I bought a new jeep .. well .. actually an old jeep .. but it is far more exciting than buying a new jeep 
It is a 1963 CJ-3B, inline 4 "hurricane" engine, T90 transmission, Dana18 transfer case, and D25/Dana 44 axles. All original, mostly rust free frame and body, unmodified and an Arizona vehicle most of it's life.
It's a long time dream come true and I am very happy today. I have been talking about doing this for years, but never really seriously acted on it. In situations like these where the purchase is not a real necessity, it has been often the case with me that I do the "should I? shouldn't I? Do I really need this?" dilly dallying, eventually the item gets sold, and then I tell myself that it was just not meant to be. But for a change this time, and in a real positive sense .. thanks to the mentorship and advice of someone that I really respect very much .. I actually paid for this thing and broke the silly circle I tend to revolve in.
I have a strange attraction to pre-AMC era jeeps, and especially to these high hood ones. Lot of people think they look funny compared to the CJ-2s and CJ-5s. But I grew up in India with the Mahindra versions of these all around me as the official law and order and the official military vehicles in the city and the suburbs. Our own @jscherb has a very good thread over at JeepForum talking about the many Mahindra jeeps he saw in his many travels to India. I think my subconscious liking of Jeeps really started at a young age. I saw the CJ-3B equivalents used for many official things. I saw the official government vehicles transition to CJ5-derived models over time and Cj6-equivalents used as ambulances. Police officers were respected and they always, always arrived in Jeeps with blue and white livery, looking fit and acting with authority you seldom saw otherwise. Going to deep rural parts of South India in those days where paved roads did not really exist .. you either walked if your destination was in walking distance, or rode a bicycle (which most people did), took a ride in a crowded government bus that never, ever ran on time, or if you were affluent enough, you would take a ride in a Ox or horse drawn cart, and if you were actually rich, you took a ride in a motorized vehicle if your family was affluent enough to own one. My grandparents lived in the village and were too poor to own anything other than bicycles, but there were few really rare occasions where I have taken rides in rented vehicles and it was always a very special a treat to be riding in a Jeep. It was almost always a CJ-3B or a Savari (CJ5-like long wheelbase people carrier). In some parts of India, they are still in use both for personal use and as Taxis and very much cherished by the owners. Mahindra put low HP turbodiesel engines in them and they would still keep running while the tubs fell apart after decades of use. As late as 2009-10, you could still special order a new Mahindra Major (last iteration of the CJ-3B). The main national newspaper wrote a front page editorial when the last flat fender Mahindra model was discontinued in 2011 - it really was part of the collective memory of the country.
I was saddened a little bit with the whole Mahindra vs FCA legal saga surrounding the Roxor side-by-side. Both sides had their valid points and the final court decision is what it is. Given the rich history of both companies, a much nicer collaborative solution could have happened if people from both sides wanted it to happen. But that is seemingly too much to ask in today's business world.
This Willys Jeep will need some restoration work, sure, but it has good bones and I am looking forward to the experience in both aspects of ownership and the tinkering/learning. I am going to get the best possible help for the initial restoration, and I really aim to learn as much as I can towards maintaining and caring for this by myself over time that will also carry over to my TJ. This below photo is the seller's and the brief video shows the vehicle start up and a short walkaround. I simply wanted to share this here since I know we have a few people here that like old CJs and will have some appreciation for this CJ-3B. It is a vehicle from a bygone era, but the memories I have are far from being forgotten.
It is a 1963 CJ-3B, inline 4 "hurricane" engine, T90 transmission, Dana18 transfer case, and D25/Dana 44 axles. All original, mostly rust free frame and body, unmodified and an Arizona vehicle most of it's life.
It's a long time dream come true and I am very happy today. I have been talking about doing this for years, but never really seriously acted on it. In situations like these where the purchase is not a real necessity, it has been often the case with me that I do the "should I? shouldn't I? Do I really need this?" dilly dallying, eventually the item gets sold, and then I tell myself that it was just not meant to be. But for a change this time, and in a real positive sense .. thanks to the mentorship and advice of someone that I really respect very much .. I actually paid for this thing and broke the silly circle I tend to revolve in.
I have a strange attraction to pre-AMC era jeeps, and especially to these high hood ones. Lot of people think they look funny compared to the CJ-2s and CJ-5s. But I grew up in India with the Mahindra versions of these all around me as the official law and order and the official military vehicles in the city and the suburbs. Our own @jscherb has a very good thread over at JeepForum talking about the many Mahindra jeeps he saw in his many travels to India. I think my subconscious liking of Jeeps really started at a young age. I saw the CJ-3B equivalents used for many official things. I saw the official government vehicles transition to CJ5-derived models over time and Cj6-equivalents used as ambulances. Police officers were respected and they always, always arrived in Jeeps with blue and white livery, looking fit and acting with authority you seldom saw otherwise. Going to deep rural parts of South India in those days where paved roads did not really exist .. you either walked if your destination was in walking distance, or rode a bicycle (which most people did), took a ride in a crowded government bus that never, ever ran on time, or if you were affluent enough, you would take a ride in a Ox or horse drawn cart, and if you were actually rich, you took a ride in a motorized vehicle if your family was affluent enough to own one. My grandparents lived in the village and were too poor to own anything other than bicycles, but there were few really rare occasions where I have taken rides in rented vehicles and it was always a very special a treat to be riding in a Jeep. It was almost always a CJ-3B or a Savari (CJ5-like long wheelbase people carrier). In some parts of India, they are still in use both for personal use and as Taxis and very much cherished by the owners. Mahindra put low HP turbodiesel engines in them and they would still keep running while the tubs fell apart after decades of use. As late as 2009-10, you could still special order a new Mahindra Major (last iteration of the CJ-3B). The main national newspaper wrote a front page editorial when the last flat fender Mahindra model was discontinued in 2011 - it really was part of the collective memory of the country.
I was saddened a little bit with the whole Mahindra vs FCA legal saga surrounding the Roxor side-by-side. Both sides had their valid points and the final court decision is what it is. Given the rich history of both companies, a much nicer collaborative solution could have happened if people from both sides wanted it to happen. But that is seemingly too much to ask in today's business world.
This Willys Jeep will need some restoration work, sure, but it has good bones and I am looking forward to the experience in both aspects of ownership and the tinkering/learning. I am going to get the best possible help for the initial restoration, and I really aim to learn as much as I can towards maintaining and caring for this by myself over time that will also carry over to my TJ. This below photo is the seller's and the brief video shows the vehicle start up and a short walkaround. I simply wanted to share this here since I know we have a few people here that like old CJs and will have some appreciation for this CJ-3B. It is a vehicle from a bygone era, but the memories I have are far from being forgotten.
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