1948 CJ2a "Hefty Horse"

In 1968, my brother would go to the local box plant after high school where they built ammunition boxes by the thousands that were taken to the Kansas Army Ammunition Plant in Parsons, Kansas. They were filled with mortar shells and other wartime goodies. He was an "inspector". The company gave him an hammer and instructed him to knock down any "shiners" that the automatic nailer missed getting all the way down so that they would pass government inspection on arrival at KAAP. My brother worked at the box plant for a year, three hours an evening, six days a week. After he got off work he would go down to the local watering hole and enjoy a beer or three...He wasn't eighteen at the time; the Kansas age limit for cereal malt beverage (3.2 beer) was eighteen, but the owner of the bar knew him and my brother had an ID that showed he was 18. Driver's licenses were easy to change things on back in the day...

While in the Army in Vietnam one of my jobs during night actions was to operate a 60mm mortar to put illuminating rounds on the perimeter. All the mortar shell boxes were marked KAAP with a date, cube, weight and lot number. I often wonder if my brother knocked the "shiners" down on the boxes that I opened during an alert.

Pull two increments and drop in the mortar tube...keep it up until they told me to quit. Yes, the mortar tube got hot...

The boxes had rope handles on each end that each end of the rope went through and were knotted on the inside. The hinge kind of folded over the lid and down one side.

Edited by SE Kansas 46 CJ-2A - 01 Sep. 2022 at 5:07pm

46 CJ-2A #64462 "Ol' Red" (bought April 1969)(second owner)(12 V, 11" brakes, M-38 frame, MD Juan tub)

U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer(ret.)
U.S. Army Vietnam veteran and damned proud of it.

Scratch wrote:

Looks good, maybe some rope handles on the ends….?

Yea I was considering that, lowes didn't have a period looking rope, last I was in.

Also, what to store in it? I don't have any field artillery to keep ammo for lol

I Like Ike!
1948 CJ2a "Hefty Horse"
1994 Jeep Wrangler Sahara
2016 Jeep JKU 75th anniversary edition

Ron D wrote:

Not sure what period rope you'd like, but I have plenty of leftover USGI GP Medium Tent pole rope.

(used for the tarp tie-downs on my M100 trailer)

I think it's manilla, 5/16" or maybe 3/8".

Pretty sure I can get enough for two handles in a USPS small flat-rate box, cost to you for postage would be $8.50 I think.

Let me know if interested.

On second thought, just give me your mailing address and I'll send it on my dime.

I just remembered you're going to need every penny you've got for that New Baby Pamper Fund.

For the foreseeable future your "disposable" income just vaporized.

Consider it my contribution to the cause, and congratulations Daddy! LOL

1951 M38
1951 M100

Just had our little boy this morning and he is the most precious thing I've ever seen

I Like Ike!
1948 CJ2a "Hefty Horse"
1994 Jeep Wrangler Sahara
2016 Jeep JKU 75th anniversary edition

Lol if he's like me we are in trouble

I Like Ike!
1948 CJ2a "Hefty Horse"
1994 Jeep Wrangler Sahara
2016 Jeep JKU 75th anniversary edition

Congratulations! Get as much sleep as you can! That whole “sleeping like a baby” thing is a bunch of crap!

43 GPW 93487 Blk
44 GPW 230283 OD
46 CJ2A 50100 Tan
46 CJ2A 77632 Wht
47 CJ2A 141681 Grn
48 CJ2A 156240 Red/Yel
48 CJ2A "Lefty" 181341 Red
61 CJ5 123120 Tan
03 TJ Inca Gld

Thank you for the congrats everyone. He certainly is a handful!

I have managed to slip off the the jeep a little bit to observe and plan the next job on it.

After further observation I don't believe the timing gear cover itself is leaking, but rather the seal for the crank is. I'm seeing oil dripping from between the two pulleys (double crank pulley) to the floor. My pan gasket is leaking slightly, cork split apart some from the last time I replaced it.

So one thing at a time but sort of in series since I'll have the oil and coolant out

Replace engine head with the standard CJ head (naturally replacing the head gasket) I'll be sure to take my time and go over the the valves and pistons, as well as take lots of pictures while it's off.

Replace pan and timing cover gaskets with felpro gaskets, they should be a tad better than the cork. Replacing those as well as the crank seal. While I have the pan off I'm gonna be looking for something loose. Whenever I'm at a certain RPM I hear what sounds like a loose washer dancing around and I can't for the life of me find it. It comes and goes, but I couldn't see or feel anything loose in the tranny or bellhousing. Not sure what it could be but it's been around the whole time I've had the jeep, but now I'm thinking about really cracking down on it.

I might replace the pulley with a single straight pulley, my current one is a little bent and I don't have a reason for the double, but I'll keep it

I Like Ike!
1948 CJ2a "Hefty Horse"
1994 Jeep Wrangler Sahara
2016 Jeep JKU 75th anniversary edition

General Eisenhower wrote:

I did as well finally order a rear seat, once that's in I'll make the cushions and then get all the mounting hardware for it. It'll be nice to have that minor but fairly important piece

Are your seat clips in usable condition?

1947 CJ2A #88659 "Rat Patrol"
1953 CJ3A #453-GB1 11266 "Black Beauty"
1964 Thunderbird convertible
..... & one of them moves under it's own power!!

I could be mistaken, but pretty sure the M38 rear seat is too wide to fit in a CJ2A by a couple three inches.

I can go measure mine if it helps.

Edited by Ron D - 10 Oct. 2022 at 7:18pm

1951 M38
1951 M100