New member from New Hampshire

[BrianAnthony]

Hi everyone; I finally did it!
I’ve wanted a Willys ever since I saw the adds in the back of the magazines for “ Jeep’s in a Crate for $50 “ back in the late Fifties. Guess what, I never did find one but I picked up a 1951 or 52 CJ-3A. She’s tired and she’s going to need work but she’s all mine.
The serial number on the firewall reads 452-GB1 35236. Now the engine block casting block number is 638632 W6 A N1-CR-NI. There is a number stamped in front of the block number that is stamped 6-6
Now the number I’m having problems with is the engine serial number. I’m reading it as M(B? )615000. Between the M (B?) and the numerals is a punch mark. What do I have? The guy I bought it from said the engine wouldn’t turn and he’d been soaking the four cylinders with kerosene with the kerosene going through #1,2 and 3. When I got it home I cleaned out number 4 and it looks like someone had used a hammer and block of wood to break it free.
Sorry for being long winded but I’m excited to finally have one, it’ll be a work in progress. Thanks

[bmorgil]

Hello Brian, we love the jeep in a box! https://willysjeepforum.kaiserwillys.com/showthread.php?2276-WWII-Jeep-in-a-Box&highlight=crate Take a lot of pictures of what you have. Take pictures is a broken record here. We always ask for hem. Take some close ups of the serial numbers you are speaking of. Take some shots of the motor apart.

Anything is possible in early CJ3's They are a crossover from the 2A and the MB. Many parts were being used up from Trucks and earlier Jeeps that were phased out as the wars "ended". Some will tell you everything was perfect and all the parts matched originally, this is far from true in the crossover and lean economy years. The Jeep Fest in Toledo has shed tremendous light on early Willys production as there are still a very few left who actually worked there in the 40's an 50's. Some neat stories are heard in the parking lots and show floors. Those fellow's have the last of the history with them. You will find a lot of info here on the Tech pages.

https://willysjeepforum.kaiserwillys.com/showthread.php?2464-JEEP-Serial-Numbers-Production-Figures-amp-Models

[gmwillys]

Welcome BrianAnthony,

A $50 Crate of Jeep would be nice to stumble across, (there are still rumors that swirl around that there are still a few in a warehouse that are awaiting discovery) but I'm fairly certain that the rumors are just that.

Bmorgil has already welcomed you with the Jeep restorers motto.... Never say Willys never did anything. Records were atrocious, and models blended from one year to a next until the surplus of parts were consumed. In short, you could own a wagon that was delivered two years after the official end of the model year was over.

[scoutingranch]

I needs pictures...:cool:

[LarrBeard]

The serial number on the firewall reads 452-GB1 35236.


According to our most reliable serial number list, 452 GB1 was the serial prefix for the 1952 CJ 3 The serial sequence started at 10001 and ran through 38652 for a total of 29652 vehicles. This makes your CJ a late 52 production vehicle. In '53 the prefix went to 453 and in 51 it was 451, so that pretty well ties down the year of manufacture.

The engine number on the water pump boss is the number that matters most.

Gotta have pictures though ...

[okiemark]

You will get a lot of help as I did from the experts here for your Jeep. Keep us posted.

[BrianAnthony]

If I could figure out how to load pictures I would. Let me try to figure this out.

[BrianAnthony]

72747271I hope this works, I’ll give it a try
As you can see the only number on the boss is the number 2. Anything else maybe ground off?

[BrianAnthony]

7275
LarrBeard; the only stamp on the boss is the number 2; the rest ground off?
The engine serial number begins with the letter M then maybe the letter B?
7276

[BrianAnthony]

727772787279
Here you go bmorgil

[bmorgil]

That is a great start! Nice Jeep. The motor looks good from over here! Seriously at first glance I like it. The studs are still there. Those are usually discarded (wrongly) the first time someone tears into it. That is usually a path to trouble. Yours looks good. The bores look like they are not to bad, nothing a bore job wont fix. The valves look like they are collecting soot, a good thing as opposed to steam cleaned or burned up. It looks like it was running when it was put down. I think it will be a good one. It looks like they cracked that piston. That will cause it to expand and get caught in the bore even worse. At this point I would pull the motor and drive it back up and out the top. I wouldn't get to brutal with it. It looks to good to risk damage to the block. Over bore max is .080" You would hate to put a deep scratch in that cylinder.

[BrianAnthony]

Thanks for getting back to me on the engine. The guy I bought it from said he was told it was running when it was parked. He bought several weeks ago and it was delivered to him on a ramp truck. He put a battery in it and fueled it up. When he went to start it the engine went clunk. He pulled the starter and the flywheel wouldn’t move. He pulled the head and put kerosene in the cylinders and number 4 did not seep down. He told me he was going to try and tow it and pop the clutch but the transmission is stuck in neutral. I’m fortunate there as friend of mine has a 1954 Jeep truck that he just finished rebuilding the T90 transmission and told me he would help me figure out what’s going on with it.

