~ Sent to us by Bradley Rhea
I found this Jeep on Marketplace back in 2020 after searching for one passively for a few years. I’ve got a 1945 Bantam T3-C that has been in the family since ’45 and wanted to find a CJ-2A to pull it someday. This one had a title and was only 30 minutes away so I overpaid and got it home. The seller said it needed one of everything to get it going again but the motor wasn’t seized so I thought it would be a quick little project. I didn’t realize at the time that he was being really honest about that statement. It needed a LOT of parts. I’m an IT guy by trade but by the end of the day, I want to work on things that are as low tech as possible. This project fit the bill.
This Jeep taught me a lot of important lessons. It needed a transmission rebuild (with gears), a transfer case rebuild (with gears), a steering box rebuild, a new carb, a completely new brake system from the master cylinder to the drums, all new wiring, a complete suspension overhaul, and it still needs both axles to be rebuilt. I didn’t have any real automotive skills (aside from basic maintenance) or all the right tools at the start of the project but I did a lot of reading, watched a lot of videos, bought some tools, made a few YouTube videos of my own along the way. I got the transmission and transfer case rebuilt, cleaned and repainted things along the way since I was there, rewired everything with a DIY harness, learned to flare and bend my own brake lines, learned to mount tubes and tires without a machine, etc. The Jeep still needs a lot of rust repair on the body but I am holding off on that for another day. I moved onto the accessorizing phase: new seat cushions, added a back seat, replaced the missing spare tire carrier, added a summer top, and now it’s a fun little driver for errands around town.
- Bradley Rhea Kaiser Willys Jeep Blog Story – If you would like to share your Willys Jeep Story please send us a line. We’d love to meet your Jeep.
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I admire your ambition. It looks good. I like the top.
I admire your ambition. It looks good. I like the top.
Nice work on motor. Did you have to do any other parts of drivetrain?
Nice work on motor. Did you have to do any other parts of drivetrain?
The motor just got a craigslist rebuild (cleaned and painted). As far as the rest goes, clutch replaced, transmission and transfer case rebuilt, working on a rear axle with a front axle queued up after that.
The motor just got a craigslist rebuild (cleaned and painted). As far as the rest goes, clutch replaced, transmission and transfer case rebuilt, working on a rear axle with a front axle queued up after that.