Vehicle Description
1945 Willys CJ2A Jeep
As its title alludes to in a roundabout way, this song is centered
on the emotional disposition of a fictional character named
"Painless Pole" Waldowski who was featured in the 1970 movie
version of "M*A*S*H". Said character was indeed, at one point,
suicidal. And the lyrics basically depict life as a
progressively-depressing experience. As such, the singer concludes
that, relatively-speaking, "suicide is painless". Or stated
differently, he perceives the prospect of ending his life as being
a less-painful option than continuing it. And yes, as Marilyn
Manson, who later covered this song, himself concluded the lyrics
are in fact "depressing and offensive". And that may be why, in the
grand scheme of things, the instrumental to "Suicide Is Painless"
has proven to be exponentially more popular than the lyrical
version.
Sometimes we get ideas for a project which really doesn't seem
realistic. They're those projects that, in our heads, sound like a
really cool idea but in reality are probably going to be difficult,
time consuming, and cause lots of migraines. Bringing one of these
projects to completion and ending up with a really bitchin'
vehicle, is something to be proud of. Here in, we offer up a 1945
CJ2A which will need some TLC but in the end you will have a truly
unique original. This vehicle "reportedly" was restored about 15
years ago and came out of a private collection. It runs and drives
well and comes with its soft top and doors and is complete on the
looks and add-ons front,so let's just go with it's a very neato
completeo project!
Exterior
Here we see some spotty invasive rust, surface rust along with some
surface rust and body filler in need of some serious metalwork. It
is all there though and bathed in Olive Drab paint which is in
fairly good condition considering the faults in the metal. White
Army stars abound on the body along with some stenciled on numbers
on the hood and fenders. The iconic front grille with round
headlights adorning either side leads the way with a rope wrapped
Olive Drab bumper framing the bottom. A multitude of gear is
strapped to the body and with canteens, medic bags, Jerry cans,
shovels and axes you should be ready for anything that comes your
way. A rear hitch, and small bed with tailgate are seen as well as
the frame for an eventual canvas top is in the vehicle at present.
15-inch steel wheels in Olive Drab are wrapped by aged 7.00-16's on
each corner from the 1st week of 2022 but do show with a decent
amount of dry rot. "Ok lets see Klinger, Mother dying, sister
dying, brother dying, ooh and here's an oldie but a goodie Mother
and sister dying..."
Interior
Inside, which is pretty much outside at this point, is a setup with
2 bomber stylebuckets wrapped in olive drab broadcloth. The dash is
all original and also in olive drab with black faced round gages
and some pulls on top. We note areas of paint peeling that reveal
the original Strata Blue paint underneath, a sign thisrig was used
for Air Force duty at one point. The floors are bare metal and are
also suffering from spotty rusting in various stages. Between the
buckets are a trio of shifters well within the drivers reach and
just aft of the seats is a tall round turret that is ready for your
gun to be clipped to. In the back is a small olive drab bench seat
and a belt of spent ammo casings. Further rearward we note the
olive drab/brown canvas roof along with the black side curtains
with slightly yellowed plastic windows. No radio and all electrics
are updated to 12 volts...including the under dash heater!
Choppers..
Drivetrain
Under the hood is a dusty and patined but nicely presenting 134ci
flathead 4 cylinder engine. It has a 1-barrel carburetor and in
back is a Borg Warner T90 3-speed manual transmission. The rear
axle has 5.38 gears giving a very high engine sound when it rolls
into the mobile hospital compound. A pull of the transfer case
level will engage the front axle, also 5.38 geared, to help you get
your platoon to the way-point.
Undercarriage
Some invasive rust has rotted the undercarriage in various
locations, however the frame remains straight and solid. Also
plenty of surface rust is in abundance. Leaf spring suspension, and
drum braking are all around this undercarriage and single exhaust
is on for the exhale.
Drive-Ability
I searched the mess hall, the infirmary, and even his bunk, but I
couldn't find hide nor hair of my partner in crime and crack
decoder. My best assumption leads me to think he's AWOL with the
ladies of the village working on a case of cupid's itch...but I
digress...I had to run this mission alone but managed not to
getshot up on my drive. This was not due to luck being on my side,
it was mainly due to the good acceleration, bias free braking, and
agile handling that kept me on our well-hidden test track. This
Willys performed wonderfully, however a few faults reared their
heads during my time behind the wheel with none of the exterior
lighting turning on and the brake lights not functioning when
prompted.
An ambitious project to say the least, for the home tinkerer as
that is the only way you could come close to carrying out your
ambitions and not depleting your retirement fund. A classic though
and it will keep you away from in front of the TV!
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 850 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display. This vehicle is located in our
showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just
1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The
website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888)
227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come
see the vehicle in person.
