How'd Your Willys Look on Day One??

[3aJeeper]

Here's mine when I got it home. It was being used as a hunting jeep in West Georgia. It had bucket seats from a Toyota which were not *really* secured to the frame. The hood scoop was an inverted chevy oil pan hiding the carb. This was due to the engine being a 50's Willys truck engine - the Hurricane - �and its taller configuration.

Body floor was rusted out extensively and the sides are a patchwork of sheet metal and bondo. No brakes (who needs that in the woods?), but the engine ran and the clutch/transmission seem to work fine.

[athawk11]

Now that has got to be the most interesting Hurricane hood scoop I have ever seen.  Love it.  Very creative way to solve a problem.

Anyone else notice how many 'first day' grey Willys are showing up in this thread?  Including 1/2 of Johns.  JB's looks kind of grey too.  Could be a pale blue?  

Tim

[3aJeeper]

Tim - mine was originally red, but has about 8 layers (that I can identify) of different paint throughout its life - original red, some greens, browns, black and even orange. The gray-ish color here is due to poor lighting using a phone camera. The main color was 'some shade of green' with black Rustolium scatter here and about.

I painted it rattle-can tan just to get a uniform color - so the CEO not hate it so much! �;)

Now that it's in pieces as I work on the frame/brakes/etc, that doesn't seem to help anymore. �;D

I do think that I like the gray better than I thought I would after seeing the Navy-gray jeeps in the forum. They do look pretty sharp, but retain that jeep-with-a-purpose persona.

[Patos]

i know my jeep since im young. he been at the same spot since 1977, i have 40.  2 years ago asked wife to go convice previous owner to sell it.  Realy not easy task    I finaly got it with X$ and 40 hours of my time.  so i can realy say i worked for me jeep  









Now i can work slowly on it,  and soooo glad to do it  8-)  but still on "unbuilt part"

[athawk11]

Patos,

Thanks for showing us.  Looks like you have some challenges ahead.  Just know that we will be with you every step on your journey.

By the way, what did you have to do for the 40 hours of labor?

Tim

[bretto]

OK, here's my story, and I hope I am not intruding the 3A folks with mine being a CJ3A in military dress. �Anyway I had been looking and saving my funds for over a year till I found an ad on our local TV channel's website that runs classified ads. �It was an ad for '51 M38 and was only an hour north of me. �I wasn't necessarily looking for a M38, 2A or 3A, just a flat fender.
So the story with mine goes, as per prev owner, that it was stationed in Germany. �The GI that drove it there somehow was able to buy if off surplus and had it shipped to NY then he brought it back to Utah. �Then some years later sold it to the guy I bought it from, then now in my hands. �Belive it or not, up to you but sounds plausible. �So counting the USA, I'd be the 4th owner.
The 1st pics show it to be in great shape but a lot can be hidden �;)
2 years later I am nearing completion....or is it ever done?

[athawk11]

Hey Bretto,

This is for all members and all their Jeeps. �3A, 3B, M38, 2A, MB, GPW. �Heck, throw in CJ5 and M38a1. �The idea was to re-introduce the long term members and how it began for all of us. �

For example...I wasn't here when Calvinhunt, Rocketeer, Gunslinger, Carlsjeep, and many others, found their Willys. What was the motivation? �Why this Jeep? �I'm still hoping some of these gentlemen will partisipate. �

I'm hoping that many of the "lost" group that QuebecJeep (Pascal) is contacting will join this conversation. �And in turn, rejoin this network of Willys fans. �

Back to you... "OK, here's my story, and I hope I am not intruding the 3A folks with mine being a CJ3A in military dress." � �
I'm confused. �Everything I see screems M38. �And as I follow your rebuild, there is far more M38 than 3A. �I believe you have a civilian engine, right?

Tim � �
Edit.....See? Another Grey Willys!!!  :)

[bretto]

Ya, it's a M38, I was just making reference in a way to say its base is a 3A that the military dressed up for their use. .  And yes, you are right about the engine.  There's a story there to, prev owner said it was an engine he got from a local high school auto shop that they had on display for years.  Who knows, he sounded sincere.

[Patos]

Patos,

Thanks for showing us. �Looks like you have some challenges ahead. �Just know that we will be with you every step on your journey.

By the way, what did you have to do for the 40 hours of labor?

Tim

Awesome, thanks for those words... you guys already been good help. �just to read old message, i learn lotttt of stuff

for the work, i did electricity in is garage and boring stuff like cut grass etc... �but hey! it was for my jeep!! 8-)

[Bedrock]

Tim: � Great thread. �Here's my story. �Sorry about the photo being not very good.  I had been interested in getting a flatfender jeep for about 10 years.�Two years ago my wife and I finally decided to sell our 1931 Model A Coupe, and look for a jeep. We had the Model A for 19 years.

