700 HP Willy's....

700 horsepower and very little emissions.
If you wonder what the editor of TRUCKWORLD ONLINE! drives...here it is!

By Duane Elliott

Some people will argue that horsepower equals pollution. What they fail to realize is that the automotive industry has made great efforts over the last decade to design and manufacture cleaner "certified" or "green" performance parts. The new aftermarket parts are more efficient and give more performance without more emissions. Also, various forms of alternative fuels give us other viable options for generating clean power that were, until recent years, unheard of or laughed at for one reason or another.

Our goal for the Willys was to combine a variety of aftermarket performance items with some form of alternative fuel to make the classic old truck reliable, functional, and DIFFERENT. We also wanted to deliver a message to the public that HORSEPOWER DOES NOT HAVE TO EQUAL MORE POLLUTION or poor mileage! With the right combination of aftermarket parts, and a good game plan, you can achieve this goal AND have a strong, reliable, power plant. Propane power is our perfect solution. It is reliable, extremely clean, and works well in adverse conditions.

Alternative fuel gurus such as Ak Miller have been "different" for a few decades now, setting performance records using propane as the main source of fuel. Ak convinced us that our old Willys could produce huge horsepower with relatively few toxic by products, by setting up a propane-turbocharged Chevy 350. He knows the combination well, as the same set up pushed a single engine powered airplane to a World Speed Record. Ak also set up a bunch of Unser's Pike's Peak race cars on propane. Ak is a long time racing legend and engine building genius that we feel honored to have worked on our engine.

Here is a just taste of the Willys. We hope you enjoy the story as much as we do the rig.

FROM THE BEGINNING

Our '57 started out as a basket case. It had a worn out and smoking 350-cid Chevy four-bolt main that needed rebuilding badly. There was rust in the roof gutters, fenders, and floorboards, and the interior was history. Rebuilding it into a clean, reliable, and trail worthy 4x4 was a challenge that we couldn't pass up!

We started the rebuilding process of the old Willys by first removing the body, motor, and completely disassembling the chassis. Frank Schettini of Unlimited Customs (Agoura Hills, CA) then went to work boxing and gusseting the chassis for strength, as well as lengthened the front frame rails from National Spring custom leaf-springs. Frank hand built the beefy spring perches and used Energy Suspension's urethane bushings throughout. Superlift U-bolts hold the springs to Currie Enterprise heavy-duty Ford nine inch axles (fitted with Reider Racing gears and Dyneer/ Tractech's True-Trac limited-slip differentials) front and rear. Leon Rosser Jeep provided OEM Jeep pieces for the front disc brake changeover, and Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation (Clarence, NY) provided the stopping muscle for the rear, using Engineered Components (Vernon, CT) master cylinder and pedal assembly.

Rancho Suspension's in-cab-adjustable RS9000 shocks were chosen to control the spring movements, allowing us to choose five different ride settings as the terrain varies. Thirty three inch BFG Mud Terrain T/A tires were then mounted on sleek Ultra Type 280 rims to put the bite to the ground.

Ron at National Spring Co. (El Cajun, CA) then made a set of some of the trickest springs available to fit the Willys. They are custom made to our exact specs for ride height, mounting locations, and progression of rate. All Ron needed was the exact weight measurement (front and rear), and he did the rest. National Spring Co. does lots of winning desert racers, street set-ups, circle-track stuff, and more. You can call Ron M-F at 619-441-1901 if you need your truck set-up TRICK!

Unlimited Customs then welded into place a quick-ratio Chevrolet power steering box and GM steering column to provide effortless steering and maneuvering in the tight stuff. To protect the chassis, the crew also built custom three inch tubed bumpers, front and rear. A Warn winch and Warn manual hubs were also bolted into place for function while on the trail.

THE MOTOR

With a rolling chassis in place, it was time to design the powertrain which would take us where we wanted to go. We started this process by contacting Ak Miller Turbocharging (562-949-2548), one of the nation's foremost specialists on propane conversions, to get exact specs for the engine, which would deliver maximum performance and reliability when completed. We chose Engine Research Development (Canoga Park, CA , 818-702-9393) to rebuild the 350-cid Chevy four-bolt-main as the company is known for their attention to detail when building balanced and blueprinted racing-type engines.

