In the seventh installment covering the California Hauler's buildup (the first six, published last year in KIT CAR, are available online at www.KitCarMag.com), we stray a bit from the "normal" build to fabricate a very custom piece for the truck. In the initial kit, available through Auto Classics, you not only get a superior fiberglass cab and steel bed for your Chevy S-10 chassis, but you also get a working tailgate, too. However, the manufacturers leave it up to the individual to decide how to finish the tailgate-using the supplied fiberglass piece (with a Willys script logo) or fabricating something themselves.
We chose the fabrication route, as we wanted to use an older stencil-type logo Willys used prior to World War II. Luckily, we were able to locate a company called Classic Enterprises that stamps this stencil-type logo into a plate of heavy-gauge steel sheet, which we bought and had shipped to us. Each plate (we bought two-one as a backup in case we messed up the first one) arrives as a 6x9-inch unit, and the logo is about 1.5x7 inches.
Just by chance I saw this...
Just by chance I saw this original Willys tailgate while walking around in Houston one day, so I took a picture of it for future reference...
We then took the tailgate's framework and stamped plates to Marcel's Custom Metal, which is highly qualified to fabricate entire cars from scratch, let alone do simple cut 'n' weld work. But as we found out, there is more than meets the eye when doing sheetmetal welding, as warpage is a common byproduct that adds time and effort (which directly translates to money!) to the project.
Luckily, we chose the right guys to do the welding, as the father and son team of Marcel and Luc spent nearly the same amount of time working out the warps and bumps that they did creating the piece in the first place. It's just the way it goes when you roll beads into flat metal and then follow with weld-sheetmetal likes to warp when subjected to these stresses.
The finished piece is a simple design that resembles a stock Willys tailgate, but it is custom all the way. Now that the tailgate will have a steel inner and outer skin, I will probably add some oak wood sections between the skins for added strength, and thus be able to make it a working tailgate you can actually sit on without fear of bending it.
The next installment of the California Hauler series will cover the installation of the V-8 engine and transmission mounts, so stay tuned to KIT CAR!
...I'll use some of its design...
...I'll use some of its design elements with my tailgate, as it won't be an exact duplicate--just something that will remind you of the original.
When you get the tailgate...
When you get the tailgate as part of the kit, it'll come looking like this: a strong rectangular tube framework that pivots on the bottom corners with provisions for a chain latch on the top corners.
First, I wanted to beef up...
First, I wanted to beef up the tailgate's middle section by adding some tubing of my own, so I measured off the area that would get the additional tubing...
...used the circular saw to...
...used the circular saw to cut the new tubing...
...and nudged them into p...
...and nudged them into place.
Using my Miller MIG welder,...
Using my Miller MIG welder, I secured each new tube...
...then ground down the surface...
...then ground down the surface so I would be able to lay a piece of flat sheet against the framework.
Classic Enterprises in Barron,...
Classic Enterprises in Barron, WI, makes all sorts of restoration pieces for Ford, Jeep, Studebaker, and Willys vehicles, and also stamps this Willys logo into steel sheet. It's roughly the size of a standard car license plate.
Over at Marcel's shop, Luc...
Over at Marcel's shop, Luc DeLey started the tailgate skin by adding a small section to the top of the logo piece. This was done because of where I wanted the logo piece located in the tailgate--in the top third, smack dab between the left and right sides.
Luc then straightened out...
Luc then straightened out the logo piece (due to some minor warpage) on the Piccolo machine, which is designed to shrink or stretch metal depending on the dies you install.
Next, a sheet of 19-gauge...
Next, a sheet of 19-gauge was dropped to the floor so Luc could trace the tailgate frame.
This 6-foot shear can easily...
This 6-foot shear can easily handle the 19-gauge sheet. Luc trimmed the sheet down twice: once to make the bed side skin for the tailgate, then to make the exterior piece.