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My Willys CJ3B
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https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-vehicles/51149-my-willys-cj3b.html)
My dream of owning a Left Hand Drive Short chassis jeep finally came trueclap:. I now possess a 1955 Willys CJ3B. It is a 3B with the original Petrol Engine, 3 + 1 Gearbox & 4x4 intact. The jeep has a lot of original stuff like Willys Stamped radiator grill, bonnet and Tailgate (folding downwards type).
I will be documenting my repairs, upgrades and restoration on this thread. So, I seek your valuable inputs.
I’ll let the pictures do the talking
Continued....
Ooooooooooooooooooooh!
What a beauty!
Way to go, namesake!
I would like to thank a few t-bhpians who helped me a lot during my sojourn and also have been constantly helping me in getting my jeep to shape:
Raghavendra(Pavan Kadam): for being a great buddy, hearing me out patiently for the last 6 months, giving me leads about Jeeps on sale, accompanying me on many Jeep inspections, for helping me sort out the initial niggling issues with the Jeep, towing the Jeep 18 kms when the vehicle had carburetor issues, for helping me in getting the Jeep to its current state and lots more
UBS(Uday Bhan Singh): for guiding me during the last three months in my quest for a jeep, for giving me pieces of valuable information about how a 1955 Jeep should be. He has also offered to help me with some rare spare parts.
Jammy(MM440): for letting me buy this jeep off him. Jammy wanted to do this Jeep up himself since it was a rare find. He only let me have it after being totally convinced that I would restore and take good care of the jeep.
Arka(ex670c) and Mahendra(Nitrous): for guiding me when I had found another Willys a few months ago.
Shahnawaz(khan_sultan): for his constant interactions via PM/phone during my search, for encouraging me to accompany the jeepers on an OTR. This really helped me understand whether I really wanted a Jeep or was it just another passing fancy. I knew for sure that I really wanted a jeep.
I would also like to thank T-bhp and the
CJ3B Page for helping me learn and understand the Jeep better:thumbs up
Some interesting facts about my Cj3B:
1) Has the original “willys” stamped radiator grille, bonnet and tailgate(dropping type)
2) Has the original data plates/instruction plates
3) Has the cover for the sealed beams (I need to look for LHD sealed beams)
4) Has a small differential(Dana 25) in the front and large one in the rear(Dana 44) while the ratio is the same. Don’t know much about this apart from what UBS and Jammy told me
5) Has the steel foldable glass frame (it is aluminium these days)
Here is how the Jeep looked like when I bought it:
now thats straight out of a Bollywood movie....police in LHD willys jeep chasing bad guys..
congrats on the rare find and hope you do justice to it by restoring it!
cheers:
I intend to restore this Jeep as a civilian CJ3B, as close to original as practical.
Here is how a 1955 Willys CJ3B should look like. The plan is to do a ground up restoration in about six months to one year’s time. So currently, my focus is on understanding and enjoying the jeep, improving the overall safety(making it streetlegal) and reliability, collecting of spares.
Some of things that I have already done are:
1) Changed all fluids (oils, water)
2) Removed the rag top and underlying cage-like structure
3) Removed the rear seats (side facing)
4) Painted the interiors dark blue as the interior was painted in metallic green while the exterior was dark blue
5) An overcoat of the existing color
6) Wheels have been painted white
7) Cleaned the Petrol Tank (had a lot of rust)
8) Fitted the stephney on the RHS
9) Replaced all four shock-absorbers with brand new ones and reset the leaf springs
10) Carburetor tune up
Some things I have planned in the interim are:
1) Change Fenders as they are incorrect(I will be getting them shortly)
2) Fuel Cap and nozzle are incorrect (already found one)
3) Get a set of good 16” rims and 6.00 X 16 ndms tyres
4) Get new battery and also get the entire wiring done up
5) Lambda Free wheeling hubs (already bought them, will be fitted soon)
6) Search for original Tool Box (originally found below passenger seat)
7) Get new seats done in 1 + 1 configuration in front and front facing rear seat (seat frames to be designed like in original, passenger seat to fold to allow ingress to rear seat
8) Foldable Scissor top (I love the look of the 3B with its windshield folded, so will use the top only in bad weather)
9) Search/Fabricate Fan Shroud as it is missing
10) Get Radiator serviced\replaced if required
11) 3 Meters are original (2 are not working, so needs restoration). Search for other two meters
12) Get a set of period horns like Jalwa fitted inside the engine bay (need your help in finding one)
13) Get a pair of 6” classic
KC Daylights fitted on the front bumper
14) Get number plates done in classic style. Karl, I need your help in getting this done
15) Get wooden blocks made to support folded windshield. Currently, the jeep has rubber door stoppers :D
16) I bought a pair of classic “Yosemite Sam” mudflaps from the US even before I bought a 4x4. Will be putting these. Here is a picture of
these mudflaps on RedMM340’s jeep.