Ak Miller suggested we use the machined and balanced Chevy cast crankshaft (balanced by West Valley Engine Balancing), Speed Pro 7058PA pistons, and R9903 rings to ride on the Chevrolet "X" rods. E.R.D. then machined the open-chamber cylinder heads to have 74cc of volume, and Speed Pro1.94-inch intake/1.60-inch exhaust valves were fitted to ride atop a precisely squared and decked block.

The entire valvetrain is manufactured by Crane Cams, including new springs, retainers, keepers, roller rocker arms, timing chain, and a "HMV-260-2-NC" grind camshaft. A Speed Pro oil pump assures adequate oil delivery from a larger-than-stock Moroso oil pan and Moroso pickup. High quality ARP fasteners were used throughout the long-block assembly.

E.R.D. then carefully machined the main saddles, spec'd the lifter bores and angles, and provided a precise three angle valve job. E.R.D.'s machining also included cuts for P.C. seals and modification of the heads for the guide plates and screw-in rocker studs, not to forget the hardened valve seats (due to the added heat of the turbochargers and propane). The camshaft was degreed and all machined surfaces passed careful checks for correct tolerances and blueprint standards. Edelbrock's Performer manifold, aluminum front timing cover, and custom valve covers were then installed to add function and good looks to the engine. The stock Chevy distributor sends the spark through the Jacob plug wires, thus igniting the combo.

GIVE ME SOME MORE HORSEPOWER PLEASE!
Next, it was on to Ak Miller's (9225 Slauson, Dept. TW, Pico Rivera, CA 906603; Telephone:562-949-2548) for the turbocharging and propane setup as well as dyno tuning work. Ak wanted to add two turbochargers on the Chevy 350, just to make sure we kept the FUN & DIFFERENT part a strong theme of this project.

Ak and Brad installed an OHG propane conversion kit for the Chevy, consisting of a converter/vaporizer, mixer/carburetor, high pressure supply hoses, and all the hardware for the installation. Two impeller-driven Ak Miller turbochargers were then added, along with Ak's Fuel System Analyzer to monitor and correct the air/fuel ratio. A K&N air-filter was chosen to clean the air from dust particles that could turn our turbos into donuts. The team then plumbed the entire propane system back to the rear mounted 28 gallon tank, which is protected by Unlimited Custom's custom three inch tubular cage and diamond-plate skid plate.

We chose to run the system using a maximum of five pounds of boost, giving us a reliable 465 lb-ft of torque and 275 horsepower at 2000 rpm. At 15 pounds of boost ,and with a different cam, this motor is capable of delivering over 700 lb-ft of torque and over 750 HP!

At idle, with the present propane setup, the emission results using the standard California test yielded an impressive 0.0 percent of carbon monoxide (CO), and 0.0 parts per million of hydrocarbon (HC). Yes, that is correct! The motor will run cleaner under boost than a standard Chevy 350 gasoline motor at idle!

The power is transferred to the driveline using a B&M built TH 700R4 overdrive automatic transmission, torque converter, and oil cooler. A U. S. Radiator Corp. five row radiator also helps keep the engine temperature in line. An Advance Adapters kit mates the 700R4 to a late Dana 300 through-drive transfer case. The Dana 300 unit provides a healthy 2.6:1 gear ratio in low range plus a stout gear drive. Custom-built drivelines by Mike Whitcomb at Wenco Industries (Van Nuys, CA) deliver torque to the front and rear Currie Enterprises axles.

FINISHING GOODIES

After accomplishing all that was done to the chassis and drivetrain, we had a custom black and gray velour interior made to go with the custom red paint mixture laid down by Mike at Super Stripes Painting (Palmdale, CA). A Toshiba sound system with a CD player, Cerullo seats, and Deist safety belts were then added to the interior, as well as a B&M shifter. To monitor the engine's vitals, Trent Riddle of Custom Electrical Specialists (Culver City, CA) wired in Faria antique gauges, a custom switch for the dual Baker Precision Products (Los Angeles, CA) batteries, CES Good Samaritan isolation system, and all necessary electrical for the PIAA auxiliary off road lights found front and rear.

A Premier Power Welder was then installed in the rear of the truck. Talk about a handy item for on-the-trail repairs (amongst other uses)! We also keep a Pull-Pal winch anchoring device in the back to assist with our winching activities.

The rear mounted 28 gallon tanks were then installed in the rear, and a protective custom-formed cage consisting of three inch tubing and a diamond-plate skid plate was made by Truckworld Online!'s own Frank Schettini.

So there you have it; a rolling 4x4 laboratory for the "clean air message" that gets down a drag strip or up a hill faster than you can yell Willys.