“A Willys Jeep, 1946 Model CJ-2A”

The Willys Jeep, model CJ2A was produced by Willys-Overland from 1945-1949.  A total of 214,760 of this model were produced (per History and Technical Specs, www.kaiserwillys.com).  My grandfather owned one of these civilian jeeps, produced at the end of WWII.  He used it as a rural mail carrier as it was excellent for use during inclement weather.  Originally it had a canvas top over a pipe frame, two front seats and a rear passenger seat as well.  When I found it in 1970, it was sitting alone and forlorn in the small shed where my grandfather had parked it years earlier.  It still ran, as my father had used it once to take me and my two brothers to our farm pond several miles away down an old dirt road leading out into the midst of an oak and pine forest.  We rode a long way to get there, down a winding dirt road to my grandfather’s pond of bream and bass, a day of good fishing with my brothers and my dad.

I remember distinctly the day I asked my grandfather for permission to drive his jeep.  By then, I had my driving license for over a year, and as his “personal chauffeur” I knew he trusted my ability to drive.  He no longer could see clearly, due to cataracts, and my grandmother did not want him driving anymore.  I drove his 1966 Chevrolet Impala to school occasionally, but at age 16 a young man begins to dream of owning a car of his own.  My Vocational Ag teacher, Mr. Mauney advised use that we all needed some type of “agricultural project” to complete our Ag training.  So while my cousins rebuilt old tractors or cars, I chose to rebuild the 1946 Willys CJ2A Jeep.  Since the owner’s manual clearly showed how this particular jeep, with both high and low range and 4 wheel drive could be used to pull a disk harrow to harrow a field, I was able to persuade Mr. Mauney that to rebuild this jeep was a genuine agricultural “farm” project!

The jeep’s 4 cylinder L4-134 “Go Devil” 60 HP 134.22 CID block engine had cracked and constantly leaked water after a freeze and thaw cycle one winter, so my grandfather had ceased to use it as his regular vehicle to carry mail.  I proposed to my grandfather and to my Ag teacher that I would to take another engine block, bore it out to .0030 oversize pistons and using original parts would rebuild the engine and jeep as my agricultural project.  The old block was to be kept, of course.  My project was accepted, so it was with great anticipation I began.  My best friend Ray assisted, helping me build a platform and a pit from which we could extract both engine and transmission.

I found another engine block in Charlotte, NC and purchased it.  A local mechanic bored it out to correct specs for oversize pistons and rings.  J.C. Whitney in Chicago, IL graciously sold me all the parts needed for the rebuild.  It took a few months to rebuild the engine fully.  Once we got the engine running, it developed a transmission oil leak, which required another disassembly and a transmission rebuild which a mechanic in Gastonia, NC did for me over a month or so.  After this, the jeep proved ready to drive.  The old canvas top was removed, due to age and disrepair, so when I drove it to school with its original blue paint and original seats, it had no top at all.  It did have working lights and one working windshield wiper (vacuum type) which I used for the occasional rain storms which soaked me while driving.

I replaced the carburetor twice with a rebuilt one (from JC Whitney parts, of course), as there was a spot of hesitation in its acceleration in second gear.  But with three forward gears in high range, I could do upwards of 50 mph on my ride to Clover High School.  My jeep went great through both mud and snow and once I had new tires and brakes that worked, I felt safe cruising even down Franklin Avenue on Sunday afternoon, trying to meet girls at the Shoney’s restaurant in East Gastonia, NC.

I quickly found out that high school girls did not like to have their hair messed up in the wind riding in a jeep with no top (or at least that was the excuse they gave for not riding with me) and so while I was in love with this 1946 CJ2A Willys Jeep, it did not prove to be “a chick magnet” as I had hoped.  Sadly, I only found one young woman (save my sister) who actually braved the fury of the wind to ride with me.  Her name was Debbie and I was smitten from the first time I saw her.  However, she was courted soon after by another young man who owned a Datsun 240 Z and he took her away from me.  I quickly determined this was because his car actually had a real metal top, or perhaps he was just a smooth talker.  In any case, Debbie eventually married this same guy right out of high school and I never got to date her again.

I think in almost every young man’s life there is at least one car, auto, jeep or truck that helps him develop his early identity as a male.  I suspect many, as I have done, fall in a love of sorts with their automobile.  Handling every part of the entire vehicle at least once, replacing broken parts and polishing others produces a kind of spiritual bond between a young man and his car.  For the rest of our lives, we remember this one vehicle, “our first car” and somehow it helps us define our spirit and ourselves.

I still think of myself in terms of this CJ2A Willys Jeep.  It was not fancy and certainly not pretty, but it had great utility.  My jeep would go through driving rain, sleet or snow.  It liked dry pavement and wet or no pavement at all.  Never once did it become stuck, as its four wheel drive would handle the most viscous red mud the South Carolina Piedmont could throw at it.  It would haul anything that could be placed in it and it would pull anything attached to it.  I still think of myself this way, balding on the head, but never quitting no matter what the situation.  Even if no one rides with me, the invitation is always there and I promise to get you home safely every time you ride along.

I hope everyone has the chance to own a car like my Willys Jeep, a faithful and good soul that keeps you safe on your journeys and never stops until you are safely home!