If you've been following the California Hauler's assembly in the past few issues of KIT CAR, then you know we recently received the most important parts of the project: the bed and cab. Also, you'll notice a new company listed as a source for the Willys truck kit: Auto Classics.
Auto Classics, headed up by Rick Brom, took over production of the complete Willys line Active Power began, and will be selling the kits from this point on. Active Power will concentrate their efforts on another line of kits, including a new LeMans-style FIA Coupe. You can find out more about the Auto Classics Willys at www.willys-hotrods.com.
But now, back to the California Hauler. After stripping the extra parts and grime from the S-10 chassis, we decided to build the truck from the back forward. The way this kit goes together, you can't locate the front fenders and hood pieces until the cab is set in place, and you don't know where the cab should be bolted down until you know how far forward it is of the bed, so back to front it is!
The stout steel bed (made to be used-it isn't just a flimsy prop) drops perfectly onto the chassis, with some angle iron added underneath so it fits just outside the S-10 framerails nice and snug. Many home kit builders often get messed up on wheel placement in relation to their fender. Essentially, the top portion of a wheel should always be located under the highest point of a fender, or in lieu of a fender, a wheel opening. Some folks don't watch where they set the rear axle in relation to that high point, and in doing so automatically offset the wheel by placing it too far forward or behind that unique centerline. When it isn't done correctly, it often makes a kit look like it doesn't fit its chassis.
After we set the bed in place on the chassis, we slid it back and forth until we got the peak of the wheel opening directly above the wheel's centerline. It was clear Auto Classics did their homework, as that also placed the end of the bed at the end of the chassis, which reaffirmed our bed's placement.
For shipping concerns, Auto Classics builds their beds so the main section comes in one piece (it comes on its own pallet), but there is also a rear apron as well as four lower bed section pieces that need to be installed, too. Of those four pieces, one is mounted forward of the wheel opening, one behind, and the same on the other side. You have a choice on how to attach them-there is a small folded lip on each piece that will seat against the under portion of the bed. If you want a "smoothy" look, then welding them in place and grinding down the welds would be the right way to go. But we weren't looking for smooth. We're going for a more traditional look. We like the stock seam found on the original beds, so we're going to keep our seams visible by bolting these pieces to the bed. In an effort to keep the cost down on their kits (this kit is under $9,000), Auto Classics spot-welds much of the bed together, then stitches longer welds where necessary to make it a very strong unit. We opted to fill many of the seams with weld, then use a grinder and an air file to smooth things out. You could get the same result with plastic body filler, but we believe the less body filler the better.
Been a while since you've seen what a stock Willys truck bed looks like? Active Power's Chris Ardern snapped this pic while researching Willys design. | 
With the cab and bed resting on the chassis, we slid a plastic P-Ayr replica Ford small-block in place to figure out just how much space we'll have when the Smeding Performance engine is installed. | 
The original S-10 motor sat closer to the front crossmember, but this setup allows us to set the V-8 farther back in the chassis, aiding both handling and steering. |
To get started on the bed, I used some welding magnets to hold everything together, and added the lower bed panel's sections just to see what it looked like. | 
Since fenders will cover the edge of the area where the panels meet, you may choose not to trim the pieces to make a smooth transition, but I wanted to even though you'll never see it. |  |