I found my 3A about 5 miles from my house. �The day before I was to make a 400 mile round trip to look at a "rust free" 2A, I ran into a guy I used to work with, and who I hadn't seen in 5 years. �He asked me what I was up to, and I told him I was looking for a flatfender jeep, and was taking a drive to Manteca the next day to look at one. �He said he just happened to have a 3A for sale. �I was committed to look at the 2A, and �couldn't look at the one close to my home until got back from looking at the "rust free" one. �The body of the "rust free" Willys was rusted out far past my ability to repair it. �So we drove back home, and that afternoon I called the guy who had the 3A, and he took me out to look at it. �He had not driven it in 3 years. It had been kept in a small barn, and had very little rust, but the area where the spare tire used to reside was pretty well crinkled up. There were a few other small issues with the body, but nothing too serious. �I was told that the engine had recently been rebuilt. �We got it started, and it did sound pretty good. �After I drove it, I arranged to buy it. �I have attempted to find out something about the history of this Willys, but so far have come up empty.

I later found out there were problems with the engine, and since then I have replaced the block, and had the engine rebuilt properly, removed the horribly Bubbafied power steering, and done a seemingly endless number of things to try to bring it back to what it was originally. � It has been a lot of fun, and a great learning experience. �I have learned to weld, and this spring I hope to learn how to paint. �I got to drive it a little bit this summer. �It was great.

I have spent a lot of enjoyable hours perusing this forum and the 2A forum. �The people are friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. �I also have become very well acquainted with Carl and Daniel Walck, who seem almost like family.

George

[calvinhunt]

athawk11,
 ï¿½This has truly been and interesting thread. �Thanks for starting it. �It's been both enlightening and entertaining to see the beginnings of so many 3A members' Jeeps. �It will be fun to see the "after" thread, as well, so we see the progress and/or results of everyone's efforts. �I haven't been avoiding jumping in with a response, I've just been procrastinating. �Happy to provide you with a couple of photos and a little history.

 ï¿½Having been a pilot since I was 16 years old, then acquiring a commercial pilots license, an FAA airframe and powerplant mechanics license, as well as a degree in aeronautical engineering I always planned on designing and building my own airplane after I retired. �However, as I was closely approaching retirement 5 years ago I evaluated the situation a little closer and decided that, yes, I can design and build my own airframe, that being the whole airplane less engine, propeller, instruments, and radios (the items that cost so very much and which a person cannot make for himself), I felt that maybe I should consider a project requiring a lot less dollars. �I remembered that the two most enjoyable hobbies of my teenage years were flying and Jeeping. �I had owned three different Jeeps by the time I was 19 years old. �I quickly became excited about the prospect of owning another old Jeep and taking to the local trails in Southern Utah once again. �First I believed that I would find a Jeep in my small home town. �I knew that just 20 years early there had been several old Jeeps just looking for a home. �But, as I started checking around, the few old flatties remaining, even though they were just rusting away in back yards, had truly become members of their respective families and WERE NOT for sale. I started checking eBay options. �I was pleased to see a fairly good selection of old Jeeps available in Utah and adjacent states. �I was looking specifically for a CJ-3A because I had always liked the flat fenders and flat hood with a rounded windshield (Why? I don't really know). �After a couple months of watching, bidding occasionally--unsuccessfully, I was successful bidder on one in Northern Utah. �It was a 1949 that had been purchased by a farmer in 1949 and used as a farm tractor (not an agri-jeep, however). �After his death his adult son inherited the Jeep. �The son drove it on hunting trips a few times but never licensed it. �I would become the 2nd licensed owner of the Jeep. �It had never been modified in any way. �Still had 6 volt electrical, vacuum wipers, single tail light, etc. �I drove up with a trailer, loaded it up using a winch and cable, and brought it home. �

 ï¿½Here is a photo of the day after I trailered my Jeep home. �So sorry that I didn't have a camera along to take a picture of the Jeep when I first met it, or of it on the trailer bringing it home. �But here it is before any work was done. �




 ï¿½After a little fuel system and starter work I got my "new" Jeep drivable. �I quickly learned that I couldn't shift into 2nd or 3rd. �So, before a shake-down trail ride I had to overhaul the tranny. �Here is a pic of the very first trail ride--a trail ride that made it clear that an overhaul of the engine, steering gear box, and other items would be needed in order for this Jeep to be trail-worthy. �I'm really lucky and pleased that my wife enjoys driving my, I mean our, Jeep, too.




