• Seller: Lloyd S tevens
• Location: Artesia, California
• Mileage: 80,297 Shown
• Chassis #: 20625
• Title Status: Missing
• Engine: GMC V8
• Transmission: 3-Speed Manual with 2-Speed Transfer Case

It might be a big project, but this one will be hard for the seller to let go. This Jeep belonged to their father and was the first vehicle they got to drive. They drove it for a few years, but after moving away, their father parked it and didn’t drive it again. That was in 1972, so it’s been parked for a long time. As stated, it’s a project, but few vehicles are as simple as a ’50s Willys CJ! Rather than let it sit there and deteriorate more, the seller is offering it here as a no-reserve Barn Finds Auction!

The CJ-3B is incredibly simple, with a primarily flat body and an interior void of anything unnecessary. This one has a little added complexity over most CJ-3Bs, as it received a V8 upgrade at some point in its life. We will take a closer look at the engine below, but having a V8 under the hood had to make this a much more entertaining vehicle to drive! As you can see, there’s lots of corrosion here that needs to be dealt with. Thankfully, all the metal required to restore it is available. It’s currently wearing red paint, but based on what can be seen in the engine bay, it was originally painted Pine Tint, a color you don’t see often.

As you can see, the interior is quite spartan, with nothing more than what’s necessary to get the job done. Being a civilian Jeep means you had a few more color options other than the standard green of the military-spec CJ. This one has white vinyl seat upholstery, but as you can see, the interior needs full restoration. The white upholstery had to look great with the bright red paint when it was in good shape.

Originally, this Willys would have been equipped with the Go-Devil 134 cui inline-4 which was good for about 60 horsepower. This engine was durable and worked great on the farm, but wasn’t the fastest around town. We would assume that’s why it was upgraded to a Chevrolet V8. The seller isn’t sure what the engine’s specs are and without a closer inspection, it’s hard to know. Given the size of the vehicle, you wouldn’t expect a V8 to fit, but the engine bay is surprisingly roomy. It might be a 265, but a closer look will be needed to determine which small block it is. Even if this is a base 265, it would still be a 100-horsepower increase over the inline-4!

Letting go of a vehicle that was owned by one of your parents and you learned to drive in can be hard, but sometimes it’s the best thing for the vehicle. This Willys is going to be a big undertaking, but they are great off-roaders, and adding a V8 will make it a better driver overall. So, if you’d love to take this project on, cast your high bid below. Please leave any questions for the seller in the comment section.

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