~ Writeup and photos sent to us by Richard Link

My ’53 is called Herman. That was my dad’s nickname for me. Plus, Herman is built with the best of other trucks: Ford, Chevy, Jeep, and yes, even some Mopar. Herman started over 16 years ago when I had it brought to me from Nebraska after buying it through a Hemmings ad. It was tired, to say the least. The rear axle was blown, the Chevy 283 under the hood was frozen up, and yes, the whole truck had been pieced together in true farm-truck fashion.

But I had a dream!

I had wanted one since I was in high school in the late ’60s and early ’70s. I started gathering bits and pieces here and there. I collected information, searched for parts, and slowly began putting together a plan. The front suspension uses a Fatman Mustang II crossmember and TCI tubular control arms. I did the measuring and fitting of the front suspension myself. I removed all the old 4×4 springs and axles, front and rear, being careful to mark the axle centerlines.

I made a few trips to a friend’s salvage yard looking for a Ford 9-inch rear. I had the overall width I needed and a tape measure in hand. I found a ’78 Thunderbird that was one inch wider than the stock rear, so I bought it, cleaned it up, and rebuilt it. The rear springs are new S-10 pieces. The front hangers are also from an S-10, while the rear hangers came from a ’79 Jeep CJ. Lining everything up took time—and a lot of measuring. I worked on Herman for about eight years, doing what I could a little at a time. Then I had a run-in with cancer. I survived, but I just didn’t have the skill and strength anymore to finish the work. Finding a shop willing to take on the project was rough. Some said they would come look at it and let me know what they thought, but they never showed up, even after I made follow-up phone calls.

Then I called Wind Fall Rod Shop in Titusville, PA.

They showed interest in the truck, so I took a book of photos over to show them. They liked it, and they liked my plan for the truck. It seemed they enjoyed working on orphans and oddball projects, and Herman definitely qualified! It was set. They were going to finish my Willys. I hauled Herman over to the shop, and the shop owner and the rest of the staff came out and went over the truck like a swarm of ants. They loved it.

I already had the engine and transmission installed. The engine is a slightly warmed-over Chevy 350, bored .030 over, with a Crane cam, police-car heads, roller-tip rockers, an aluminum intake, and a Holley 650 dual-feed, double-pumper carburetor. It has an Accel HEI distributor. The transmission is a Borg-Warner Super T10. It came out of a Firebird Formula, and I already had it on hand. The main work the rod shop had to do was the body and paint. They corrected all of my mistakes and made Herman shine.

We worked closely together throughout the project. I knew where to find Willys parts when they were needed, and I was able to explain my plans for the truck. Some things didn’t work out exactly as planned, so we adjusted and kept moving forward. The engine had sat for over 10 years after I built it. Then came the day we finally fired it up. It sounded great. And yes, it runs great on the road, too. The rear axle has 3.25 gears. Okay, I’ve run on long enough!

I don’t have the money to head out to the major shows where Herman could really be seen, but I have taken it to some of the smaller shows around here. I get a lot of response there—and I get plenty of attention at the gas pumps, too! There’s something special about seeing people stop, look, and ask questions about a truck that started out as a tired old farm truck and eventually became the dream I had carried with me since high school.

I also want to mention something that is an important part of my story. I’m a disabled veteran of the United States Air Force, having served from 1971 to 1991.

I am very proud of Herman, and I’m proud that a dream I carried for so many years finally came true. Herman isn’t a high-dollar show truck. But it cost enough—and took enough time, work, patience, and heart—to finish it. He’s built from pieces of many different trucks, but in the end, he’s one of a kind.

That’s Herman. My dream come true.

I hope you like it.

Kaiser Willys Jeep Blog Story – Richard Link

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The post “Herman” A Willys Truck Dream Come True first appeared on Kaiser Willys Jeep Blog.

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