 ï¿½Second and final trail ride before complete disassembly. It was last fall when I this Jeep came into my life. �I'm glad I got some driving in before it got too cold so I could decide what I was going to do for a winter project.
 

[Carls_jeep]

My Jeep doesn't look much different today than when I got it, except for the white top. I have several thousand dollars in mechanical repairs that don't show. Here's a photo of it when I picked it up 4/2010. The first thing I did was remove the tow bar, roll bar and the mechanical winch on it.



It is little changed from that photo. She does have a winch now and it was put to good use last September. Annabelle Lee is like any woman, she likes me to spend lots of money on her but she's a working country girl and doesn't use makeup and sure likes to get dirty and ride on rough trails like I do. She has several fresh scratches and dents and dings from the last trip to Utah and maybe next spring I will paint her WWII flat OD again.

[athawk11]

I am going to try to not get too sentimental here. �

I am really enjoying these stories and the history. �For me, this is the next best thing to sitting around a camp fire, having a cup of Jo or a beer and �catching up� with a bunch of old friends.

The stories are as diverse as the people telling them. �This is what makes it so interesting and appealing for me. �We have come together, from all walks of life, because of our fondness for these Willys Jeeps. �Without them, it�s likely I would not have known you all. �And that would be a shame for me. �I am humbled by the knowledge here, and that you are willing to open your lives to this Willys community.

Love the first day photos!! �Awesome. �And whether or not they have changed much from day one, this is the start of your historical adventure with your Willys. �And that is a special day in everyone�s book.


Bedrock-- Nice looking Willys. �Funny how things work out. �Makes you think there are greater powers at work. �Makes you think that this particular Willys was destined to be with you. �

I know you are in the midst of a rebuild. �I am hopeful you will share this journey on the 'Projects' page. �From what I know, it's really going to be something we will all want to see and enjoy.


Calvin�I wish I had your skill set. �To even say, �I think I�ll build an airplane today.� , will never come from my mouth.

That Willys looked pretty tight when you first got it. �I know how it looks now�beautiful. �Makes me wonder why you went with a new tub?

Carl-- I know how special your Willys is. �I can say, I would have a pretty good comfort level if I were to decide to drive your Jeep across this country. �I don�t have that same confidence with mine.

 ï¿½

[calvinhunt]

Calvin� That Willys looked pretty tight when you first got it. �I know how it looks now�beautiful. �Makes me wonder why you went with a new tub?

I should have searched the 2A, 3A, or 3B forums prior to purchasing the new MD Juan tub. Had I know it wouldn't just be able to use it as it came I would never have gone that way. �I didn't find the Jeep forums till I was nearly finished.
Thanks for your comments. �And, as I said earlier, thanks for starting this thread. �Like you, I have enjoyed thoroughly reading of our 3A friends' first encounter with their trusty Jeeps.

[F Bill]

Here's the world famous PintoJeep on day one, sitting at its former owners place in Stephenville Texas.  I had moved to Texas without any jeeps, and a pair of jeeps was on Willystech for almost a month. I finally got time to go look, and by then the owner was ready to drop the price to where I could afford them. It was a package deal, he didn't want to sell just one. I liked the Pintojeep, wasn't too sure about the camo salad jeep that came with it.

I drove over to see what he had, and discovered two solid jeeps, one quite original which you can see behind the Pintojeep, and the 2.0 L powered 3A we see here. While it does appear to have minimal rust, it s tub has been plated over with no eye for originality. It has got to be the heaviest 3A tub in existence.The PO  had decided to take the motor out and put the L head back in the Pintojeep, but the project got stalled and was taking up most of his parking at his small house. He was a Ham radio guy, and the jeeps were in the way of the radio tower work.  I loaded up my Toyota Pickup with all the spare and loose parts, and came back   later to grab the jeep. It took three trips to bring everything home.

I had to do some refabrication work to get a fan belt and alternator setup in Pintojeep, and of course I had to rewire as the last guy had ripped everything out from the conversion except the actual engine. The guys at OReillys got tired of me coming in to find the right size belt and hoses, but eventually I got everything hooked up and got it to run again. I had a fleet of Pinto wagons when I was in college in the early 80's. so I am pretty familiar with the 2.0 liter motor.

No brakes of course,(What jeep project EVER comes with brakes?) but I still was able to do some test driving. I discovered the tranny had filled with water and once drained and filled with gear lube it was a noisy, hard shifting box.  Life got in the way of jeeps, and Pintojeep was put away only to be dragged out on a regular basis to make sure it ran still.