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1956 DJ3A; Resurrection
Topic Started: Apr 20 2016, 10:43 PM (2,558 Views)
PapaC
Papac
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INSPIRATION

Two More. Don't think that all Dispatchers were only advertised as delivery vehicles. They were also advertised as economic vehicles for Work and Play


1955-56 Willys DJ3A DISPATCHER CONVERTIBLE
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and here...Advertised as one of the lowest priced SPORTS CARS in the world!!!


1955-56 WILLYS DJ3A DISPATCHER CONVERTIBLE
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Charles Tate....North Mississippi

1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible
Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts.

1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only)
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SteveK
Member
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An interesting observation is that 1955-56 ads were already showing the Surrey style bumpers as well as the standards being used, and the Surry style seats and/or no passenger seat as options. Steps or no steps too.
SteveK
62 Dispatcher
South Florida
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PapaC
Papac
[ *   *   *   *   *  ]
SteveK,May 13 2016
06:24 AM
An interesting observation is that 1955-56 ads were already showing the Surrey style bumpers as well as the standards being used, and the Surry style seats and/or no passenger seat as options.  Steps or no steps too.



Yes I agree it's extremely interesting the way Willys played around with them. Some of their doings sure caused me a lot of confusion!!!

Mine both had the steps still on it but my front and rear 56 bumper was gone, probably due to the wrecks my DJ had been involved in. I had the right windshield but the turn fasteners had been removed leaving just a few rusty spots behind. In fact about everything else had been stripped off of my entire jeep that bolted on, screwed on, or wired on. Thankfully there was a guy in Florida that had a BUNCH of the parts for sale that I needed!!!

Here's a possible live one on a post card from 1958 in the Virgin Islands.

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Wish I had me one of those Surrey front bumpers. I won't be actually out hunting but if I did have one I'd put it on mine!!

Charles Tate....North Mississippi

1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible
Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts.

1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only)
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PapaC
Papac
[ *   *   *   *   *  ]
SteveK,May 2 2016
11:10 AM
Charles,  I just measured mine and came up with 7/8" across and between 1/8" and 3/16"H at center of the mushroom shape considering possible wear on mine.  While there, I measured the wood pieces too.  I get 8-1/4"LX1-1/4"WX1" deep each.   Hope that helps.




Quote:
 
measurements are great too. I did once have a original DJ3A dispatcher wood gas tank spacer block left from my 1956 but it seems to be MIA.


I was digging around and found this. I thought it was gone forever. Here's some pictures of that 1956 DJ3A Dispatcher wood gas tank block showing a undermined type of gasket material that was still on it. Philips head screws.

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By now the complete body and dash of the jeep has been water sanded by hand. There's just a couple of small areas that need still need attention to pass my inspector.

The fenders and grill after a few more sessions are now as perfect as I can get them.

And the hood is in primer and set aside still waiting on further attention.


I'm waiting on a cheap eBay touchup spray gun. I need one of the old style with the cup on the bottom. Mine old touchup gun is and has been long gone. I realize I need that setup to get way up under the inside backside of the dash. That's more for future rust protection than for originality's sake. I also think I'm going to need a smaller gun to paint the inside of that grill exactly the way that I want to.

I want to get serious on the rest of the paint so I'm going to set up a temporary paint booth inside my shop. Tarp or plastic, window screen material for a filter, fan for ventilation and lights.

The weather is getting warmer and bugs are out. I once had a big old horsefly make a beeline and come in for a crash landing on the hood of a 1978 Chevrolet pickup. I had just put the final coat on and it was still wet with paint. When that monster touched down it skidded nearly all of the way across before even beginning to slow down.

Needless to says I was mad....just about crying.......and probably jumping up and down and screaming like a girl all at the same time!!
Charles Tate....North Mississippi

1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible
Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts.

1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only)
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PapaC
Papac
[ *   *   *   *   *  ]
Previously

Front and rear bumpers I hand made out of heavier than original steel. Very difficult but also very rewarding results in my opinion.

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Notes.

Unlike original DJ3A's I centered the rear bumper
They can never pass for original because of the heavier steel anyway
As SteveK graciously pointed out to me the front bumper should have been bolted on instead of my home made rivets. Those I will eventually grind out and replace.

Charles Tate....North Mississippi

1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible
Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts.

1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only)
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PapaC
Papac
[ *   *   *   *   *  ]
The front end that came with the Ohio lot was like brand new with no wear that I could notice. I did replace the rubber dust shields on the ball joints.

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I even reused the old axle bumpers. One of them was missing the rubber and that one I repoured and remade. Even though I'm building this jeep to DRIVE and not to SHOW I don't really expect to be bouncing it around that much anyway. If it ever causes a problem I'll replace with one off of the 62

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I also now know that the bend on these brake cables where they go into the hub isn't exactly right but unless they ever give me a problem will likely stay as they are

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And my non original but what I had front springs are a inch too short. These I hope to replace if I can ever get my hands on the right length springs.

