1942 Willys Jeep.

After spending most of my Sunday printing out drawings of the ‘42 Willys Jeep, and scaling them to 1/8th .....I’ve decided to go ahead on the scratchbuild.
As the wheelbase of a 1942 Jeep is 80”, it’s a simple matter to convert drawings to scale....one eighth of that is 10”, so pop the drawing on a computer and enlarge that particular dimension to ten inches and the rest of the sizes fall into place - well it was more than that, but a lot of it’s done to transfer to plasticard.

I would offer to send any pics you might need, but my '42 Ford Jeep is garaged too far away to easily take pictures.

Thanks Sam - same for my pal’s jeep. It’s locked up in storage for the winter miles away on a farm along with dozens of other military vehicles.

But is his a Ford?

.....almost missed that...no, just a common old Willys !

Love the old skule calculator there Ron boy

......haven’t used it for years, but it still works ! .......the calculator, that is !

Good to see old stuff working, I still have a Nokia 6310i on the go!

I was in a corner shop in London a few years ago, the dog and bone rang..

They young guy behind the counter thought it was some kind of wind up until I asked him for the shop's number and rang it.

I have a Nokia too - why buy an expensive iPhone if it still works.
.....but Mrs.G has one.....she’s never off it !

Where’s the popcorn emoji, this’ll be interesting

.....and so it begins.....
It’s been a very wet and cold weekend in my part of the world, so I got stuck into this new build.
What the photo doesn’t show is that I dived right in but Immediately messed up by making two right hand rear wheel arches, instead of a left and a right.

I don't know Ron, sure looks like kit pieces to me.

I might be cheating !

So far so good Ron. I bet it won’t be just a jeep either and they’ll be a bit more too it
If feel that it won’t be long before scratch building becomes a thing of the past and 3D printing will take over. So until that day we’ll get to see things like this. No easy ride just true creative talent, a vision turned into reality.

I managed to add engine mounts, rivets and more crossmembers to the Jeep’s chassis today - and started on the four-pot flathead engine.
.....and yes I have certain plans for this Jeep, to be revealed as I go - but not as radical as you may think.

I have thought about buying a 3D printer in the past, but cost, quality and the time that is consumed in printing parts makes it impractical.
Machines for home use are not good for producing small pieces we need, the quality is too poor and requires a lot of sanding to be of any use - and energy costs will make the parts printed very expensive. 🥴

I’ve added more detail to the Jeep’s flathead engine, and even started the gearbox and radiator. It’s while building this Jeep that I have noticed that the engines are not centrally aligned, but offset.
I doubt if there will be any more progress over the weekend as I’ve put my back out, so will be giving a rest for the time being.

Ron, it sure looks like you don't even need a kit, just a stack of styrene and a set of wheels.

I get as much fun out of building out-of-the-box kits as I do scratching.
I have plenty of styrene sheet, but I do need wheels and tyres......now I wonder where I can get a set if wheels and tyres ? .

I'm sure you have that sussed out Ron.

I have considered having a go at casting my own wheels and tyres in resin, as I have had some success (with air bubbles) in 1/25th, but 1/8th is a different story - where to find the master to make the mould from ?
.....and my latest bout of sciatica has kept me downstairs and away from my loft bench, so I’m sorry there are no updates on the jeep just yet. 🥴

Latest on the Jeep - I have finished up the radiator and shroud, and a clutch housing, sort of ? The real housing is more domed, but after several unsuccessful attempts, I made an ‘aftermarket’ version.
I have a set of wheels and tyres for my jeep project too, thanks to Sam in Toledo, Oregon. Not military pattern tyres, but for my cunning plan, they will be perfect.
Not only did I receive a set of wheels and tyres but I got a lot of other 1/8th spares that were surplus to Sam’s collection. Wheels, tyres, engines, bodies, axles, suspension and so on. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse, particularly this side of the Atlantic, and probably enough to build half a dozen complete cars - which will be finding their way onto the forum as I start building.
It just goes to show that being part of a forum or group has it’s advantages, not only from ideas that come from posting pictures of your builds but exchanging of kits and coming across once in a lifetime deals.
Thanks Sam, and thanks Skidsplace !

First time I heard of Sam giving stuff out Ron!

dublin boy wrote:First time I heard of Sam giving stuff out Ron!

Ron, I thought those wheels would look good on the Jeep.

You know I love ya Sam boy

And don't I know it.