Posted by: CopperCrawler
« on: December 23, 2018, 02:01:39 PM »
Hi, I'm Chuck and I'm a Jeep Nut.
My first encounter with Jeeps was in the late 60's when my Dad took us with him to go pick up and drag home the new Jeep he bought, a 1949 CJ3A. Two things I remember clearly that day are; the weeds around the Jeep were as tall as I was, and the fun we had riding home in the back of the Jeep while my Dad trailered it home.
My Dad built that Jeep up and we went 4-Wheeling, camping, hunting, fishing, etc in it. It was a blast.
Even though my Mom had a really nice NEW car, she always drove my Dad's Jeep. She loved that thing.
In 1972 my Mom and I were in a roll over accident in the Jeep and she was killed. Ever since then I've always wanted to build a similar Jeep in her memory, because she loved that Jeep so much.
For a while, I always felt a Jeep was too far out of my reach (financially) so it took me a while to buy my first one. While being stationed in Germany my wife and I decided when we returned to the states I would get a Jeep. When we returned, I bought a 1981 CJ5.
I had it for 9 years. After being stationed in Las Vegas for a year, it was time for some A/C. I sold the CJ5 and bought a brand new 2000 Wrangler TJ.
After 4 years of ownership, I just couldn't take the embarrassment of sitting at a stoplight, in neutral, with the clutch out and listening to the transmission rattle. (I even had Jeep replace the Transmission 5 times, just out of spite). So, I traded it in on a new diesel truck so I could tow the horse trailer my wife wanted. But, we made the deal that when the truck was paid for I was getting another Jeep. A year later we were able to pay off the truck with the proceeds from the sale of our house and I went looking for another Jeep. This time I knew exactly what I wanted. It had to be a TJ with the 4.0 engine and manual transmission. I didn't want a 1997 because I had heard there were slight differences in the 97 that made some aftermarket parts not fit right. Even though I wasn't sure if this was true, I wasn't going to take a chance. I did not want a 2000 or newer, because I didn't want that noisy *rear end transmission again. So I started looking for a 1998 or 99 TJ. I bought my current 99 TJ in 2005 and have been upgrading ever since.
Now it's time to get to the point of my ramble...
I work on Jeeps all the time. Many of the Jeeps I work on are not pleasant to drive. I have built my TJ so that I can drive it down the highway at 80 mph, towing my Jeep trailer and not have to worry about a thing. I can slam on the brakes at 70 (I know this because I had to do this to void an accident) and it tracks straight and true. Yet, it will tackle the Rubicon trail with ease. It is my daily driver that I drive to and from the trail also.
This is kinda what I want in the build of my CJ3A/M38. Although I am not planning on taking it on trails like the Rubicon, I will take it off-road. But mostly I want a reliable Jeep that I can let my Grand kids drive without having to worry.
So, a few weeks ago a friend gave me a Jeep (because he knows what a Jeep nut I am). Although I am pretty good with CJs from 1970 and up, and Wranglers up to 2006, I am not so savvy on these old timers. He told me it is a 1946 CJ2A frame and a 1950-1952 M38 body. I have been doing a little research, and it looks to me like it is an aftermarket reproduction body. It has what appears to be the M38 dash, but it does not have the battery opening in the cowl, the shovel/axe indents in the passenger side, or the snorkel cutout in the hood. If I am wrong, and it is something else, please let me know.
Either way, I do NOT have a complete Jeep by any means. I have the frame, tub, fenders, hood, and windshield. I also have, what appears to be an Arctic Hardtop. I am missing the grill, tailgate and ALL the attaching parts for the grill, tailgate, dash pieces, windshield, etc.
The PO was in the process of installing 1989 Jeep Wrangler axles, engine, transmission, and transfer case. So I do have those items as well.
Since this isn't an actual Willys Jeep, I am not planning on any type of a restore. My idea is to build a nice, cool little Jeep on as small a budget as I can with what I have (and it's still probably going to cost near $10,000)
