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Hi from NW Arkansas
Just joined the forum. Been rebuilding old Jeeps for a long time. I have a 1953 M38A1 that is operational but still needs paint work. I bought it at a Sheriff's auction in the late 80s and have been working on and off since. Mechanically it's good to go now for the paint work.
I also have two other Jeeps that I need to get to work on or sell them. The best one is a 1948 CJ2A that the body is in restore able shape and I just finished rebuilding the Go Devil engine which came out of the other one, a 1951 CJ3 that was/is a basket case.
A picture of the M38A1 while I was proofing an old Remington Rolling Block rifle.
http://i59.tinypic.com/6o03o9.jpg
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What kind of shape is the CJ3 in? I have an operational CJ3 but it needs a lot parts swapped out.
Jeff
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The CJ3 that I call my basket case is in restoreable condition. The guy I bought it from started on it but had some health issues and couldn't finish. The grill, windshield frame, front bumper, gas tank, hood & fenders are in the tub. The tub has some repairable rust through but not too bad.
http://i60.tinypic.com/2r7o4lh.jpg
http://i58.tinypic.com/120s9oo.jpg
http://i58.tinypic.com/2vufvk6.jpg
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The '48 CJ2A is in much better shape. I rebuilt the engine out of the CJ3 intending to put it & the transmission into the CJ2A.
http://i60.tinypic.com/2lmug69.jpg
http://i59.tinypic.com/2dwavs7.jpg
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Welcome to the forum. Nice collection there. That 2A looks like an easy restore. Looks like a GPW or MB passenger seat.
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I was tinkering with the engine out of the '51 CJ3A and learned that the engine was not original to that vehicle. The title shows an engine number of 451GB127133 and the engine has the number J265914 stamped on it. Sometime in it's lifetime the engine was replaced with a later engine... interesting. I also learned the engine mounts are different between the CJ2 and Cj3.
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I think your title has an error. The automotive industry did not start "matching" numbers until the mid-fifties and I read in other places engine blocks were not tracked at the Willys factory. According to http://www.cj3apage.com/index/Tech_Tips/dating_a_cj.htm the first CJ3A engine serial number should have been 3J10001 and did not stay one for one with chassis production. If I understand the serial number format changes correctly, your current engine most likely came from a late CJ2. I am no expert and am having trouble finding definitive serial number explanations for the L-134 but nowhere in my research have I encountered a reference to an L-134 engine serial number starting with "451GB1". If you know a good engine serial number site please share the link.
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'Way back when - titles often used engine numbers instead of vehicle serial numbers. The title for my '48 Willys had the original engine number on it, but, by the time I moved to Indiana in 1969 that engine was long gone. The vehicle data plate had a serial number (2T>>>>>>>), but that did not cross to the title. In their wisdom, the Indiana State Police assigned a Vehicle Identification Number to the truck, requiring me to attach a permanent tag to the vehicle with their number. Of course, since a vehicle can only have one number - the original vehicle data plate had to come off.
It was lost long ago, so I don't have the original serial number for the truck.
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On mine the title and VIN plate on the firewall match. I thought the last numbers of the VIN were the numbers stamped on the engine block.
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I should have mentioned that while researching serial numbers, I learned VIN numbers did not come into use until 1954 and it wasn't until 1981 they were standardized by the feds forcing the 17 digit code found on vehicles today. That is why some states don't recognize the original serial numbers.
I didn't know much about CJ3's when I bought mine. My CJ3 actually has 2 data plates, one is for a '46 CJ2A and the other is the '51 CJ3A it is titled as. Both appear to be original and are mounted next to each other on the firewall. The vehicle itself is a Frankenstein combination of CJ2A, CJ3A and M38 parts along with someone's poor idea of a joke to install big seats from a van(?) and a huge roll cage bolted to the wheel wells with no support underneath (yes, the wells are broken out). I still don't know much about it but since my long term goal is to match the CJ3A frame to a CJ3A tub and take the CJ2A tub and tag and build a second jeep, I suspect I'll have a good idea before I'm done ;)
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Well I have decided to sell both of the CJ's. I have developed some back problems, which makes it hard to work on them. If anyone is interested send me a PM.
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Try posting them on www.willysforsale.com it is a free classifieds site.
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The last photo of the passenger quarter of the 48 is a Bondo patch, which I have removed and the metal is not rusted through. It was a dent that was just filled and could be straightened.
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I had a 66 CJ5 years ago that had a patch like that. It looked a lot better after I chipped the bondo off of it. The dent was just a big shallow depression with no real creases or wrinkles. The bondo was way too thick and built up high enough to not look right (almost convex instead of flat). I find it amazing what some people will try to fill.
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Still have both Jeeps and they are listed in the classified section.
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Well, today both the Cj2A and Cj3A have been sold.
Thank you Willys Jeep forum. I'll still hang around because I still have my 1953 M38A1 that I drive on a regular basis.
