The Resurrection of CJ2-26 |
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schoolbuilder
Member Joined: 03 June 2011 Location: New Ashford, MA Status: Offline Points: 239 |
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This was an interesting read: great project.
I was wondering if there was a transition from straight canvas seat covers to vinyl (leatherette) at some point during the MB-CJ2a production transition. I have serial # 17033 and wonder which is correct. Thanks, Shaun
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Schoolbuilder
New Ashford, MA '46 CJ2A #17033 |
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Oilleaker1
Member Joined: 06 Sep. 2011 Location: Black Hills, SD Status: Offline Points: 4412 |
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Keep going Fred. Your Jeep makes Slat grille MB's look "common". I love how you get it right. Then-----you drive them like it was just purchased at the Willys overland dealership. Oilly
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Green Disease, Jeeps, Old Iron!
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Fred Coldwell
Member Joined: 18 Nov. 2005 Location: Denver, CO. Status: Offline Points: 437 |
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Found the long lost brush guard deflector WO-663248 Three days ago my body and paint man, Lou, called with most excellent news: he found hidden away the brush guard deflector for CJ2-26 that had been missing for a few years. I thought he had taken it to the sandblaster and that it was lost there. But Lou assured me our sandblaster was meticulous about keeping track of parts in his care and has never lost anything Lou gave him. I had my doubts. Turns out the deflector was somehow placed in a remote storage area at Lou's and while he was looking for something else he came across it. I was ecstatic! The reason for my joy is that this deflector is a very rare part. Only 20 or so were ever made for the CJ-2 stamped JEEPs, and they differ from the earlier deflectors on the first 20 Agrijeeps and from all later CJ-2A production deflectors. Here's why. The brush guard deflector screws to the top of the Willys arched frame cross member just ahead of the radiator and bolts to the bottom of the radiator guard. It prevents chaff and grain from getting sucked up onto and stuck on the radiator from below the arched cross member. A separate chaff screen clips onto the front of the radiator guard and serves the same function but slightly higher up. I was so thrilled this deflector was found that I picked it up yesterday and brought it home last night. While at Lou's I helped him clear and clean an area where we put CJ2-26's body on saw horses to begin body repairs. Today I sand blasted the deflector, and here are a front top view and a bottom rear view for your enjoyment: As you may recall, the CJ-2 jeeps use a 9 slot MB military radiator guard. Although the first 20 CJ-2 Agrijeeps used the same MB radiator guard, they used a different brush guard deflector that was more rounded front to back than the straight-bent-straight-bent-straight deflector used on the stamped JEEP CJ-2s. The Agrijeep deflector is rounded to clear the 2" wide thick starp welded to the center top of the arched cross member that the bottom of the radiator guard bolts to. Here is a top view of the rounded deflector on CJ2-09 that has two depressed flat areas where the two screws attach it to the arched frame cross member: By contrast, nearly the whole top of the deflector for CJ2-26 is flat with 2 holes for the screws that attach it to the top of the arched frame cross member, as seen in the first photo above. Only a 3" wide center section of the deflector is raised to clear the 2" wide strap welded to the arched cross member. Willys engineers simplified the stamping for this and the later CJ-2A deflectors. You will note the left side facing on the MB radiator guard deflector angles inward while the right side goes straight back towards the radiator. The production model CJ-2A used a newer civilian radiator guard with only 7 slots because the larger 7" diameter civilian headlights took up more room at each end of the guard and because Ford invented the 9 slot MB/GPW radiator guard and Willys wanted to protect the look of the new civilian jeep with its own 7 slot design. Moreover, on the CJ-2A guard the right side facing angles inwards toward the radiator while the left side is straight, the opposite of the MB radiator guard. Accordingly, the deflector on the CJ-2A, though bent and straight like the stamped JEEP CJ-2 guard, angles inwards at the opposite end. This difference is seen here in a bottom view of a CJ-2A radiator guard with its deflector attached and the CJ-2 stamped JEEP deflector behind it with the mounting holes roughly lined up: All this goes to show you why I was ecstatic Lou found the deflector for CJ2-26, as it would have been extremely difficult to build one from scratch, even with one example (from Todd's CJ2-37 that has this deflector on it) or from engineering drawings (that Joe Friday has). Lou's find this week got me charged up again about the resurrection of CJ2-26, so being reinvigorated its full steam ahead this summer. Toot toot! Oilly, thank you for your encouragement. You must have also been whispering in Lou's ear regarding the whereabouts of the long lost brush guard deflector for CJ2-26. There's magic in the air, I tell ya! Edited by Fred Coldwell - 13 June 2021 at 1:55pm |
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Happy Jeep Trails,
Fred Coldwell Denver, CO 1944 CJ2-09 - X-33 1945 CJ2-26 - X-50 |
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19Cargo42
Member Joined: 23 Apr. 2018 Location: Western Mass. Status: Offline Points: 570 |
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This is probably my favorite thread on the site. I always look forward to your updates. I hope someday to meet you in person and see your Jeep.
