A Little Rebody: Making a Power Wheels Willys CJ2A

So in the metal working thread, NOHOME suggested i need a project to focus my efforts. I have acquired such a project car, and here it is:

It's a completely thrashed Power Wheels Jeep Wrangler. Given I have a toddler and an extremely pregnant wife at the moment, it's about Power Wheels time. It's plastic, however, and plastic blows. I want to learn how to make things out of metal. I think you see where this is going.

The plan is to make a new body to look like a Willy's CJ2A, such as this here:

That's my friend's Willys, and he has TONS of pictures of it (insert joke here). He's always working on 3D models of them to put into driving games as mods, so he knows the details inside and out. The idea is I won't have to work on complex curve shapes and excessive detail work that is above my current lack of skill level, but i will still have to design, cut, bend, and attach metal together by the end of this. Hopefully the small size and simple shapes will help keep this from becoming overwhelming, and if i finish by spring, it will be a nice toy for the kids to enjoy for the next few years.

I'm also making the progress into videos, because I find that I enjoy doing that just as much as the building itself. Almost. Here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/aadP9oCNyCI

I'll post other vids there too probably, not just jeep ones.

Anyways, the point i am at now is deep in Cardboard Aided Design. I got some posterboard/heavy cardstock kind of paper and i'm building away. For those of you who have used this stuff to design, are there any tricks i should know? So far i'm trying to build shapes with flanges to attach them together once i get a welder (or i suppose rivets or screws would also work).

I have only 'made' the engine bay section, the 'firewall' section, and some of the body, but only 'assembled' the engine bay area (battery bay):

One of those pieces isn't a pattern piece, it's just holding things square. on the bottom there i made a square tube. I think im going to use square tubing for reinforcement/a frame kind of structure. These plastic tubs are surprisingly not that sturdy looking, and this one has some stress lines in it from my 2 nephews riding it together.

I don't know if you can see this in the picture, but these are some of my measurements:

clearly not drawn to scale though I did do a little better approximation in the cardboard and i'm fairly happy with the results. No numbers on the back because I haven't worked on that part at all yet, but there isn't as much change from plastic to metal in that area.

I don't think i'm going to add the roof or light bar back on, but i do want a fold down windshield. Still hammering out the details on the body first, however.

One last question, what gauge metal should I be aiming for here? I used 22ga for the one piece (battery tray) i made already, but that was more due to simply not having any other steel around. I plan to reinforce a little bit with the square tubing, but it's not going to be a body-on-frame or anything, so should i aim thicker than 22? This is more important for the front I think because i'm not going to radically alter the rear tub so much. I'm currently just planning on cutting the fender flares out and covering the stuff up with steel, so the plastic tub (and likely the seat, and interior floor) will remain and offer the support they are intended for.

Still planning, obviously, and any pointers or ideas are greatly appreciated.

Oohs please tell me you are planning for v8 starter power...

not at first... But the larger battery bay leaves room for 2 power wheels batteries (24v) or yeah the other plan was a starter motor on a new rear end. I just want it to work with normal powerwheels stuff and a willys body at first, though. I will have multiple kids through this thing by the time i'm done, so there is certainly time to up the ante.

In reply to 84FSP:

What he said

The old mini mustangs and 60s kids cars were started powered, and seemed to run really well

Love the plans here good sir.

GRM: where we can't avoid doing a frame-off restoration on a Power Wheels Jeep.

Frame off resto? More like body drop... but that seems par for the course around here

All kinding aside, Rufledt love you choice in projects and interested to see where you get with this one

Do you have any 18V lithium battery powered tools? Buy the cheapest tool they have and use the battery mount to mount it on the jeep. The jeeps are so much faster and nicer with a quick change/charge battery. I used a cut down flashlight for my daughters. The largest AH battery they have for your tool will work well for 1 small child, but will get melty with two passengers. I'm planning to use two batteries for the free JD Gator I just got so my daughter can cart her friend around.

i hadn't thought of that, but i'm planning on making the battery bay quite large and the tray removable/moveable, so i could probably make something to place in there later with tool batteries.

