“We purchased our 1954 CJ-3B in the summer of 2015 as a father and son project, and a project it was. Both of my boys were a big part of multiple stages of this complete frame off restoration, my hope is that both learned a lot during this process. After rebuilding the carburetor and some minor tuning, we enjoyed driving it around for a few months before tearing it down in December of 2015. During this time we gained several ideas on what we wanted to do with it. This CJ-3B was used on a farm most of its life and was well worn by the time we acquired it. We tore down every nut and bolt during this frame off restoration and completely restored the entire drivetrain which was in dire need of some attention.
For safety, we built our own roll bar and added 3 point seat belts to the driver and passenger seats, this made my wife happy since her boys were going to be in it. For safety we also added turn signals as we learned that most people do not understand the traditional hand signals anymore, obvious during our test drives. Another improvement included a new heavy duty front bumper with tow hooks, this also houses a winch behind it that my boys also thought was a must have. One of my sons did not like the look of the spare tire on the side of the body and wanted the spare tire and a Jerry can mounted on the back like a military model. I spent hours looking everywhere for a way to mount these on the rear, keeping the tailgate fully functional. My son found a picture of these mounted on the back of a new Wrangler and said this is what we need, we decided to build our own rear gate that holds the spare tire, jerry can, jack, and also has a ammo can tool box hidden behind the license plate. We also built our own heavy duty side steps that mount to the frame instead of the body, this caused us to stiffen the frame to handle the torque these steps transferred to the frame when you stood on them.
We also converted this CJ-3B to a 12 volt system and installed a fuse panel to run the electrical system. We installed a 12 volt motor in the aftermarket heater that came in it, converted the driver side windshield wiper to electric, and added a 12 volt charging port as my sons could not fathom a vehicle that could not charge your cell phone. To finish out the floor of the Jeep, we had a bed liner sprayed in the bed and floor of the jeep and also sprayed the underbody and under the front fenders to keep the rocks from coming through and putting stars in the paint. My sons decided to paint it in OD Green with black trim as this is the look the boys liked, and I admit that I really like there paint scheme now that its completed.
My thanks to everyone who was part of any blog, forum, or online video that helped us through the process of restoring this CJ3B. Also many thanks to Kaiser Willys for all the phone support and the great website that made identifying and ordering parts an easy task. We learned a lot during this restoration and it has been a fun and rewarding project that we plan on getting many years of enjoyment from.”
Kaiser Willys Jeep Blog Story – Scott Frazier
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Job #1 well done sir….that being a good father and creating good sons that is…and nice job on the jeep as well.
You did a great job! I have 2 1951 M-38’s I wish I could sell to someone who would do this! My husband passed and that was his dream! Keep up the good work!
very clean and very well done. Awesome job.
“Many miles to Jeep before we sleep.”
Great!! Jeep 3B is unique. 👏👏
Very nice job, father and son’s team. Enjoy every minute together.
Great Job! Probably the best. Somewhere in Kaiser Willys is our story of M38 restoration. We didn’t even approach yours and still had a blast, drive it almost every day.
Very nice job, looks beautiful!! You did good, boys!
Great job Scott!
Quick question for your Harrison heater, where did you find a 12V fan motor that fits the heater??
I just finished my 20 year ground up restoration of my 1948 CJ 2A lefty converted it to 12 volts with a later year Jeep generator so it looks like a stock 6v set up!
The last thing I have to finish it up is by finding a 12 volt fan that fits the Harrison heater! Any info or direction would be greatly appreciated!
RB
AKA Beachjeeper56
Nice job! I have a ’55 3B, but it’s not nearly as nice as yours. It’s an old trail jeep and the only thing original on it is the tub and possibly the transfer case. It’s a D18, but I have no idea if it’s original, probably not. Thanks for sharing!
Super especial, los amo
I love it.
I have just restored one like it.
Keep on jeeping.
Steve
Great job guys – a beautiful 3B.
what a piece of art
phenominal looks
when you look at em its nothing but JEEP JEEP JEEP
THUMBS UP GUYS
best wishes
vivek krishnan
Nice job guys! You will have years enjoyment.
Nice job guys! Tou will have years enjoyment.
Beautiful vehicle. Better than new.
Very Nice Sanitary Job! You can tell the attention to detail, hats off to all of you!
Larry