Hello from Utah

[GrandpasOld50]

I am new to the forum.� My name is Theral.� I live in Ogden, UT.� I inherited a 1950 3a from my mom that she inherited from her father.� Her father purchased the jeep in 1951 after it had spent a year service a sheep farmer.�

My Grandfather used it as a farm truck for over 40 years.� All of his children and grandchildren learned to drive out on the farm behind the wheel of the old 3a.�

In the early '90's it was sitting unused at the farm and my mom asked for it.� I was in high school at the time and very excited.� We brought it home, got it running, and enjoyed it.�

In 2000, I headed off to college and the jeep fell into disrepair.� The front right wheel cylinder started leaking, so the brakes stopped working.� After a couple of years I disabled the starter so no one would drive it without brakes.�

About 5 years ago my mom and dad came to stay for a weekend.� They showed up with the jeep and handed me the title.� I began repairing it a couple of years ago, but money, working full time, and attending graduate school have made the process slow.�

The 3a was stock when I received it except for an F head motor out of a �65 cj5, a 12 volt conversion, and some 31 inch tires I added a long time ago.� Although it may annoy/frustrate some, I am upgrading to disc brakes and eventually a Saginaw steering.� I have always hated both the brakes and the steering in the jeep.� I plan to keep the rest as is.�

As you can see from the pictures, the body is in need of serious attention.� There is not a panel that is not dented, rusted, or both.� Once I finish the brakes I will be turning my attention to the body.� I have had old timer's tell me they have totaled nicer jeeps than mine, but I still love it.�

Sorry for the long winded post.� �

[GrandpasOld50]

A couple pictures of the jeep.

[GrandpasOld50]

I don't know why two of the pictures are upside down.  Click on them and they are right side up.

[squidtone]

Welcome!
Looks like a wicked cool (New England way of saying great) project with awesome family history!
And to me, that looks like it's in great condition to start with....all that stuff can be rebuilt. Good luck!
Dave (squidtone)

[Brad]

Cool history...keep up the good work!

[GrandpasOld50]

Thanks Brad.

[GrandpasOld50]

Welcome!
Looks like a wicked cool (New England way of saying great) project with awesome family history!
And to me, that looks like it's in great condition to start with....all that stuff can be rebuilt. Good luck!
Dave (squidtone)

Dave - I have gone back and forth on trying to save the body and just scraping it for a repro body.  I think I could save the body, but not sure about the hood or fenders.  Thoughts on those?  Thank.

[squidtone]

Yes it's a tough decision. In some ways, most of the tub repairs can be easy since it's mostly all flat. In my case I fixed a horribly rusted tub. I fabricated the pieces and scavenged the tub top edges and butt welded them to the new metal. It worked out well, but was time consuming work.
The front fenders might be little tougher since it appears you have to deal with smashed and bent metal in complex shaped areas. I would keep an eye on Craigslist for a suitable better specimen. Do all your other work first and maybe during that time a nice deal on a fender or two will come up. If not, well then maybe attempt a fix of what you have. By that time your skills will be better. I had to extensively fix my rusty front fenders. They were pretty straight, but I had to replace a ton of metal, particularly in the lap joints. There are quite a few threads in the stock 3A rebuild section of this forum to get good ideas what's possible. My thread is the "nuthin fancy" thread for my 1950 CJ3A. Good luck on what you decide.

[GrandpasOld50]

Dave - That is what I have been thinking.  Thanks. I actually have a line on a body that needs work, with a hood in great shape and fenders in good shape for just over $400.  That is cheaper than just a new hood and I could practice on the tub before working on my own that I would like to keep because of the jeeps history.

[Kirkski]

Looks like a fun project! Enjoy it!

Kirk