My first post to this iteration of WillysTech didn't include the MWC.? So here is a brief update.
When I first joined WT I had three CJ's:? '46, '47, '48. The 47 was my first Jeep which had previously been owned by my son.? We installed a Pinto engine.? Eventually that CJ was sold back to my son and moved to south central CO.? The 46 CJ was a retired, non-functioning "rock crawler" from the Fort Collins, CO area which I purchased for the working L 134 engine and misc. other parts which I needed for rebuilding the '48.? The 48 was a barn-find literally in pieces in a barn in central KS.? Over the years I depended on WillysTech for technical knowledge and for the light-hearted banter between several regulars.? When WT drifted away I began to rely on theCJ2A forum.
Fast forward to the present.? Virtually every part of the 48 CJ2A has been rebuilt.? It was painted late summer 2018, the body re-assembled and wired with a Walcks harness.? Runs great!
Over Thanksgiving all of our family gathered at our house in central KS, including my only grandson - 13 years old Elias whose family live in Chicago.? The weather cooperated with highs in the low to mid 50's.? I drove the CJ with Elias to the 60+ acre farm ground about 6 miles away which my wife inherited when her mother passed at age 103. My son followed us in my Ranger pickup.? The soy beans on the field had recently been harvested which left closely cropped stubble and a smooth surface.? I asked Elias if he wanted to drive the CJ - his first driving experience.? Without hesitation he said yes.? So his father gave him a brief lesson on how to operate a standard transmission, clutch, brake, accelerator and off they went in first gear around the field.? About 45 minutes later, many practice starts, stops, and reversing they returned to my Ranger.? After another quick lesson, this time about automatic transmissions, the Elias drove with his father around the field in the Ranger. Elias, with a big smile, announced this was the best Thanksgiving ever.? And so it was.? What could be better than learning to drive on a CJ2A.
