1947 WILLYS JEEP RAT ROD
8-WHEELED WONDER
THE SIXTH TIME’S A CHARM FOR THIS TALENTED BUILDER.
BY JOE GREEVES
Because the 4BT engine does not rely on electronic controls, it’s simple to work on and a favorite of enthusiasts. The addition of the twin turbo setup dramatically increases the original 105 hp but José has not had the truck on the dyno. The un muffled exhaust stack is fitted with a flamethrower that was not quite ready for photographs.
If it’s true that the more you do something, the better you get at it, then Miami’s José Lugo’s skill in creating imaginative rat rods might be approaching perfection. José already has five hand-built, patina creations in his past and each was better than the last. This one is trophy-rat numba-six!
José works in the family electrostatic industrial painting business, specializing in powder coating. Although customer projects pay the bills, his real joy is the creativity involved in building one - of-a-kind, radical rides. In addition to dispensing with such traditional touches like chrome and paint, the rat rod builder’s challenge is assembling an imaginative collection of unrelated parts and adapting them to traditional roles. Need to sit down? How about a pair of re purposed tractor seats? Need a shifter for the trans? Let’s use the nozzle from a gasoline pump. You get the idea. It’s not a glitch. It ’s a feature!
First steps first, José always begins with a custom chassis, this one fabricated from 2 x 4 rectangular steel tubing and strengthened with multiple cross members to withstand the torque of the planned new power plant. At the tail end, a ’69 Chevy C-10 rear is held in place with a shop-built, custom 4-link. Up front, the solid Willys axle boasts custom radius arms, dropped spindles and steering stabilizers. While the battered and tattered exterior is part of the plan, close inspection reveals just the opposite underneath with high tech Brembo disk brakes on all four corners along with a custom air bag suspension that drops the rockers to the asphalt. Touch the button and ants run for their lives! Two Viair compressors are the heart of the system, filling a pair of hidden reserve tanks using 3/8 copper hard lines. Finally, the 12-gallon fuel tank between the rear frame rails wrapped up the chassis mods, giving the rod plenty of range.