1962: Donnie Bennett
"My name is Donnie Bennett and I live in Demorest GA. My 1962 CJ3B once belonged to a grading company when it was thrown in to sweeten a deal for a used bulldozer. The guy took the deal and brought the CJ to my uncle, his best friend and master mechanic, to fix. He wanted it reliable enough to haul his dogs around and go to the local post office. My uncle and I were already working on my '47 CJ-2A at the time and had so much fun getting into both Willys over a Christmas and a Spring Break. When my uncle passed away I hit the guy up for the Willys, if he ever wanted to sell it. Seven years later, I now own it and could not be more pleased with it.
"It is registered as a 1964. The VIN number plate is missing, but the numbers stamped in the frame behind the battery tray are 87876. Would I be close to assume a VIN of 57348 87876? If so, then my Willys would actually be a 1962. The engine numbers have been ground off."
See also an interior photo (130K JPEG) and a rear view (100K JPEG).
1962: Craig Pedemonti
Craig in Connecticut has a great-looking 3B with a drivetrain from a 2A and a tub that looks like it came from an M38. He says, "My brother and I found a completely disassembled CJ-3B body and frame at a garage sale in 1982. There was no drivetrain; only the radiator and boxes of miscellaneous parts. The guy that we bought it from said that it had been his grandfather's project. We brought it home and stripped many layers of paint off it, and to our surprise there was no rust! The body had some unique features like a large hole for the gas filler neck, an axe sheath on the body, and a hole on the rear upper left for a trailer wiring connection. A friend and local Jeep enthusiast thought it was some type of military style body so we painted it semi-gloss olive drab.
"The body and frame were assembled with the drivetrain from a donor CJ-2A that we also owned. The 2A was in running condition but the body was very rough. We used the 3B for fourwheelin' and as a hunting vehicle for a year or so and then put it in storage. I happened upon The CJ-3B Page one evening last winter and was inspired to see if I could get the ol'Jeep running. With lots of help from Brian at Brian's 4WD Jeep Parts in Branford, CT, I've got it running! I have been driving and enjoying it this summer; I can't believe I let it sit for 18 years!"
See also a front view photo (160K JPEG).
1962: Randy Merritt
"After two years the basket case I brought home from West Virginia is finally finished. Although venturing a little farther from stock than I had planned, everything worked out fine. My Jeep incorporates a more modern suspension system (see Wrangler Springs for a '62 3B). Other modifications include Saginaw steering, 4-wheel disc brakes, and the dual reservoir master cylinder conversion."
See also a front view photo (70K JPEG) and a left side photo (60K JPEG).
1962: Louie Larson
This unrestored 1962 Jeep with about 16,000 miles on it, belongs to Louie Larson who says, "The '62 has original Jeep Renegade aluminum wheels and radial tires on it for practical reasons, but I have the five original 700X15 Goodyear NDT's on the original wheels for show. The only other additions are a roll bar, Warn Overdrive and Warn 6K lb. winch. It has new Warn lockouts on it but I also have the original Warn free-wheeling hubs in the tin tool box."
In early 2004 the Jeep was featured in a cover photo (130K JPEG) on The CJ3B Page.
See also a photo of the '62 with a '53 CJ-3B and a 1948 Jeepster (100K JPEG), all belonging to Louie, former owner of Willys Minneapolis. Two of Louie's trailers appear in a photo of the Jeeps from the rear (100K JPEG).
1962: Thorsten Koerner
This nicely restored Jeep in Germany appears to be an M606 military export. Engine number 4J306755 is probably original. The vent in the windshield is an unusual feature.
1962: Michael Hrischuk
"When I first looked at this Jeep it was in the back of a sandwich shop on Main St. in Doylestown, PA, which used to be a Willys/Crosley dealership. It was actually an estate sale as the previous owners (husband and wife) had passed away. You can say though, I bought this Jeep from a former Willys dealer!"
For more photos and details, see Found Behind the Sandwich Shop on The CJ3B Page.
