by Erik van de Peppel
We were able to get the original licence number for the new licence plates on this restored 1954 CJ-3B. We also painted the Jeep in the same colour that was used originally by the police department in Rotterdam, Holland.
Together with my brother-in-law (Hendrik Croezen) I installed the basic electrical wiring to see if the engine and the axleswere mounted in the correct way. Then it was time for the first test run of the engine.
As you can see we started with only the basic wiring; this was enough to get the engine running. We only had to try a few times before the engine started running, and we could see that all parts were mounted in the proper way. In this picture you can see that we used a 12-volt battery. We wanted to use 6 volts but this was impossible because we couldn't get the right parts. So after searching for some weeks for 6-volt parts we decided to use 12-volt parts (much easier to find). With the engine in running condition we could mount the rest of the bodywork.
First we attached the front parts of the body and then it was time for the rest. Because of the bad condition of the body we had to replace several pieces to ensure that the structural integrity of the body became as new again.
Everything that was rusted too much was replaced. This was very difficult for us because we didn't have any knowledge about bodywork at all. You can imagine that this was the hardest part of the restoration for us. It took us almost 6 months to complete the bodywork (mostly on Saturdays).
We wanted to get the job done and after some disappointments we succeeded in getting it right. We sanded the the complete body to ensure that all the old paint would be removed. After the neccessary welding jobs we painted the body with a special rust-preventing paint (based on zinc).
After the body was attached to the chassis it was time for the first test drive. After a few adjustments, the Jeep was running smoothly and it was ready for the final painting. (In this picture the Jeep is still in the grey zinc-based primer.)
Next we reinstalled the complete electric wiring, the recovered seats, the new head and taillights, and the instruments.
With the Jeep in finished condition we had to go to the inspection called "A.P.K." This inspection is regulated by law; every car in Holland has to be inspected by special garages each year to be allowed to drive on public roads. The Jeep passed the test the first time so I think we did a very good job.
I bought a trailer matching my Jeep (1955 Bantam M100) which I'm restoring at this moment. Although I don't know if my Jeep was used in this configuration, I want to use the trailer in the near future. I decided to paint it matching the Jeep.-- Erik van de Peppel
Return to Part 1: Getting Started.
Thanks to Erik for the photos and information. -- Derek Redmond
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