Minor progress! on the model, though:

The near side fender looks a bit droopy, but there's a reason, and it's not JUST sloppy pattern making. Since this is symmetrical, i make one very detailed pattern piece, then just trace it to make the other side. I don't need the traced one, but i kinda want to see it in paper sorta completed first. I also don't want to cut the crap out of the nice pattern, so i did the traced one. unfortunately, some idiot (me) put the 'good' patterns on opposite sides. oops.

the 'door' opening wraps all the way around. I didn't capture that well in the pic. Some of these shapes will be more difficult to make for a newb. I'm taking it easy on most of the body, so i have to complicate something. Theres still some trimming required on basically all the done pieces and more need to be made, but i'm seriously enjoying this paper working process.

This is great! I've been wanting to see someone do this.

I'd vote for all aluminum with stainless rivets. 18ga should work easier than 22ga steel and be stiffer.

Car batteries aren't designed to be drained and charged repeatedly. You would have to look into deep cycle/marine batteries.

If you want to be a hero dad you should find a golf cart to harvest for running gear.

How about one of these?

https://youtu.be/57IHQbWccYQ

That's a good point about the car batteries. Fortunately i made the battery bay about the maximum limit I could and still make it look like a jeep, so i could potentially fit all kinds of shaped batteries in there if needed. i'm also considering the huge area underneath the seat as more potential battery space. To be honest, i'm not aiming for more power at first, though that is in the future plans. I think future proofing the electrical situation is a good idea, though. My concern about running moar powah and more powerful motors is upgraded wiring, switches, and so on, and i'd really like to get the body done and the thing running before i do a complete drivetrain build. Not that a few wires and some switches would take long to do, but I like taking projects one project and one stage at a time.

Aluminum sheet and stainless rivets is an idea i hadn't considered. I would like the rust prevention and weight reduction relative to steel everything, but i was hoping to do some welding practice on this as well. I don't have a welder at the moment so I could potentially rivet stuff together at first. Nothing says i can't rivet stuff together and ALSO plug weld it. Also, would aluminum be a good starting metal to use? there isn't a whole lot of forming to do, but i've read aluminum is less forgiving to noobs in welding and in forming.

I found that moving the battery to under the seat of the jeep models and replacing it with a Lawn tractor battery works well. But on the small tire models it will do wheelies in the grass. Just like real jeeps there is a lot of chassis flex to help keep the wheels on the ground, you want to keep that or the kids will get stuck all of the time.

Now the Grave digger model has a bigger trunk that will fit a full sized Deep cycle battery, does wonders for traction on that model but due to its height and tire size is dangerous on hills. Grave digger has a super stiff chassis so with out a battery relocation it is pretty worthless compared to a pink jeep.

Carry on, good work.

These have a two speed switch that can have top speed locked out with a screw on the side of the shifter.

That's a fun little project! I love making cars for my kids. And Jeeps are a great first project. I did this a few years back. The frame has full suspension and the body is made from wood and aluminum. It's a great way to start.

<img src="" />

One thing to beware. Powerwheel stuff really isn't sturdy, so make sure to keep the weight down as much as possible.

I completed the pedal car in my avatar a little time after.

I'll be following this.

That Willys wouldn't be super hard to repro in AL. I guess it depends on how you go about it but the metal itself probably would be a major challenge.

Welding AL is harder. But maybe you should just make a steel subframe / suspension.

In reply to akylekoz:

thanks for the tip! i'll keep an eye on chassis stiffness and make sure i don't go overboard with reinforcement. One thing i'm worried about is the ability of the switch to hold up to increased power in the future. I suppose there are enough alternate switches that should be up to the task, but i actually have 2 of those OEM power wheels switches at the moment, one of which might even function, so i'm hoping to use them.

In reply to fanfoy:

That awesome!! very similar to what i'm trying to do. One question, what wheels/tires are those? they are much more like a cj2 wheel/tire than the plastic super wide ones on the power wheels. I think i'm going to stick with the low-grip power wheels ones at first for ease of steering/limiting scope creep, but i do like the narrowness of those ones.

