Ancestor of the Hummer:
1964 Ex-Navy CJ-3B

Joseph J. Notte of Norwood, Pennsylvania, is a Hummer owner who also wanted to restore a little bit of the heritage which led up to the U.S. military's current multi-purpose vehicle. Joe says, "I live in the suburbs of Philadelphia and we don't see very many old Jeeps in this area. In the late 70's I lived in Maine and I can recall seeing a lot of the flat-fender Jeeps both on the road and on the farms. I often thought how interesting it would be to own and restore an old flat-fender."

"I was fortunate enough to come across this 1964 Navy Jeep (USN 94-52018, VIN 8105-124949, Eng. No. 373742) at an estate auction in this area twenty years later. I was previewing the auction with an interest in the real estate, when I spotted the Jeep in the back yard of the property. It was well on its way to being a bucket of rust. I spoke to the owner's son and he explained that his father had obtained the Jeep from the Navy in 1969, with 29,000 miles on it. For 26 years the Jeep was used as a hunting vehicle in the woods and mountains of upstate Pennsylvania. In those 26 years he had put an additional 3,000 miles on it, and it then sat for a couple of years after his health didn't permit him to hunt anymore."
 

"Needless to say, I was the high bidder, and returned later that day with some fresh gas and drove the Jeep home. I immediately put the Jeep in my shop and began to dismantle and examine it. The sheet metal was in pretty bad shape, but mechanically it was very sound." See also a photo of the tub stripped of paint and rust (55K JPEG.)
 

"The brakes, wheel and master cylinders, brake lines and hoses were replaced along with the wheel bearings, oil seals, clutch cross shaft, leaf springs and shackles, exhaust system, shocks, gaskets, all rubbers and welts, ignition coil, voltage regulator, tie rod ends, drag link, fuel line and water pump. The starter and generator were rebuilt, along with refurbishing the electrical wiring."
 

"I replaced the tailgate with an aftermarket part for the time being. If you look closely, you will see I did use rivets and an epoxy metal bonder on some of the sheet metal work on the body sides. Some people may frown at this, but I was OK with it since it works fine on my Hummer.

"I opted for a rear mount swing-away tire carrier, since I use the Jeep in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey which offer extremely narrow trails throughout the forest. The rear mount required giving up the original look, along with the rear bumperettes, but did not require any drilling or modifications to the Jeep."
 

"I believe I did a fairly complete restoration, but not necessarily restored as a Navy Jeep. The fold out windshield had been replaced with a fixed glass. I have the original but am missing the hardware; perhaps a future project. The wiper motors were replaced with a single wiper motor on the bottom of the windshield; another future project."

"Info on Navy brass plate:

• Navy Eng. Serial No. 373742
• Registration No. USN 94-5208
• FSN C-2320-174-9088
• MI. DATE SHIP 2-64
• Cont. No. DA20-113-AMC-02534-T

"Other details:

• Driver's side dash has decal with warranty info for inside and outside U.S.
  (See a 1966 M606 in Argentina for details on the warranty sticker and how to order a reproduction.)
• Had no black out lights front or rear.
• Side spare tire mount.
• 12 volt system.
• Has brush guards on headlights.
• Max. speeds are listed in MPH.
• Original paint was gray; under fenders and behind grille was dark olive. (My guess is body parts were on hand for Army contracts?)
• No trailer plug.
• "JEEP" embossed on front of tool box under passenger seat.
• No other Kaiser or Willys markings
• Has Ram Horn Hooks on front.
• Has rear seat hardware, but no seat.
• Has seat belts and original reinforcement for belts.
• Has hand pump windshield washer."

"I used all stainless steel fasteners throughout. (I thought this might be a plus for the next person who restores this Jeep maybe 40 years from now!) A big thanks to Joe Caprio for the lead on obtaining an NOS canvas top and curtains (45K JPEG) to complete my restoration, and thanks to Beachwood Canvas for a fine job reproducing the bows and rodwork."
 

Some interesting comparisons between the Jeep and the Hummer:

"Bottom line, when it comes to narrow trails, I can take my Jeep places where I can only wish my Hummer could fit." -- Joe Notte

Thanks to Joe for the photos. Note that he has now sold the Jeep as of January 2003. -- Derek Redmond

See Joe Caprio's 1964 U.S. Navy CJ-3B which has serial and registration numbers very close to this one.

Also on CJ3B.info, see more CJ-3B and M606 Military Jeeps.

Visit CJ3B.info on Facebook.

CJ3B Home | Contents | Search | Links | 3A and 3B Community