One of the first vehicles to find a new home in the large Georgia collection we’re helping to market was the highly original Willys CJ2A. It’s not hard to see why – these are honest, straight-forward projects that offer a lot of smiles per dollar and have a robust support network for spares and advice. This 1946 CJ2A here on eBay is owned by such an enthusiast, who says it is way too honest to restore and anyone seeking such a project should just move on.
The 1949 Willys sold on Barn Finds was similar to this example: rough around the edges but with extremely solid bones. The exterior of this CJ2A wears weathered green paint, an excellent color for a vehicle with such a robust military history. The seller notes recent maintenance that includes brake work and a valve adjustment, but that the Willys is otherwise ready to be used as-is.
Speaking of as-is, the rig is outfitted with some interesting equipment, including “…a complete PTO system with a gear box in the back (no drum) for all types of attachments,” according to the seller. That just made this project/hobby vehicle even more practical! Additionally, the seller notes that the Willys retains its “…original keyed coil ignition which is pretty rare.” It’s clear this example has not been messed with, lending credence to the seller’s recommendation it not be restored.
You really can’t go wrong with a survivor-grade example like this. They hold their values well and the robust network of enthusiasts means you’ll never be lacking for spares or advice. I would absolutely keep this one the way it is, but if you’re looking for a project, we do have one more Willys CJ2A hiding out in the Georgia collection.
Puerto Rico is jam packed full of these jeeps, in every flavor you can think of. Most of them so clean you can eat off of them. Most of them are in the western mountainous region where they are used for transport around farms during the week and taken to shows on weekends. Many are hand me downs from one generation to another.
One of the things I suspect some of us gain by following sites like this is that what’s presented will jog some pleasant memories. I have some vivid images in my memory bank of a day in ’53, we were visiting the family in Kansas on our annual vacation. My uncle Harry had bought a surplus WWII Jeep and we went for a ride in the boonies. My dad and Harry (his older brother) were in the front seats and me, a 7 y.o., in the back. We clear a small rise at speed and I go flying a foot or so in the air, land on my butt in the seat, and am laughing like crazy. What a day!
No air bags, no seat belts, no roof, no roll bar, none of the things to protect us from ourselves, fun loving uncles, and life well lived………………..how did we make it without all that nanny stuff :)
My dad picked up a twin to this jeep back in the late 70’s. We found the CJ2 in east Texas during a fishing trip. It wasn’t advertised for sale, but we asked and found out the owner had let it sit one winter without antifreeze, cracking the block. The floors were already kinda rusty and somebody had patched it up with chicken wire and bondo, among other things. Dad picked it up for $200 or $250, I forget. Somewhere or another we found another engine, or at least a block, and got it running again. Dad built a roll bar for it and installed some low back bucket seats and seat belts we got out of the wrecking yard.) Unfortunately, I had two brothers (teenagers at the time) who proceeded to see how often they could get it stuck. (It was not tagged for road use and a few of the places where they got it stuck could not be accesses without driving on the public road.) Dad originally bought it for deer lease use, but when that fell through, between the two older brothers and “antics” the Jeep got traded for a nearly new 1981 Honda 185s three wheeler (for me) and a big 7 hp 50 gallon industrial air compressor to a fellow pipeline welder he worked with. (The three wheeler is long gone, but dad still has the air compressor 40 years later.) His fellow welder parted it out a few years later, using the front axle and engine (possibly other parts) in another CJ2 his dad had and what was left of it was still sitting in the woods behind his house (now his ex wife’s house) near Halletsville, Tx.
Have a bunch of these including the Tuxedo, and a 1956 Willys wagon. Motors, Transmissions, transfer cases, T90, T14. Interested in selling all.
My Dad had one of these with a three point hitch. I remember riding in it while he plowed and disked the farm in PA in the 60’s. He had put tire chains on all four wheels. We used to haul a lot of firewood with it too. It got him to work when deep snow had stopped everything else from moving. It had a metal Sears cab on it. It is in my brother’s garage in Texas now. That was his inheritance.
My Dad had one of these and at times it was his daily driver , used in winter to supplement his income as a plow vehicle , plow was an two way plow up and down, when he needed it angled that was my job. many hours of plowing and riding in that jeep. long gone,. he sold it and got a jeep pick up with a four way fisher Plow when I left for the service .
“… it not be restored…”
I’d do the rusted sheet metal w/o a doubt, sorry.
(May B that’s called maintenance?
in 33 yr ownership hadda do my fl brds 2X now)
It’s age alone is a reason for restoration. These Jeeps have a strong upside in a narrow market, and have brought strong money in Midwestern Auctions, for example.
The first vehicle I ever drove by myself was my uncle’s what I believe to have been a CJ2. That would have been when I was about 10 in 1953-54. My two uncles were working in a forested area at the back of the farm, about a mile from the house, and managed to get the truck stuck.
They were both working like fiends in an effort to get the truck free, and my uncle told me to go get the jeep. I was almost certain he was pulling my leg, but he didn’t call me back when I took off down the trail. I had ridden in the jeep countless times, and was familiar, and lucky enough, to get it started.
It was already in low range 4wd, and I was able to drive it back to them. I was so proud of myself that I don’t remember much after that, except that they did use the jeep to pull out the truck. For that experience, I will love those little jeeps forever.
They are wonderful little units, and I would love to have one. I have owned many Landcruisers and Land Rovers, and never really looked for a CJ because I needed that little bit of extra cabin room and comfort that the other trucks provided.
Bob