Good luck with the project and keep the posts coming. John
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muley
Member Joined: 25 Jan. 2021 Location: idaho Status: Offline Points: 824 |
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to me that brush guard looks like just another piece of sheet metal, to Fred it's the lost arc..
Keep up the good work Sir! Edited by muley - 12 June 2021 at 11:43pm |
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Joined Jan-8 2015
I never met a mule I didn't like! OD Mule 01-52 M38 Big Red 19fiddy CJ3A salad |
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Todd Paisley
Member Joined: 19 Nov. 2005 Location: Baltimore, MD Status: Offline Points: 362 |
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Bet you are glad to find that! It would have been interesting to try and fabricate that. Back early on you were posting about the speedometer. The speedometer on CJ2-37 was a King-Seeley. I found another one like it. It is a KS-403638BN. It has the tick marks after 60 mph I haven't found a 40355 one like on the BOM. |
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Todd Paisley
1941 MB-100063 - MB Factory Test Mule 1942 MB-123136 - Earliest Documented "Civilian" Test Jeep 1944 CJ2-12 - X36 1944 CJ2-16 - X40 1945 CJ2-37 - X61 1945 CJ2A |
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Fred Coldwell
Member Joined: 18 Nov. 2005 Location: Denver, CO. Status: Offline Points: 437 |
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Todd: Thanks for the ID and close-up photos of the stamped JEEPs speedometer! I'll begin searching for one. 19Cargo42: Glad you enjoy this thread. There's more to some. Muley: Good to hear from you! I'm still plugging away here.
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Happy Jeep Trails,
Fred Coldwell Denver, CO 1944 CJ2-09 - X-33 1945 CJ2-26 - X-50 |
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Joe Friday
Moderator Group Sponsor Member x 2 Joined: 26 Dec. 2010 Location: Jeep Central Status: Offline Points: 3655 |
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Don't worry Fred, we had your back.
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Vintage Don
Member Sponsor Member Joined: 10 Sep. 2020 Location: Medina, OH Status: Offline Points: 413 |
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Fascinating thread, I love following along.
And this morning, I got to learn something. I had wondered what those 2 little screws were for, on the top of the round crossmember. Now I know! Edited by Vintage Don - 13 June 2021 at 8:25am |
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Daron Wanberg
Member Joined: 08 Aug. 2005 Location: Colorful Colorado Status: Offline Points: 71 |
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Whaaaat? The great stories of the unbelievable are working there way to surface of the Agrijeep and CJ2A world. Most Excellent dude people.
Daron X38 Fred. When you need that key coil for the dash let me know I have three. ;-)
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44 CJ-2 SN CJ2-14 X38 AGRIJEEP
45 2A SN 10011 46 2A SN 17558 46 2A SN 11951 46 2A SN 33283 47 2A SN 98996 48 2A SN 181941 48 2A SN 204590 49 2A SN 224406 <b |
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Daron Wanberg
Member Joined: 08 Aug. 2005 Location: Colorful Colorado Status: Offline Points: 71 |
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Oh. One other thing. A person can always tell if a chaff screen is original to the farm Jeep. If the bolts are broken off then you know at one time the jeep may have had all the farming acruitaments. Laser corn detasler etc. Etc.
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44 CJ-2 SN CJ2-14 X38 AGRIJEEP
45 2A SN 10011 46 2A SN 17558 46 2A SN 11951 46 2A SN 33283 47 2A SN 98996 48 2A SN 181941 48 2A SN 204590 49 2A SN 224406 <b |
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Fred Coldwell
Member Joined: 18 Nov. 2005 Location: Denver, CO. Status: Offline Points: 437 |
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Well, that was fast. A few weeks ago I advertised on G503.com to purchase a King Seeley KS-40363BN speedo and got a few replies. I chose to buy the speedo offered by my long time friend Brian Asbury in Milton, Ontario, Canada. It arrived yesterday and is a beauty. For some unknown reason, the digital photos of it show many tiny light speckles on the dial face but they are not visible when the speedo is seen in person. Brian could not find this speedo listed among those used by the US. Army during WW II in his ORD 2, but noticed it was used on a few Canadian military vehicles. Nor does this KS speedo model number appear in the Bill of Materials for the CJ-2 jeeps. But it is found on the surviving CJ-2 stamped JEEPs as documented by Todd in the photos he posted nearby and at the beginning of this thread. So this is the speedo CJ2-26 will happily use after it is oiled and put in good operating condition by my local speedometer shop. Another unusual part for an unusual jeep.
