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The Volvo-powered Willys CJ3a

itlksez

Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2009
Location
Post Falls, ID
I had a small thread elsewhere on here, but Photobucket tanked it. Rather than try to fix that one, I'll start over here.

I'm 12 years deep into a build that is taking a 1949 Willys Jeep

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and a 1987 Volvo 740

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to end with a very street and dirt friendly rig.

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Almost every part of this has been hand built. The following will be a story through pictures, since I don't have enough patience to sit and type the whole story. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
 
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I toyed with the idea of adding turbo. Ultimately decided against it, but left room for it if I go that route in the future.

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New engine mounts

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Engine cradle

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Crossmember. Round hole for exhaust, other hole for wiring. Front driveshaft utilizes the support bearing from Volvo

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Transfer case mount will allow the exhaust to pass through

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Radius arm links for the front coil suspension are from the rear of an 850

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Front axle is from a Toyota truck

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Rear axle is from an Isuzu Rodeo. I had to buy the whole truck for $100 just for the rear axle.

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That was a lot of mounts to remove.

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I sent the shaft off to Moser to shorten it by 7 1/2"

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Cage work up in the engine bay included a sway bar up over the engine because I had nowhere else to fit it. The links go down through the coil springs.

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Radiator mount. Rad is an aftermarket 3-core unit for a Honda Civic.

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Working on the alternator/air compressor mount

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Power steering pump mount on the other side

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Gas tank fabrication incorporating the 740 in-tank pump and sender

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Rear shock mounts

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Pedal assembly using Volvo booster and pedal pads.

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Cage work between the firewall and dash

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Building the cage

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Upgraded fuel pump mount

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And I just got finished with the exhaust. I had to build the muffler from scratch due to space restraints. It is surprisingly quiet.

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And that catches me up to today. Next up is thinning the wiring harness down to a manageable clump.
 
After 15 hours of tracing wires, this...

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...turned to this.

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It needs one relay and three fuses to run. I?ll go back and add the wiring for the lighting later.

The original firewall grommets are getting re-used. I threw the body back on to start to figure out placement.

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I?m re-proposing the original location of the jeep?s hand brake for the Volvo ignition switch.

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No sh$$, I am currently working at a Jeep specialist there...stop by and say hi at MPG if your in the area, Manifest Performance Group might help Google. '93...we know some of the same people, bet
Love your ideas and build.
 
I read through a thread about this some years ago in some forum that I can't remember. Glad it's still moving along.
 
I?ve been working on figuring out where to route the air intake. The engine bay is getting so crowded, I have no choice but to go inside the cab with it. I was able to turn the stock air horn 180? and run the bellows through the firewall between the cage and the brake booster.

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This moves the air mass sensor inside the cab. I?ll need to cut the wires, add a connector and about 2? of length to get it to reach.

I dug through my supply of junkyard parts and was able to piece together the elbows and tubes I need from stock replacement parts for a turbo 940. These get me up and over the steering column and behind the gauges. I?ll build an air box behind the dash on the passenger?s side with the air intake possibly dumping into the wheel well, ? la Project Binky, if anyone here is following that built.

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