New Member from Southern Arizona

[Bobby]

Just wanted to introduce myself and show the 49' Willy's that has been passed down to me from my Dad. I am hoping to pick the brains from everyone on this site to help me decide how I am going to build this Willy's. I have to do some research but I believe a lot of the Jeep is still original minus the cosmetics on the body and extra welds by my Grandfather. The Jeep runs great with the 4cyl flathead and besides the leaking of brake fluid I can drive this Jeep around town and not worry about it leaving me stranded. My dilemma is I would like to make this Jeep drivable to all, as it stands it only goes about 35-40 mph and city driving is good with the steering it has, but I would like to cruise it in the desert without breaking a wrist. My Wife enjoys driving my Jeeps and off road stuff as well but I am not sure if I trust her driving this Jeep on her own. I know I would be financially better off if I just bought a newer Jeep, I actually sold a 95� wrangler to build this 49�.  My bigger question to everyone is should I attempt to keep this Jeep as original as possible or make it more functional for a mild off road experience.
I attached some pictures below, I already pulled the seats to clean the inside and I pulled the tires on the front because of flats. It will definitely be the biggest project I have ever attempted. Thanks for listening and any input negative or positive will be appreciated.

[Quebec Jeep]

Welcome!

Nice looking jeep.

Does it look like to be a good candidate for a complete 100% restoration? Yes. I don't see a lot of rust. The interior look clean. There is a harrison heater in it so I do believe it has a soft/hard top at some point.

It's really up to you. You can put a lot of money in it to get it show and shine and end out to hate it OR put what it need to enjoy it off road.

What ever people here will say about it at the end it's your jeep so do what you want with it.

...for sure it gonna broke my heart if you scrap or part it out...

You should check for Carljeep post's here on the forum. He has a nice original jeep and do so mild off road with it.

Garage Gnome as well can give you good inputs about it. He has a 100% original (for show... ) and another one for the trail... The Jalopy...  And a third one...Ted! ...to get selfies with it!

[corpsman]

first of all, welcome to the forum.  lots of great people on here that can offer great advice.  congrats on the Jeep.  like Quebec Jeep said, it's your Jeep.  you should do whatever makes you happy, and not worry about other people.  that being said...  personally, I like to see them kept mostly stock, especially the outer appearance.  but, i also like slight mods to increase strength and off road capability.  in my opinion, this also helps you to have more fun once it is finished.  i am currently doing a full restoration on a 1950 cj-3a, but i am replacing the original flat head with a Kubota Turbo Diesel.  anyway, good luck, and don't forget...  we love pictures here, so it looks like you've already gotten off to a good start.

[Ryan_M]

It looks reasonably complete and in very good shape. It'd be a shame to see it get chopped up...but it's your vehicle so do what fits you best.

Have you considered installing an overdrive? They bolt right on in an afternoon and would tremendously improve some of your drivability issues.

[athawk11]

Hi Bobby,
Welcome to the 3A Page.

You have a nice Willys there.  As mentioned above, we will all encourage you to choose the path that suits you.  That said, if I had as good a starting point as you do, I would surely consider staying true to its heritage.

Good luck...and keep us posted.

Tim

[garage gnome]

Looks like a great candidate for a restoration! Welcome aboard!

I have one 3A that is completely restored.
I have another one that is restored, but not as nice and do wheel it time to time.
Then my last one is completely modified.

Personally, they are all fun in their own way. The middle one looks great on the road and does get lots of looks. Looks even better when dirty. It all depends on what you want. I couldn't decide, to I had to get three!

[johnrb3b]

As the others have said, do what you want.
It looks to me that you could have a very nice, drivable Willys with minimal work and expense.
If you want to go faster than 40 mph with reasonable safety, rebuild the existing steering and brakes to original condition and put good tires on it. Then it will be a candidate for a bolt-on overdrive that will let you cruise at 55 comfortably.
If you want freeway speeds, then you need to upgrade the steering and brakes and drop in a bigger engine. Now you're into major modification and expense.
My 3B runs fine at 55 mph but the soft top flaps something fierce. It's not really comfortable at higher speeds without a hardtop.

[RICKG]

Hi Bobby. I spent the 70's in the "Old Pueblo" and loved it there. The Gates Pass area was one of my favorites but I'm sure the developers have changed that all by now. Great jeepin farther south in the Arivaca, Patagonia, Sonoita areas!!
Yours bein a Tucson jeep I expect it is relatively rust free..
Welcome!! Rick.

[Bobby]

Thanks for all the positive feedback!  I am coming up with a priorities list on where i am going to first put money into. I want to get more info on the overdrive cruising at 55 sounds good. I have been checking out the Kaiser catalog and there is a place here locally i trust called Willy's Works. Brakes, steering, and replacing all the leaf springs are first on the to do list.

My Dad has the full history on this Willy's so im excited to share it with everyone once i can get a better timeline on its story.

Thanks for all the Comments!

[Quebec Jeep]

If you want to go with an overdrive, you should check this site and maybe contact Herm to talk about it;

http://hermtheoverdriveguy.com

[Kirkski]

Welcome Bobby, I have learned more on this Forum than I would have imagined. And all the folks have been very welcoming and open, even to people like me with less than average mechanical abilities. Looking forward to your progress