Since I purchased the 1950 Willys, and even before then when I started my search, a lot of people have asked why I even wanted a vehicle like that. Some saw it as a cool idea, but not really worth seeking one out as fervently as I was. To answer that question, we need to start many years back… Back when I was younger, I used to go and visit my grandfather in Lassen County in northern California. He owned a few dozen acres up there, and had a lot of cool older vehicles that he used to keep the…
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I’m officially starting the rebuilding and restoration process now with my first parts order. It wasn’t much, just a few necessary pieces to keep things running well while I plan out my total restoration. Today I purchased a new set of spark plug wires, a new distributor cap and distributor rotor, a new side mirror and rear view mirror, a new pair of hood blocks, and a new ignition switch. Nothing ground breaking or amazing, just a few odds and ends. I’ve also put out some feelers to see what the cost difference would be from replacing the body parts…
2 CommentsJust finished getting the new guy registered, title transferred, taxes paid, and put on the insurance. After getting back, I took it out for a drive around the neighborhood. I tested the low gears and 4-wheel drive and it all works beautifully. After stopping by the house to grab the registration and insurance info (that’s all I need is to be pulled over on my first drive), I took it out to a gas station sufficiently far to get a good drive. After putting in 8 gallons of gas, I drove it over to the parent’s house. We found that…
Comments closedI took some pictures of the initial jeep and some problem areas on the body. They can be seen at the Flickr page. My goal was to document some of the initial starting points so I can get an idea of what my focus will be on the body restoration.
Comments closedAfter 8 hours, 200 miles, and tank of diesel later, the Willys is home. Overall, the pickup went ok. The newly rebuilt starter looked great, went back in with minimal effort, however the thing just would not start. After doing some troubleshooting, we traced it down to a possibly bad, although recently replaced, coil. After a trip down the street to the auto parts store we bought a new coil and got it installed. Unfortunately, there still was no starting, and more importantly no spark. We traced down the wiring under the dash, which was hardly helpful. The wiring was…
1 CommentHappy to report that I am the proud owner of a 1950 Willys CJ-3A ‘Universal Jeep’. On March 28th I made the 100 mile drive with my dad, brother, and nephew to take a look at a Willys that has been posted for about a month on Craigslist. It certainly needs work, but is functioning well, seems nice and solid, and is a perfect candidate for a restore. I wasn’t able to bring it home yesterday like I had planned, however. The starter was beginning to fail on Saturday and failed completely yesterday. Fortunately, the seller, who is an all…
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