by Rankine Roth, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
I bought this Jeep in Paducah, Kentucky from a gentleman whose grandfather-in-law (if that is the correct term) bought it new (see the original title, 50K GIF) and used it on a farm in Texas, until it was given to him in the early 1990's. I bought it and brought it back to Murfreesboro, 30 minutes southeast of Nashville. (See a photo of the CJ-3B hitched up to my TJ, 40K JPEG). I basically stripped the whole thing down and sandblasted and/or scraped everything.
As for the color... that is Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raider blue. It was a custom color mixed here locally to match M.T.S.U.'s colors. My wife and I graduated from there and my wife still teaches there. I painted the wheels, frame, engine, and tranny myself. I had a friend, Robert Brooks paint the body. I had him paint the windshield frame the original black.
Everything is original except the tub and seats. I stopped working on the Jeep for about a year while I saved up some dough, and I bought my tub from Dan at Rigid Steel Fabrication.
I finally began reassembling it on July 4th, 2002. The Jeep is as stock as I could make it, except for the tow bar and tire holder on the front, but I really liked how that all works and looks. I got the tires from Coker Tire in Chattanooga, TN.
I tried to save everything original I could. I cut the original dash, bow holders, and passenger seat mounts from the original tub. A friend and I welded the components on to the new tub, making it more original. I got the idea from CJ3B.info and it does make all the difference in the appearance.
I installed a 3-gauge cluster -- oil, amp, temp -- that is mounted at the bottom of the dash. The cluster is hinged so it can be hidden under the dash. The wiring is a set that I got from Walck's. It was perfect; every wire was the same length and color, with all the connections you need.
The engine was basically in sound shape; I just replaced plugs, wires, cap and rotor. I put in a new clutch, fork and throwout bearing in the tranny while I had it all apart for cleaning. I also had to rebuild all of the brake components.
Some more engine photos:
We'll be using the Willys for tailgate parties before the Blue Raider football games. All I have left to do is set the timing to get rid of some backfiring issues and I am done.......Whewwww.
The info I got from CJ3B.info has saved me from making some serious and costly mistakes. This is the best page for the 3B on the planet!
-- Rankine Roth
Thanks to Rankine for the story and photos. -- Derek Redmond
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