Bob Christy and his restored 1953 Willys CJ3B are the cover models for 4WD’s Vintage Jeep, Winter 2011 catalog. Bob won the honor by sharing photos and information about his Jeep restoration project on iShop4WD.com. Bob’s project began in December of 1999 in a friend’s heated garage, and was completed in 2001, in time for Bob to use the CJ3B in his wedding. Congratulations, Bob!
Restoring a ’53 Willys
A large part of the restoration involved blasting the CJ’s running gear and then treating it with POR-15 to keep the rust at bay. Bob also scoured the vehicle’s body, replacing every nut, bolt, and screw with stainless steel parts. The footman loops and hood latches are also stainless steel.
Bob was equally careful about selecting the paint color. This vintage CJ is painted in “Emerald Green Jewel Metallic,” which was originally featured on the 1995 Ford Thunderbird. Bob chose the T-bird green for its similarity to Willys’ “Woodstock Green.”
The CJ has a stock drive train, stock wheels treated with a white powdercoat, 7.00×16 NDCC tires, WARN overdrive, PTO, and 11″ Bendix brakes. But the crown jewel of the restoration is the set of 1953 “Sesquicentennial” Ohio license plates that Bob purchased from someone in Australia.
Next on Bob’s wish list is an original top.
Congratulations again to Bob! As a catalog cover winner, Bob also received a $500 4WD promo card that he can use to buy more Jeep replacement parts.
Don’t forget to keep posting for a chance to see your Jeep on a future 4WD catalog cover!
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