Iv’e always been attracted to Willy’s Jeeps for their simplicity, ruggedness, and ability to go anywhere. Literally these jeeps were used all over the world for military purposes during WW2. In the summer of 2019 I was able to puchase my very own 1953 Willy’s Jeep. The Jeep was in running condition but really needed a complete rebuild. So I hit the drawing board and came up with a few goals for my build. I wanted to create a Jeep which could have rolled off the Willy’s Overland Factory in Toledo Ohio in 1953. But not as a regular CJ3A civilian Jeep like the rest of them, this would have been a heavy duty edition, which I call the ROAD TRACTOR model.
Right off the bat I knew I wanted a small diesel engine in this build for the torque gain and simplicity. So after lots of research I chose to go with a Kubota V2203 engine. Which is a 4 cylinder diesel engine used as a generator in truck trailer reefer units. I sourced a used engine from a reefer mechanic. After which I sourced an adapter plate kit and turbo unit from a jeep builder from Canada. After which I rebuilt the original 3 speed transmission and transfer case. I took the whole jeep apart to the bare chassis which I then sandblasted and painted. This build has hit on every system of a vehicle. I have sourced, designed and fabricated parts for the chassis, suspension, powertrain, brakes, steering, cooling, fuel, HVAC, electrical, and body. This Jeep has parts from GM, Ford, Suzuki, Kubota, and a ton of other manufacturers in it. So a lot of this build has been sourcing the best parts from different suppliers and fabricating brackets/adapters and systems to adapt them to the original Willy’s chassis. While building this jeep I have expanded my tool set and workshop machinery tremendously as well with new tools such as a TIG welder, 3D Printer, and a lathe. I have had also had to utilize SolidWorks to design parts quite a bit on this project along with more traditional methods of fabricating such as with cardboard templates.
This build is still underway, and not yet entirely finished. I am currently working on a engineering report to outline my full build and a cinematic video to showcase the final results.