In reply to Crackers:

That's a good idea. I do have plenty of 'practice' projects in mind for once i get a welder, though mig welding aluminum does seem possible. Failing that i suppose rivets would work just as well, possibly better as it would provide an easier way to replace panels should they get damaged. I do want to make some minimal structure out of box tubing, probably 3/4 x 3/4" steel tubing if it follows the paper square tubing i've been adding to my cardboard model, so that could be some more steel welding practice.

Speaking of my slowly growing cardboard model, i made the final piece of the front fenders:

The paper part is one of my quick copies of the 'nice' pattern that i made, so fitment isn't perfect, though it does seem to fit about as well as any panel on an original willys jeep. This piece does seem to require some welding (or at least body filler) to make it look most accurate:

The other issue you might notice is the rounded edges on the fenders of the actual willys, but sharp edges on the paper model. I don't know how to bend paper into a nice radius, so i just folded it. I'll try to bend the metal in an accurate way. Try is the key word.

The wheels on my jeep are meant for a wheelbarrow. They would probably be too big if you keep the dimensions of original Powerwheel. You could check out the Powerwheel modification forums (yes they exist) for the type of wheels that people are using. Changing out the plastic wheels is one of the first modifications a lot of people are doing after increasing the voltage.

Update coming as soon as I can write it, but info have a question, what is a good method for attaching metal to plastic? The metal and plastic will both be structural, but it's not like it needs to be super tough. It's a powerwheels jeep after all, and I plan use some small box tubing as reinforcement.

Just bolt the plastic to the tubing? Would I need a doubler plate or something?

Am I overthinking it? I assume so because this thin was held together with shockingly few fasteners.

Rufledt wrote: Update coming as soon as I can write it, but info have a question, what is a good method for attaching metal to plastic? The metal and plastic will both be structural, but it's not like it needs to be super tough. It's a powerwheels jeep after all, and I plan use some small box tubing as reinforcement. Just bolt the plastic to the tubing? Would I need a doubler plate or something? Am I overthinking it? I assume so because this thin was held together with shockingly few fasteners.

Have you looked at some of the construction adhesives?

So you're saying i should make a bonded chassis, like a Lotus Elise? That's a great idea, NOHOME!

actually i hadn't thought of that. You mean like "Liquid Nails" kinds of things? My go-to is usually Titebond 3, epoxy, and JB weld when it comes to various kinds of adhesives, maybe one of those? It might be beneficial to be removable, though. I haven't decided yet.

I made the next video already but i have a longer update with more detailed photos, info, and questions i want to type up. In the meantime, here's the video:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/3RX6TokR8Jk

I'm a bit busy at home (just got home from the hospital with out new baby boy! yay!) so it might be a little while before i can type that up. Fortunately i made the video before we had to go to the hospital.

As always, any suggestions or tips is greatly appreciated.

No idea how this happened, but both kids are asleep, so i have time to type up an update!

Here's a shot of the front end model as it currently is:

Its roughly in the correct place, the front of the cardboard is right at the front of the front fenders. The difference being that the wrangler grill is behind the front of the fenders, while the willys model is flush. Neither includes the front bumper, to be added later.

Here's the current grill piece:

That includes a flange around the top that hasn't been bent down, but you can see the bend line. This is roughly similar to the low-hood CJ2A grill. While the dimensions are obviously "adjusted" for powerwheels size, i tried to line certain things up (like the fenders in relation to headlights, turn signals in visually accurate locations). The only thing I might change here is the very bottom. The grill slats on this are about as tall as the 7 grill slats are wide, though the real one is wider than it is tall. I might raise the bottom location up 3/4" and use the bottom 3/4" as a flange to attach it to that 3/4" box tubing below it. The box tubing there is wider than i intend it to be, that was just the length of the full sheet of paper i was using.

Speaking of box tubing:

This model so far uses 3 pieces of it. They are not the only ones i plan to use when building this front end, but they are the 3 most important ones to keep the cardboard model stiff and square. The reason i haven't put more in is because getting 3/4" box tubing to be square and correct is surprisingly time consuming in paper..

