The post-war civilian jeep was introduced by Willys-Overland in 1945 with the CJ-2a (1946-1949). The CJ-2a was followed by the CJ-3a (1949-1953). Both are referred to as “flatties” on account of their flat top front fenders.
Known for their simplicity and durability, top speed on an early Willys is rumored to be about 50 mph. With their narrow track and high center-of-gravity, 30-40 mph is probably a more sensible speed (imagine driving along on your lawn tractor). The speedometer only goes to 60 mph.
Later models include the CJ-3b (1953-1968), CJ-5 (1954-1983), CJ-6 (1956-81), CJ-5a and 6a (1964-1968), CJ-7 (1976-1986), CJ-8 (1981-1986), and CJ-10 (1981-1985). In 1953, Willys merged with Kaiser; Kaiser was purchased by AMC in 1970; and in 1987 Jeep was purchased by Chrysler.
paragraph
test
Fully restored, they often to sell in the $12-20k range, but not knowing what’s under a fresh coat of paint or finding that one still needed a lot of mechanical work, I opt’ed to search for one with a solid frame and relatively complete drivetrain, but otherwise possibly needing everything (in the $1k-$4k price range.) That also matched my intention to get acquainted with wrenching on one, more than racking up miles or “off-roading”