Noting that convertible models called for 3 leaf springs which I've given up on trying to find. One reason being that it was reported to me that they might have caused a problem because in the real world they might have been too light.

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Also noting that 1956 DJ3A dispatchers had the older style U type shackles instead of the later model silent block type spring shackles.

Once I flipped the frame over and put the old tires back on it I preliminarily lined up the front end using the string method. Once I get all of the weight back on it and get my like new Goodyear Champion 670 15 (Dj3A Dispatchers actually call for 640 15 tires) I'll check and re-align the front end. These eBay tires I bought came from a early corevette, used for show only and the new owner wanted to change the tires out. At 350.00 delivered for four I considered them a real bargain. I will have to pick up a extra (they're still available brand new) for a spare at some point.

Another note is that some later model (Surrey's or Gala's) came out with 13" tires and wheels. 14" inch tires and wheels were likely never offered on DJ3A Dispatcher's, even though some early ford 14" AND 13" wheels will fit the hubs.
Charles Tate....North Mississippi

1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible
Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts.

1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only)
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SteveK
Member
[ *   *   *   *   *  ]
Quote:
 
As SteveK graciously pointed out to me the front bumper should have been bolted on instead of my home made rivets. Those I will eventually grind out and replace.


Charles, with the thicker bumper, why worry about the rivets. Looks original to most but the ultimate 'purist'. It is really coming together nicely. I can't wait to see it completed. Thanks for sharing the step by step process and info.
SteveK
62 Dispatcher
South Florida
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PapaC
Papac
[ *   *   *   *   *  ]
Point taken. Obviously Willys engineers played around a lot with these DJ's. Surrey bumpers on early convertible prototypes, ridiculously advertising then as a 'sports car', passenger seats optional, missing or proven wrong information in some of the parts list such as the 100 mph speedometer, special orders with right hand drive, fence rider editions, export models with minor and EDIT: maybe MAJOR differences, rare optional features such as automatic transmissions, not quite as rare top shift instead of column shift, a little bit weird looking but perfectly original 13 inch wheels and tires as just mentioned in a previous post, special order Pepsi Surreys, special order pizza delivery DJ's with factory narrowed wheel wells, wrong transmission pictured but labeled as a t96 in the books kinda causes confusion when rebuilding one of the dadgumed things, a parts list on the convertible top that doesn't make ANY SENSE but kinda comes together when looking at a original set of folding top bows which really does have tac's in it, a picture in the books that shows a windshield channel that would NEVER work with a convertible but yet another picture in the same book showing the windshield WITH the holes for the turn fasteners, surry and gala prototype pictures with weird stripes,

One of my favorite story's along with a direct quote from Mrs Kaiser. She wasn't talking about DJ3A dispatchers here but she was a strong force behind the man AND it was her that liked the bright colors, especially pink!!!


Quote:
 
Kaiser was not impressed, and accused Darrin of squandering the firm’s money stating:

“We are not in the business of building sports cars”.

Darrin produced evidence that the car was produced using his own (Darrin’s) resources and stated that he would produce the car on his own if Kaiser wasn’t interested. It was fortunate for everyone involved that Kaiser had been accompanied by his wife Alyce. She loved the car stating:

“This is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, I don't see why you aren't in the business of building sports cars, Henry.



So yeah, I feel confident taking a few liberties just as THEY did back in the day. Especially if I invent, make, or retrofit the parts myself with full disclosure.

Another thing exciting to me is the parts I've managed to gather up from all over the country. Even though many of the original owners aren't still around I feel a strong obligation to them certainly not the least of which is your Uncle and you and all of the others who have helped me out along the way. That list gets loooong!!!



Here's a preview of something very interesting that I have on my DJ that I'm trying to retrieve, absolute documentation of which was lost in one of my computer crashes.




Quote:
 
Hi Charles - xxxxx was only home for a day before having to travel for work for 3 days and then racing in Atlanta until last night and then sadly traveling for work again tomorrow morning - he said when he gets settled in his hotel this week or hopefully at home this weekend (no race) he will sit down and look thru old receipts and maybe find some pictures and type something up and email it to you - he doesn't mind doing it...just finding the time to look for the info.  There is a big long interesting story about the original car and a few xxxx that followed xxxx said he would be happy to find all the info he can for you - that is nice that you are documenting all this for your grandson.
Take care


Whaaa Hoooo!!!!
Charles Tate....North Mississippi

1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible
Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts.

1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only)
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PapaC
Papac
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Working on my temporarily hanging screen wire paint booth inside my shop. 20' long. 10' wide at the top. By the time I'm through the screen will spread wider than that at the bottom. Here the shop lights are off but I like that they light it up right through the screen when that they are on.


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I always knew I'd need those wide rolls of nylon screen wire for something one of these days!
Charles Tate....North Mississippi

1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible
Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts.

