:09 AI Design, the masters of maniacal motoring
06:25 Vehicle walkaround
08:20 “Could I do Jeep things in it?”
08:48 Challenges of a first-time EV build
11:12 Specs? Lolz.
13:00 Doing Jeep things
14:16 Final thoughts
14:39 Credits
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#WillysJeep #MattFarah #NeverStopDriving

[@SHiFTDI3S3L]

About the cat: Eveready is a battery brand that's always been used in the Philippines. It's cheap, and it's sold everywhere. Excellent place to put that logo, I approve.

[@jululugz2893]

Are u filipino too?

[@SHiFTDI3S3L]

@@jululugz2893 yeah

[@chuckstith838]

Should be a rat 🐀🐀🐀🐭🐭🐭🐭🐀

[@superinggoneil]

I think, the owner of jeep is somehow related to a Filipino????..

[@SHiFTDI3S3L]

@@superinggoneil could be an ex pat too, might've lived in the PI for a while

[@valentinkostov593]

Waiting for an episode for the Lancia that is seen in the background of the shop

[@reycaballero2462]

I learned how to drive in an owner when I used to lived in the Philippines. I was 9 years old... awesome vid...

[@Zanpaa]

The 9V battery on the back is so cool!

[@jeromebreeding3302]

Like the stainless steel body, but I would prefer the original four cylinder, tweaked for more oats, and a late model 5 speed trans. More vintage flair !

[@ivermec-tin666]

With Ford's recent announcement of their ev crate motor, I expect we will see more ev conversions in the next couple of years.

[@stevemartegani]

Matt has been watching too much Wandavision with that Thesius analogy :P

[@stefangrubesic2708]

That's what I thought too 😂

[@davidmaries5468]

He doesn't like superhero stuff. Just not a fan I guess 🤷

[@ChevTecGroup]

I don't think thesius used metal. That sours the story

[@CarlosRodriguez-ij9ih]

That is correct !!! if a WW2 original you change 95% is the same I think No !!!

[@Friedbrain11]

I'll take that Willy's you tested. Like the way it turned out. Love the stainless steel body. Woulda been sweet if it could have stayed 4 wheel drive.

[@tegunn]

Not enough battery juice for what it was designed to do..

[@highland-scott902]

It's a 1990's ACME Stainless Steel body.

[@ostingpower2288]

Subscriber from Philippines 🇵🇭 here.❤️

[@Jb-Raja]

I had a modded 1943 Willys jeep in Pakistan. There are a huge number there even today and active Willys clubs. Amazing vehicles.

[@BenEllisFL]

“This is better than any Bronco I’ve ever driven” Shots fired @ ICON / J. Ward 🤣

[@sixtyfiveford]

Lost me at 2wd.....

[@edmundsenterprises9786]

Dude no way it's sixtyfiveford!! Your shed build is one of my favorite videos!!

[@Goodman-4525]

Imagine you commissioned your car and you see some journalist hooning it on youtube lol

[@EvendimataE]

a stainless gas jeep like that can be had for about $6k in the philippines....they now come in different body styles....the original military style are not very popular anymore

[@karlceballos3635]

There are Filipino jeepneys being imported or built in the States. There's one in LA, in Spokane, and there's even one that was a converted Willys Wagon that can also be an RV. I would like to see a review video about that.

[@Nick-tp1gp]

"It rides like an Oregon Trail Ox Cart." Probably the most classic one-liner I've heard to date. I wish I still had that game.

[@stephenfender5895]

Thanks for posting this. This is almost exactly how I plan on building out my '79 DJ-5 ex-Postal Jeep.

[@pablorikemberg2285]

Gracias por el video, tremendo proyecto, algo icónico y actualizado...😎👍 Abrazo grande desde Neuquén Argentina 👍

[@Flyboy207]

When building my Jeep, most people recommended that I stick with a points style ignition instead of HEI because it has less electronics to go wrong and is easy to fix on the trail........ this Jeep is the opposite of that.

[@highland-scott902]

Trail?? You cant take that 2WD thing on a trail..it'll get stuck..

[@Flyboy207]

@@highland-scott902 what are you on about?

[@RDEnduro]

Ok that's freaking cool I want to build one

[@jlchmmwv]

I wanted this very badly until i heard rwd. Still super cool though!

[@georgimihalkov4781]

This is definitely the best show and the best presenter on the Hagerty channel!

