'48 CJ2A #204853, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

I'm in Plettenberg Bay most of the year and in Portland, Oregon for the rest.

I read through your whole thread after sending the message. Great job.

I share your frustration with getting spares as I have just completed a 6 year restoration of a 1977 HJ45 Land Cruiser. Let me know if you have little bits and pieces you need carried from the States. I hope to be in KZN in June soon after I get back to SA. I've got to see your Jeep in the flesh.

Just skimmed through your thread quickly. Baie mooi! 

I've just finished a nuts and bolts on a '77 Land Cruiser. I bought CJ2A 103137 on Thursday and am about to embark on a nuts and bolts of that too. I've had several 2A's over the past 60 years but this one is going to be a keeper. I'd love to have a look at yours when I'm in that part of the world next.

A really fantastic job you did!

Anyway, that day was this past Saturday. It turned into more of a family shoot, but I persuaded the photographer to take a few shots of the jeep anyway... The light was getting low so the normandy blue looks black in a lot of the pics, but I thought I would still share a few anyway. And look at how Julia has grown too!

Enjoy...

Well, it looks as though little Julia has grown a lot in 4 months.  She looked so tiny in the earlier pic you posted. 

The Jeep looks fantastic, too! 

From the first time you joined the 2a page I have been very impressed with your attention to detail, and especially your patience. Being on the other end of the earth has added huge challenges and complications for you. That you have made it through and built that beautiful Jeep to completion (are they ever really complete?) is a wonderful achievement that you can take great pride in.

Also, thanks for sharing the knowledge that you have gained along your journey with us.

Well done sir!

About 3 weeks ago I stripped out the leaking fuel tank and was able to remove and clean the panel that was leaking at the seams. I took it to Silverton Radiators who silver soldered the panel back in for me and pressure tested the tank. No more leaks! Who hoo! In hindsight it is what I should have done all along. No need now to import a new tank from the States!

Since then I have been driving it locally to get some miles on the engine and to debug small things here and there. I drove it to my brother in law the other weekend, he's about 3 km from my house. His kids and their friends were super stoked about the jeep! I spent about an hour driving them around the garden in low range. They loved it! A whole bunch climbed in later when it was parked and ate their lunch in it. Just couldn't get enough of it. 

I came out later and they had decided that it was dirty, had found a bucket and were all busy wiping it down with rags they found somewhere. 

Yup folks, this is dead of winter for us right now. 

Here I am with my wife and Julia, now 4 months old...

Since then I have been working on some of the small details.

Last weekend I bent and installed a vacuum line for the vacuum wiper. It's now all connected and works great! Also installed the drivers side mirror. 

I got the spare bracket mounted which means the spare is now also on.

Still have to get the passengers side step on, I hope to do this this coming weekend.

All the little bits and pieces are coming together now. I'm within a week or two of starting the paperwork and getting this thing road legal.

Thanks for checking in. 

Mike