I remember as a kid growing up in the late 70's and 80's, magazine ads for sea monkeys and military surplus Jeeps, some still in crates(!) for sale for as little as $25 (or $500, the pricing structure is a little hazy after all these years). How cool, I thought, a military surplus Jeep for cheap! Well, this is one of those Jeeps. It didn't come from some dubious ad, it came from a government equipment liquidator in the Northern California area, and was acquired by my father-in-law some time around 1972. He was the first registered owner after it was surplussed from the United States Military.
My father-in-law stripped the old military rig down and repainted the frame, body, added a 75/25 bench seat from a Willys wagon, dropped in a friends' "newish" Dauntless 225 V6 and hit the trails. This one-time Military rig was now on permanent R+R, enjoying years of family leisure use on the Rubicon Trail with the Jeepers Jamboree folks.
In about 1992 things got weird for the old girl as smog laws had caught up to her and they shut her down. There's not much in the world that a Jeep can't climb up and over, but government bureaucracy has a way of grinding down even the proudest. She was registered somehow as a 1974, probably thanks to one of the dim bulbs working the counter at the California DMV. So she was a 1955, titled as a 1974, with a 1971 engine, and not enough pollution control equipment to satisfy the bureaucrats after some 37 years of continuous dedicated service. In the mid 1990's, my father-in-law tarped her up in the side yard, and there she sat...until 2016.
I didn't really want/need/have space for a Jeep, so how did I end up with her? This is how the conversation went: Father-in-law: "I'm thinking of selling the old Jeep." Me: "what are you looking to get for it?" Him: "about a grand." Me- "seems like it's worth more than that. Maybe I could get it running for you."
The very next day he had the Jeep towed to my house...Me and my big mouth.
M38A1 Military 1/4 ton utilities all had the electrical pass-through hole just behind the right front fender
Six point roll cage installed. Rear fender extensions. Also note the fold damage to the left rear fender behind the tire.
75/25 Willys wagon seat was well used.
M38A1's have sunken headlights as compared to the CJ5 "Civilian Jeep" versions
Aftermarket rear bench seat is also a lockable storage chest!
Top and roll cage out. Note: M38A1's are tailgate-delete.
One of my brothers and I put together a make-shift "Top-Shot" challenge which made use of the Willys as a moving platform for my twin 75 Cal Anti-Aircraft potato gun.
I scrapped the old bench for this set of fork lift seats from Northern Tool. I had to modify them a bit, I changed the back rest angle and raised the back rest pad.
I stripped the tub's old carpet and laid down some thin indoor/outdoor mat, cut to fit the foot wells
A Nice clean look without the cage or top. The new buckets and lack of cage really open up the otherwise cramped cockpit.
I caved in to safety and decided to put part of the roll cage back in. I cut off the front part and just installed the four-point rear hoop.
The roll bar allowed for the easy install of the new Bikini top. Note the new mufflers, as one of the originals blew out around midnight on my way home one night. After a good bit of measuring and research, I determined that the unknown aftermarket chrome rims would accept 70's Corvette Rally hub caps!
I gave the old girl her proper "Willys" identity by painting the old logo on the tail. I stripped the black rubber fender extensions and hammered out the folded fenders.
Easy in and out access without the front cage loop in the way and with those clean little forklift seats installed. My Father-in-law had relocated the fuel tank to the rear and covered over the old filler hole.
Original Military ordinance plate was relocated to the tool compartment. I like seeing the army green down here, it reveals and proves her past.
It wasn't all just cosmetic fun. The T90 3 speed trans gave up it's 3rd gear synchro and the Spicer 18 transfer case was howling like a banshee due to wasted bearings. I rebuilt both. I also replaced a front chassis cross member that was cracking off, rebuilt the entire fuel system, replaced the radiator, restored much of the electrical system and finally...got her properly titled as a "1955 Willys!"