I need your valuable inputs, please keep them coming:)
its a big problem to import spare parts to restore any kind of vehicle in india. specially the when importing parts from yankee land, that too to restore a military jeep!
cheers:
Some Random pictures:
Pic 1: Raghavendra towing my Jeep with his Beetle (for 18 kms) when we had issues with fuelling because of rust flakes entering carburetor. I was more worried about Raghavendra's bumper than my Jeep :). Seeing me so paranoid about his Beetle's butterfly bumper, he went home and got his Tata Safari to tow.
Pic 2 & 3: Top being removed
Pic 4: Tailgate before painting
Pic 5: Painting of interiors
WHat is that sign!! 'NO SIGNAL' means.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SirAlec
(Post 1106044)
WHat is that sign!! 'NO SIGNAL' means. BTW Please! Please! I commented before, and reported million times, OK! not million but atleast hundred times. Please have some courtesy of rotating the images before posting. Its a pain to turn either the head or laptop to view it. I hope its not to much to ask. |
that sign actually means "No Hand Signal"! cause the driver is sitting on the left side of the vehicle and in india the normal side of sitting is on the right side of the vehicle. so thats why the sign....
cheers:
Thanks Steer and Parm for your kind words:)
Quote:
Originally Posted by SirAlec
(Post 1106044)
WHat is that sign!! 'NO SIGNAL' means. |
This sign was already there when I got the vehicle. I will remove it when I visit the garage next. The tailgate and the bonnet has not yet been painted with an 'overcoat' yet. After the overcoat, I will be painting "4-Wheel Drive" in white using a stencil I found on the CJ3B page.
The sign 'No Signal' is a word of caution to the vehicle behind you that there will be no hand signal as the driver is seated on the LHS. This was a common sign on Left Hand Drive vehicles in the pre-turn signal/indicator era.
Some more random pictures:
Pic 1: 5 Meter dashboard - standard in WW-II, Cj2As and Cj3As but rare on CJ3Bs
Pic 2: Data/Instructions Placard
Pic 3: Front Diff (Dana 25)
Pic 4: Rear Diff (Dana 44)
thanx for the photos. jeep restoration is a slow and stressfull process, so you have to take it easy with this baby of yours!
cheers:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Parm
(Post 1106066)
thanx for the photos. jeep restoration is a slow and stressfull process, so you have to take it easy with this baby of yours! |
Thanks Dude, will do. It will be one learning experience.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluestraveller
(Post 1106074)
Are you sure the speedometer is original? Didn't WILLYS come with a large speedometer with temp and fuel gauges within it? |
The speedometer size is original for a 55 Willys, but the meter has been replaced with a 'Yenkay' unit. The larger Speedo started appearing in 1956.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluestraveller
(Post 1106074)
Nice jeep. I'm hoping a new colored paint is also part of the restoration |
Definitely is. The paint job is more than 6 months away, until then it will remain "police jeep" blue:D.
Picture 1: I always liked this sand colored 3B in the below pic (found elsewhere on the forum). However, my 3B will not have any military fittings
Picture 2: Another color that has caught my fancy is the "Treebark Brown Poly" below. Source:
Here on the CJ3B Page.
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