I call this “Ham’s 48”. Ham was my Dad and he bought this truck used in 1954. He drove it until his death in 1964, and I drove it as a daily driver through college until 1967. It sat for two years while I was on active duty in the Navy, then in late 1968 I brought it from Tennessee to Indiana. It was a daily driver until 1977, then it went into garage and barn storage until August 2014. I just completed a 21-month frame up restoration. Read the whole story in the Kaiser-Willys Restoration Forum under “Ham’s ’48” byline. The first photo is from about March 1966 with the little truck illegally parked in the staff parking lot at college. It just fit into that place! Second photo is the truck in the barn – 30+ years of accumulated crud and pigeon stuff. It didn’t look a lot better once it came out of the barn and went on the trailer. On the trailer going to the metal finisher, it looked like a load of junk. My comment was to remember that we were going to the refinisher, not the recycler. After almost two years, it’s home now, a real head turner. It’s almost a daily driver (nice days, no gravel roads). Little kids point and stare, flagmen stop me to take pictures, grandkids love to ride with GrandPa. Life is good. Sunday car shows and local community parades are on the to-do list. Now, if I just had a little trailer that matched the bed … hmmm.
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Fantastic story, great photos. I love it when family keeps special things like this truck to keep their loved ones belongings around for future family to enjoy. Well done. The truck is beautiful and what history it has. Go Navy too!
Hope to see it one day.
Willys will go forever especially with KaiserWillys making parts available!
Man thanks for the story. Love the vehicle want one of my own in this life…Well Done Sir!!
I am trying to figure out at what point did this 10 slot become the grill for the silly truck? Do you know. Seems to maybe be linked to the engine type?
Great story.
Nope, not UT. A little Baptist school in Jackson called Union. They wouldn’t let me in there now …
Nice! Is that first pic from UT Knoxville? Looks familiar.