~ Sent to us by Gabriel Mayernik
This Jeep, which I have fondly named Susan, after the most common female baby name of her model year, is a 1948 CJ-2A. She was purchased brand new by my great grandfather, and used as a farm truck in the Great Falls, Montana area up into the late 1970s. Around that time, she was parked in the barn. In the 1990s, my great grandfather and great uncle tried to bring her back, but I believe they stopped when my great grandfather died in 1999. In mid 2020, I had a model Willys MB, and my grandfather mentioned Susan to me, but I didn’t have a chance to actually see her until mid 2021, when we all went to the family farm for cattle branding that year. I know it sounds silly, but it was love at first sight. I couldn’t stop thinking about that old Jeep, just sitting there in the barn. On April 23, 2022, Susan left that barn for the first time in over four decades.
I want to make clear that I had ZERO experience with vehicles, old or new at the time, so Susan was the project I was going to learn on. Today (August 17, 2024), Susan runs well, drives well, and is almost ready for paint. The body is almost pristine; very little metalwork had to be done to her. I have learned a ton and I am so grateful that I got the chance to keep a family heirloom alive, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the amazing community that surrounds old flatties like Susan, as well as the veritable pillar that holds it all up: Kaiser Willys Jeep Parts.
- Gabriel MayernikKaiser 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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