Throwback Thursday: 1948 Willys Overland Restomod Sits On a Wagoneer Frame and Uses LS-Power from a Silverado

This 1948 Willys Overland restomod was bought in pieces and has been stretched and cobbled together with astounding results.

We have said it many times before but one of the best aspects of any Jeep is the ability to modify and customize it into just about anything you want. The 1948 Willys Overland restomod you see here went through just such a transition. The vehicle was just a pile of parts to begin with. A frame was taken from a Jeep Wagoneer, an engine from a Chevy Silverado pickup, the cab has been stretched and even the seats were ripped from an old Subaru. That all might sound like a recipe for disaster, but the result is just the opposite. This Willys is a stunner.

This week’s “Throwback Thursday” is all about this 1948 Willys Overland restomod. It is currently owned by Mike Hasslbauer. He recently spoke to Liam Lafferty from the Gone-Gpn YouTube channel and gave a breakdown of all the work and parts that went into making this beautiful machine. There are plenty of modern amenities and modifications, but it retains the classic style. Let’s take a closer look.

Starting Up Front

Hasslebauer discusses the modifications on the front of his Willy first such as the LED headlights. But as we mentioned this restomod was built from a collection of parts. The cool front bumper was taken from another Jeep Hasslebauer had laying around. The winch was given to him for free from a friend. Tough to beat that price when you are working on a Jeep build. Of course, the engine is also up front. Pop the hood and you will find a LQ4 6.0L V8 that came out of a 2005 Chevy Silverado. That provides this Willys with plenty of grunt.

It’s a Stretch

It was done so well; you might not even notice but this 1948 Willys Overland restomod has been stretched quite a bit. Hasslebauer tells us how it was done. He bought two cabs and four doors to make it happen. The middle of the cab was stretched eight inches. Right behind the cab another four inches were added. The frame is from a 1989 Wagoneer and that also was stretched to accommodate the body. During the process the frame was also boxed to give it a bit more strength.

Hop Inside

The idea in the interior was to keep it looking vintage but with modern features. That can be seen in the fact that the window cranks are actually levers for the power windows. However, the seats are not quite as clever. They were taken from a junkyard Subaru. But they fit and are comfortable, and with the stretched cab can even be reclined. There is a copious amount of black-stained oak wood trim throughout. A backup camera, a six-speaker stereo and several USB ports have also been fitted to make the Willys a little more livable.

Out Back

The rear fenders were made five inches longer to help in accommodating the 33-inch tires. The rear bumper was salavaged from another old Jeep similar to the bumper up front. Hasslebauer hired a sign painter to paint the logo on the back as well as the ‘4 Wheel Drive’ text. A set of LED reverse lights have also been installed out back. There is also all the wiring required to make this Willys a serviceable tow rig. Hasslebauer also has a 1981 CJ-7 that he takes off-road, and his goal is to tow that CJ behind the Willys.

Video

There are a lot of little details on this Willys that you can really only appreciate by seeing them in the video. Spend ten minutes absorbing everything this 1948 Willys Overland has to offer. It will be time well spent as this is an inspirational and beautiful build.

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