My family had always embraced a DIY approach, tackling project like building house additions or fixing wiring issues. However, when it comes to cars, my experience was limited to oil changes and fixing broken parts. At 16, after spending countless hours reading and watching tv shows about classic cars and rock crawling, I got the bright idea to buy my own project, turn it into a wheeling rig, and use it to really “get into” the world of old cars and rock crawling.
One day I worked up the courage to ask my dad to let me buy a project truck, and amazingly he allowed me to waste his parking, garage, and tools on my bad idea. Armed with about 2 days to find a car and no idea what to look for I found a ’66 CJ-5A for sale about an hour from home. I knew pretty much nothing about CJs when I bought it, and all I knew taking it home was that it was an old Jeep that had a V6 and an overdrive. Since then I’ve learned quite a lot about this Jeep, determined a build plan for it, and set my sights on building it into a dual purpose rig that can run trails but still be daily driven.
I’ve had the Jeep for about 8 months now with about 4 months to work on it. In that time I’ve rebuilt the rear Powr Lok diff, thrown in a new fuel system for the dual tanks, rebuilt my D18 and Warn overdrive, and daily driven it about 250 miles per week. I’ve used it for cruising, visiting my friends, hauling my mowing equipment to work, and I’ve even tossed it in a couple of shows locally. I’ll admit that I was never into Jeeps before, but since I’ve gotten this one I’ve fallen in love with CJs and flatfenders.
This Jeep has taught me quite a bit about working on cars, and I’m sure there’s much more I’ll learn as I continue to work on and upgrade it. It has been a blast working on this Jeep in the short time I’ve owned it, but none of it would have happened if I didn’t take a shot in the dark and buy a Jeep.
Don’t be intimidated about the seemingly daunting task of fixing up an old vehicle. It’s true that there is a lot of work, there are a lot of things that can go wrong, and there will be many hard days. But when the hard work pays off and you can finally drive your improved Jeep, nothing can compare to the joy it gives you. So get out there and build a Jeep, whether that means buying a new-to-you project or fixing up your old Jeep that’s been sitting for years. Then drive it and have fun, as you enjoy the fruits of your labor.
- Troy Muralt
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.
