How a Wrecked Work Truck Became a Trail-Smashing Willys CJ5

Building a badass rock crawler doesn’t have to drain your bank account, and Trail Time just proved it with his insane 1963 Willys CJ5 build. This isn’t some high-dollar magazine build with endless sponsor parts - this is a real-world project that shows what you can accomplish with a tight budget, some serious fabrication skills, and a clear vision of what you want your rig to do.

The whole project started with a stroke of bad luck that turned into wheeling gold. When a cow totaled his work truck on the highway, he kept the wreckage as a donor vehicle. That ‘01 Silverado 2500 HD became the heart of this build, providing the LQ4 6.0L LS motor, 4L80E transmission, and Corporate 14 bolt rear end. Add in a numbers-matching 1963 Willys that cost just $1,750, and you’ve got the foundation for something special.

The frame work on this build is absolutely wild. Those early CJ frames are skinny as hell - we’re talking 29" between the rails - so major modifications were needed to create a proper platform for serious wheeling. He sistered additional frame sections to the original rails, creating mounting points for a proper 4 link suspension while keeping the original VIN intact for registration purposes. *Smart thinking when you want to drive your rig to *the trails instead of trailering everywhere.

The suspension design gets pretty technical! Using the 4 link calculator from Crawlpedia, he designed both front and rear suspension systems that actually work together instead of fighting each other. The goal was high anti-squat values in the rear (110-150%) and proper anti-dive up front to keep the rig stable on steep climbs.

What makes this build really shine is the attention to detail in areas most people skip. The roll cage is tied into reinforced frame sections. The shock towers are built from billet aluminum spacers and aluminum tubing. Even the flat belly skid plate is designed to let you slide over obstacles instead of hanging up on protruding link mounts.

The drivetrain combination is pretty much perfect for this application. That LQ4 iron block LS provides reliable power, while the 4L80E can handle whatever torque gets thrown at it. The Dana 300 transfer case got completely rebuilt with 32 spline input and output shafts, then clocked up 15 degrees to maintain that flat belly profile. Up front, a Dana 44 from a ‘76 K20 runs RCV shafts and Reid knuckles with an ARB locker and 5.38 gears.

The whole powertrain package sits low in the chassis to keep the center of gravity down, which is crucial for a rig that’s going to see serious rock work. The Jeep runs 39" BFG Red Label crawlers, which required some serious cuts to the quarter panels, but that’s the price you pay for real tire clearance.

The 112" wheelbase is a length for technical rock crawling, and watching this thing work on the trail, it’s hard to argue with that claim. The suspension travel is massive, and the whole rig just flows over terrain that would stop most rigs cold.

The attention to detail extends to things like the true dual exhaust system that had to snake around the narrow frame rails, the custom shock tower braces, and even the way the steering column integrates with the roll cage. Every component serves a purpose, and nothing is there just for looks.

For anyone thinking about building their own rock crawler, this 1963 Willys proves that with the right approach, you can build something truly special without breaking the bank. It’s all about making smart choices, doing the work yourself, and understanding that the best rigs are built, not bought.