Never Build a Whole Car: Autopian's David Tracy and Griffin Riley

David Tracy built a Willys Jeep from scratch and Griffin filmed the whole damn thing. David ordered a new body from overseas and sourced every single part on Ebay. Every part. Wires, grommets, pedals, and more. This might seem like a dream but as you'll hear it is a lot harder than one would imagine. Some parts don't fit. Parts arrive broken or get broken during assembly. There are snags and fitment challenges and he forgets things and makes errors and FINALLY when it's done his first real test drive is a 900-mile journey to Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, UT.

The man is a smiling, inspiring ball of knowledge and his story will make any of your tasks seem easy. He also drove the SLATE truck and dyed a shirt with motor oil on purpose. All that and so much more.

Patreon questions too!

Recorded July 2, 2026

https://www.theautopian.com/i-bet-my-company-on-an-impossible-jeep-build-then-a-miracle-happened/

Watch David build the Willys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oT7xSOcmmo

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Show Notes

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