1948 Willys Jeep RESCUE! Over 3 SLOW Years of Work in UNDER 14 Minutes!

I've wanted to do one of these for awhile and it's finally time. Here's the highlight reel of the past three years or so of the 1948 Willys CJ2A Jeep project, the cornerstone of the channel, (also including a short "slide show" of pictures from before I bought it and before I started recording videos for TH-cam). I have a full time job so I could only work on it on weekends and after hours as I had the energy to do so. I learned a lot of new skills along the way in order to bring an old abandoned Jeep back to life. It was used hard and put up wet, as they say, then left sitting in a barn for around 30 years. The seller said it "needed one of everything" and he was not joking.
I learned how to make my own brake lines, drill out swedges on the hub over drum style brakes, swap out wheel studs (more than once), rebuild a transmission, rebuild a transfer case, checking backlash and tolerances as I went. I installed a new clutch and pressure plate, learned to rewire an entire Jeep from scratch, manually mounted my own tubes and tires on wheels, and along the way I had to buy a bunch of tools and equipment so I could media blast and properly paint individual components as I went through them.
While it runs and drives (and stops!) as it should, there's still more to come with the project: a windshield repair, a set of basket case axles to rebuild, a basket case transfer case to build up, a suspension overhaul to install, and eventually a full round of body off frame repairs that will require learning how to weld. Probably even a ton of bondo and paint work.
#willysjeep #jeeplife #questionablelifechoices #oldcars #jeeprestoration #flatfender #projectcars #moneypit #basketcase #cj2a #willys

[@TheFlanman10]

The commentary is actually pretty funny. I enjoyed his level of sarcasm.

[@bigfrank493]

Thats all fun stuff. Bringing back an old rig to life. Enjoy it.

[@yy5cav]

Gracias por mirar? Muchas gracias a usted por compartir este hermoso vídeo, disfruté cada minuto, como si estuviera presente en su garage, usted tiene un CJ-2A de 1948 el mismo Jeep que tuvo mi abuelo, los Jeeps Willys son los mejores autos fabricados en U.S.A. su mecánica es muy sencilla, yo tengo un Willys M38 A1 que compré en diciembre de 2019 y estoy restaurando poco a poco, vivo en Venezuela, America del Sur y aunque muchas refacciones se consiguen en las tiendas de repuestos locales, su precio es muy superior a las que se consiguen en U.S.A. además tenemos una grave situación económica gracias al gobierno, pero bueno lo importante es destacar el hermoso trabajo que usted realizó digno de todo un profesional, le saludo con todo respeto y aprecio. Carlos Valero Kerch.

[@ciscokidfab7595]

Sweet little vid and rig.

[@onrop2004]

Whoo Hoo Pumpkin Spice! THE GUITAR WHEN THE LINE BROKE!🤣! I recognize that "FlashLight" you used when draining the transmission. Kool little piece of tech. We need to get you a powder coater and spare oven. Need to get away from the rattle cans! I love those steering wheel covers! Did you ever get that parking break sorted? I remember pushing that thing out of the giant fire ants mound and onto the trailer! It's come a long way and I looks amazing! Keep going! Next step, patch the swiss cheese of a tub and powder coat the whole thing?

[@SunkCostGarage]

Oh yeah, the parking brake is sorted. It was done right before the first drive, where I left it on for a trip around the block. Guess that was one way to get the brake shoes matched to the drum.

[@Javier_FH]

Very nice, thanks for keeping us posted. Your videos always have priority over other subscribed channels and they deserve a good time to watch and enjoy!!!

[@SunkCostGarage]

I appreciate the support!

[@OldCarGarageUSA]

Nicely done, enjoyed watching!👍

[@ginacoronel6872]

Really awesome to see how far you've come! I started on September 2020, but I haven't finished yet. The fact that I got 7 more project Willys along the way might have something to do with it 😅 Great video, as always looking forward to the next one!

[@t.j.whelan5711]

Been he the whole time! Good job

[@48Flattielife]

Love the videos keep them coming!!!

[@mralmirante7777]

Nice

[@ThunderboltTheWillysJeep]

Your videos have been such an inspiration to me as I work on my '48. My start up is coming very soon. Should be driving it this spring. Hopefully we can meet up at an event someday. Bantam?

[@SunkCostGarage]

Glad to be an inspiration. I hope to be able to go to some of these events someday. I don't have a tow rig capable of taking the Jeep or Bantam with me and most of them are a thousand miles away from where I'm at, but I might show up to some of them someday.

[@tomford5416]

@@SunkCostGarage you've got a bantam ?!

[@SunkCostGarage]

@@tomford5416 an early T3-C trailer

[@tomford5416]

@@SunkCostGarage keep em rollling =)