[@fencingboy101]

"we are probably getting this dirtier than it will ever be again" The owner watching his Jeep get dirt and slush all over it: 😬

[@dpedd12]

That’s actually a really thought provoking car. Cus when you think about it this thing really is just about as simple as it gets. And to EV THIS, of all things. So cool.

[@firefighteruppy9121]

As an owner of an old Willys (the very same Willys my dad taught me how to drive in when I was a little kid), this is horrible. As a hot rodder... this is cool. I'm so conflicted! I love the gas can being painted like a battery! Beautiful work!

[@deliciouslifetv7362]

Oh gosh i want to see this in person.. what an amazing jeep..

[@davewhanger6722]

They're ruined it considering it's not four wheel drive and the windshield is a cj3a windshield not an MB. I know I'm nitpicking LOL

[@fzj8022]

It's not an MB grille either

[@AndrewAMartin]

@@fzj8022 it's probably a CJ-3A or M-38, definitely not an MB or GPW. Considering the body isn't original either, I wouldn't say that they ruined it. For a short drive urban commute, this is better than gas in so many ways.

[@boogaboogaboogaable]

That's not a nitpick. 2WD Willy's is an abomination. They could redeem themselves with a diesel hybrid 4WD.

[@theresabilltheresaway3603]

When you say "I know who asked you that" most of us that have followed all of you East Coast guys for any time, we have an idea too who that guy is.

[@mainamisjeff8850]

ok but who is it?

[@theresabilltheresaway3603]

@@mainamisjeff8850 Matt didn't put his name out there so I'm not in a hurry to say either but I would guess his initials are MS.

[@barneyDcaller]

Owner type jeeps are still a thing in the Philippines. They are used to transport goods. You can frequently see them along market place to transport fruits and vegetables, meat and other market goods

[@rudebuddha4895]

Owning a 1952 M38 this is a revelation. Now if I could just order an all in one kit on Amazon.

[@ImTanzeey]

AI legit has the coolest builds of all time

[@dog4579]

Why you crying?

[@warrenh8709]

This is a really tasteful build of a vehicle I would never normally care for, Ai did great

[@gigabytedenise]

I miss my owner type jeep in the philippines I used to take my wife on a date and we smell fuel after every ride, one time I was pulling out of the parking and the front wheels came off it was really embarrassing. Great side history of the jeep

[@ThomasHarrisonLord]

Oh, the Morgan jacket got used at last, niiice!

[@BSKustomz]

Today I learned there's a little company in the Philippines that makes stainless steel CJ2A bodies that fit on to MBs

[@RodFleming-World]

Go to Cavite. Still builders there.

[@gabrieltapo1744]

COME TO THE PHILIPPINES AND YOU WILL see A LOT OF THAT ROAMING THE STREETS 😂😂😂😂 ONE OF THE BEST CRAFTS OF FILIPINOS JEEPNEYS❤️🇵🇭

[@deliciouslifetv7362]

One awesome stainless owner type jeep aka Willys cj2 jeep .. this video is awesome 👉🏾👍🏾🛎

[@Frooderick]

J.N. Willys pronounced his name 'Willis,' not 'Will-ees.'

[@-oiiio-3993]

Quite correct'

[@-oiiio-3993]

John North Willys did not pronounce his name Will - eez", he pronounced it "Will - iss:, as rhyming with 'Phyllis'.

[@thehammerwell]

The quality of work was fantastic, but I was quite disappointed to see that the willys was no longer 4wd. That kinda ruined it for me. Definitely would not of been my choice to remove the one feature that made the willys a legend.

[@transporter1transporter332]

I love willys Jeep. I used to Drive that here In the Philippines with the original american flathead Engine. Absolutely Beautiful in my eyes.

[@-oiiio-3993]

The Willys 134 cubic inch 'Go Devil'.

[@robc7752]

My (12 year old) son and I want to eventually have an Farm with ZERO internal combustion engines anywhere on our Farm. This thing would be absolutely perfect!! Plus, it just looks like so much fun to drive...

[@montesa35]

Philippines also received a handful of used military jeeps from Japan but formerly used by JSDAF, they often use them on most local farms.

[@tdknut]

Love it!

[@patricko9170]

Matt is always wearing the coolest watches.

[@scrambler350]

Closest thing to a bona fide Jeep available are the Mahindra-made 'Jeeps'. New "Jeeps" (Wranglers) are just Cherokees with round lights and a removable top.

