Modified 1961 Jeep is a real show-stopper
The second of three summer Daily Herald Cruise Nights took place last week, emphasizing the road-going stories behind our beloved vintage vehicles. The car celebration was marked by a Stratford Square Mall lot jammed full of nearly 300 classic and custom rides, each bearing loads of fond motoring memories.
One such tale, and quirky vehicle, that stood out was John Conway's 1961 Jeep FC150, which earned the Matt Avery's Pick honor. Conway found out about the distinct truck in 2005 from a customer. That person's cousin had it sitting in his backyard in Volo.
“I said, ‘I'll take it' before I learned it was totally rusted out,” Conway said.
Still, the auto enthusiast from Bartlett trailered the Jeep home to see what could be done. The vehicle had been in heavy use at one point. It was equipped with a front snowplow and had a slab of concrete in the bed for ballast.
“I wanted to get it running and use it to plow my shop's parking lot,” said Conway. Once he dug into the project, Conway found it wouldn't be that simple. The frame was rotted and the engine was beyond saving.
Conway pushed it outside with a plan to scrap the heap. After letting it languish for a few years, Conway decided it was worth another shot. The first step was performing extensive bodywork.
The original Jeep had a badly rotted bed that had to be tossed. Conway fabricated a new one and also rolled the fenders. The cab was salvageable but had rust around the lower edge. Conway removed the damaged material and grafted in 12 inches of new metal all around the bottom.
While the truck was certainly unique from the factory, Conway took its unusualness to a whole other level by injecting a healthy dose of Corvette influence. After fabricating a new chassis himself, he installed a Corvette suspension, brakes, wheels and tires.
More Corvette cues come in the form of a split bumper, four taillights and dual exhaust exiting from the middle of the rear of the vehicle. The factory front bumper was installed on the rear and a 1968 Camaro bumper was fabricated into those front bumperettes.
From the factory, the peculiar hauler was given a humble four-cylinder. As part of the “forward control” cab-over-engine design, it was mounted between the front seats. Conway swapped it for a more potent and performance oriented LS1 V-8.
Conway's preference is that “Jeeps should always be green” and he found a paint similar to Corvette's Greenwood Green. Inside the bed, Conway installed polished chrome strip inlays and mahogany wood planks for a gleaming, show-quality finish.
The project was completed in just under five years. Conway not only drives his creation around the suburbs but pushes it hard. Earlier this summer he participated in the autocross event at the Indianapolis Goodguys car show. After carving up the coned course he ended up winning the truck class.
“Driving it is an absolute blast,” Conway said. “Everyone is shocked to learn it's a Jeep.”
During Wednesday's Cruise Night, attendees also voted on a Fan Favorite award, which went to Tony Drobnik of Schaumburg and his black 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396.
In addition to this newspaper and Stratford Square, the cruise nights are sponsored by Feeny Autos in Elgin, Motor Cycle Center in Villa Park, Hagerty Classic Car Insurance and the Garage Store in East Dundee. The next and final Daily Herald Cruise Night of the summer is Aug 19. Vehicle registration is free at events.dailyherald.com.
• Email comments, suggestions to auto@dailyherald.com.