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There comes a time in every kit builder’s life when they’ll need to know where the engine and transmission will be located in their ride. That time has come for the California Hauler, and since we opted to run a V-8 in place of the stock Chevy S-10 engine with our Auto Classic Willys truck project, it changed the location of everything in the engine compartment.

The good news is since we’re locating the engine, we can move it more than a foot rearward from where the original motor sat, which will improve the truck’s center of gravity. And when its combined with a future lowering job, it will give us a vehicle that should handle more like a slot car than a pickup truck!

When it was time to figure out what would power the California Hauler, the choices were limitless. A blown Hemi? A Chevy small-block with injection sticking through the hood? A stroked Ford V-8? As it turned out, Smeding Performance in Rancho Cordova, California, can supply just about anything on anyone’s wish list who has either Ford or Chevy powerplants-from mild to wild.

Although we’ll highlight the particular engine and transmission we’ll be using in a future issue, once we decided what to use, we needed to figure out where it should fit in the S-10 chassis.

There is a combination of common sense and science when locating an engine. We’ll explain both sides of the equation

The common sense side deals with centering the engine and trans between the framerails as a starting point in order to make sure that whatever you plan to bolt to the engine, from AC pulleys to induction and exhaust systems, will be able to clear the crossmember, framerails, and hood. Our stock S-10 chassis turned out to be a perfect candidate for a V-8, as the chassis widens in just at the right spot for a small-block (or even a big-block) to slide right in.

The design of the cab and chassis also allows us to raise the engine high in the frame, so not much of the engine and trans hangs below the framerails. Having the engine/trans installed this way not only looks better, but will keep the engine or trans pan from scraping over a speed bump or driveway.

Since the engine is in a brand new location, we’ll fabricate our own engine mounts from scratch, which will be featured in the next installment of this series. The science side of the engine and trans install formula will also be covered in the next issue, and includes figuring out pinion angles and how they relate to the wear and tear on the driveshaft’s U-joints.

Photo Gallery: California Hauler - Kit Car Project

Consider for a moment the broad application of the term steering. It is said that a driver steers his car, a CEO steers his company, a captain steers his ship, and a coach steers his team. The repeated use of the term “his” reveals a striking connection between steering and ownership. Passion applied to steering in any context is most powerfully rooted in a strong sense of ownership. In that sense, steering a high-performance car in the right direction with immediate response might be the purest and most exhilarating expression of ownership. “I own this car, therefore it is mine to steer, shift, stab, and stop.”

Ownership can be a rewarding, solitary experience. However, an alternative, higher-road approach uses items owned as a path to shared vision and teamwork. Ed Zinke, owner of the Ecocat, has taken this more intelligent track. Zinke’s vision of a lightweight Cheetah sporting modern turbocharged technology was not an immediate sell to his peers (”…what’s a Cheetah?”). Yet the marketing genius not only sold the idea, but also created a shared vision for the project, inviting others to participate in the build of this very special Shell Valley (800-356-9198) 1963 Cheetah replica.

A car builder doesn’t have to own a car in order to have ownership in a project. From that perspective, Lance Nelson of Nelson’s Custom Paint (815-466-0077) has been granted and enthusiastically taken ownership in the Ecocat project. He has been given the wheel to steer this car firmly on a course to go beyond our wildest expectations for a top-shelf end result. A stickler for detail, Lance is the master of the mock-up. Tasks that might have gone unattended until final assembly have now been incorporated into the car prior to paint and bodywork. Defining the Ecocat’s goals and objectives with Zinke has produced a heightened anticipation for the completed product.

The Cheetah’s primary objectives are lofty: create a legitimate option for Chevy guys alongside the Ford Cobra for the kit car world, and build the legendary ’60s road racer using lightweight, modern technology for broad, cross-generational appeal. Based on the Thom Taylor rendering, there is no question that the Cheetah certainly has the styling pop to grab attention. Historically, the Chevrolet-based Cheetah not only captured the hearts of many Bow Tie fans at the racetrack during the ’60s, but also at home on the slot car tracks. In some form, it may happen again. The Cheetah’s sensuous styling definitely merits a staying power badge. Might there come a day when replica sports car track days include Cobras and Cheetahs mixing it up on the road course?

Since our last brake installment, the Ecocat has returned from Hahn Racecraft (630-553-6830) to relocate the turbo to gain hood clearance. Because of the area needed to clear the 2.2 Ecotec Turbocharged motor, Lance decided to eliminate the original cowl induction-style scoop in favor of a power bulge that will be shaped into the hood. Shell Valley came to the rescue and supplied a second nose for the Ecocat to provide a clean sheet of paper for the reworked hood. The windshield posts will be eliminated to produce a killer Thom Taylor speedster look up front. Additionally, pieces from the original nose will reshape the rear wheel lip arches and valence area to better coordinate with the front grille and valence.

