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Thread: The Frankenjeep

  1. #81
    Super Moderator bmorgil's Avatar
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    All the plates were mostly brass in the beginning and then Zinc (steel) and Aluminum were also used. Brass does not necessarily indicate Military. The way Willys was operating at that time, the tag could have been made from any of the three materials. The pop rivets are not original as you noted.

  2. #82
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    My copy of the CJ3A History Book By Bob Westerman arrived today. It didn’t dispel the notion that my CJ3A could be military. In fact, it appears to have been built during the same month (January 1951) the Navy took delivery of a block of CJ3A’s. It would be easier to make the determination if I had the original tub. I sanded a little on the hood looking for numbers or markings but didn’t find any. The color progression is gray then brown and to the current blue. I am guessing the gray is primer but I didn’t remove enough brown to know if there are any numbers on it. The blue on the underside of the hood is flaking off and revealing OD green but I already knew the hood came from an M38. I don’t think a CJ3A would have been delivered to the Navy with an M38 hood.
    Jeff
    '51 CJ3A
    '47 CJ2A

  3. #83
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    It looks like the lack of bumperettes or holes to mount them is going to be the determining factor on whether or not this jeep was part of the Navy order. If I ever run into the previous owner’s uncle again I will have to ask him why he thought it was military. Maybe he knows what tree line the original tub is laying in. Without anything else to go on, I am returning to my original belief that this CJ3A was never military. Very close but not quite.
    Jeff
    '51 CJ3A
    '47 CJ2A

  4. #84
    Super Moderator bmorgil's Avatar
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    Uncovering the past history is one of the fun parts of these things.
    Last edited by bmorgil; 05-16-2022 at 06:00 PM.

  5. #85
    Super Moderator gmwillys's Avatar
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    Agreed. When there is no owner history or paperwork, that's when the archeology comes into play. Scraping paint and looking at past repairs tell a good story.

  6. #86
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    Another thread reminded me of a question I have on mine. It has a steering stabilizer. I never thought anything of it before because I think every 4WD I have owned had one. I am going to have to cut it off but I didn’t see it in the parts manual when I tried to look it up the other day. Is this a normal upgrade for a Willys or is it more of a Bubba fix for a kingpin issue?
    Jeff
    '51 CJ3A
    '47 CJ2A

  7. #87
    Senior Member TJones's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 51 CJ3 View Post
    Another thread reminded me of a question I have on mine. It has a steering stabilizer. I never thought anything of it before because I think every 4WD I have owned had one. I am going to have to cut it off but I didn’t see it in the parts manual when I tried to look it up the other day. Is this a normal upgrade for a Willys or is it more of a Bubba fix for a kingpin issue?
    No it’s not a Bubba fix Jeff, it’s just a after market fix for the dreadful “Death Rattle”or like I’ve called it “ Death Wooble” when your front end is loose or mis-aligned.
    Trust you me, you’ll never Forget It and come real close to making a mess of your seat and pants
    You can find them at any parts store or even on-line.
    Last edited by TJones; 05-27-2022 at 09:05 AM.

  8. #88
    Super Moderator bmorgil's Avatar
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    TJ has the name right it is "Wobble" not "Rattle" and its a rush when it happens!

    I am not a fan of steering stabilizers for on hi-way vehicles. Typically they are installed because they look cool or, there is something wrong in the steering. I do like them in off-road. The impact from off-roading can be very forceful in the steering wheel. The stabilizer takes the "bite" out of the wheel being jerked back and forth by the terrain. On hi-way I think they get in the way. They can slow the response of the steering system and increase the load on it. Used in the right application they are helpful.

    This is a good write up. https://txtire.com/blog/view/steerin...zers-the-truth
    Last edited by bmorgil; 05-27-2022 at 11:23 AM.

  9. #89
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    I have experienced the wobble. When I was a kid my Dad had a 1975(?) GMC 3/4 ton full time 4wd that would do it really bad if you got mud packed into the rims. You had to hit the brakes and get one side off the pavement to stop it. It was almost a daily thing during the corn irrigation season until Dad got around to replacing the steering stabilizer. I think it was original equipment on it but that was a long time ago. I may not have been a teenager yet when I started driving it on the highway and I am pretty sure we still had it when I graduated high school. Later on I had a steering stabilizer go bad on a Bronco. I never had a parts book for it but spotting what had failed was pretty easy (probably because of the GMC) and I just took the bad part to NAPA and they sold me a new one. It not being in the parts book and knowing my CJ2A doesn’t have one got me wondering. Thanks for the replies.
    Jeff
    '51 CJ3A
    '47 CJ2A

  10. #90
    Super Moderator gmwillys's Avatar
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