Joe Buckley

Tired old Jeep sitting out in a field for 20 years, rusted away and frozen up. Next stop, scrap yard.

~ The owner was a friend of my wife. I had shared an interest in Jeeps ever since watching Pat Brady on the Roy Rogers show tooling around in Nellybelle. My father farmed with a Jeep that my uncle brought back from France in WWII. When my other uncle flipped it, nearly severing his arm, it was sold. This was just before I was born. Anyway, I got this little project last year and started taking stuff apart to find why the engine would not turn over. It was stuck really bad and soaking in brake fluid did not help. Finally removed block and beat it apart. Honed cyls. and checked rings and bearings. All were serviceable so put new gaskets on and put it all back together and it ran, good! Did the same for the trans. and case. Replaced all brakes and lubed all grease fittings. Welded new panels in sides that I cut from sheet steel. Sandblasted frame and painted. Still have to get seats but am having fun tooling around in a temporary seat made of plywood. Why did I wait for 59 years to have this much fun?