52 Jp jpmagazine.com OCTOBER 2019
BIG WILLY
was just sta r t i ng to ga i n notor iet y i n t he
mid-’90s. He ’wheels the heck out of a ’48
CJ-2A with an all-original drivetrain and
no rollbar, including taking his 2A over
the Rubicon last summer. Ian is also a guy
with diverse interests, and he has spent a
fair amount of time working on a variety
of d i f ferent a r t ist ic endeavor s. At some
point he went to Burning Man, a festival
that made a lasting impression, and he
built an art car based on a motorhome
chassis that’s as outlandish as anythingHARD FACTSVehicle: Cus tom 19 42 W illys MB
Engine: Cummins R2.8
Transmission: Zero Gravity 4L80E
Transfer Case: Offroad Design
Magnum-equipped NP205
Suspension: Custom Deaver springs,
Rancho shocks
Axles: Crate axle Dana 60, 5.38 gears,
PowerTrax Grip-Pro (front); Crate
A xle Dana 6 0 with four-wheel
steering, 5.38 gears, PowerTrax
Grip-Lock (rear)
Wheels: 20x11 Detroit Steel Wheel
Smoothie
Tires: 52-inch Michelin XZL
Steering: PSC Big Bore JK Box, full
hydro rear
Lighting: Rigid/Truck-Lite headlights
and taillights, 110V and 12V LED
lighting
Other Stuff: JBL sound system, Buggy
Whips, Warn 16.5ti winch, Ron
Davis radiator, Optima BatteriesYes, the grille is made from one piece of sheetmetal, and it’s absolutely amazing. Ian fabricated
special dies that formed the inward curving slats of the grille, and even the edges of the long
sides of the slats are wider than the curved portions, just like an original MB grille. Also note the
fender-mounted blackout light, complete with a protective ring. This kind of detail is abundant
throughout. The tires are Michelin XZLs that
measure a whopping 52 inches in diameter,
yet they are perfectly proportional to the rest
of the vehicle. They are mounted on a set of
custom 20x11 Detroit Steel Wheels with 3.25
inches of backspacing. The Detroit wheels
aren’t a perfect replica of the original MB
wheels, but they’re as close as Ian could get
with 20s, and they fit right in with the rest of
the build.
you’ve seen i n pic t u res or i n per son at t hat
event. With the success of that vehicle,
Ian decided to build something that
combined his interests of music, art, and
Jeeps. Big Willy is the result.
Big Willy is a surprisingly accurate
replica of a 1942 Willys MB in a scale of
1.648:1. Though virtually ever ything
was hand-fabricated from scratch by Ian
with the help of several friends, there are a
number of details present from the origi-
nal that would please any Jeep enthusiast.The front axle is a Dana 60 that was custom-built using components from Dana’s axle builder
program. The extra-wide axle required custom 35-spline axleshafts to be made, and the housing
is filled with 5.38 gears from Motive along with a PowerTrax Grip Pro limited-slip differential.
Steering comes in the form of a PSC Big Bore steering box borrowed from a JK and a ram-assist
system connected to Rare Parts components. The custom spring packs are from Deaver Spring.Underneath the giant hood is a Cummins
R2.8 crate engine that does an excellent job
getting Big Willy moving thanks to all of the
torque on tap. The ample real estate under the
hood also provides room for a pair of Honda
generators that feed the necessary power for
the 110V LED lighting and also help keep the
eight Optima batteries topped off when the
enormous sound system is turned up.