1953: Frank Armanno
"I use it three or four times a week to fix fences -- we raise Thoroughbreds and Arabians on our horse farm. I have an air compressor in the back, I made brackets to hold the fence boards, and I use the winch to stretch fence wire and move whatever needs to be moved."
See also more pictures, and the story of how Frank found his Hard Working Jeep That Never Complains.
1953: Roger Prince
"I bought this Jeep from a gentleman in New Jersey who had bought it at auction in the early '80s. It was apparently a Long Island Police radio vehicle prior to his purchase. This man also had, at the time, a 1972 Jeep Commando in which the mechanicals had been restored. A friend talked him into switching the Commando engine (304 V-8) and drivetrain into the 3B. He had the conversion work done by Hoaks 4-Wheel Drive Center of Wrightsville, PA in 1985. He then had the body completely done over in 1994 (unfortunately he had a replacement hood installed which doesn't have the Willys logo, and a new tailgate with the "Jeep" logo). The conversion work was done very well and the 3B runs and drives great. I'd like to leave the look mostly original. Right now I use it mostly over the road but I expect the off-road use to increase over time. "
See the larger copy of the photo (30K JPEG) for the "HI HOOD" Maine license plate. See also Roger in the dirt (70K JPEG).
1953: Bob Christy
"I was at the Jeep races in Lisbon, Ohio with my '53 CJ-3B, and its original state attracted quite a crowd around it Saturday morning in the campground. I've known many of these guys since 1976 and they are true Jeep lovers. All weekend long people were looking at it, wanting to buy it, and marvelling at the PTO unit on the back."
"While I was there, the clutch pedal broke at the pivot point mounted on the frame. We cannibalized (or K-Balled) the bracket from my friend's '47 CJ-2A racer and I was on my way."
Bob has now fully restored the Jeep: see Honeymoon Sweet 1953 CJ-3B for more photos and details.
1953: Brian Greif
"The Jeep was purchased new by our county road department in 1953, and used for spraying and hauling fuel. I bought it at an auction, and to make a long story short, everything has been repaired, replaced or overhauled. I'm a Caterpillar mechanic by trade, thus the Caterpillar yellow paint. The biggest headache I had was seats. It only had a driver's seat frame when I got it. I could not find any replacement seats, so I cut the seat frame down the middle and widened it to fit the width of the tub."
For more photos, including Brian's bench seat, see Cat Jeep 3B.
1953: Buck Toenges
"I decided to go to the Internet and see if there was any possibility of finding a flat-fender Jeep myself. Lo and behold I made the mistake of finding The CJ3B Page, and the projects of Dan Bever. Since Dan was from Indiana I felt like old neighbors and decided to e-mail him to ask for advice on how to find one of these high hood beauties. He wrote back and said his plate was full and that I could buy three CJ-3B's from him."
See more photos of Buck's project in Rescuing a Jeep, Part 4.
1953: Odd Egil Torgersen
"Greetings from Hurum, Norway. When I bought this Willys last summer it was in good shape, with no rust and a great running engine. My intention was to have it as a hunting car as it was, but I have decided to repaint it in the original Woodstock Green and try to keep it as original as possible."
More photos: the grille (40K JPEG) which shows the extra running lights, and a right side view of the Jeep out in the Norwegian bush.
1953: Uwe Strecker
"I bought the Jeep in Oklahoma City, OK through a friend of mine. The ad said "new paint, engine general overhaul." The yellow paint was new, but the car wasn't even washed. And the engine... probably there was an old general passing the car in his wheelchair."
Some more Project Photos, and details on Uwe's restoration.
1953: Frank Brown
The Arizona title says it's a 1959, but the 453-GB2-26455 serial number is for a 1953 model year. This Jeep has an instrument cluster, which would be post-1955, and a heater air inlet hole on the right cowl, which would be post-1961. So its history appears to be a little complicated -- axle manufacture dates may reveal its original age.
More photos: the optional extras (30K JPEG) that Frank got with the Jeep, and the rear end after repainting (23K JPEG).
The Jeep has both front and rear PTOs. The front PTO operates a Ramsey PTO winch (15K JPEG), while the rear PTO's driveshaft is disconnected. Frank is still looking for a 13 1/2 inch fairlead for his winch.
1953: Bruce Stanley
"As my son and I began the process of a rebuild, I realized that 10 years of neglect really took its toll. I had to knock the pistons out with a very LARGE hammer after soaking them in penetrating fluid for several days." (See a photo of the finished rebuilt engine, a 40k GIF).
"After inspecting the undercarriage and many broken suspension components, I began looking at 'modest improvements'. On went a Rancho 2 1/2" suspension with RS 5000 shocks, Smittybilt full roll cage, 11.50 X 32 BFG AT on American Racing 10" rims, and a host of other goodies." (See a side view with the top off, a 60k GIF.)
"Ever try to find a full cage kit for a 3B? After a call to Smittybilt's product engineer, I found out that they have never had a 3B in for specs so that one could be designed. Through several calls, I determined that it could be done by making modifications to the front cage kit for an early CJ-5 without a dash." (See a photo of the interior and roll cage, a 40k GIF).
Other photos: a rear view in the original green, showing the dash and interior, and the primered, sanded body ready for painting.
1953: Tom Murphy
"I bought the Jeep in 1986 from a truck driver that lived in California. It appears to me that the engine is all original. It has the oil bath air cleaner, canister type oil filter setup. It is still 6 volt with the generator. About the only major thing that is not factory is the soft top that I installed. When I bought the Jeep it had no top. The owner said that a tree fell on it and smashed it, so he gave me a Bestop soft top. It also has a roll bar welded in.
"It needs paint -- I hate body and paint work or I would have already done it in a dark green. It is currently a faded out shade of red. There is some bondo here and there but the body seems to be fairly good. Three years ago I removed the front and rear axle and re-arched all the springs back to specs." (See also a photo from a front view.)
"When I sanded down the frame and axles there was green paint underneath everything. Do you think that this was a primer, or is there a possibility that my Jeep was a military Jeep at one time?"
Continue to 1953 Owners and Photos, Page 2.
Return to the index of Jeep CJ-3B Owners and Photos.
You can contact the CJ3B Page to add your CJ-3B to the Owners & Photos pages. -- Derek Redmond
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