1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only)
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PapaC
Papac
[ *   *   *   *   *  ]
Not my quote but absolutely applies and should be remembered. Especially before sinking way too much money and time into a project such as this instead of driving and enjoying it without tearing it into a million pieces.



Quote:
 
the value of a DJ3A is in its original configuration, the way it left Toledo, Ohio.




I've thought about that a lot over the years even before that quote was made. My 56 was a terrible example to even attempt absolute originality. It was in fact missing way too much stuff and way too beat up for it to even be considered a suitable parts jeep.


Strangely, or maybe not so strangely, none of that matters to me in the least because the ultimate satisfaction lies not in profit but in the adventure of the thing.

Value not withstanding, trust me when I say that type of excitement brings its own reward.

I can't wait to be actually driving this jeep.
Charles Tate....North Mississippi

1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible
Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts.

1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only)
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PapaC
Papac
[ *   *   *   *   *  ]
Thinking I was right about the old style non-hvlp touch up gun to help me paint the inside of this grill


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The higher pressure of air coming out of it along with the paint set to a lower mist (loose some paint in the air this way because of the pressure) allowed me to blow paint deeper into the cracks without getting runs than I don't think I would have been able to accomplish with just my regular hvlp gun. Of course doing it that way it took a few more coats to cover which was ok.


I did finish up here with a final coat from the bigger gun to blend everything but the cheap ($18.00 delivered) eBay gun was money well spent.

Ps. On a lark I looked up portable paint booths. At appx, $3500.00 for a real one somebody with manufacturing capabilities ought to be making up and marketing free standing screened in ones. They'd be cheaper and market to the hobbiest and non professional painters out there. Who knows, might get you rich!!!

Don't you remember your grandma, or mom hollaring at you

"DON'T HOLD THAT SCREEN DOOR OPEN......YOU'RE LETTING IN FLYS 'or if she lived on a gravel road DUST IN THE HOUSE!!!

Either that or

"QUIT LETTING THAT SCREEN DOOR SLAM SHUT!!!"

Or maybe even worse

"I TOLD YOU TO SHUT THAT DOOR, WAS YOU RAISED IN A BARN"!!!! B) B)





Bright lights messing with the color and the metal flakes in the pictures again
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Charles Tate....North Mississippi

1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible
Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts.

1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only)
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PapaC
Papac
[ *   *   *   *   *  ]
MAJOR SETBACK

Here's the problem. Once the blue paint hit here I discovered that when the sun hit it there were a number of small rust pits and a few minor dings under here that to me stuck out like a sore thumb. Even though I had previously known some of these were here I didn't realize how crappy it would look to me as a whole or how bad they would show. I've got a lot of time in this thing trying to get this as perfect as 'I' could so the more I thought about it the more it became unacceptable to me. So for the better part of a week now I've been trying to correct these flaws as best as I can before I repaint. Up underneath and the inside backside of that dash has been the hardest. Ugggg. But I'm getting there.

The paint on the back part of the bed is ok as is and the fenders and the sides of the tub are as slick as I can get them and ready for color. The grill is practically perfect and only waiting on a outside coat of paint.

My only problem seems to be the shortcuts I took under here and hopefully I'm in the phase of final sanding and finishing up, and repainting.

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Note to self. Don't take any more shortcuts and 'assume' I'm going to be satisfied with the results.
Charles Tate....North Mississippi

1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible
Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts.

1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only)
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PapaC
Papac
[ *   *   *   *   *  ]
Back on track

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The grill that's setting outside is closet to the true color
Charles Tate....North Mississippi

1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible
Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts.

1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only)
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PapaC
Papac
[ *   *   *   *   *  ]
Couple of more

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Whew, even though there'll be more things to paint I'm glad that's out of the way!!!
Charles Tate....North Mississippi

1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible
Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts.

1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only)
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PapaC
Papac
[ *   *   *   *   *  ]
After a very enjoyable Memorial Day weekend I spent some time picking out fender and grill bolts and old pieces of body sill liners (pads) so that I could better take stock of what I have. Luckily I managed to dig through enough stuff that I think I found everything I was looking for. Getting ready to replicate the pads and clean up and make it hard on myself by reconditioning the bolts, washers etc. rather than buying bright new shiny ones. So, once again I make things unnessarily hard on myself without having a really good valid reason to do so.


One thing I knew I couldn't make correctly was the grill or hood welt and the split rivets that holds it.

The grill on my 56 had some of the split rivets still in it so I'm pretty sure that's correct. Information I found on this site indicates that around 63 Willys changed from the split rivets to a press in clip. I'm pretty sure that's correct because my later model DJ does have the clips. I'm thinking I've got some of those type clips new that came with something else I bought but I won't be using them on my 56.
Charles Tate....North Mississippi

1956 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible
Doing ground up nuts and bolt restoration by almost entirely reconditioning original used or a few NOS DJ3A parts.

1962 WILLYS DJ3A Convertible. (For research and parts only)
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