I caught the Willys bug Thanksgiving weekend of 2011. I was at my brother in law Sean’s house. He has been into Jeeps his whole life and had an addition to the family. A 1947 CJ-2A that was in pretty good condition. It was the history and simplicity that instantly appealed to me and I commented on how I wouldn’t mind having one. That was all it took. Sean smiled and said “ I know where there’s one that can be bought”. Lucky for us it was black Friday and our wives were fighting crowds at the mall and a couple hours later there was another rusty gem in the driveway. A 1946 CJ-2A. The Willys bug turned into a full fledge epidemic in southern Indiana after 4 more CJ’s found their way into family and friends garages. Somewhere along the way someone had the bright idea that there needed to be a Willys rally across the Hoosier state. Unfortunately when we made these plans not a single Jeep was on the road or running for that matter. We planned and planned the trip, but still no drivable Jeeps. Well with the help of internet forums, quick shipping from Kaiser Willys and a crazy week of around the clock work the last one was finally revived about an hour before our scheduled departure. We had a great weekend with a 300 mile trip along the Ohio River. So I’m not going to lie we had a couple breakdowns and a few stops at local parts stores, but for six almost 70 year old American built beauties not too shabby. Now the only question is where our love for 35 MPH will take us next. Faster ain’t always better.
Kaiser Willys Jeep Blog Story – Jamie Walters
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6 great Willys , I just wonder how did you find a route where you could drive slow enough for a jeep to run without tearing all your hard work to shreds. I drive mine mostly on small back roads and country 4 lanes. keep them going they will make it to 100 years .
Mine is the similar M38 in full “military” markings. Actually marked for the Jeeps that served in the Civil Air Patrol in post-war America. I am *almost* done with it. I need to rebuild the rebuild the steering and re-upholster the vinyl seats. Yes, they DID have some of the M-series jeeps in vinyl. If you have ever sat on WET canvas, well………….you’ll know why vinyl is better. “Willis”, or “FrankenJeep” as my daughter named it when I first bought it runs quite well and makes regular appearances at car shows, et al. My daughter thought I was out of my mind when she first saw “Willis”. But when she RODE in it the first time, she had a BALL!!!!! “Dad”, don’t you SELL the Jeep”, she laughed! There’s something to the saying, “Its a ‘Jeep’ thing, you wouldn’t understand!!!!”
Jerry
alias “FrankenJeep”
I’m having my M38A1 painted this winter with a little body work on the fenders. KW pointed me to a website where original military paint was available for $400 a gallon. That’s a little steep for me. I am going to keep the 1950’s Army color of OD. I would appreciate any experience or advice on painting. I will probably use the military stencil kit from KW.
E. Phillips
Lexington, KY
Great pictures! Nice job on getting your CJ-2 back on the road. I love it that you guys cared enough to get 6 flat-fenders together. There needs to be more gatherings like this.
What a sight that must have been. WWII LST 325 is berthed in Evansville, IN. I hope that was on the route.
I have a 1964 C J 5 Tuxedo park, they came from the factory with 15″ wheels and they had 4:27 gears in the axels instead of 5:38 gears. They had a little more top speed and a better cruising speed than the C J’s with the 5:38 gears. I found a 1966 V 6 chassis, it had 3:73 axels in it, that gave me even a better cruising speed, and helped the gas mileage. Our Car club goes on cruises and parades all over the Northern tip of Michigan. The speed limit is 55mph on State roads, we cruise at around 50 mph, the 3:73 gears make it a lot easier on my Jeep to keep up with the cruise.
Rick Whitson
Southgate Mi.
Hi Lou Poulin, I have a 48 Jeepster and have been in the Veterans day parade with my Jeepster for the Floral City VFW…a few times… glad to see you here… good luck with your CJ2A
Wow! Congratulations! Your team is an inspiration to the rest of us. Excellent job!
Would you like to have another CJ-2A? I have one for sale in Arkansas that my husband started restoring, but unfortunately, he passed away before he could finish the restoration. I have the Jeep listed for sale on this site. Look it up: Willys For Sale – Free Classifieds – http://www.willysforsale.com
Just a short story on the simplicity of the reliable CJ-2A. After a long week hunting in Colorado I knew my gas tank was low. We were on our last day and it was beginning to snow so we headed for one more look in the “Hole” which is literally a 100 ft deep depression surrounded by steep hills. My CJ had made it down and back up many times so I pointed her downhill. The gas left in the tank all ran to the front edge of the tank and the CJ promptly starved and stopped about halfway down the path. Several of our party were in a suburban still up at the rim. They planned to hike down.
After some examination and lots of advice I realized what was wrong. The fuel line in the CJ is in the center of the tank. It was sucking air.
The fuel line to the fuel pump on the CJ had been partially replaced by a piece of neoprene hose before I bought her in 1977. It worked fine so I left it. I slid it off the steel tubing and began to look for another piece of tubing. The Suburban was a treasure trove of hoses so I asked permission to “Borrow” the windshield washer hose for a day. The owner agreed. I used it to siphon the gas from the CJ’s tank into an empty plastic gallon jug we had brought with drinking water. The snow was increasing and the nay-sayers were predicting I would have to leave the CJ until spring and return with a tow truck. I slipped the Suburban’s hose inside the neoprene piece leading to the fuel pump with the other end in the gallon jug. Since the fuel pump was working it sucked the gas from the jug with no problem, but the short hose necessitated my walking beside the CJ holding the jug over the engine. So, I put my cousin in the driver’s seat with the hood open and we started the CJ and backed up the incline to safety and to a gas can. I offered to buy the Suburban’s owner a new hose. He said, “No it was worth the hose to see you solve the problem. You looked like a medic holding an I.V. alongside a stretcher.”
I have a cj2a and I am rebuilding it right now. Go a rebuilt engine to put in and a trailer to go with it. Having both sandblasted, then doing the mechanical work and replacing old parts with new ones. Just another toy for me to play with and I will say it will be used in veterans day parades and functions in my city of Inverness, in Florida. Lets face it 35 MPH was good over rugged terrain hauling supplies. when i8ts finished there will be step by step photos I will place in the Kaiser internet.
Lou Poulin