Part 1 of 3: Introduction
My dad bought this Jeep when I was a kid in the late 60’s from a local fire dept. It’s a 1955 M38A1. I remember it being pretty rough when we went to pick it up. He tore it apart, cleaned it up, had the mechanical issues fixed and had her painted non-military green with gold stripes. I still remember all the parts hanging in the garage on clothes hangers while he painted them. He wanted it to look more like a CJ-5 so he kind of de-militarized her. I learned how to drive in the Jeep and she was a member of our family for many years. As a teenager with a driver’s license and immortality, me and my friends had MANY great adventures in the Jeep. I also had to repair a LOT of stuff I broke back in the late 70’s. We’ll get into that later.
Dad decided to sell her about 20 years ago. She had developed some BIG leaks and I didn’t have anywhere to park her so I let her get away. I’ve been trying to get her back for the last 10 years and I finally brought her back home March 11, 2017. The fellow that bought her was one of dad’s good buddies from the local VFW and he had grand plans. But he just took her apart, sanded off the stripes, and let her sit in a shed for the past 20 years. He’s a great guy and a Korean war vet and the markings I stenciled on the jeep are from his outfit…the 8-552MP’s.
Everyone tune in next week! Part 2 will be Keith’s experience digging into the engine, transmission, axles, electrical and interior.
Kaiser Willys Jeep Life – Keith Spillman
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