1953: Richard Laflamme
Richard is in Quebec, and writes in French, "The transmission and transfer case have been replaced. The body has been rebuilt from parts (only the hood, the tailgate, the windshield frame and the part before the body tub are original).
"It now has 31" tires, a 1-1/2" shackle lift, new gauges, hand throttle, bucket seats from a '79 Firebird, modification for 2WD low, hinges for the hood, and all hardware in stainless steel. All that's left is to reinstall the engine (90K JPEG's).
1953: Diego Marcelo Baldini
"I come from Argentina but I'm living in Brazil where I've found this beauty '53. It's motorised with an OHC 2.3 4-cylinder engine by Ford, and a 4-speed with a first gear that's very short but very strong. I was working on it for 8 months, but finally it's finished."
See a photo of Diego enjoying his Jeep (30K JPEG), plus these photos of his project: the engine, the interior, the swinging pedals, and a rear view (20K JPEG's).
1953: Louie Larson
Louie Larson, formerly of Willys Minneapolis, lives in Bloomington MN, and says, "This red '53 is one of five CJ-3B's that I own. I drive it as often as possible and I certainly use it off road. It is also equiped with a Warn Overdrive and a Lok-Rite in the rear diff. I drove this Willys from Mpls. to California last summer and did the Rubicon trail with it. Used the winch 5 times to pull myself off the rocks. Put on a little over 5000 miles in 3 weeks time. Had a GREAT time doing this trip. It of course was not without minor problems. The washboard roads in Montana broke the grille mounting to the frame. Had that welded at a JI Case dealer. Vacuum advance fell off the dist. I traveled with 3 other vintage Jeeps on this trip. A '70 CJ-5, '65 CJ-6, and a CJ-7. A Wrangler was allowed to tag along behind."
See a beautiful photo of three of Louie's Jeeps (100K JPEG): "The blue one is a 1961 original 3B, unrestored with 16,xxx original miles on it. The Jeepster is a 1948, the 10th Jeepster built. All pictured vehicles are driven on a regular basis."
See also a photo from the rear (100K JPEG), including two of several MBT, Bantam and M-100 trailers in Louie's collection.
1953: Jack Van Riper
"I have been drooling over The CJ3B Page for over a year now, hoping I could find the Jeep I have been looking for. I almost settled on a CJ-3A , but lo and behold I found a "cherry" '53 CJ-3B! It is original (restored with N.O.S. parts) right down to the proverbial non-functioning fuel gauge! It's even still 6-volt with floor starter. The seats were re-done and also the paint job (original color?).
"Having had several Jeeps in the family over the years, I've finally found a high hood. We are going to take 'er north to the cabin for nothing but joy riding (maybe a little work too)! I am in desperate need of a back seat."
See more photos of Jack's Jeep in Vernon, Michigan: front view, rear view, left rear,
left front (former cover photo) and interior with daughter Jordan (60K JPEG's).
1953: Mike Kautzman
"I've owned my '53 CJ-3B for 10 years now. I purchased it from a guy in Longview, Washington and he had put in the steering ('53 Studebaker) and Ford V8 and transmission. I use it for off-road mostly, and also to run back and forth from work on nice days. During the summer it sees a lot of miles. I have a Best top for it, but can't seem to get myself to put it on very often. A topless Jeep seems to just be so much more fun."
See some action photos and details of Mike's Mustang V8 CJ-3B.
1953: Jose Ricardo Bateman
I bought this car from my partner's father in Bogota, Colombia, who had it for 37 years and bought it from the first owner in 1963. Everything except the air windshield wiper system and the horn seems to be original. This man told me he used the Jeep for not more than 200 miles per year since 1970. This car was registered on the Colombian Owners Card as a 1952 model because it was purchased in November 1952 and brought to Colombia in that month."
Serial number of this early CJ-3B is 453GB2 11914, and the engine number is 4J12235. See also a high angle photo of the Jeep (40K JPEG), and more information on Jeeps in Colombia.
1953: Glenn R. Gray, Jr.
Glenn lives in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and says, "I bought the Jeep to use when I go hunting. I have found that it will go anywhere that the quads will go. I have owned it since 1998, and so far I have put in a new gas tank, soft top and tires, and rebuilt the steering box. I plan to convert it to 12 volts but it still has the original 6-volt system that works fine.
"The engine was rebuilt and all 4 brakes were replaced, even the drums, before I bought it. I would like to upgrade to 11-inch brakes in the future. I am going to restore it, hopefully in the spring: I am tossed between restoring it to factory original and modifying it. I don't want to ruin its value as it is pretty much original. The body has been fixed with bondo but never hacked up. The only thing is, it has custom-made fenders that look good but not correct."
Check out the larger view of Glenn with the Jeep, out in the bush at the first snowfall of the year (90K JPEG).
1953: Jean-Francois Lavie
"Reading Jimmy Nylund in Four Wheeler confirmed my idea that a Range Rover V8 in a flatfender was possible, despite all the opinions I heard in France. Basically the key is a cut Range Rover bellhousing with a gear box adapter plate welded to it. Yes, Rover aluminium can be welded!"
See more details and photos of this Rover V8-Powered CJ-3B.
1953: Mike Enault
"The body is in excellent shape, and is going in the paint shop for candy apple red paint. Has a small block Vette engine on steroids (hot cam), new starter, new battery, new distributor, new water pump, new hoses, new 11" brakes, new gauges (in the original holes), big tires and runs like a striped as** ape. But I did find out you don't drive a 47-year-old, 80-inch wheelbase, overpowered Jeep over 40-45 miles per hour! This mutha sounds bad! It's used just for cruising -- I'm too old for rock climbing."
See also a rear view photo (50K JPEG) revealing the roll cage and California plates.
1953: Dean Thiem
Dean Thiem of Oak Harbor, Washington has completely rebuilt his '53, including the aftermarket Koenig box extender. Dean comments, "I thought that the two braces that go from the bumper to the back edge of the box were not correct but after seeing the catalog picture of an extension body (100K JPEG) from the late-1950's Jeep Specialized Vehicles and Equipment catalog, I realized that they came from the factory that way.
"I was worried about mounting the spare tire on the box to begin with. The sidewall has a doubler on it and the original spare tire mount aligned perfectly with holes. I put a doubler on the other side to support the weight of gas can and added a brace to it to help support the weight. It has a bit of sideways movement but isn't showing any signs of stress cracking yet."
See Story of a Long-Box Willys for more more photos and details of Dean's project.
Continue to 1953 Owners and Photos, Page 4.
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 and to
The CJ-3B Database. -- Derek Redmond
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