[@sohai8618]

fastest ive ever clicked on a vid

[@superliegebeest544]

I so need one of these. Would buy one if I can afford it. Got style and ev perfect for my city cruiser

[@newcluelesssmith179]

Who's and what music is playing at the end? Nicely produced video, looked and sounded great. Credits due! Thanks.

[@carrosdiecast3650]

I would daily this! 👌

[@justinturner4850]

That’s the coolest keep ever!

[@isaacfernandez637]

Amazing but if it was mine I would have to paint it army green.

[@jond1965]

I love WWII jeeps and this is really cool

[@Onesize17]

It needs covers over the front axle hubs, I can imagine it was just a forgotten detail. This is nearly as bad as the volkswagen powered cj-2s of the 80s. Thankfully, very few of those were made.

[@-oiiio-3993]

I noticed that. They could (should) have swapped them for DJ hubs.

[@chuckstith838]

The Veep was cool

[@burnmedina]

one of your subs...thank you👍👍👍👍🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭

[@khoshino9621]

Driving down that hill reminded me of the first time I attempted to cross-country ski down a hill.

[@kuholgarage]

The Owner-type Jeep is the '32 Ford of the Philippines. Someday we hope to build one, in the best Pinoy way possible - lots of surplus parts and questionable engineering!

[@nofearnothrill1776]

Got a 46 for sale in CA decent body. Just blown motor but all original

[@greghamer]

Not much gpw in there. The windshield is from a civilian cj3a. The grill is likely from a 2A or a 3a. Steering on these is scary. Bummer it is not 4x4 anymore.

[@-oiiio-3993]

It is, as they said, a postwar reproduction body in stainless steel.

[@MrJeep75]

No hub caps to get dirt in the bearing

[@Knightmare919]

In the Philippines we have so many of this jeep we called them owner type no joke there jeep.

[@w2slav]

One problem: that is a cj2a (civilian jeep) which was made post war.

[@escapenguin]

I bet their detailer loves them.

[@chemxfan]

Frankly, I'm shocked that someone would do this to a classic Willys Jeep. But to each their own, I guess.

[@oneflewoverthecuckoosnest2823]

No it's a great update.

[@oe542]

As he explained this vehicle had been rebodied back in the 60’s. I’m sure there were tons of other modifications and updates throughout its life as most of these Jeeps had. It wasn’t until recently that anyone was interested in preserving them in their original states. So the fact is this was the perfect candidate for extensive modifications as there wasn’t much originally anyway.

[@bicyclebookster6510]

A valid title with matching VIN tag constitutes a vintage Jeep. All other parts can be bought and replaced.

[@der_pinguin44]

I run an Isuzu diesel page on Facebook. Owner type Jeeps are VERY popular.

[@kululv]

nice Jeep transformation! But I think, it should have been at least 4WD. I did not understand your constant reference to the Bronco? Which one? the old one, the new one? What does it have to do with this Jeep? Or are you one of those new Bronco haters, because they are a threat to the Jeep?

[@bigeasyev9401]

Damn! thats shits CLEAN AF! Nice Job AiI Design

[@mr6johnclark]

the power to weight ratio and torque must be amazing.

[@brandongaines1731]

That battery box inside of that brushed stainless steel Willys reminds me of Doc Brown's DeLorean Time Machine lol

[@Cfreed134]

Hey, what's up with the front hub? At 10:09 you can see into it...there is nothing there. That means nothing protecting the wheel bearings, and more importantly, no way to lock into 4wd! Well...not that it has 4wd

[@-oiiio-3993]

I noticed that. They could (should) have swapped them for DJ hubs.

[@chriscubbernuss3288]

Just bought a pretty rough '53 CJ-3B. The plan is to swap in a 4 cyl. TJ drivetrain. This has me thinking about other options...🤔

[@CLCIII]

Matt didn't even feel a little guilty about getting that pristine vehicle filthy!

[@berettaman7]

Love that!

[@aeromtb2468]

i see the stainless steel jeepneys all the time in PI.

[@stevemonkey6666]

I have a friend who lives in northern Minnesota and has much experience driving different sorts of off-road vehicles. He claims that the best vehicle he ever drove for driving in snow is a WW2 era Jeep. This is because it is such a light vehicle

[@fzj8022]

I've driven my MB in snow, they're terrible in snow. They skate all over the place because they're so light

[@catinthehat5140]

Heavier cars handle better in the snow

[@SL4PSYM4XY]

I'm more interested in that Delta Integrale sitting next to the Willys at AI.

