Willys Photo Contest Sneak Peek and Extension!

First we want to send out a heartfelt thanks to all who have already submitted their Willys Photos! We have had such a great response to the “Willys Cover Photo Contest”, that we have decided to extend the deadline to January 15th, 2011! We appreciate everyone’s participation and have decided to feature some of the photos in this blog post – These entries were chosen at random and do not have any bearing on the outcome or judging of the contest! Enjoy, and if you have not yet submitted your photos, but would still like to, find out how to do so on our Willys Photo Contest Information page!

The Photo: Markel Simmons, 1946 CJ-2A

The Story:

I purchased this very early 1946 CJ-2A from the son of its second owner where it sat behind a shed in the desert north of Carlsbad, New Mexico. The owner’s dad purchased it second-hand in 1948 in Carlsbad, New Mexico to use for transportation between pumpjacks in his occupation as an oil ´wildcatter´. The son recounts ´cutting trail to the first well as a three year old, riding between his father´s knees to help him steer´. The Jeep seldom traveled more that a few miles from it´s home until the 1950´s when the father and son took the Jeep over Slumgullion Pass, Colorado on a fishing trip.  Later, they took it over Taylor Pass, Colorado on another outing. His father kept it covered in his later years, hoping to one day restore it. After his father passed away, the son kept it a few years before selling it to me in late 2003.

I acquired the Jeep in mechanically sound condition with high compression on all four cylinders and a strong drivetrain. Cosmetically, there was surface rust with bad spots only in the toolbox and passenger floorboard. I repainted the Jeep the original Harvest Tan with Sunset Red wheels using Matthews acrylic polyurethene paint. Rebuilt were the carb, ‘bullet’ style running lights, Dualmatic hubs, generator, starter, windshield assembly, vacuum wiper mechanism, brake system and instrument cluster. Seats and top came from Beachwood Canvas. 16×600 NDT tires came from Wallace Wade Tires in Dallas. I sold the Jeep in December of 2004 and am currently restoring an even earlier column shift ’46 with matching, original numbers that I found in Kansas.

The Photo: Nate Bolduc, 1953 CJ3A

The Story:

In 2001 when I was eight, my dad brought home this sorry looking plow jeep, but I fell in love with the pile of rust and bondo. I think I liked it so much was because it was painted OD green, and where the spare tire carrier was ripped off, my dad said that was where the machine gun mounted. What did I know? We used it as a plow jeep and swimming hole transport until late in September of 2007. For some reason, I decided to restore the beast as a father-son project, though it was mostly son! After all, it was the first thing I learned to drive, and was pretty special already. I thought it would be done within a few months. Yeah right! Well, two and a half years later (now 17) on Easter Sunday of last April, it was done! My dad and I drove it over to my grandparents that day. The part I hated most was sandblasting the frame. That took forever. The original body was toast, so I got a reproduction body tub, fenders, hood, and tailgate. I probably spent a week block sanding the bondo to make it smooth.

The two most exciting parts were starting up the freshly rebuilt engine for the first time and putting the body on the frame. Once the body was bolted down, it went together really quickly. I put the reproduction cloth wiring harness when I got home from school. That was the most fun part. Over this past summer, I saved up enough money to put a new Saturn overdrive unit in and at the beginning of November, my original style soft top came in. That was the finishing touch for sure! I made some interesting touches too. I made this bracket that holds a pushbutton switch on the back of the transmission, so when I put it in reverse, the shift rail turn on my reverse light. I also made a very handy jerry can holder (had to use that a couple of times!) that bolts to the draw bar and can be easily removed to open the tailgate. I think I’ve been bitten by the jeep bug. I have my restored one, an offroad beater, and a few partsters.

Every one over here at Kaiser Willys has been impressed with the number of people who have responded, and with the great restorations that are lurking out there in the Willys community at large. We certainly don’t want to keep it all to ourselves, so we will soon be setting up a photo gallery on this blog just for the contest entries. Have a great week, and stay tuned for more…

If you are looking for, Willys Jeep Parts,  Willys replacement parts, Willys body parts and much more for your 1941-1971 Willys vehicle, you have come to the right place! Don’t forget to check out our sister site, LiveOffroad, an online site dedicated to offering the lowest prices on parts and accessories for 1976+Up CJ & Wrangler! Live Well. Offroad Better.