It all started when I was just a youngin' about 6 or 7 years old. My parents and I had recently relocated to a suburban neighborhood near Sacramento, CA. As luck would have it, my soon-to-be best friend's father owned a 1954 Willys 4wd PU. To top it off, he also owned 40 acres of land, with steep hills, upon which to show off the four wheeling prowess of the Willys.
The '54 appeared to be mostly stock, sporting an L6-226, T-90, Spicer 18, Dana 25 front, and Timken rear. I was amazed by this old beast's ability to crawl and climb. I remember episodes where Mike (my friends father) would actually walk along side the truck, reaching through the window to steer, while the Willys idled up an incredibly steep slope. This was his method of seeing what lies ahead when the hood is blocking the view.
Unfortunately that fateful Willys day came when the engine started to get "tired" and was in need of a rebuild. Mike, being a former hot rod enthusiast, decided to get a little extreme when it came to the rebuild and decided to pull the transmission, transfercase, hood, grill, and front fenders during the process. The engine went to a machine shop while the rest of the parts sat up on the "hill" for reassembly. Well, days became weeks and weeks became months and the next thing you know the Willys is slowly decaying up on the "hill" for the past 15 or so years. Over the years I have offered to purchase the Willys from Mike but he always says "well, if I could just get some space and money, I would restore the truck." With that in mind I went off to find my own and in the Spring of '94 I found my thrill, a custom rusted, and abused 1956 Willys 4wd PU.