1962: William Mentz
This 3B is registered in Pennsylvania as a '57, but judging by the VIN is probably an early 1962 model. See a photo of the VIN tag (20K JPEG), which reveals the original Fountain Green under the red paint. See also a photo of the interior (70K JPEG), showing the fresh-air heater and defroster, first available in 1959.
Bill says, "I purchased this in March 2000. It had been sitting for 4 years. The first few days of ownership consisted of many lookovers and considerations for restoration, very little wrenching. After finding rust in the gas tank and cylinder head, we decided to tear it apart rather than try to get it started. It is just about ready for the body to be removed."
Bill is looking for information on the origin of the hardtop. For a better look at it, see a photo from the rear (40K JPEG). R.L. Cook has suggested it may be a Kelly hardtop. See also a photo with the top removed (70K JPEG), and a photo of the engine (80K JPEG) showing a horn with a star-pattern grille.
1962: JC Jenkins
"I traded a .22 cal. pistol to a friend for the Jeep. It was missing the gas tank and windshield frame. The axles had been swapped for an early set from a CJ-2A -- both were completely worn out, and the rear wheels fell off towing it home. Since then, we installed a Buick V6, Chevy SM420 granny 4 speed tranny, and found a disassembled CJ-5 and swapped the Dana 44 in the rear and the Dana 30 in the front. Everything in it has been by guess and by golly -- the radiator is a 1969 Toyota Land Cruiser 4 core, the swing pedals are from a Jeepster, we used the Land Cruiser slave cylinder, ND installed a 4 turn Saginaw power steering box.
"It has 11" brakes but we'll soon be installing the front disc setup we got from Mike Heimbigner. Along the way we have had several Black Widow spider bites, skinned knuckles, long cold nights on the garage floor working on the old girl, and we've gotten into a little sideline of getting a lot of Jeeps and finding homes for them. But the most important thing about this whole process has been the bonding experience I've had with my son, and the truly wonderful and interesting people we've met. This is a very nice community."
See also some photos from JC's trips over the Rubicon Trail.
1962: Rafael Sarante
Rafael Sarante's Jeep in the Dominican Republic has a complicated history: "This Jeep belonged to another person, who changed a lot of parts: windshield (Land Rover), engine (Toyota Corolla 2T), radiator (Jeep, maybe Land Rover), pedals (?), rear axle (?). I changed the brakes (Chevrolet 1964), steering gear (Chevrolet 1963, mounting in front, below the bumper), seats (Japanese), steering wheel (Chevrolet 1964), turn signals (Toyota Land Cruiser), and other things I don't remember, but I love my Jeep CJ-3B."
1962: George Steele
"I purchased this Jeep new from Kolars Jeep (dealer) in Seattle, Washington on May 29, 1962. The main reason we bought this Jeep was that it was cheaper than the CJ-5. We were in a hurry the day we bought it, so we took it the way it was that day at the Jeep dealer. It had an ugly Koenig hardtop, Braden PTO winch, Warn Overdrive, and 5.38 gears with power-lok on both ends. I pulled the original engine out in 1965. I did a lot of work on the Jeep that winter. I put in a Chev Nova 4cyl, T-98 4speed, power steering, and built a full floating rear-end with Warn hubs for towing. I believe we put a K-Line soft top on the following summer. We used two different Chev 4cyl's untill 1990 when we installed a 300 Buick that is still in use.
"The Washington state license plate on the Jeep is 62-CJ-3B. We have belonged to the Seattle Jeep Club since 1968. We have a Jeep Club trail run scheduled for August 29, 2042, for my 100th birthday. My 3B and I Will Make That Date."
1962: Rob Baens
"It took us over 2 years to restore it. It was so rotten, people thought we were crazy even to think about restoring it, but we made it. It had a long way to come here: it was used by the U.S. Army, and after that it went to Switzerland, where it served a farmer. After a while it was transported to the harbour of Rotterdam, where it we found it, situated on top of a junkyard."
See 1962 U.S. Army M606 for more off-road and restoration photos and details.
Continue to 1962 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 and to
The CJ-3B Database. -- Derek Redmond
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Last updated 5 April 2011 by Derek Redmond redmond@queensu.ca
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