This shot shows the large dash piece. I used one large piece of poster board for this, the front back and curved part on top are all connected. They are attached underneath by flanges all around, as i plan to do when it comes time for metal. As you can see, some of the flanges that will need curving have been cut, while others haven't. That's because i tended to cut up the copy of the 'nice' pattern, not the actual nice pattern i intend to use for laying out the metal cuts. All of this is subject to change, but i like it so far. The cuts and folds give me an idea where i need to stretch and shrink the metal when the time comes.

Mounting is going to be interesting, but here's a shot of the front of the tub post-frontectomy:

I had to cut away quite a bit of the sides because of the willys' inward curving sides. I may have cut away more than i needed to, but i still have the interior part of the tub intact and the main reference point for locating the metal front on the plastic body. (to see where i point at what that is, watch the video. i can point better than i can explain in words)

Now attaching will be interesting. I left the 'bracing' that was between the interior part of the tub and the front. It doesn't go very far down, but it was obviously enough for the original powerwheels jeep. I'm thinking i might use it somehow, but i also might run some square tubing from the bottom of the battery box to the bottom of the tub. More weight means more reinforcement needed.

I'm still worried about leaving enough flex to keep the wheels planted, but if i let the rear end be more twisty it might compensate for stiffening up the front, right? I'm going to cut all the fender flares off the back which might allow more twist.

In the video i mentioned maybe doing a body drop do aid in ease of entry. I think that would be possible in the rear, but since i lowered the bottom of the battery box and thus need to lower the top of the steering rack, i'm not sure i have any more room to lower the front. I don't need a nose-up stance. The other option is a small step like on this actual willys:

also just a random question, anybody have a heads up on where to find the powerwheels motors/gear boxes? I was told one of mine doesn't work too well and anywhere i look online seems a bit pricey, like up near "just buy a garage sale one and strip it" levels

I assume that you are familiar with the term "Hammer Form? That method would be great for a lot of the panels that you need to make such as the front fenders.

I see two stumps in the background, are they going to be tuck-shrinking stumps? A stump is damn near as good as an English wheel when it comes to shaping metal.

As to the adhesive, my buddy the Minion swears by some kind of construction adhesive that he says is the same as panel bond. I will see if I can get the brand. I think that with a few well placed rivets with large washers, it should hold up.

If you REALLY want to delve into the metal shaping rabbit hole, I would advise an ox-acetylene rig rather than a mig or tig welder; less money up front and the ultimate way to join tin. Not sure what the operating cost are compared to the other two options.

Another piece of advice from further down the road...I saved way too much money for way to long to build a big e-wheel using Hoosier Pattern components.

Most of the work that I have done with the e-wheel I could have done with a wheel the size of a large C-clamp. Make a ghetto bench top wheel using a large bearing as the wheel and improvise some anvild. Turns out it is not rocket surgery.

Hammer form is exactly how i intend to make the front fenders. I'm thinking i can do the same for a few other things like you said.

The stumps are indeed for tuck shrinking. I have 3 stumps in total, the 2 you see are the ones i haven't done anything to. There's another one i'm just finishing carving the bowl out of. Turns out people are giving stumps away left and right! i got one oak, one sugar maple, adn another i don't know what it is.

Thanks for looking up that adhesive, i have a lot to connect and i think your idea of a few rivets and adhesive sounds like a winner, especially for the whole wrap around rear end i'm planning.

I've read torch welding is the bomb, but i haven't looked into it too much (or even looked into mig/tig much yet if i'm honest). My dad says he has an acetylene torch he doesnt' use anymore, but it's not an oxy-acetylene, just acetylene. Would that still work, or is the oxygen what makes it? I assume oxy-acetylene would be much hotter? I have a couple books on welding and they also claim it's super flexible, adn weld quality can be quite great... i'm more worried about having tanks of flammable gasses compared to tanks of argon, though. I don't have a ton of space in my 2 car garage to store multiple rigs of things either. My super secret plans for my long term future project might require more than a mig welder, however... I probably need to mull all of this over...

Your big E-wheel is certainly impressive. An E-wheel is on my wish list (as opposed to the to-buy list), but probably not something i can foresee needing. From what i see, a small benchtop one would probably be more than enough for me. By that i mean i don't see really needing one, but i'm not doing anything awesome like melding multiple cars together yet