Robert U’Ren reports on a three-quarter size electric Willys Jeep replica built by Nigel Clarke in Suffolk
Nigel Clarke got involved in electric drive systems after converting a 25ft river cruiser to electric power. It worked so well that he then decided to build a small electric vehicle and settled on a replica Willys Jeep as the choice.
Nigel began by scaling down plans from original Willys MB drawings and then marked out his three-quarter size pattern onto a build table. The chassis was then constructed to take a front beam axle and transaxle while the steering, disc brakes and master cylinder are all Ford car parts. After assembling and painting the chassis it was time to construct the bodywork. The first thing he did was to make moulds for the front grille. A 6mm steel rod was moulded into each section to add strength.
