And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
And it's a beauty. There is a feature of the grill that divides production years; I don't recall which but the 7 vs 9 bar design helps identify the year. Anyone know that detail?
I don't pretend to be an expert on "all things Jeep," but I do know some things. I know a little (I think) and many others know a lot.
I have a much-modified 1946 CJ2A. It has been stretched 14 inches, has Dana axles, a 3-cylinder Deutsch, air-cooled, diesel engine, a 5-speed truck transmission, dual roll bars, dual fuel tanks, a large roof rack, and modern seats. The body has fuel cans mounted on the side, and the roof rack carries Pelican- type military cases (most of which, I will admit, that I don't need to carry in "normal times" but, then, I don't have it for normal times). Some people feel compelled to wave at me every time I drive it around town.
Both Willys and Ford produced military Jeeps for the US Government. This Willys, a CJ2A, is a post-war civilian Jeep. (To be technically correct, the CJ2A actually began production in July '45, I suppose after Uncle Sam decided that the country had enough Jeeps to finish the war, so, technically, for those who care, that is two months before the end of the war.) The most obvious things in the photo that tells a viewer that this Willys is post-war production are the headlights and turn signals. The chrome ring around the headlight first appeared with civilian CJ2A production. Military Jeep (MB) headlights were recessed into the grill an inch or so, and with no chrome around them. (I'm thinking that someone figured out very early that chrome was a bad thing on tactical vehicles.) To my knowledge, all Willys Jeeps that are painted OD in order to pass as WW2 military Jeeps actually began life as civilian production CJ2A.
My 1946 CJ2A does not have "Willys" stamped into its grill. "Willys" is, however, stamped into the windshield frame at the center.
The windshield is a one-piece windshield, so this Willys would be later production, perhaps '48 or '49?
Some Willys' purists may find the serious modifications to a classic '46 Willys to be anathema, but the main modifications were done before I bought it. Frankly, i would have preferred to have a restored WW2 Willys Jeep, but mine will do.
Beyond that, I will defer to comments from the real experts about this Willys.
WWII military jeeps have the headlights mounted on a bracket that is hinged to the back of the grille. Removing a wingnut allows the bracket to be flipped up pointing the headlight into the engine bay when maintaining the engine. Chromium was a strategic resource in WWII. It is used for plating hydraulics such as aircraft landing gear shock struts, as an alloying element for steel used in gun barrels and receivers, and for chromoly steel tubing for aircraft engine mounts and structures. Al_in_Ottawa
The Willys pictured above is a CJ-3B. Nearly identical to the 2A, except for the engine. The 2A had the flathead Go-Devil engine, the 3B had the L head Hurricane. The Hurricane was taller than the Go-Devil, which necessitated the high hood on the 3B.
And it's a beauty.
ReplyDeleteThere is a feature of the grill that divides production years; I don't recall which but the 7 vs 9 bar design helps identify the year. Anyone know that detail?
The Ford GPW (WW2) had a 9 bar grill, which Ford patented. Willy’s Jeeps have 7, which they patented.
ReplyDeleteI don't pretend to be an expert on "all things Jeep," but I do know some things. I know a little (I think) and many others know a lot.
ReplyDeleteI have a much-modified 1946 CJ2A. It has been stretched 14 inches, has Dana axles, a 3-cylinder Deutsch, air-cooled, diesel engine, a 5-speed truck transmission, dual roll bars, dual fuel tanks, a large roof rack, and modern seats. The body has fuel cans mounted on the side, and the roof rack carries
Pelican- type military cases (most of which, I will admit, that I don't need to carry in "normal times" but, then, I don't have it for normal times). Some people feel compelled to wave at me every time I drive it around town.
Both Willys and Ford produced military Jeeps for the US Government. This Willys, a CJ2A, is a post-war civilian Jeep. (To be technically correct, the CJ2A actually began production in July '45, I suppose after Uncle Sam decided that the country had enough Jeeps to finish the war, so, technically, for those who care, that is two months before the end of the war.) The most obvious things in the photo that tells a viewer that this Willys is post-war production are the headlights and turn signals. The chrome ring around the headlight first appeared with civilian CJ2A production. Military Jeep (MB) headlights were recessed into the grill an inch or so, and with no chrome around them. (I'm thinking that someone figured out very early that chrome was a bad thing on tactical vehicles.) To my knowledge, all Willys Jeeps that are painted OD in order to pass as WW2 military Jeeps actually began life as civilian production CJ2A.
My 1946 CJ2A does not have "Willys" stamped into its grill. "Willys" is, however, stamped into the windshield frame at the center.
The windshield is a one-piece windshield, so this Willys would be later production, perhaps '48 or '49?
Some Willys' purists may find the serious modifications to a classic '46 Willys to be anathema, but the main modifications were done before I bought it. Frankly, i would have preferred to have a restored WW2 Willys Jeep, but mine will do.
Beyond that, I will defer to comments from the real experts about this Willys.
WWII military jeeps have the headlights mounted on a bracket that is hinged to the back of the grille. Removing a wingnut allows the bracket to be flipped up pointing the headlight into the engine bay when maintaining the engine.
DeleteChromium was a strategic resource in WWII. It is used for plating hydraulics such as aircraft landing gear shock struts, as an alloying element for steel used in gun barrels and receivers, and for chromoly steel tubing for aircraft engine mounts and structures.
Al_in_Ottawa
Newer than a ‘48, mine had a Center bar in the windshield
DeleteThe Willys pictured above is a CJ-3B. Nearly identical to the 2A, except for the engine. The 2A had the flathead Go-Devil engine, the 3B had the L head Hurricane. The Hurricane was taller than the Go-Devil, which necessitated the high hood on the 3B.
ReplyDeleteDang. The higher hood detail escaped me. Now I know.
DeleteCJ3-B, The red headed stepchild of the Willy's / Jeep world.
ReplyDeleteThere's a '55 red headed stepchild parked in my garage.
Delete