With serial number 543GB2 10069, this Jeep is the seventh-oldest known surviving CJ-3B, according to the list of Surviving CJ-3B Jeeps. It's also the oldest in Europe, and is owned by Thomas Schwer, near Stuttgart, Germany.
First of all, here's the story of how Number 69 was brought to Germany and restored, told by Uwe Strecker, who owned it when it first appeared on CJ3B.info, back in the 1990s:
"I bought the Jeep in Oklahoma City through a friend of mine. The ad said 'new paint, engine general overhaul.' The yellow paint was new, but the car wasn't even washed. And the engine... probably there was an old general passing the car in his wheelchair.
"Moved to Germany in 1993. I stripped the Jeep complete in every single part. Sandblasted frame, sheet metal, and casing of transmission, transfer case and steering, and did a complete paint job on all. Bought a used Hurricane 4 (it was an old military stationary motor) for 1500DM = $800.
"Bought new springs for the front and rear ($350). Rebuilt the transmission (JC Whitney and German dealer, $800). Rebuilt the transfer case ($400). Still have a problem with oil leaking from the outlets of the transfer case, especially in the handbrake -- the German vehicle inspectors hate it!"
"Rebuilt the steering: worn gear and the fork which works with the gear. I got three forks before I got a good one. First, a JC Whitney one -- the riveted cone came loose after one day driving. The hole was drilled too big and there was no way to rerivet the cone. The second broke the shaft on the test drive (nice feeling). It was bought in Germany. The third one is working fine for 5000 miles now."
"New shocks, a lot of roller bearings, new seat covers, brake linings and wheel bearings, new steering wheel, new top (Bestop fits great.) Converted to 12 volts. The diffs are the only parts I didn't take apart. They look great and work fine.
"It took two years, the help of a lot of friends, a lot of money, some frustration and now a lot of FUN."
-- Uwe Strecker
Thomas Schwer reports, "In 2024, I bought the Jeep from a later interim owner.
"My Boxer 'Indi' loved our rides through the countryside. (Sadly, he recently passed away.)
"It's not my first Jeep. From 1983 to 1987 I owned a CJ-7 Golden Hawk, but I had to sell it when my wife became pregnant with my first daughter because the springs were too hard and later there would not be enough space for all the equipment you have to carry along with children."
"The Jeep came with a tow bar, which I tried out with my everyday car, a Volkswagen pickup. The coupling doesn't fit my European ball hitch exactly. I could have modified the bar with a European coupling, but since this method of towing is unfortunately forbidden in Germany, I'm leaving it as it is and showing the car off like that, for example at classic car meetings."
"In Uwe's 1995 photos I noticed the FULDA tires which were still mounted when I bought the Jeep in 2024, and I decided that it wasn't a waste to treat it to new tires after more than 30 years.
"However, it wasn't easy to find 6.50 x 16 tires in Europe that visually matched the Jeep. The garage where my son works as a master mechanic couldn't help either. Finally, I found what I was looking for on eBay. They were offering retreaded tires from the Italian manufacturer ZIARELLI. The type BFG, also snow approved, met my appearance and size requirements, so I ordered these tires, which were delivered promptly.
"Here's the first comparison between the previous FULDA and the new ZIARELLI tires. The apparent larger diameter in the picture is deceptive and is minimal.
"Indi also found it very exciting to seek for his treats in the tire pattern (160K JPEG)."
"As part of the renovation in the 1990s or later, the spare tire and a jerry can were mounted on the tailgate (460K JPEG) by an earlier owner. I think the side-mounted spare suits the early CJ models better and is closer to the original design. It also makes the tailgate with its pressings stand out better.
"I used the existing bolt holes on the right rear side and, as a test, mounted the spare tire there. If the side mounting doesn't cause any problems while driving (right-side rearview mirror, snagging on obstacles), I'll keep it that way. Otherwise, I can always mount it back to the rear, together with the jerry can."
"During the refurbishing by Uwe, the Jeep received a 'new' F134 Hurricane engine. The interesting thing is, the engine has two nameplates: one from Hotchkiss in France, the other from Henschel in Germany. I'm guessing the history of the engine is the following:
"The Hurricane replacement engine was built under license by Hotchkiss for use in NATO military generators/power units. (Hotchkiss also built Hurricanes for their licensed Jeeps JH-101 and JH-102 -- see Jeeps in France.)"
"The Kassel-based Henschel group was a German company famous for locomotives, defense technology, and especially heavy trucks from the 1920s to the 1970s. Henschel trucks were taken over by Daimler-Benz in the 1970s and disappeared from the market as a separate truck brand.
"One of Henschel's business divisions was refreshing and repair of engines. Unfortunately, my inquiry at the Henschel Museum yielded no results, but I assume this Hotchkiss engine was probably overhauled by Henschel after being decommissioned from NATO stocks and therefore bears the Henschel nameplate."
"I have a Jeep toy collection (340K JPEG) consisting mainly of 1:43 scale vehicles. I especially love the models from Dinky Toys, Corgi Toys, and Solido. I've modified almost all of them, giving some of them the look of my real CJ-3B. Here's the comparison of the big Jeep and little Jeeps."
-- Thomas Schwer
Thanks to Uwe for sending the 1995 photos, and Thomas for updating the story. -- Derek Redmond
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