[bluestraveller]

Great find and buy . Please keep this jeep as a classic and don't plonk in any other engine into it. The parts may be hard to find in India but can be sourced easily from the rest of the world.

[gotzuk]

Originally Posted by U.B.Singh

Hello Vaibhav,
what a rare find.........Brilliant.
I am confused why you are calling the Bawan a CJ2A?
Going by the pictures and enlarging them out of my screen, my old eyes could see Bawan's battery box, shockabsorber brackets and the front bumper attachments.

Sir,
I was waiting for you to write in.

The Registration copy of the jeep does not mention the manufacturing year,
it just states "disposal". The chassis number is mentioned as CJ2A 220798 and engine number as CJ 206917.
It did have the data plates on the right side of the firewall in the engine bay which i unscrewed and
scraped off the layers of paint to reveal the numbers buried below.
This dataplate mentions the chassis number which matches the registration book.



The other dataplate mentions the body number 182327 with the prefix CJ2A.




Looking up The cj2apage.com, I found the following information on the
CJ2A production figures by the year and the corresponding serial numbers.



Which put the production date to late 1948.
The windscreen frame I got with the jeep is a 3A type single windscreen unit, though.

By baawan, do you mean it is a CJ3A??
Please shed more light on it, I'm confused now

Originally Posted by U.B.Singh

You have a diamond on the dash, please save it well, hope you know what I mean.

Yes Sir, it will kept safely till the time comes for it to be put back.

Originally Posted by U.B.Singh

I have a new condition steering wheel, and emergency brake lever of the CJ XA, incase you accept it all for free.

That is so very very kind of you. I possibly cannot refuse this

Originally Posted by bluestraveller

Great find and buy . Please keep this jeep as a classic and don't plonk in any other engine into it. The parts may be hard to find in India but can be sourced easily from the rest of the world.

Thanks and trust me, I am not going to commit that blasphemy.

Originally Posted by furioussenna

Can you please post some pictures and more details of the blue Jeep in the background.

Will ask my friend to post pics and details of his jeep. He lurks on this forum under the handle "renegade".

[U.B.Singh]

"By baawan, do you mean it is a CJ3A??
Please shed more light on it, I'm confused now"

Yes Vaibhav,
We in India commonly called the CJ3A as Bawans( because of 52, also called 52 Willys),
CJ2A as Willys Ford( because of split windshield)
GPWs and MBs as Fords.
CJ3Bs as Willys.

This was common amongst the old ustaads, who saw and worked in Mahindra assembled / marketed jeeps with the bigger headlight on low bonnet and they had WILLYS stamped, so any and everything with small lights were 'Fords', big lights as Willys Fords(Ford because the bonnet was low), and the high bonnet CJ3Bs were Willys jeeps.
This is my info gathered from all over Central, East, West and North India. Did not get much feedback from the South, but am told that most WWII jeeps are called Fords there too. Well it will be interesting to get some interesting names from the Pakistani friends.

Why I called the jeep as CJ3A is because the chassis belongs to a 3A, which was again common in those days to opt for a heavier chassis for diesel repowering.
The body is decidedly of a CJ2A, and you will have to try and source a good 2A frame for future. In the meanwhile there is no harm in taking up the restoration as a CJ2A and the only thing left for the future will be a chassis and glass frame swap. The 2A chassis number is on a zinc plate riveted on a box inside the left rail close to the bumper as in the MBs.
The 3As had them stamped on the outside of the right rail between the grill and the front bumper. The 2A front bumper was mounted on two gussets on either sides as in the MB, while the 3A has them riveted like in the 3Bs.
Must try and find a 2A glass frame from Sarvinder Singh moderator of Jeep Thrills Delhi chapter. He swapped his with a WWII frame. Must be lying safely as I told him to keep it.

Go ahead and build this rare jeep well and don't worry about the spares.
There are plenty of interesting stories about these types of Jeeps, and the first ever scam in Independent India involved them (2As and 3As) and the M38s. Hope you know?

More on the legendary side valve 'gear driven cam shaft of the' Go Devil (6volts), Spicer gearbox, and the first semifloating rear axles, after a few days, let the valuable discussion carry on.
With you always.......................................UBS

[Sabareesh]

Wow, Its getting interesting. Hats off to you Uday Sir for giving us In-depth knowledge about this JEEP. Would be glued to this thread to see the wonderful restoration.

[Kandisa]

Originally Posted by furioussenna

Can you please post some pictures and more details of the blue Jeep in the background.

That was basically an MM 440, customized as CJ7, with a good amount of cosmetic and some performance modifications. It is really hard to believe how he got that jeep into the present condition (it was originally slightly better than the CJ2A that gotzuk has posted) and it was practically rebuilt from the scratch.
gotzuk, now with the blessings and active support of UBS Sir, I am sure this project will turn into a dream one. Way to go

[mjothi]

Man what a find. Its really going to be a great project. Will love to see this restored to its full glory. Please do post us the updates with pics without fail. Please.

[gotzuk]

Originally Posted by U.B.Singh

Why I called the jeep as CJ3A is because the chassis belongs to a 3A, which was again common in those days to opt for a heavier chassis for diesel repowering.
The 2A chassis number is on a zinc plate riveted on a box inside the left rail close to the bumper as in the MBs.
The 3As had them stamped on the outside of the right rail between the grill and the front bumper. The 2A front bumper was mounted on two gussets on either sides as in the MB, while the 3A has them riveted like in the 3Bs.

