This is actually a 1948 CJ-2A (serial number #184424), not a CJ-3A. For the past 30+ years it’s worn an M38 windshield frame, which is why it’s often mistaken for a CJ-3A. What makes it even more special is that it’s a true “Lefty” — one of the rare examples built during a short production run in the spring of 1948 with the spare tire mounted on the left side of the tub. There’s a good chance this Jeep and I share the same birthday. The serial number places its production right around my birthday (±1 day), exactly 36 years earlier.
My uncle bought the Jeep in the early-to-mid 90s as a project when I was about 10 years old. He did a quick Krylon restoration on the tub, installed a brand-new Bestop top (which was never taken down), and left the drivetrain original patina aside from a new clutch. At age 11, I learned to drive a manual in this Jeep. I still remember my 6’6” uncle crammed in the passenger seat as I stalled it while crossing a busy street in Sheridan, Wyoming. He stayed calm, helped me get it going again, and I was hooked from that moment on.
After my uncle had kids of his own, life got busy and the Jeep sat for decades. I had owned several other Jeeps in the meantime, but in 2019 I finally convinced him to sell it to me so I could bring it back to life. I started with a new fuel tank, carburetor, brakes, and other basics. Last fall, with help from a friend, Josh Walton (JW Engine Sheridan, WY) we rebuilt a donor block. As it sits today, it still has all its original gauges, drivetrain components, & body panels (except the windshield frame), and that unmistakable patina. The finish is simply the result of 30+ years of oxidized Krylon, wet sanding and a polish.
The best story, though, is how we finally got a clear title. My uncle had never been able to title the Jeep when he bought it and had quietly used a spare license plate from his pickup for the rare times it saw pavement. When I applied for a sheriff’s title in Wyoming, the title search came back to a name we immediately recognized — our friend Rod originally from South Dakota.
We had always knew the Jeep spent its early life on a South Dakota farm, based on clues like the missing back seat, implement holes in the floor, PTO punch-outs, Novi governor provisions, and the double crank pulley. When the search pointed to Rod’s hometown, my wife and I were stunned. We invited him over for dinner, showed him the Jeep and the title paperwork, and he was just as shocked as we were. He happily went to the courthouse with me, requested a duplicate of his 1977 title, and signed it over on the spot. Rod’s story of selling the Jeep is even better. After a few cold ones, he agreed to trade the Jeep for a pair of snowmobiles and a title was never exchanged for either party.
This July, I’ll be leading the Boulder Basin Trail during the Bighorn Mountain Summer Safari for the 8th time — and for the first time, I’ll be doing it in the “Lefty.”
Kaiser Willys Jeep Blog Story – JR Wright
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That’s a great story. But I have a question. When you’re in the drivers seat with no passengers, do you get any extra lean to the left since it now has more weight on that side?
Second question – what was the reason Willys Overland put the spare on that side?
Thanks