AMMO NYC Electric Willys Jeep Detail
When I was contacted by my friends at AI design to work on a “Willys Jeep Prototype”, my interest was certainly piqued. It's historical significance as a military vehicle during World War II and eventual remodeling into a mass transit solution by the Filipino people after the war is a unique story. That story has been continued by AI design who have again repurposed it with the same ingenuity as the Filipino’s all those years ago. The tired old engine was replaced by five Tesla Battery Modules essentially creating a one of a kind Willys Jeep EV. Unreal….
The Tesla-swap Willys Jeep was brought to the AMMONYC Studio absolutely covered in mud and clay from testing at Monticello Motor Club in New York. An open top design, I knew I had my hands full when I saw the mud had coated both the interior and exterior of the vehicle. I was looking forward to seeing the polished stainless steel body panels underneath the mud and decided a thorough power wash was a good starting point. The intensive wash effectively “cleansed” the clay from the surface, revealing the bright polished metal underneath. For the undercarriage, I used a 90* degree arm on the power washer which enabled a controlled vertical spray for easier cleaning. Watching the mud drip out of the chassis was an extremely rewarding part of the detail.
Next up, I used a mixture of AMMO Foam Soap with AMMO Boost additive in the Pro-Foamer for extra lubrication, and the thick Foam enveloped the body to safely lift all the tiny rocks from Monticello’s dirt track. The Pro-Foamer was a better alternative to the power-washer in this case as I did not want to spray the open cockpit full of suds. I repeated the same process on the undercarriage allowing Foam to soak in and do its work.
As Foam cleansed the metal panels, I scrubbed the wheels, tires, and wheel wells with Titan 12 Degreaser and the lug nut brush. This combo was especially helpful in cleaning underneath the classic Jeep fenders and in between the tire tread. I then used several Microfiber towels to safely lift Foam and the dislodged contaminants before power washing the exterior. The red microfiber towels in this case were a great tool as they safely lifted the dirt from the surface preserving the shiny metal underneath. You can never have enough MF towels. Trust me!..
The second power wash revealed the brilliant metal bright work and I admired the colorful Evehicle battery pack on the rear of the “Willy”. Once done, I used AMMO Hydrate to accelerate the drying process while providing safe lubrication for the MF towel to glide on the metal panels. Do not use a squeegee or waterblade as they will inevitably grind leftover dirt into the surface.
Moving to the interior we ran into some obstacles. The “prototype” nature of the Jeep wasn’t an issue until I noticed the interior had no holes to drain the mud/dirt collected on the floor. A battery pack also sat underneath the nice garment leather seats. Pressure washing the interior was a no-go so the Pro-Foamer came in handy again. This time we filled it with AMMO Frothe as the thick cream like consistency was better at scooping the dirt safely from the floor.
The bigger rocks presented another problem and after some troubleshooting, I used the carpet shampoo sprayer to spray the rocks into the vacuum nozzle. This worked especially well in the tight seams and felt like a serious win this deep into the detail. Serious detailer tip; use the tools at your disposal!
Afterwards, cleaning the luxurious garment leather seats felt easy! AMMO LATHER with the interior brush had them looking like new. The final touch on the interior was to wipe the unique stainless steel dash and trim with AMMO Spit Spray Wax. Seeing the metal hardware truly shine on the interior was next level for sure.
Last but not least, I opened the “engine” compartment revealing the modern Tesla-swap powertrain. I used the power washer in the “off” setting to safely blast the remaining dirt deposits off the frame. I hit the battery case itself with Spit Spray Wax and my favorite MF towels. The last step was a final wipe with Reboot (ceramic top coat) to add some protection and shine to the now clean Willys Jeep. What a project!
With the Willys Jeep now clean we backed it out of the garage ready for a drive. So cool to work on this project and learn about the history of the Willie and its significance in Filipino culture. Thank you so much for supporting AMMO and we look forward to bringing you many more amazing detail stories in the future.
see the full detail video below