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 In
April of 1993, I purchased this 1955 Willys CJ3B for the
sum of 1650.00. At the time, my intent was to use it for
hunting and recreational four wheeling. Little did I know,
that would all change!
It
all started out innocently enough. I was just going to
swap the leaf springs for some Rancho 2.5" units that
were a little softer riding and gave me some lift. While
doing the swap I noticed some cracks in the spring hangers
and decided to fix these while I was at it. This seemingly
small, insignificant, modification plunged me into the
dark abyss of Jeep modification. Once headed down that
trail, there's no turning back!
While
planning how to build a stronger spring mount, I decided
to go ahead and do a shackle inversion on the front. To
solve for the tweaked front end geometry, I decided to
make the front spring hangers a little longer and then
swing the shackles from the center of the frame. Beautiful.
My plan worked.
With
the front end done, I now focused on the rear spring hangers.
nothing needed to be done with the rear spring front mount,
so my work concentrated on the mount to the rear, where
the shackle swivels. Since I had perfected the necessary
technology for me to swing the front spring from the center
of the frame, I decided this would be advantageous to
apply to the rear set as well. With that done, and having
so much fun doing it, there was no stopping me!
 In
went the Buick 340 cu in. V8, Saginaw power steering and
a tilt column. A front hoop and spreaders were added to
the original roll bar, but because I didn't like the straight
up and down look of the roll bar, I cut a section out
of the fender risers and raked it back to match the windshield
angle before installing the kit. After completely grenading
the stock T-90 tranny, I decided that all modifications
in the immediate future should focus on a drivetrain that
would not fail me.
Enter
the SM 420 4speed gearbox, Mcleod centrifugal clutch,
Novak adapter, Dana 60 full float rear and Dana 44 front,
both retaining the 8 on 6.5" lug pattern. Custom shafts
from Dutchman were obtained for the 60 because I kept
the Spicer 18 transfer case.
8"
was trimmed from the right side axle tube to obtain the
offset drive required. 2.5" spacers for 1 ton dually conversions
were used to push the track back out to match that of
the front 44, which came from an IH Scout II. 2 " was
trimmed off of the Left tube of the 44 to center the track.
GM 3/4 ton parts from the spindles out were utilized for
strength (and disc brakes!) The 60 got treated to discs
as well. A small diameter power booster / master cylinder
from a donor vehicle was chosen to operate them.
4
Wheelers Supply in Phoenix installed the ARB's front and
rear for me along with 5.38:1 gears. I took over from
there and mounted the ARB compressor and ran the air lines
and all electrical. Oscar at Gloeco took care of building
the Rockcrawler driveshafts, customizing the rear to incorporate
the use of the 1410 series U-joints.
After
the drivetrain was complete, it was time to test my creation
at a local Jamboree put on by the Arizona State Association
Of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs. On its maiden voyage, the starter
wire arced to the header, creating an electrical fire
that burned into the cab. After the flames were out, and
the Jeep was back home, work began on the electrical and
interior. All areas were treated to new oversize wire,
wrapped in a special heat shield insulation and covered
with electrical tape.
 During
this process new Stuart Warner instrumentation found its
way into the dash, as well as the aircraft safety switches,
Kenwood CD stereo and Cobra CB. But not before a new aluminum
dash was fitted to spruce things up. That kicked off the
aluminum craze, and pretty soon the Jeep was adorned with
it under the fenderwells, on the tailgate, the transmission
cowl, and rocker panels. Aluminum shift knobs were fabricated
as well.
The
next big trip revealed the need for comfortable seating.
New seats and a custom 20mm ammo can center console were
placed. Somewhere along the line, an additional 18 gallon
gas tank was added under a custom rear seat to increase
off-road range. Utility lights found their way underneath
for night runs in the desert, as did an electric fuel
pump. A Warn 8274-50 winch, Linc - Arc underhood welder,
Metallic Blue paint and skid plates for all the drivetrain
components were added, as well.
I
determined the capabilities of the Jeep far exceeded the
original tire size of 33", and decided to install a 3"
body lift. Longer shocks were installed in extended mounts
at this time and the rear tire carrier was changed to
its current configuration to support the bigger meats.
With
some rear fenderwell trimming and removing the inner front
fenderwells in my own brand of tilt front end, I was able
to install the 38.5 X 14.50 X 15 Super Swamper TSL SX's.
Hey, go big, or stay on the porch, right?
Future
modifications include replacing the shocks with RS 9000's
with in-cab control and a 2" motor and drivetrain lift
(in progress as of this writing) to enable me to use a
flat or near flat skidplate.
SEE
MORE PHOTOS!!!
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