wanttaja@ssc-vax.UUCP (Ronald J Wanttaja) (01/26/85)
I tried to mail this... but seem to have a complete inability to mail anything to CS-Mordred... The first question is, "What year is it?" You will be able to pick up parts for the newer Jeeps without resorting to the specialty houses. Second question, "How stock is it?" Lotsa Jeeps are modified, especially in the engine department. This is all well and good, in many respects, because the early model Jeeps are real dogs on power. However, if the beast is modified, how will you know what parts to buy? Izzat a jeep starter on it, or is it a buick starter to go with the 232 CI engine? Parts for stock older jeeps are surprisingly easy to come by... a place in my home town had the chrome headlight rings for my '46 IN STOCK... in the original Willys packaging. There are a lot of places speciallizing in keeping these old jeeps running; what other vehicle does JC Whitney sell body parts (fenders, whole bodies) for? My personal experience with my old '46 and '51 Jeeps: always working on them. No major, catastrophic problems, but I was always replacing the regulator, or timing it, or replacing the head gasket, etc. Really had a ball, though... My personal preference is for the old "flat fendered" jeeps (WWII models, CJ-2As, CJ-3As, and M-38s) with the four-cylinder engine. But, I'm more of a collector, and rarely took mine to where it could get dirty :-). The flat head engine was OK in a small town where speed limits were 35 or less, but I sure wouldn't want to drive it around Seattle! As a summary: Unless you want to be a collector, stay away from the early 4 cylinder Jeeps; they just haven't enough power for in-town (but they're still great off-road). Re-engined and otherwise modified Jeeps are OK, if you know the exact configuration. Reengining one yourself is probably the best way. Parts, for the most part (:-) ) shouldn't be a problem. Ron Wanttaja (ssc-vax!wanttaja) "...batteries to power...turbines to speed..."