1954: Keith Hepper
Keith is in Spearfish, South Dakota, and also has a '59 3B with a Chevy V6 and power steering. He says this '54 was "purchased for $300. Body is in good condition, all original except for heater. Has a Koenig/Sears metal half cab, rear seat frame. I currently have the engine, trans, and TC out of it and doing repairs." See the right side (150K JPEG) and left side (180K JPEG) of the rebuilt engine. Also the transfer case (100K JPEG) on Keith's workbench.
See a rear view photo (70K JPEG) showing the roll bar and aftermarket flush-mount taillights.
The Jeep's VIN is OB5410027, making it #27 of the approximately 2,500 early 1954 models with the unique OB serial numbers.
1954: Rick Streiff
"Here's a 1954 CJ-3B that's just been fixed up for driving. It was originally Bristol Red (maroon) in color and had been repainted various colors before being stripped down for this paint job. Don't know the history of this Willys. It came from Wells, Nevada where it was used as a hunting rig for the last 20 years or so. It came with a spare F-head engine although the engine in it has never been rebuilt and still has good compression."
See also a rear view photo (90K JPEG) showing the rack for gas can and spare tire. "It swings open hinged on the right side. Obviously a homemade rack... came with the Willys when I bought it."
1954: Mike Newman
"I drove my stepdad's '53 3B for the first time when I was 13 years old. I learned to drive in that Willys and drove it during high school. Now, 20+ years later, I'm back behind the wheel of a 3B. It took me six months of searching the western U.S. and I finally found one in my back yard (Las Vegas). The body is very rough. Mechanically it's really sound. It has new brakes, master cylinder, generator, Solex carburetor, fuel pump, and gas tank. The transmission is leaking and I'm going to pull the radiator and have it looked at. Now the fun begins as I return it to stock. Thanks in advance for everyone's help."
See also a side view photo (40K JPEG) and the engine (40K JPEG).
1954: Philippe Levesque
"In the picture, the little guy you see is me when I bought the beast -- I was 17 years old at the time and I got it a good deal on it. The story goes like this: the wife of my neighbor left him, so he got depressed and sold everything including the Willys which was sold for $1500, then the guy who bought it had too many cars and he sold it to me for $2500, which was still a good price in Costa Rica. I had it for 2 years before beginning to restore it. Now it's been a year since I drove it and hope to have it back on the road soon!
"Some of the things I've done on the Willys are the following: 2.5 inch tube roll bar, removed the original seats and put in sport buckets instead, complete overhaul on the original engine, put on a brand new YF carter carburetor that I found in California on the web (paid 320 bucks plus shipping to Costa Rica). Now I am doing a complete restoration on the body and will have it finished with a professional oven-cooked Sikkens polyurethane coating."
1954: Charlie Cherry
Charlie in New Jersey, says: "My 3 year old son named the Jeep "Old Rusty". I don't know the vehicle's history, other than the fact it was last registered in '91 in upstate Pennsylvania. The odometer says 34,000 miles. The tub is shot (hacked up and a ton of metal welded to it), but it's complete, runs pretty well and all parts are restorable. Grill, tailgate, hood all are in excellent condition under all that paint. Notice on the rear photo (20K JPEG) that side panels have been welded on and the corners are square matching the Koenig hard top. I plan on doing a frame up restoration, with the only modifications from original being safety upgrades (roll bar, seat belts, etc.)
1954: Mike Krueger
Mike, who lives in Bowling Green, Ohio, says: "Fiberglass body with a little fender trimming, Dauntless 225 V6 with fresh rebuild. Original suspension with 33/9.50R15 tires, Saginaw power steering, and rewired for 12-volt electrical. A very unassuming Jeep until she is on the trail and then she just embarrasses most of the well-built trail vehicles. She's also my daily driver."
See also a photo of Mike's Jeep stuck in a monster truck rut, on Do CJ-3B's Get Stuck?
1954: John McClenathen
"My grandfather Paul Wallace bought this Jeep new in July of 1954 and used it until he passed away. He used to drive it in the summer from Los Angeles to Mariposa (outside of Yosemite) to use at his gold mine. Over the years he added a 1957 Chevy 283 V8, 11" drum brakes, extra 10-gallon gas tank (where the original muffler went), Warn Overdrive, turn signals, custom exhaust, and hardtop that he made."
See more details and photos on this Gold Mine Jeep.
1954: Jeff Stearns
Jeff in Hillsboro, Oregon, lists the modifications he's done: "Dana 44 5.13 Detroit locker, Hi-Pinion 60 5.13 Detroit locker, TURBO 400, Spicer 18 with Warn OD, Buick 225 V-6. And the all-factory WILLYS steel body. JUST DON'T GET ANY BETTER!
"This the most current photo that I have. It still has the old Dana 25,
offset 44 and toploader 3 speed in it in this picture. The only number that
I can see is on driver's side cowl -- the number is 778778. My dad bought the
Jeep off a car lot about 20 years ago. It's a great thing for me to
share with my 3 kids!"
1954: Guilherme Weigert
"The photos were token in southern Brazil, where I live. My father took care of the Jeep very well while he was alive. I inherited it, and I never intend to get rid of it, as well as never modifying it or adding accessories that deprive it of originality. The engine is still the original F-head Hurricane. The electrical system is now 12V and has electric start with key."
See also a side view photo (70K JPEG).
1954: Evan Palmer
"Has been in the family since 1964. All original. Runs, but needs restoration work. I ran into some tires at Pepboys that worked out great. I was able to keep my original rims and put on some 245/75R16 tires with a nice offroad tread (50K JPEG). I'm still running on them and I am very satisfied with them. I put in an overdrive recently and the Jeep runs smooth (as smooth as it will get!) going at faster than normal speeds (55-60mph) with good handling. The new Saginaw steering helps a bit too."
Continue to 1954 Owners and Photos, Page 3.
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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