Mock-up included a concentrated focus on making the car a strong and comfortable driver. Serious time was spent optimizing driver position, pedal location, and steering comfort. The RCI seats, mounts, and harnesses sourced from our friends at J. C. Whitney (800-603-4383) minimize overall weight and fit very well in the driver compartment. The excellent Wilwood pedal assembly offers the ultimate combination of flexibility and pedal placement. However, the tilt column necessitated something other than the supplied stationary column. A quick call to Flaming River (800-648-8022) brought about a perfect solution to our ergonomic enhancement problem.

A few factors played into an upgrade from the good folks at Flaming River. First, the driving position had to be adjustable to allow various drivers to get behind the Ecocat’s wheel in order to spread the Cheetah gospel. Second, past experience with Flaming River steering components and linkages has demonstrated the huge improvement they offer over standard components. Third, the Flaming River D steering wheel and mill stainless steel column look spectacular. Fourth, the collapsible steering shaft featured on the Flaming River linkage prevents the standard column from entering the driver’s compartment and impaling said operator. Avoiding impalement has always been high on our list.

Follow along as we make the Ecocat roadworthy with the state-of-the-art Flaming River tilt/telescopic steering column and linkage.

Photo Gallery: Ecocat Steereing System Install - Kit Car Magazine

If you’ve been following the California Hauler’s assembly in the past few issues of KIT CAR, then you know we recently received the most important parts of the project: the bed and cab. Also, you’ll notice a new company listed as a source for the Willys truck kit: Auto Classics.

Auto Classics, headed up by Rick Brom, took over production of the complete Willys line Active Power began, and will be selling the kits from this point on. Active Power will concentrate their efforts on another line of kits, including a new LeMans-style FIA Coupe. You can find out more about the Auto Classics Willys at www.willys-hotrods.com.

But now, back to the California Hauler. After stripping the extra parts and grime from the S-10 chassis, we decided to build the truck from the back forward. The way this kit goes together, you can’t locate the front fenders and hood pieces until the cab is set in place, and you don’t know where the cab should be bolted down until you know how far forward it is of the bed, so back to front it is!

The stout steel bed (made to be used-it isn’t just a flimsy prop) drops perfectly onto the chassis, with some angle iron added underneath so it fits just outside the S-10 framerails nice and snug. Many home kit builders often get messed up on wheel placement in relation to their fender. Essentially, the top portion of a wheel should always be located under the highest point of a fender, or in lieu of a fender, a wheel opening. Some folks don’t watch where they set the rear axle in relation to that high point, and in doing so automatically offset the wheel by placing it too far forward or behind that unique centerline. When it isn’t done correctly, it often makes a kit look like it doesn’t fit its chassis.

After we set the bed in place on the chassis, we slid it back and forth until we got the peak of the wheel opening directly above the wheel’s centerline. It was clear Auto Classics did their homework, as that also placed the end of the bed at the end of the chassis, which reaffirmed our bed’s placement.

For shipping concerns, Auto Classics builds their beds so the main section comes in one piece (it comes on its own pallet), but there is also a rear apron as well as four lower bed section pieces that need to be installed, too. Of those four pieces, one is mounted forward of the wheel opening, one behind, and the same on the other side. You have a choice on how to attach them-there is a small folded lip on each piece that will seat against the under portion of the bed. If you want a “smoothy” look, then welding them in place and grinding down the welds would be the right way to go. But we weren’t looking for smooth. We’re going for a more traditional look. We like the stock seam found on the original beds, so we’re going to keep our seams visible by bolting these pieces to the bed. In an effort to keep the cost down on their kits (this kit is under $9,000), Auto Classics spot-welds much of the bed together, then stitches longer welds where necessary to make it a very strong unit. We opted to fill many of the seams with weld, then use a grinder and an air file to smooth things out. You could get the same result with plastic body filler, but we believe the less body filler the better.

The tailgate-a basic metal frame hinged at the base of both bedsides-comes with a fiberglass skin from Auto Classics with a large Willys logo in the middle of it. Thinking a steel skin would survive longer, we opted to custom-fabricate a special skin for the tailgate, but that will be covered in the next issue. The tailgate should look great when finished, as we went to Marcel’s Custom Metal, which hand-fabricates all those great award-winning hot rods for TV’s Chip Foose and Boyd Coddington, to get the expert welding help we needed.

With work started on the bed, we were able to set the cab on the chassis. It, too, fit right in place, though there is nothing on the cab or the frame to tell you exactly where it goes. The best you can do is move it an inch or so away from the bed and go from there. That done, you can get a general feeling for how much space you have in what will become the engine compartment.

If you are going to run the stock S-10 engine and trans, then you’ll have a lot of space between the new firewall and the engine. But we’re going for a V-8, as all good Willys projects should! Ben Smeding at Smeding Performance will provide one of his expertly built, dyno-tested powerplants backed to an automatic transmission from Total Cost Involved Automotive.

