122: Doug Holdrege’s 1950 Willys Truck
In 2009, I traveled to Ohio from Florida to purchase this 1950 ½ Willys 2-wheel drive pick-up truck with the new F Head motor for that year. I am the third owner of this vehicle. I took it down to the frame and restored it to its original condition including the color. This Willys has overdrive in it. It took me 2 years and 9 months to complete.
– Doug Holdrege
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Felicitaciones por el gran trabajo realizado la perseverancia la la dedicasión
saludos
Aldo
Nice restoration. Thank you for preserving our heritage and history. Nice paint work. I’m just starting my Willys FC Project. I think I’ll send it you way when its ready for paint! Keep up the good work!
Hi, some cool stuff; Love your TRUCK , you did a sweet job on it, I Just came across a 1946 Willys Truck with the Big Back Glass, and it has the 6-226 “Super Hurricane” 16 L Motor and all the running Gear works and is tight as a rock. The body and floor boards are rusted it needs some LOVE. I think it has only got 96256 on the odometer. An they are true, it came off a ranch and has no plates or paper work, I was told it has been off the D>M>V> Sheet for a long time, I truly have NO room FOR IT AND WAS OWED A LOT OF MONEY FOR WORK I DID ON A CAR, THAT THEY COULD NOT PAY, SO THE TRUCK WAS OFFERED SO I Took IT. I Do Love it But I Just don’t Have the time or the money to bring it back to life, If there is anyone out there that can and would like to, you can give me a call, you can Give me a call I’m in Petaluma, CA, Thank you for sharing your Great story with me, Kelly,B, (707)-774-2006,
Doug, beautiful restoration job. I’ll bet you win lots of trophies with it. I.m starting my 1960 Willys FC project soon. I’ll send it your way when its ready to be painted…
I’m partial because Doug is my husband. It was a long haul, but I love riding in this truck as it draws so many thumbs-up and turns heads! You really did a great job Doug!
Great job Doug.
My Grandfather bought a 1951 Dark Green 2WD pickup in about 1956. It had been in a barn where the rats and critters chewed it up. In 1956, (I was 9 years old) he taught me how to shift then turned me loose on 150 acres. I wore out a set of tires in 6 months. I coveted the 4WD version with a winch because I kept getting stuck in the mud. By the time Texas let me have my Learners Permit at 14, I was an old hand at down shifting (and digging out of the mud.) The old pickup needed a new ignition coil about every 6 – 8 months for some reason. but other than that it ran great. For my 14th birthday my Dad found a ’29 Model A Ford for my gift. I worked on it constantly. There was very little difference except the Jeep had hydraulic brakes… a great improvement. For the last 37 years I have kept a CJ2A in my garage. It needs body work but runs like a top. I keep promising myself I will do a body off restoration… You are a great encouragement.
SRH
Doug:
Looks great! I am working on a late ’54 early ’55 pickup. Totally frame off. All I have left is the body work. In my third year, hope to finish this year. I have the 6-226 and I also added the OD. It has been fun to work on.
Will
Great work and thank you for presenting stock color scheme. I have a very low mileage 51 wagon with original paint in this correct gray body and red rim scheme. Your truck looks authentic. Congrat’s on the fine result.
Nice truck. I like to see photos of the engines when jeeps are posted.
Doug Nice job. I hope my 62 Willys PU will look like yours. We are doing an off the frame restoration.
Beautiful job! I am so glad you kept it original, too many folks hot Rossi g them up I have had my 56 for 7 months now and have since started a “boneyard” of two other trucks. I am hoping to be able to sell off the parts on the two others to be able to afford my paint job. Brakes, motor exhaust are complete. Now it’s just waiting for a dark Forest Green paint. Maybe next time some interior photos.!
I LOVE your truck! I hope my ’60 turns out that sweet!
Doug what an inspiration- I just picked up a ’57 willy’s Truck 4×4 as the second owner and am in the early stages of the re-hab- every bolt breaks off when trying to take it apart! I hope to share a similar story in the next year or two.
Awesome Willys pick-up great job enjoy the ride. I have 1955 Willys pick-up ex tow truck it up jack stands work in progress.
Looks mighty fine, from the outside, but I’d love to see some interior pics, as well. We have a project going that involves a ’59 wagon, and a ’49 truck, melded into one vehicle. I’ve heard tell they changed the instrument cluster hole sometime in ’50, so I wondered if it had been “re-arranged”, as so many have, over time. Ours will be a retro look, but can’t be correct, so no concours points, for us! Check out the early pics I sent, and be ready for the “reverse restoration” sequence, of the truck. It’s been fun, but no way can we tell how long it’s taking, with other projects going, as well. Over the years we’ve added to the cool new parts, like a new steering wheel, and wiring harness, from “ours truly”, so that’s a benefit of not hurrying, I guess!
Thanks for the post, as it motivated me, somewhat. See you on the road, someday!?! Mary & Aarik
Great work proud of you Doug. I am looking for a 47 willys now
Your before pictures look just like my truck now. I hope to have it done in two to three years. I have my wish list made, and just need to get to the shop and start wrenching on it! Great job, I always get motivated as these posts go up. Someday it will be mine….
DOUG……. Rare find, nice job done and welcome to the Jeep family..Kaiser-Frazier is your place to go for the hard to get parts.. De
Yes, keep it original, a lot of guy’s with the military jeep’s, modify them. ( 24volt to 12, electronic ignition, seat belts,turn signals and the list go’s on ) I belive when you do that, it will devalue it.
Very nice truck! I have a ’51 Willys pick up (w/4wd) and I can hardly tell the difference….of course mine isn’t as nice as yours! Great job!
WOW! Inspiring! looks great
Love the truck! I have an all original ’53 Willy’s pickup which I bought from the original owner last year.Everything works! There is NOTHING as fun as driving
an old truck on country roads!
I have decided not to bring back the 53′ willys jeep cj3b because I don’t have the money, plus I’m fighting Leukemia, I got rid of what was left of the jeep which was the axels. I’ll be turning in the title and the plates to the DMV office. To bad my cousin let the jeep rust out. What a waist. Howard Keys
Wow! Great work! You have raised the bar for the rest of us. Congratulations!
Beautiful truck. Glad to see it kept original, instead of hod rodded.
Wow! Very nice truck. Good work on it, it’s a beaut!
LOVE your truck!
I’ve just started on my ’60 Willys Pickup. Learning as I go. I hope mine looks half as good as yours someday.
Don
HEY DOUG,
REALLY COOL TRUCK ! KEEP IT ORIGINAL MAN .
I HAVE A “51” 4X4 WILLYS PICKUP I AM WORKING ON .ITS A LABOR OF LOVE FOR OLD TRUCKS.
BERN