My interest in Willys Jeeps began when I was very young, as my father owned one himself in the late 1940s. I have owned my 1949 CJ-3A Willys since 1972, when the Jeep and I were both younger in years. During that time I have spent many hours repairing and maintaining it to keep it in its original condition. It still has its original motor, which of course has been rebuilt. I added a Warn overdrive unit to the transmission in 1980, and it makes the Jeep a pleasure to drive on the highway.
In 1974 I started to take the Willys to the high mountains of Colorado to Jeep in the Silverton area of the San Jaun range. In those years it was truly a beautiful experience. The roads were steep and rough, and virtually untouched compared to what they are like today. The Jeep has been hauled many times to the area and has been over most of the mountain passes, including Black Bear above Telluride.
Years ago you could explore old mines on the trails and find old steel wheel barrows and old button up leather shoes that the miners had cast away many decades before.
My wife and I drove the Willys from my home in Nebraska to Cortez, CO. in 1981, a round trip of 1600 miles, and people on the way would ask “Did you drive that Jeep all the way here?” We did, and the Willys never let us down.
Kaiser Willys Jeep Blog Story – Robert Fisher
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I have heard many great stories about this old Willys. It was nice to see the photos behind the stories. It is always a pleasure to see this great Willys out on the streets of our town. Robert, by the way, my 53 Willys PU is in the shop getting a new coat of paint. See you out on the streets soon.
My brother and I spent a long weekend this past September in his ’49 3A in the Leadville, CO area. Nice job of keeping the Wiily’s on the road.
Bill
Erie, PA
Your 3A looks great. What size and kind of tires do your 3A , radial or bias ?
Great story and great Jeep.
I too enjoy driving my classics all over the country. I’m hoping to get a small canned ham or air stream to tow behind my ’62 Willys PU so I can go camping. Sleeping in the cab is getting to be a little rough!
Keep up the good work on that Willys!
-Chris
Austin, TX
Super nice rig my friend..