1948 Willys Rescue

Don’t want to bag on guys that make military clones, cuz they take a lot of work and they look great, but it’s been done. That Jeep right there is the only one in the world like it. If you make it shiney and perfect, be it fake military dressed or even exactly like it was when it rolled off the line in Ohio, it will be just like dozens of other jeeps out there. 

That replacement tub gives me horrible flashbacks to 1978.  I wasted a whole lot of money then putting one that looked just like that on my M-38 frame.  The body started to rust away in a year.  Maybe they're better than they were then, but I wouldn't use one.  That's just my bitter experience.  Your mileage may vary.

Hey Cheesejeeper

Military jeeps and CJs are different vehicles and should be treated as such, IMO. Trying to fake an MB or M38 out of a 2A or 3A will immediately draw fire from those who can tell the difference. And there are far more of those who can tell the difference than you realize. I witnessed such a critique at a Memorial Day parade in my Michigan town a couple years ago. The 3A in question pretended to be an M38 from about 50 feet away. The owner attempted to defend it as 'genuine Army' until he realized he was being questioned by a savvy 3A owner/restorer. Such "tribute" jeeps should be portrayed and identified as replicas. I love seeing the great work done in this forum to bring ratty civilian jeeps back from near-dead condition in U.S. Army finish, with the hope that they're also portrayed honestly in public.

Welcome, from a fellow Michigander. 

Its been quite a while since my initial project posting. Not a lot of time has been spent on my rig until recently. The stay at home thing and warmer weather have got me trying to get the engine running. I could not get the stock looking starter motor to fire so I bought a gear reduction unit for it since they're so much cheaper. The PO had converted the CJ to 12 volts and I don't know if the starter is a 12 volt unit or not. I've been scouring posts on ignition timing and are getting close. I did discover a problem with my distributor cap so I need to get it replaced. Serious carb rebuilding is coming soon too!

Fun project, welcome to the forum 

As I mentioned above, I had a tub like that.  You will have to really work to rust proof it.  Also, the one I had developed cracks around the body mounting points.  It was a waste of money for me.

Also bought a new GM alternator (3-wire) for the rescue and decided to fab a new mount. I read about the ones you can buy but really wanted something that was simple and kept he alternator low enough to clear an original type oil filter I eventually want to add. The u-shaped top bracket was just tacked in place and the alternator removed. Now to get it to the bench and finish welding it up.


Here's the bracket all primed, painted and installed in place. I like that it uses the original generator holes. If I ever change the motor to another F134 that came out of a CJ2A I should be able to bolt it right up.


Now it's time to go belt hunting. I used the old belt to try and measure, for what looks like 40.5". Perhaps a 42 incher will do?