[@charlie9976]

The rear looks like an mb but the grille and windshield are cj, kind of a weird body they put on it

[@boychodurendes752]

Kids loves to ride on my owner type jeep. They prefer that than their fathers car. Whenever we have road trip to Pansol Laguna for swimming or amusement park in Starcity, all my nieces and nephews hop in on my reliable stainless jeep.

[@AnandaGendon]

Very good video, warm greetings from Indonesia, greetings as a hobby🔥

[@thenameiwantedwastaken]

Nice to see Matt got another wear out of his Morgan Jacket

[@evilyugi2]

Pag stainless na jeep tapos ganyan hitsura alam na 🇵🇭

[@prashantbirje1419]

We had everyday battery company here in India who had that Cat logo

[@carlswenson5403]

Excellent analogy. I have to remind people of the story of Icarus on a weekly basis .. "benefits of a classical education" I suppose.

[@kellinpatler]

What’s better than one big Matt talking cars? Two big Matts talking cars!

[@rot_be6u332]

Can we have a video about the jaguar xj40 and xjr 1990?

[@Vintageguy73]

Looks like one of the compromises this EV conversion is the cramped driver area. That and no 4WD

[@scottverge938]

The change didn't effect the drivers area, it's all contained under the hood. They could've gone with 4WD but what's the point when it's going to be a pavement queen?

[@hellonwheels341]

Yes I would love to have one 🤘

[@eutimiochavez415]

Well buy ne

[@grantaldous]

Great video, Matt! One big niggle - the brand is pronounced 'Willis' not ''Willies'. The company was named after John Willys when he took over the Overland brand, hence Willys-Overland, before WW I.

[@-oiiio-3993]

Correct.

[@Marcos.CJ3A]

It's a very nice project! Beautiful choice to use the CJ3A but why did he don't maintain the T18 Transfer Case? Maybe inputting mechanical power directly in thath middle gear... so, this CJ3A will still mor "willys" (4x4 and low range operacional and avaliable).

[@darius2640]

i wonder sometimes why we dont have more stainless steel bodied car around in the parts of the world where they put salt on the roads

[@Lou-f]

Salt will rust SS too unfortunately.

[@jeromebreeding3302]

Ford made stainless examples during the thirties, but "planned obsolesence would'nt allow for them. The bodies would have lasted virtually forever, and that was TOO LONG. !

[@craigtiano3455]

I didn't see a shift lever sticking up out of the floor. So, is the motor directly driving the rear axle, with no transmission?

[@catinthehat5140]

It's direct drive as he said in the video

[@alibizzle2010]

Matt was so high when he wrote this script ;)

[@clikerzbot]

Willys is the design a very practical car. Good job american friends from us filipinos who made it stainless 😁

[@figgiefigueroa7372]

My uncle had that kind ofWillis in Puerto Rico in 1977,olive green.

[@blackterminal]

I like conversions but this just isn't the same without the WW2 sounding ice engine

[@lonerider3441]

Is anyone else interested in a British registration vanity plate Lancia Delta Integrale in a New York custom shop?

[@loysharma]

That's the "Eveready" cat!!!!

[@aif9827]

Very well said! 🙂👍

[@charlesdalton985]

Interesting Jeep, I can see several early generations in the body. Great execution on the conversion. And thank you for pronouncing “Willys” correctly!!!!

[@LysergikFuneral]

I'm of the opinion that he was pronouncing it in the incorrect way. People that I have spoken to who were familiar with them in period pronounce it in the other way.

[@JodyStaples]

Willys is pronounced like "Willis". The founder of Willys was John North Willys pronounced with the "iss" not the "eze". Everyone likes to say it the other way, and that's fine too.

[@fzj8022]

The oldest films out there pronounce it as willeez. And his name was willis but the company was willys. So different spellings

[@charlesdalton985]

The family name is pronounced “Willis”, the company, by the thousands that worked there and bought the products, was “will-eeze”. I only began hearing the “Willis” pronunciation within the last few years.

[@-oiiio-3993]

@@fzj8022 No, the man's name was John North Willys and his name, as with the name of the Willys Overland Corporation, was pronounced in a manner rhyming with 'Phyllis'.

[@qasimalsaidi]

What? Better than the best Bronco you've ever driven!

[@kodak_jack]

The way to go is a JC Whitney 1" thick Fiberglas tub! Everything Jeep could be had from them.

[@-oiiio-3993]

I like my steel bodied, Kenne Bell equipped 225 Buick Odd Fire powered, flatfender Jeep.