The chassis plate was missing on the jeep. The outside rail had no apparent holes and the inside has been re welded with a plate at some point later on in its life, and it has no holes too..
I had not noticed the battery plate (or what was left of it) or the shocker mounts, but indeed the bumper mounting had caught my attention. But I remembered having read
once on the G503 forum, by none other than Fred Coldwell that towards the end of the CJ2A production run, the CJ3A type bumper mounting was introduced and the gussets were removed with bumper mounted directly riveted to the frame horns and so I didn't pay it any more attention. Thanks for identifying the frame and bringing it to light. Will post detailed pics in a couple of days.

Originally Posted by U.B.Singh

There are plenty of interesting stories about these types of Jeeps, and the first ever scam in Independent India involved them (2As and 3As) and the M38s. Hope you know?

Really?? That would be one interesting read sir!! Please do post the story..

And please keep posting here sir. You have such a huge wealth of knowledge and experience, it will be a treasure trove for me as well as other jeepers undertaking similar projects in future...

Originally Posted by mjothi

Man what a find. Its really going to be a great project. Will love to see this restored to its full glory. Please do post us the updates with pics without fail. Please.

Thanks for appreciating, mjothi. Will keep the thread alive throughout the process.
Cheers

[Sabareesh]

Gotzuk,

We all are waiting for updates on your JEEP ?? have you started the restoration work ??? from where have you decided to get the work done ??? whats your estimate on the costs front ????

Keep the thread alive....eagerly waiting for your replies

[gotzuk]

Originally Posted by Sabareesh

We all are waiting for updates on your JEEP ?? have you started the restoration work ??? from where have you decided to get the work done ??? whats your estimate on the costs front ????

Hi Sabareesh,
Was caught up with work for past week. The jeep is to be restored at a friend's newly started workshop. It is not a commercial shop though, more like a garage setup only for friends and enthusiasts. We plan to start stripping the jeep by 15th November. There is no budget a such to get the jeep repaired. Everything that is needed to get the jeep into excellent running condition will be done.

I have planned the restoration in four separate stages.
First stage will be to sand blast, repair, rustproof and paint the chassis. The differentials will be overhauled with new bearings, seals etc. along with the wheel bearings, brake shoes and wheel cylinders. At the same time the all steering components will also be replaced with new parts and the steering box overhauled. The suspension (leaf springs, shackles, shock absorbers, etc.) would also be overhauled/repaired/replaced. Wheel Rims would be sand blasted and painted and new tires mounted. All this would be assembled to get a rolling chassis.

In the second stage, the Engine, Gearbox and Transfer case would be completely overhauled along with new universal joints for the propeller shafts. The radiator would receive a new core. The water pump, fuel pump and oil pump would be overhauled or replaced with new units. The starter motor, dynamo (generator), distributor would also be overhauled alongside. A new Carter WO carburetor would be installed instead of the Solex. All this would be installed on the chassis along with the ancillaries. A new exhaust, preferably in stainless steel would be fabricated and installed.
At this point we would be able to test start the engine.

The third stage would see the bodywork being taken care of. This is the part which scares me the most when i think about it. The tub, fenders, hood etc. would be painted and then assembled on the rolling chassis.

The fourth stage would be getting the wiring for electrical connections in place. All lights, meters, pedals, body trim, et cetera, would go on now. A canvas top and seat covers etc. would also be made and fitted.

And then, I hope, the jeep would be ready to drive....

Phew!!!

[mathewJ]

Hi Gotzuk,

First off Congrats on the rare find!!

As they say every jeep has a story, please give us some background information on the jeep about it's cost, location of purchase, previous owner etc. Also about the engine are you planning to rebuild the engine (hope you do) then there is a exccellent post by John Brandon on how to rebuild a Jeep engine & transmission and if you do decide to take up the challenge then enlighten us on the process with lots of snaps as it would be a great learning process for all of us. Use the g503 forum wisely for imporing parts if you can't get them locally. Once again all the best on the project.


With Regards,
Rejo Jacob

[Hemanth]

Apologies for intruding We have a willys in our family which has the chassis number of 17560678. May i request Jeep gurus to let me know the year of manufacture of this Jeep since we have this registered in 1956. Help please

[mathewJ]

Originally Posted by Hemanth

Apologies for intruding We have a willys in our family which has the chassis number of 17560678. May i request Jeep gurus to let me know the year of manufacture of this Jeep since we have this registered in 1956. Help please

the willys chasis no: had a prefix with a MB/CJ xx..

[gotzuk]

Update time folks.
After a long time of inactivity finally managed
to get the jeep towed to Noida so that some work
could be started. The body, engine and transmission were
removed from the chassis. Unimaginable amount of grime and
crud was found clinging to the chassis. The chassis was pressure
washed and cleaned up.

Then we hit the angle grinder with a wire cup brush attachment with
a vengeance and started the surface rust removal process. I must say the
results look encouraging. The chassis looks pretty fine and solid.
Although we have just started with the chassis i wanted to update
with some pics.
More updates coming soon.
Cheers

[amit V8]

looks pretty nice, keep up the good work.

[PAVAN KADAM]

What a coincidence, i am doing up a similar but 1943 Willys.

And its undergoing the same treatment what i am seeing on this thread.

UBS sir you are too good when it comes to jeeps, Will call you some time and certainly need help during finishing with the restoration.