The original S-10 motor sat far forward in the chassis, but because of the way this new body sits, there is a lot of space to slide in a small-block or big-block V-8, or even a blown Hemi. The best bit we discovered is the new powertrain will sit farther back of the front crossmember than the stock motor, so the new engine’s center of gravity will be moved toward the middle of the chassis, aiding handling as well as steering. Plus, we used a plastic replica engine block from P-Ayr (www.payr.com) to get an idea on how everything laid out in the engine compartment, so you can reach in and easily move it around with one hand!

But all that engine and trans talk is jumping ahead from where we are, so for now we’ll show you what we did with the bed, and in the next issue we’ll show the tailgate work. And as always, if you’ve missed any part of the California Hauler buildup, you can check it out on KIT CAR’s Web site (under Project Vehicles) at www.kitcarmag.com.

Photo Gallery: Willys Truck - Kit Car Magazine

Work is getting done on KIT CAR’s Ecocat project car (the Shell Valley Cheetah powered by an Ecotec engine), and we thought we’d highlight one of the more simple modifications we did while finishing up the Wilwood disc brake setup-something every kit or replicar builder should know.

Nearly every aspect of car building like this is done at a custom level, so much so that someone with a car identical to yours will want to do some of the buildup differently. Such is the case with brake lines-you’ll want to run them somewhere else than the next guy. Mac Tools makes a nifty line flaring tool that will help you get the job done.

Photo Gallery: Brake Lines - Project Car Build - Kit Car Magazine

Building a car from a kit is sometimes akin to traveling down a dark and lonely path. With that in mind, I know I’m only beginning my journey with the Willys truck project, but I’m optimistic at this point.

I’ve owned a bunch of cars but haven’t built too many from the ground up, and trying to remember what needs to be done so it makes sense (in both money and time) can be difficult. Whatever list I try to make gets revised the next day, and that list gets more revisions the following day.

There are many levels of quality, too, that can be addressed when building a car. Will it be a show car? Probably not. Will I try to assemble a vehicle that anybody from outside the kit and replicar world could look at without finding any hint of “kit car” in it? Definitely so. And I’m not a shortcut kind of guy. That’s why when I found myself at an early crossroads of the build I decided to go one way rather than another. After blowing the S-10 body off the chassis and cleaning off the parts I didn’t need, I was essentially ready to shave off whatever old mounting points I needed to and drop the body on when it arrived. I know that happens in the kit and replicar world all the time–the dirt that was squirrelled into the nooks and crannies on the chassis could be the dirt I drive out with if I chose to.

But if the folks building kits ever want to lift that phrase out of the mud it’s been dragged through for so many years, then you don’t just bolt a body to a dirty chassis and say you’re done, and neither did I. After gathering up a half-case of Gunk Engine Degreaser, I rolled the chassis out to the gutter at the end of our shop’s driveway and let it have it! Breaking out the putty knife, I went after all the clumps of caked-on crud that had accumulated over the life of this 25-year-old chassis.

Surprisingly, a lot of it came off without too much trouble. The crossmember area was another story–lots of goo there. Once that work was completed, I then set aside another day to do my own sandblasting. Over the years, there was a sandblasting business I had always used for everything, from ornamental iron to steel wheels with many coats of paint on them. I’ve never blasted a car body (for fear of warpage), but I have had one steel body media-blasted with what looked like ground-up Legos. I took a nice 8×10 photo of my newly degreased S-10 chassis to get an estimate, but the guy didn’t want to talk to me about it. He didn’t do chassis anymore, let alone as roller. (It would have to be completely stripped before he’d consider it, and he wouldn’t do it anyway.) So while at Harbor Freight one day, I spied a sandblaster gun that hooked to any air tank, and it only cost $16. Well, I had to at least give it a shot.

Much to my amazement, this little gun actually worked! I was recently on the Harbor Freight Website, and they don’t sell the version I bought anymore, but rather an improved version (same price) that holds about 34 ounces of material. And that was my only complaint about the gun I bought–the media holder was too small and needed constant refilling. It worked well enough, though, to strip about a foot of the chassis at a time, and though I’d never really noticed before, there are a lot of feet on an S-10 chassis! The job took all day, and it was pretty tiring leaning over the chassis for hours. If I was smart (hindsight is great, isn’t it?), I would have set the chassis up on blocks at elbow height instead of working over it like I was inspecting anthills. I also didn’t have any method of reusing the sand I was spraying, so it just hit the ground. No big deal, really, until it was time to sweep up all 150 pounds of what I’d put down. Now that the blasting is done, I’m looking at doing a primer job on the fresh metal, but hey, I live in Southern California–it’s not like it’s going to rust or anything. Next item on the list is to remove the mounts and items in anticipation of setting the body on the chassis. I can’t wait! It seems the road to completion is just that much shorter now.

Photo Gallery: Sandblasting Chassis - Project Build - Kit Car Magazine