UPDATE: **SOLD** … This one finally found a good home.
(08/17/2017) This has a variety of upgrades. The grille reminds me of a Nuffield.
“One of a kind
1948 Willys Jeep 4 wheel drive ( 81 ” wheel base )
I’ve owned this Jeep for over 40 years
All steel body (no rust or damage)
Complete frame including spring hangers etc. are boxed in
Hi performance 350 cu.in. fresh small block Chevy / chrome custom headers
Turbo 400 trans, electric lock up tork converter, custom made dash and hood
Halibrand quick-change rear end (extra gear sets)
Custom body work-exhaust exits out rear of body,
Flaring on wheel wells / license plate recessed
Enlarged windshield / frenched head lights /custom grill
Stainless fuel tank
Custom Fresno top / side panels included
Tilt steering wheel / power steering
Disk brakes all around
Double chain driven transfer case
Chrome traction bars
Roll cage
Bucket seats
Street legal, titled and registered
Has never been outside my shop over night, always indoors”
I have to ask. What good is a quick change rearend without a quick change frontend?
It’s a good question. If it were me, I would keep 4:27 – 4:88s in the front and then swap in the matching gears into the back when wanting to offroad. However, for onroad driving, I would put it in two wheel drive and put in something more road friendly (3.73s perhaps).
So, there wouldn’t be any need to swap out the fronts.
that huge windshield modification is interesting. should be helpful when pulling wheelies in that thing
It appears to have warn hubs in front so whatever you want to stuff in the Halibrand doesn’t affect the front, as long as you don’t forget to unlock the hubs ofcourse. imagine what happens if you do…. that would really mess up your drivetrain LOL
Hello, I use to own your jeep.I bought it from Charlie Krikorian from Fresno, CA late 60’s early 70’s! He fabricated all the trick body mods and the windshield in his shop. He had it for quite some time and I finally talked him into selling it to me unpainted and without an engine or transmission. The original engine was incredibly trick with moldex billet crank and carillo rods, it was totally blueprinted and dynoed 510hp naturally aspirated. This was in the early 70’s. the engine originally was built for an outlaw car with a dry sump oil system, roller solid lifter cam. You can’t believe how good it sounded in those days of Chevron 104 octane gas! I put in a B&M transmission with a 3000 stall torque convertor. Bill Arbuckle also from Fresno did some work on it. The windshield latches are from a Porsche if my memory serves me. The top was made in Fresno, I think it was a Muller. It was way ahead of it’s time. That is one very special jeep my friend. How long have you owned it? What use have you gotten out of it? It still looks like it did when I sold it except the grill had a flat piece of polished stainless with holes in it instead of the grill you have now. I think your grill looks better and probably flows air better. We used to go to Pismo Beach in the sand dunes before the BLM really cut back on the available sand play area. They took away most of our “sand box”! I had to have another jeep so I built one with an automatic trans, V6, disc brakes & the same windshield you have that Charlie built for me. Same dash except a little deeper and more space top to bottom. My next jeep was built for serious off road stuff. Your jeep was originaly built as a street rod not for serious off roading such as the “Rubicon”. I hope I hear from you as the history of the jeep really holds some nostalgia for me.
Best regards,
Jim Sparkes San Jose CA.
Hi Jim,
Your best chance of contacting the seller will be to click on this link
http://northcentralaz.ebayclassifieds.com/classic-cars/fort-mohave/1948-jeep-willys/?ad=17099460#ixzz1s4lA39NS
And click the ‘reply by email’ button.
However, thanks for sharing the information with the rest of us. I’m fascinated with all the different jeep mods people used to create great jeeps. This is a beautiful build and I was curious about a few of them.
You can view 2 very similar modified jeeps (same top and windshield) sold in Fresno
1) http://www.ewillys.com/2012/03/13/1948-cj-2a-clovis-ca-ebay/
2) http://www.ewillys.com/2008/02/05/1947-cj-2a-fresno-ca/
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at d@ewillys.com
Thanks,
– Dave
Has this been for sale all nearly-4 years now? …or back up again?
Been for sale, though the price has varied.
I really like some of the innovations with this. I want to rebuild my grille similar to this one, recreate the muller top (http://www.ewillys.com/2015/06/12/directions-for-muller-custom-top/), redo a dash similar to this one, and experiment with the longer windshield.
I think this was done pretty well…more modern but with the old lines
Ad states disc brakes all the way around but that sure looks like a drum backing plate on the rear.
Good point bill. I agree. Those rears look drummish.
Will this Jeep ever sell? A legend in it’s own time.
Note the date on the first comment, 4/15/2012, this beautiful well done Willys has been for sale more than 7 years, same owner for 40 years, at a fair affordable price. In my mind, this is a bargain on a very unique Willys. Why is this guy having such a hard time selling it?
When you look at the so called restored Willys Jeep vehicles for sale at twice the price, I’d much rather have this one, a much better vehicle at half the price. Just goes to show you, people don’t know how to judge quality.
This is where I will part ways with opinions and will not make any friends.
I would be embarrassed to be seen in this Frankensteins monster.
At one time it was a CJ2a, and now? A victim of bad decisions.
I am not surprised it hasn’t sold.
Ouch!
Mike, I don’t get it either. I really like this one, but that’s because, to me, it represents the best example of the Fresno-style customization.
It’s interesting because it’s a genere of the Fresno thing in the day. I think David has it right on this point. The engines the seller had mentioned were indeed trick hence the quick change rear axle to get instant albeit crude data. Anyway great stuff to read during annual 6mos winter break./
Haters probably prefer Olive Drab paint. Yes, that top was unique to the Fresno area. The rest was design/fab shared by much of the SoCal Jeep / Hot Rodish dunes community. Most all had sets of paddles and All Terrains instead of Mudders. This was more of a take off of a Sand Dragster ….who built the Jeep for Jim above.
the 400 with lock up torque converter? no way. seller must mean a switch pitch converter used by Buick in the 60’s, which was controlled by a solenoid on the pump. have rebuilt many of those.
Great Willys. I always wanted a flat fender and remembered this as a rust free solid option. I’m a military nut but couldn’t pass it up and LOVED the story behind this CJ. It will stay as a rod in my garage ! ! ! I Bought it from a famous drag champion named “Blair”. I hope I can keep it forever.
Todd, I am very glad this found a good home. It was one I’ve had my eye on and, if available this summer, I would have seriously considered getting due to its important history (in my opinion).
Have great fun with it! I’ll update the post.
– Dave
So I keep learning things. It’s slow. Mostly built by Bill Arbuckle who was a Firefighter and mechanic on the side. Charley Krikorian also made mods. Talked to Jim Sparkes above, and Butch who I bought it from but they are forgetting some details as 1970 was a long way back. The quick change rear was to synchronize the large rear tires and smaller front. The hood and front fenders are M38. The frame is M38. I see the “M” stamp but there are no SN plates at all. Steering has been converted to Saginaw. Front diff has a metal tag stamped “11/47” and the number 25 cast near the top. The body has filled holes for a spare tire mount on the left but the brace is on the passenger side (Lefty?). Footman loop holes in the rear of both wheel wells. The converter is a high stall lockup. around 3000. Has ANYONE heard of the chain & sprockets mod to a Dana 20???? Or a 3 inch round hole, passenger foot area but to the right in the cowl?? Rear wheel wells are only 31.5 inches on top so maybe a CJ3a/M38 tub. DMV Title is DRF113xxx. If the numbers came from a tag plate those numbers would fall into 1947 CJ2a correct?? But no plates or stamps visible anywhere. Wow is it fast. Those big tires are always spinning.