54 Jp jpmagazine.com OCTOBER 2019
BIG WILLY
Why This Jeep?
It’s a giant freaking flatfender! What’s
not to like? But seriously, the detail and
level of craftsmanship on Big Willy is
amazing. The grille alone is a piece of art.
Obviously the priority here is appear-
ance, and the flashy LED lighting and
enormous sound system may turn some
people of f, but anyone that has spent
any time fabricating something from
scratch will appreciate just how clean
and accurate Big Willy’s construction is
to an original MB. Bes t of all, it ac tually
has the equipment to handle trail work.The open shackles, the shockingly
accurate grille, the folding windshield
frame, and even the fender-mounted
blackout light are unmistakably modeled
after a WWII MB. Even the seats are
upholstered from a surplus army canvas
tarp. But unlike most art cars, Big Willy
is a fully functional, street-legal 4x4 that
sees trail use. Among the legit off-road
equipment on board: front and rear Dana
60s, Cummins R2.8 engine power, an
Offroad Design Doubler, and four-wheel
ram-assist steering.
Ian reports that on paper it could go
about 60 mph, but with soft springs and
giant 52-inch tires that like to follow ruts,
45 mph is about as fast as he comfortably
wants to go—also just like an MB. The
Jeep attracts about as much attention as
you’d expect of a giant f latfender with
more LED lighting and audio equipment
t ha n a n ig htclub. Once people a re able
to process what they see, inevitably they
smile. And that was Ian’s entire goal. It
seems unlikely that something would be
equally at home on the playa of Burning
Man and the red rocks of Moab, but Big
Willy seems to fit right in while stand-
ing out. Big Willy has a full schedule
of off-road events and festivals in the
coming year, so if you’d like to see it in
person, check out bigwillyjeep.com.As one might imagine, driving
something this big on most trails is
challenging and much like driving a
bus down the narrow streets of New
England. Thankfully, there’s plenty
of ground clearance, and there are
cameras to help keep Ian informed,
although he wasn’t using them the
day we took it out on the trail. Big
Willy sports a surprising amount
of flex for something so big and
heavy thanks to the custom-built
Deaver springs. Here is where Ian
discovered a little more bumpstop
work was in order, as the tires made
contact with some of the handmade
sheetmetal and grille. Ian is consid-
ering taking it over the Rubicon to
solidify Big Willy’s trail cred.The Cummins R2 .8 engine is backed by a
4L60E transmission, adapters from Axis
Industries, and custom tuning by Zero Gravity
Performance. An Offroad Design Magnum
and NP205 split torque to the axles via
Adams-built driveshafts with 1410 joints. The
Magnum box and the 5.38 gears give Big Willy
a very reasonable crawl ratio for trail work
with the 52-inch tires.The rear axle is a Dana 60 with front axle
outers for four-wheel steering. It might be a
departure from the original, but four-wheel
steering is handy for getting the big Jeep
positioned on tight trails. A PSC hydraulic
ram controls the rear steering via a valve
mounted to the left of the driver seat. The
housing sports 5.38 gears and a PowerTrax
Grip Lock locker.The interior of Big Willy is as spartan as any
military vehicle should be. The seats comfort-
ably fit two people each, while the steering
wheel is a faithful re-creation of an original
wheel. There’s a panel just above the steering
column that flips down to reveal the Murphy
gauge for the engine, fuel gauge, and monitors
for the cameras that help Ian position the
beast on the trail and also not run over anyone.
Ian built a channel into
the hand-fabricated
body for LED light
strips that run around
the entire perim-
eter, making Big Willy
unmistakable at night.
The flashy LEDs may
ruffle a few feathers
among purists, but
it’s not their Jeep, and
they’re not who Big
Willy is intended
to please.