Greg tells me that a few years ago he was half-heartedly looking for a flat fender when found an old, modified (or perhaps more accurately hacked up) 1956 DJ-3A for sale. He bought it and began a complete refurbishing of the jeep into something he could dependably drive on-road and off-road. He credits Randy Ellers, his boys, and eWillys for a variety of the ideas he employed in his rebuild. The real credit goes to Greg himself, as it looks like he's done some great work on this rig.
Greg writes, "I had been seeking a flat fender Willys off and on for several years, and had taken to surfing several jeep sites on the net in search of a suitable candidate for my goals.
I wanted something that I could keep true to the character of the Willys, but improve on the dependability and capability over time. When I found my jeep, the condition of the body is primarily what attracted me. The body was in better than typical shape for its age and I thought it would be a good start point for my vision. In fact I thought it would be roadworthy enough to make it a long term project while having fun jeeping it as I enhanced things.
As purchased, it was a 1956 DJ3A body on a late CJ3A chassis with an owner built roll cage, Vintage 8000# Ramsey winch, 10.50 x 31 Michelin tires on 7x15 wheels. After service as a runabout delivery vehicle in/around Auburn, AL, it eventually became an unlicensed farm vehicle for many years. Evidently the original hard top can be credited with limiting typical rust damage.
Shortly after I got it, I rebuilt both the three speed and transfer case. I also found a full set of 4 NOS 11” brakes to significantly improve stopping power. Soon after, I discovered the engine block was cracked so the search for acceptable re-power was on. Ultimately the Chevy 4.3L Vortec and TH350 transmission got the nod.
Over the course of the past 5 years or so, I’ve essentially gotten the jeep close to where I want it both in character appearance and performance. I’ve had it on a few club and Jeep Jamboree events and to date it continues to impress me. While it doesn’t have the creature comforts or modern flex suspension of the newer jeeps, it still does rather well on the trails, and we have loads of fun with it.
Frame, Suspension, Body:
Boxed Frame
Superlift 2.5” lift kit (springs, shocks, bushings). Owner fabricated shackles.
Saginaw power steering (slow ratio), mounted via Advance Adapter mount and spud.
Herm Tilford beefy tie rods, flipped to the top of the spindles via GOFERIT.com tie rod inserts.
Hanging pedal setup to actuate the CJ7 power brake booster & master cylinder.
1973 Toyota Landcruiser tail lights
1947 CJ2A windshield w/ aftermarket electric wipers
10 gallon DJ fuel tank in the rear and a minimized (6 gallon) CJ tank under the drivers seat. Fuel from the CJ tank is auxiliary fed to the main rear tank.
Homebuilt rear bumper & spare mount
Bestop Tiger top for winter jeeping and an old Army shelter half modified by my wife for a summer bikini top.
Interior:
Beachwood seat cushions and covers.
Notched rear wheel houses and extended seat frames for 3” greater legroom.
Homebuilt brake pedal (Willys pattern, but wider like a modern auto trans brake pedal) & modified Willys gas pedal to utilize modern chevy blazer cable linkage.
Vintage Sears Allstate turn signals
Owner fabricated roll cage.
Seatbelt Planet belts.
RightChannelRadios.com CB setup.
Late 60’s DJ5 Steering column (in order to retain functional horn button).
NOS Hyster fork lift horn (cheap 12V alternative to Willys jeep horn, and it sounds just like the original).
Aftermarket heater (summit racing).
Ammo can fabbed console & cup holders.
1961 Willys truck parking brake handle to operate the transfer case drum brake, while the original DJ brake handle operates the rear parking/emergency brakes.
Wheels & Tires:
12.50 x 33 Goodyear MTR kevlar Wranglers on 8 x 15 mid sixties Ford truck wheels
Axles:
Front Dana 25 with a D27 Power-Lok differential and stock 5:38 gear. Vintage Dualmatic locking hubs.
Rear Dana 44 with a NOS Power-Lok differential and stock 5:38 gear. Vintage Selectro locking hubs.
Rear floating axle kit from Herm Tilford (30 spline axles).
Engine & Transmission:
2001 Chevy Blazer 4.3L V6 (fuel injected, computer controlled). Mounted via Novak-adapt.com mounts.
Gearstar TH350 Stage II automatic (currently has a 1800rpm converter, I think 2000-2200 would be better), Lokar shifter.
Twin stick Spicer 18 transfer case (1.25” intermediate shaft, 29 tooth drive gear).
HermTheOverdriveGuy.com ATV over drive.
Offroad & Safety gear:
Viper Max widespool 5000# winch, with 65’ synthetic rope.
Hi-Lift jack
Home made skid plates to augment the original transfer case plate.
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