Wednesday,
December
13th,
2023
~ Sent to us by Bradley Rhea
I found this Jeep on Marketplace back in 2020 after searching for one passively for a few years. I’ve got a 1945 Bantam T3-C that has been in the family since ’45 and wanted to find a CJ-2A to pull it someday. This one had a title and was only 30 minutes away so I overpaid and got it home. The seller said it needed one of everything to get it going again but the motor wasn’t seized so I thought it would be a quick little project. I didn’t realize at the time that he was being really honest about that statement. It needed a LOT of parts. I’m an IT guy by trade but by the end of the day, I want to work on things that are as low tech as possible. This project fit the bill.
This Jeep taught me a lot of important lessons. It needed a transmission rebuild (with gears), a transfer case rebuild (with gears), a steering box rebuild, a new carb, a completely new brake system from the master cylinder to the drums, all new wiring, a complete suspension overhaul, and it still needs both axles to be rebuilt. I didn’t have any real automotive skills (aside from basic maintenance) or all the right tools at the start of the project but I did a lot of reading, watched a lot of videos, bought some tools, made a few YouTube videos of my own along the way. I got the transmission and transfer case rebuilt, cleaned and repainted things along the way since I was there, rewired everything with a DIY harness, learned to flare and bend my own brake lines, learned to mount tubes and tires without a machine, etc. The Jeep still needs a lot of rust repair on the body but I am holding off on that for another day. I moved onto the accessorizing phase: new seat cushions, added a back seat, replaced the missing spare tire carrier, added a summer top, and now it’s a fun little driver for errands around town.
- Bradley Rhea Kaiser Willys Jeep Blog Story – If you would like to share your Willys Jeep Story please send us a line. We’d love to meet your Jeep.
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