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Grandpa's 1946 Ford Willys Turned Into Bagged, Lincoln V8-Swapped Rat Rod on 33s

Notice how the 1946 model year shouldn’t mix with the notion of a Ford Willys Jeep. But we might want to trust the owner and builder dad/son team on that. After all, the grandfather owned it since the 1950s...
Bagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLA 58 photos
Photo: AutotopiaLA/YouTube
Bagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLABagged 1946 Ford Willys Jeep V8 Rat Rod with Lincoln V8 on 33s by AutotopiaLA
Shawn Davis, the host of the AutotopiaLA channel on YouTube, almost edited out the part where they talk about the model year of the original vehicle. But since he’s always eager to know more even about things that may sound preposterous, he asked them a second time and got the whole story.

Anyone familiar with the WWII Willys Jeep story also knows that Ford helped with production. So, there were Willys MBs and Ford GPWs, all bundled into popular culture as military Jeeps. But after the war ended, there was still an “abundance of them for the general public to buy.” In the end, it turns out “this whole build is a Ford!

And it’s been loved and abused ever since the grandfather was taking his nephew off-roading around the Big Bear (California) area in it. Those days are over, though, because after dad got a hold of it, the Ford Willys Jeep became something else entirely. It’s not a purist's delight, that’s for sure. But it might be great for enjoying cool summer vibes since it’s now officially considered a “beach cruiser.”

Good for both driving the canyons and hitting the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) from time to time, with something utterly unique. Not the whole idea, as we have seen Willys Jeep Rat Rods before, but the entire execution, complete with quirky details (such as the 18-inch Forgiatos wrapped with 33s) and lots of military inspiration.

The latter comes in the form of machine-gun rounds used as trim elements or shotgun shells for the turn signals and more. But that’s not even the most outrageous part of the build. Aside from all the custom elements (which include aluminum bucket seats made by Justin Timberlake, or so they said), it’s the idea of mixing even more Ford DNA into the fold. Which arrives slammed and bagged courtesy of a “300-ish” horsepower Lincoln Mark VIII V8 swap. Though it’s best to let you enjoy the ride (from 4:28) as the sights and sounds again make for a thousand words. Or more!

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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
Aurel Niculescu profile photo

Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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