Edited by Fred Coldwell - 29 June 2021 at 8:04am |
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Happy Jeep Trails,
Fred Coldwell Denver, CO 1944 CJ2-09 - X-33 1945 CJ2-26 - X-50 |
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damar2yxr
Member Sponsor Member x 2 Joined: 23 Aug. 2010 Location: Watertown, Wisc Status: Offline Points: 2632 |
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Awesome news Fred! You know that everyone here is rooting for you. I know that I rummage through my parts when you have a need and I'll bet you everyone else does as well. You should post your needs at all times. Everyone connected with these jeeps will beat the bushes trying to help out. Who wouldn't want to be a part of history....helping you with such an unusual jeep?
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eat,sleep,jeep
Proud father of a Marine, Army Dentist, Navy Pilot and a Princess. LIFE IS GOOD! 43MB,47CJ2-A,48CJ2-A X2,70Jeepster Commando 1/2 cab,84CJ-7, |
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Fred Coldwell
Member Joined: 18 Nov. 2005 Location: Denver, CO. Status: Offline Points: 437 |
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My body and paint guy, Lou Ferra, has begun rebuilding and repair work on CJ2-26's body tub. When inspecting it upright on its rear end, we noticed a few interesting alterations made during its original construction that are worth sharing. The first is all the welds on the bottom inside of the transmission hump that was raised and widened to accommodate the taller and longer T90A transmission. I imagine the front floor pan was stamped from a MB front floor pan die designed for the lower and shorter T84 transmission. That transmission hump was cut, enlarged, and rewelded to fit the larger T90-A. It amazed me to see the extensive cutting, fitting and welding necessary for that alteration, visible only from the bottom as the top of the hump inside the cab was all ground smooth. Second was the alteration to the rear fender inner front corners to make them look like the MB triangular rear fender inner front corners. I imagine the body tubs for the stamped CJ-2 jeeps were the same as used on the bronze name plate Agrijeeps, which have square rear fender inner front corners. Those were cut off and a triangular piece of sheet metal was welded in their place to replicate the folded MB corners and the folded CJ-2A corners to follow. This alteration to the stamped CJ-2 bodies was not apparent until CJ2-26's tub was stood on end, revealing the welds around the triangle's perimeter, seen here looking up on the inside of the driver's side rear fender from where the rear axle would be: Also noteworthy is the lengthwise cutting, flattening, and welding of a few inches of the inner raised rib under and forward of the footman's loop. The strap for the canvas half cab top might not have fit under the footman's loop if the raised rib was still there, so it was removed on both sides. Enjoy these fun discoveries! |
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Happy Jeep Trails,
Fred Coldwell Denver, CO 1944 CJ2-09 - X-33 1945 CJ2-26 - X-50 |
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OnlyOneDR
Member Joined: 05 July 2016 Location: R Status: Offline Points: 459 |
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Agreed 100%.
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Searching for time to put it all together...
1950 CJ-3A #37751 In Pieces 1969 Chevy Blazer Resto-Mod Waiting for its day... 2001 Nissan Frontier Crawler Adventure Rig |
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Vintage Don
Member Sponsor Member Joined: 10 Sep. 2020 Location: Medina, OH Status: Offline Points: 413 |
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X 2
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Joe Friday
Moderator Group Sponsor Member x 2 Joined: 26 Dec. 2010 Location: Jeep Central Status: Offline Points: 3655 |
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My most irreplaceable day of the Colorado Color Tour the last few year was Monday back at the Ranch.
I chose to forgo the trails and stay at the garage to hang out with Fred LaPerrier and Fred Coldwell. I refer to them as the 'talking Freds' rather than the talking heads because the conversation is always informative and memorable. It didn't hurt my feeling to drive around in Fred P's GPA either...
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Todd Paisley
Member Joined: 19 Nov. 2005 Location: Baltimore, MD Status: Offline Points: 362 |
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Hi Fred. If you take a look under CJ2-09, it will have the same kind of modifications.
Same similar things on CJ2-06 and CJ2-16. (Haven't looked under CJ2-37 yet. Do you have the rear floor rib ends near hammered down for the toolbox? Here is CJ2-37's: |
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Todd Paisley
1941 MB-100063 - MB Factory Test Mule 1942 MB-123136 - Earliest Documented "Civilian" Test Jeep 1944 CJ2-12 - X36 1944 CJ2-16 - X40 1945 CJ2-37 - X61 1945 CJ2A |
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