Note: Dan Bever of Darlington, Indiana began this CJ-3B restoration project, but sold his 3B's to concentrate on his World War II Willys MB. See also:
Dan's comments:
"I had thought that this 1953 CJ-3B was a CJ-2A as the hood was missing and the
grille and fenders were in the back of the Jeep. I plan to do a ground
up resto on it, but that may take awhile. There are a lot of parts
missing but it looks like most of the major stuff is still there:
engine, front and rear axle, transmission, body, frame, fenders, grille.
My plans at this time are not to do a 100% showroom restoration, but to
go thru a frame up rebuild and have a good looking and useable Jeep
in the end. I am not too concerned with staying all original, but
will probably stay pretty close and stay original where possible."
"Parts missing: hood, windshield, wheels, radiator, head, exhaust
manifold, carburetor, steering wheel, seats, just to name a few. But the
Jeep had a Kentucky title and plate so the body/frame is not in too bad
shape in regards to rust. This CJ-3B is far from being a cream puff
but I figure it is worth saving."
"This is a fairly early unit, 4989 off the assembly line. One of the things I
notice on later 3B's (after 1955) is the use of one main gauge cluster
instead of five separate gauges like on mine."
"I am
going to try my hand at some cutting and welding on my tub. I
could probably fabricate some of the panels if I had to, but would
like to try and find aftermarket panels.
I am going to start with taking everything apart and getting
the frame sandblasted. I want to totally strip the tub -- I would like to
have it dipped, but that may be too expensive. Might have it sandblasted also."
Thanks to Dan for the photos. This was one of the first projects documented on The CJ3B Page. -- Derek Redmond
Continue to Part 2: Lifting the Tub
CJ3B Home | Site Map | Updates | Search | Links | Bulletin Board