1951 Willys Truck: Ford V8, No Frills, Priceless Patina

Every old 4×4 has a story, and this 1951 Willys pickup is no exception. Clinton, Indiana, resident Dean Cottrell owns it now, but he’s known the truck his entire life.

“Not long after Dennis ‘Dinger’ Allsop traded a jon boat and a guitar for the truck in 1971,” Dean says, “the work—and the story—of this Willys began.”

Dinger, who passed away in 2021, was a local legend. He worked at a gas station and mentored Dean’s father, Tim, teaching him the ins and outs of the powertrain, plus welding and metal fabrication. Tim helped with many of the truck’s early mods and later bought it himself, eventually passing it down to Dean—keeping the Willys in the family.

We caught up with the truck at the 2025 Fall 4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals in Danville, Indiana.

289 Cubic-Inch V8, Homemade Exhaust, And More

Power comes from a 289-cubic-inch V8 that Dinger and Tim dropped in back in 1975. Pulled from a Ford LTD, the naturally aspirated mill exhales through a homemade 2.25-inch exhaust built from galvanized fence pipe. The muffler? Also homemade — 4-inch pipe packed by hand.

Fuel comes from a 30-gallon tank that’s fabbed out of plate steel. Under the hood, a Ford LTD A/C compressor was reworked to pump compressed air. It’s not functional at the moment, but Dean plans to bring it back to life soon.

T90 Manual Transmission, Dana Spicer Model 18 T-Case

Power runs through the Willys’ stock Borg-Warner T90 three-speed manual transmission, then into the factory twin-stick Dana Spicer 18 two-speed transfer case—both stout, cast-iron classics.

Vintage Axles, Springover Conversion  

The Willys still rolls on its factory axles—a Dana 25 with manual locking hubs up front and a Timken clamshell unit out back, both running 5.38:1 gears. The axles are mounted to the factory 1.75-inch-wide leaf springs, which have been re-arched and converted to a spring-over configuration. Damping is provided by Delco Big D shocks. The added lift clears a set of R85-15LT Gateway Buckshot Wide Mudder tires wrapped around American Racing wheels.

Interior Has a Vintage Vibe

Step inside the Willys and you’re greeted by vintage goodness blended with a few modern upgrades. Nestled in the factory dash are the original gauges, supplemented by a few aftermarket units. A vintage Auto Meter tach is mounted on the steering column. The steering wheel and column are factory, but a pair of seats from a Ford Pinto replace the originals, creating a more comfortable seating experience.

Killer Patina, Warn 8274, And More

The 1951 Willys pickup’s exterior is a mix of weathered patina and smart, functional mods. Up front, a Warn 8274 winch sits on a custom bumper. The rear bumper is also custom, and both were built to double as compressed air storage, fed by the under hood compressor.

Dean says Dinger wasn’t afraid to put the truck to work. For example, he used it to haul gravel for his driveway—a job that bent the tailgate. The fix? A custom ’gate crafted from pieces of random metal. True to its no-frills nature, a simple can caps the fuel filler neck.

Honoring Dinger’s Memory  

The 1951 Willys truck harbors many memories for Dean. He says, “Riding around in this old truck as a kid is a fond memory of mine so maintaining this truck and being able to enjoy it with my kids is just a small part of this old Willy’s legacy.” Additionally, he says, “Keeping the truck preserved in the same manner as Dinger had kept it the entire time he owned it is how we honor his memory.”