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Your CJ-3A Project / Re: My CJ3a story and restoration
« Last post by mstokes on Today at 04:03:36 PM »[img]IMG_2066 2.JPG/[img]
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. As I find pictures on old hard drives I’ll post them. Well 10 -11 years latter the kids are growing up off and running career is moving along and I can get back to making the old new again. See my introduction for the short story. This CJ was purchased out of the love of saving flat fenders and the history of the Jeep as I was only restoring WWII vehicles at the time and had no intention of owning a CJ. WWII history is my thing. Find it fascinating and vehicles are a tangible connection to it. A friend of mine had to move and was desperate to sell this CJ3a. The last thing I wanted to see was such a nice Jeep sold to someone and turned in to a rock crawler. As I live at the base of the Sierra’s in Northern California and the rubicon trail is in my proverbial back yard. Most local Jeeps get striped, cut and modified around here. So I bought it to preserve it. My plan ended up being to get it running and use it for running around on my days off. My WWII Jeeps are or will be more of parade and show queens. (Secret) so will my CJ with one exception me and this Jeep will go on a lot more dates. Refer to my Wife’s Quote... 
I wanted a flatty I could actually use and have some recreational fun in. Then come home and turn some more wrenches. So why not a CJ. Perfect! Shortly after buying it a friend of mine that loves Cj’s was over for a beer and pointed out that the dash hade some extra holes in it that where perfect not drilled by a weekend warrior. Right next to the information plate on the passenger side just to the left of it. Then he looked at the frame and told me that CJ3a’s didn’t have radiator mounts on the front frame cross member in 53. We stripped some paint off the bottom of the tub and found gray original paint. Then he said I think you have a Navy CJ here. Personally I didn’t know they existed as I was only focused on WWII vehicles at the time. I did a little research and the vin lined up with others out there and the indicators where there. Thought to myself, I just cant break away from the military stuff if I try. Here I was thinking I’m venturing in to a new challenge and this special Jeep found me as if it was fait to show up on a military vehicle restorer’s door. So sleeping dogs lay from that point. Well Just in the last month or two my oldest son asked me if we could pull the Jeep in Grandma’s & Grandpa’s shop out and start working on it. That’s where it has lived half restored for the last 10 years. Shocked , I said hell yes lets do this. Computer tech kid wants to get greasy turn some wrenches? Game on!! I was ready and to be honest getting back to all my Jeeps had been on my mind for awhile. So you could say that was the spark the relit the fire. Wife’s quote “ Well there go’s my husband again had him back for 10 years to myself and now I have to share him with his four wheeled girlfriends again. Thanks son!”. Ah well I cant be pined down. Right? ? 
. So back at it and loving it. Older and wiser but still learning everyday. Thanks to this site and all the wonderful information I found my Navy registration numbers on the tail gate the other night. Me a razor blade, three or four layers of paint and many hours. 2:30 in the morning was finaly lights out bed time. (Wife pist) yep. But Victory!!! Confirmed! It’s a Navy CJ. Pictures will be posted. My data plate is long since missing but I’ve located a reproduction maker in Europe. Ordered! Imagine the surprise of the previous owner my friend that moved away. I called him after all these years to ask him about the back history of his old jeep. A humble attempt to see if he knew of the where a-bouts of the data plate. That’s another story. Spoiler alert! He was the third owner. No dice. Trail runs cold after that. I do however have some pictures of the progression in the begging stages of restoration from all those years ago and some form the last few months. Ill post them in the next post. 