1945 CJ2A Project

Hello to everyone on the forum, I am Tate Christensen from Salt Lake City, Utah. I have just recently joined the forum after acquiring a new project. A couple months ago my Dad and I picked up a new project, a 1945 Willys CJ2A #10226. It is mostly complete but it is in rough shape. Currently the plan is to get it running and enjoy driving it. I am excited to get to work it as it is the first CJ I have ever owned or worked on. All my Jeeps before have been WW2 MBs and GPWs. I will definitely asking many questions on the forum as I work on the CJ. Here are a few photos.

Edited by TateC - 14 June 2018 at 12:24am

Wow, #226, that's something special !

Nice start to a project!   Welcome to forum.

Welcome Tate, awesome project!... 226, that's gotta be like first couple days of production, maybe first week  

Your most likely going to have some Military left over parts mixed in there. Don't assume anything is incorrect until you ask. Really neat to find a 45 one of only 1824 built. they started messing with civilian Jeeps in 44 so not sure if they started production of the CJ-2A early in the year or where. but with the 226th out of 1824 its plenty early.

More details? and what are your plans? I hope a straight restoration You get to chose from Green or Tan LOL

If I were to venture a guess on the serial number on the engine. Some one put a Replacement engine in it at one time.

The UTAH stamped on it could have something to do with getting a title or registration in Utah.

Tate, great find! Very cool '45. That enormous battering ram that is masquerading as a bumper is yet another reason why the 2A Page needs to start a "Bubba's Front Bumpers" thread. It's amazing how many Willys jeeps had their front ends molested with welded-on "improvements" over the years.

When I first looked at the CJ2A, the oil pan was sitting in the back of the Jeep. I figured the Jeep must have started knocking and the previous owner pulled the pan to look and then gave up and let the jeep sit. I realized this was likely the reason the jeep was no longer running, even thought it looked as the jeep had been run recently. I crawled underneath and looked and found the engine sitting open. I did a visual inspection and everything looked alright, I then tried to slide the rods back and forth on the crankshaft in order to find the one which was knocking and as I tried, all of them slid back and forth. Both the surface of the crankshaft and inside of the connecting rods feel smooth. Most likely not within specs but still smooth. I pulled all of the rod bearings and the wear seems normal with no real issues. I am thinking of trying new rod bearings of the same size with new hardware also. Looking at the marking on all of them I believe I need .30 oversize rod bearing, Is this what I need to buy, Am I on the right track with this? I will post some pictures and see what everyone thinks. 

I'm firmly in the group that says when it comes to Engines, Transmissions, Transfer Cases, Brakes, Steering and Axles. DO it once and do it all. In the long run its always cheaper.