I know I might have bought a pig in a poke but I’m in this for the long haul. What I’d like to do is pull the engine and put the Jeep outside for the winter covered with a tarp. Hopefully come spring I can pull the body off and start from the ground up and get it back to running condition.

Would anyone have any ideas on the age of the motor based on the serial numbers? In front of the number is stamped 6-6 then M?615000. Thanks again for all your help guys.7283
7284

[okiemark]

Sounds like you have a plan. I was going to suggest trying to rock it back in forth with it in high gear to get that last piston moving, but the stuck in neutral thing cancelled that. You have a lot to do there but you can get it done.

[bmorgil]

At this point I would suspect it is the original motor until proven otherwise. The number stamped by hand in the block right behind the water pump, is where the factory put the serial number of the vehicle it was put in. The number usually matches the serial number of the vehicle. There are exceptions to say the least. Some were not stamped at all for reasons that were production related. Some were removed from assembled vehicles that were not sold. Some were factory rebuilt. If during any rebuild the deck was milled the numbers will be milled off. Because the studs are still in yours, I would expect a number right behind the water pump on the deck surface. It should be 2 letters followed by six numbers. I think that is the "2" you have a photo of. I would say it doesn't look milled off but who knows! The "2" is odd.

The picture you have of the side boss looks like it begins with a MB. That would indicate it was destined or it was at one time in an MB. However, It is also very possible it was assembled for a military contract then "repurposed" because of the "wars" ending. As the old timers will tell you in the early 50's the plant was full of surplus Military and Civilian vehicles.

[LarrBeard]

The fact that there is no number there hints that the head has been planed at one time or another. If someone had a warped head, they might have faced off both sides to true it up.

"2" might mean .020 planed off, but ????.

I missed the photo of the "MB" number. On my F-134 the original engine number is gone, but a new number was stamped on a boss by the exhaust manifold. I'd vote for that being a restamp of the original engine number as well.

It looks like a typical starting point for a project. Don't lose heart and keep us informed. We can cheer for victories and sympathize for defeats.

[5JeepsAz]

Man what a jeep! Will love watching the progress

[BrianAnthony]

Hi guys, here’s the latest about my tired 1952. As I mentioned earlier #3 and #4 cylinders have been beaten in to free up the engine. I have a chance to pick up a engine and transmission out of a Jeep that was driven into this guys shop, shut off then had the engine and transmission removed from the Jeep and stored in the back of the shop. It’s taking up room in Bobs shop and he wants to sell it. What do you think? Here’s some pictures ( I hope )
7299
7301
7302
7303
7300

[BrianAnthony]

Here’s a picture of the engine
7304
Thanks, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[LarrBeard]

If the price is reasonable and you have a place to store it - grab it! In a year you don't want to say;"I wish I had ... ".

The stamping on the water pump boss looks like it has been planed off and overstamped at some time.

If the first engine is rebuildable, this is a stock for those pieces and parts that turn out to be missing or can't be salvaged. L-134's are not rare by any means, but there aren't any more being built.

[5JeepsAz]

You got me... Here it is from ma google:

The United States Life-Saving Service[1] was a United States government agency that grew out of private and local humanitarian efforts to save the lives of shipwrecked mariners and passengers. It began in 1848 and ultimately merged with the Revenue Cutter Service to form the United States Coast Guard in 1915."

[gmwillys]

The serial number looks to use MB as the prefix. The WWII Jeeps used the MB prefix. The M38 used MC, but the serial number range is too low for your engine to be an M38.

Great project!

[BrianAnthony]

5JeepsAz, You’re right on the money about the USLSS.. I was in the Coast Guard from 1972-1976 and was a Surfman. Instead of launching pulling boats into the surf I operated a 44’ motor lifeboat that could roll over and keep running.
7334

[5JeepsAz]

Love it. The history you become a part of in the service is what it's all about. Then you go in, take your turn, and a hundred years later some move you invented in a crunch like keeping the topside up somehow becomes part of life forever. I did not serve but have known some of the best people who did. Maybe it's just folks like us into resto that love the history. Anyway, I learned about the US Lifesaving service from reading your thread. Cool stuff!

[bmorgil]

Some great stuff on this forum that is for sure Az! All of us "civilians" truly benefit from the Veterans and servicemen on this site.

Brian I have to know... is it a rush doing a 360 underwater under power? Do you hold your breath just in case? Holly smokes!

[gmwillys]

Brian,

Thank you for your service! The guts that it takes to rush into an angry sea rivals our most celebrated warriors.