The finishing touches on this project really brought it together. From the Willys and 4 wheel drive stencils to the rope wrapped bumper and mounted fireman’s ax, it is set apart from average Jeep restoration. The factory side mounted spare is another touch that is left out on most restorations. Over the years many of these mounts disappeared and many restorations leave them out or switch over to the more modern/popular rear mounted spare. The end result is a period correct Jeep with some one off personal touches.

From 1941 through 1945 American soldiers over seas fell in love with the newly invented “Jeep”, with over 300,000 made during the war they became common place in military life. After the war ended in 1945 Willys immediately saw huge potential in the Jeep as a civilian vehicle and soldiers coming home from the war were familiar with them and just how useful this part truck and part tractor could be in everyday life at home, and so the “Civilian Jeep” Jeep CJ was born. Many CJs like the one featured here were used around farms and homes for many different jobs than one could imagine. From farming plows and sickle bars to tow truck hoist frames and PTO driven sawmills the CJ could be adapted to do almost anything! Because of this hard life and being open to the elements these CJs were prone to rust and rot but because of their simple body lines and square shape they were usually simply and crudely patched up and ready for further service. This Particular Jeep was just this case but in recent years companies have began to produce new steel body “tubs” and fenders making the restoration process much simpler.

This CJ2A spent most of the last seventy years right here in Worcester County Massachusetts. This being the case the body was in terrible shape so using a brand new body saved countless hours of body work and welding. After taking this huge part of the restoration off the table it was onto the engine and drive line which proved to be a huge project within itself. The Jeep would go through two engines before accepting the third into service. The original engine would turn out to have a cracked block and a second “good” engine would also have the same problem. To get a usable engine, a bare chassis and drive train parts truck was acquired and raided for parts. Once this happened the rest of the project went smoothly and the Jeep was ready for another seventy years of service.