I’m from Swanton, Ohio which is just 20 miles west of Toledo, Ohio. I was born and raised in the area where Jeeps are built and adored. It wouldn’t be till I retired from the State of Ohio Forestry Division and then turned 60 a few years later would I finally own my first Willys. I have always liked to make things or restore things, whether it is from wood or metal. Since my retirement my loving wife, Stephanie likes to make sure I have projects to work on to keep me busy and entertained.
It was September 2019 when I can across an auction that had a few Jeeps for sale in a barn and since I had always wanted a Jeep but never had found the right one, I thought this might be it. It was an online auction only which meant that I could not go see the Jeeps for sale and look at the condition they were in. Two of the Jeeps up for auction ran and had a video you could watch of them and the third was just more or less a parts Jeep. After watching the videos, both were 1946 Willys CJ-2A’s, one had been restored and one was still in original conditional and had a rare extend a bed and needed some work; I thought…this is it; I found my winter project! Needless to say, I won the auction bid and was now the third owner of this Willys with only 3,969 mile on it. I was able to find out the first owner was from Buffalo, NY and purchased the Willys to get around his cattle/dairy farm. He had even put a plow on the front to clear a path in the winter to get to the barns and deliver hay. The second owner was from Portage, OH and while his intentions were to restore the Willys, it sat in a barn for over 23 years until it came up for auction. I plan on being the last owner of my Willys but one day I will be gone, and my wife and I have decided to leave it to our beautiful granddaughter, Brynn.
I went completely through the drive train and all the moving parts, replacing what was needed (through Kaiser Willys of course) and I sandblasted and repainted the frame. My wife and I had decided to leave the original body alone and not repaint it to keep the patina and the rustic look of its age. I also had to replace the top canvas as time did not treat the original one well as it sat and aged. Now that I have completed my restoration, my wife, grandkids, and two dogs just love going for rides no matter where it leads and loves all the memories we make.
Kaiser Willys Jeep Blog Story – Dean Druschel
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Hey!! I love your Willys Convertible ragtop!!! I am looking for one like that for my “46 Willys CJ-2. Please let me know thru my email. which I believe is supplied here.
Well I love every willys truck I meet! Cool cj and shed. Enjoy brother keep it fun
Great looking Jeep. Hard work pays off. Show it to the world, like me,,, the passion for willys jeep is never ending,
Joe Blas, Guam
CJ2A, Jeep 1
Greetings! Congratulations on your Jeep! I am 78 and when I was three I was with my parents when they bought the same exact Jeep, same color and all and I still drive it in nice weather. My Papa was a country doctor in South Missouri and, back then, they didn’t even gravel the roads and as soon as he could purchase a Jeep he did. My Mama taught me to drive in it and I taught my son as well. I’ve left it completely stock with the original engine and still 6 Volts. Over the years I’ve put new bearings in the transmission and have have done an overhaul of the engine + a couple of valve jobs. My Mama trained as an airplane mechanic for WWII and I helped her do the first valve job, as a kid. I have my Mom’s torque wrench, the old beam type. My son and I were considering repainting Jeep and such but everyone complained and reminded me that it earned each and every scrape and scratch and fade and convinced me t leave it that way. However, we did restore the wheels with a new paint job, including the yellow stripe and it really sets her off and we get lots of thumbs up. Best of luck with your Jeep! The Kaiser Willys folks will take good care of you!!
Dean, I’ve seen this jeep before, last summer at club 16, King Rd. Holland OH. I passed you going the other way in my WWII Jeep. And at the Club 16 car show last Aug. In fact took photos of your jeep but you were no where to be seen all day?
excellent idea with the turn over. nice ride.
You mentioned it had a “rare extended bed”. Never heard of that feature. I own a ’49 CJ-3A purchased new by my late father. All of the manuals we have that we received from the factory when it was purchased new does not show anything relating to an extended bed. I have seen kits made by aftermarket folks that could be inserted into a stock bed and gives you an additional 12 or so inches more than a stock bed. Bob
Great job! Now you’ve got me wanting to restore my 1949 Jeep CJ2a.I’ve had one for 20 years, but getting hit by a car 10 years ago, while walking, slowed me down. Now that you’ve got.me motivated again!
Get a real Jeep get a CJ-2A!
That is one beautiful willys. Congrads on an excellent job.
Bob