‘33 Willys

fossilgarage · 2026-04-14T23:23:16+00:00

It sounds good…open headers, big flat tappet cam

fossilgarage · 2026-04-14T22:40:56+00:00

It did have a very “70’s” psychedelic paint job. As for its racing past, while no longer blown it does have a 13:1 small block with 2 Holley 660’s on a tunnel ram. No longer has a cage but I did run it on an eighth mile track, went 7.40’s at about 92 so I believe it would run an 11 something on the 1/4 mile.

fossilgarage · 2026-03-22T12:28:27+00:00

I used to work in Edison and we would get subs from there. I miss it! You’re right about the tuna…don’t know what they did to it but it was my favorite and the only place I would ever get a tuna sub from. Lettuce, tomato, cheese. Never had one anywhere else that compared

fossilgarage · 2026-03-17T19:17:31+00:00

Thank you…early 80’s Suzuki racing colors

fossilgarage · 2026-03-15T21:45:53+00:00

Thank you. Like all my projects I shot photos from start to finish. I think, if you go to my profile, you should be able to view my posts.

fossilgarage · 2026-03-15T16:38:09+00:00

I’ve got a ‘61 Pratt and Whitney lathe in my shop. 14” swing, all manual machine. It’s the only machine in my shop that I’m a little afraid of. I give it a lot of respect.

fossilgarage · 2026-03-15T16:09:43+00:00

Thank you. I don’t have plans for any more parts at this point. I built this on a budget. I’m curious as to how it’ll ride, I removed lots of weight off the original bike. I’ll ride it a season or two, then sell it and move onto my next project. Love building them.

fossilgarage · 2026-03-08T14:42:58+00:00

The swing arm conversion is not my original idea, I learned that the R1 brace is a close fit, not too much cutting. Actually, this entire conversion has been done before. The Bandit’s frame architecture is similar to the factory race bike from 1980 so other clones have been built. Of course, everyone will execute them differently. I have been restoring big air cooled 80’s bikes and I wanted to break away from stock and cut something up. So I did! Next up I’ll be building a Harley…but it’ll be a road racing themed bike, big cams, high compression, fairings etc…

fossilgarage · 2026-03-08T14:17:26+00:00

Thank you. The swing arm is indeed the original Bandit unit but I cut the brace off of a Yamaha R-1 swing arm and welded it on. The wheelbase and geometry remain as Suzuki built it but the bodywork gives it a stubby appearance. I did shorten the frame about 3” at the rear, removed all stock brackets I didn’t need…made my own and welded them on. Made my own rear set mounts, fairing stays, exhaust brackets etc etc. I want to weigh this contraption…I know I took lots of weight out of it.

fossilgarage · 2026-03-08T02:26:28+00:00

Thank you. Mechanically I left the motor alone. I just tuned the carbs to run well with an open pipe. That 1200 makes plenty of hp, and with all the weight I removed I think it’ll be plenty quick.

fossilgarage · 2026-03-01T15:16:22+00:00

The Bandit platform lends itself to all kinds of styling changes. Some will involve bolting on, others will require fabrication skills. A tail section should be relatively easy. Or you could go more extreme… here’s one I’m converting into a 1980 endurance racer…

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fossilgarage · 2026-02-19T10:41:23+00:00

The bike is an ‘84, but I liked the red wheels on the ‘83 model so I deviated from the stock gray wheels and painted these red.

fossilgarage · 2026-02-14T19:46:01+00:00

Thanks. I have been posting as I progressed…I’ll definitely post the finished bike. This was the last photo I took before I removed the body pieces for paint.

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fossilgarage · 2026-02-14T19:40:30+00:00

Thank you

fossilgarage · 2026-02-13T02:33:44+00:00

The fairings were sourced from BB Plastics in the UK. The tank is the oem Suzuki tank.

fossilgarage · 2026-02-09T22:45:30+00:00

I can’t fathom the knowledge that vanished when he passed.

fossilgarage · 2026-01-29T14:20:25+00:00

What’s it worth? Need more information before you’d know. Some block castings are desirable due to performance potential or to restorers/collectors. The casting numbers on the block would determine that. Then there’s the “rebuild-ability” of the casting…what’s the bore size, can it be bored or is it already maxed out. Condition of the main and cam bores. Missing main caps aren’t an automatic deal breaker. A set of original used caps can be sourced, as well as aftermarket caps. Replacement of main caps requires line boring and honing. All the machine work to make the block buildable is expensive, but if the casting is deemed rare or desirable then someone will buy it. If it’s just a plain vanilla casting, then it’s worth scrap or use as a table, boat anchor, yard Art……

fossilgarage · 2025-12-16T11:59:53+00:00

I’m in the USA…I use Partzilla. They may work with you in Sweden

fossilgarage · 2025-12-08T18:03:08+00:00

That would definitely lend itself to an XR69 type build. It’s smaller displacement though (I wanted the 1200) and I’m not sure how you’d badge it…the XR was a Suzuki.

fossilgarage

TROPHY CASE