So I'm Bob Westerman and um this is my 1953 CJ-3B and I modified it to look like a Willys prototype X98 they made in 1950. It was a one of the first Jeeps that had the F-head engine in it and ultimately uh they decided to do the 3B instead of this design hood and grill.
Yeah it's definitely different isn't it? What's the interior looks like?
So the interior, so it's all just a 3B with a change. It was it was a really really rusty 3B and um because I didn't want to, I didn't want to modify anything that was nice you know. So when I got it, it was a kit. The guy had taken it apart and he cut the body about here and threw the back of it away so I didn't even get the back of the body, I just had to make that.
Oh you made this whole thing then?
Well I bought- I bought the side panels and welded them on.
Oh okay, I was like wow dude!
When I made the floor, I made the floor in the back. Oh yeah. It's got an M38 kind of floor in the- in the center that unbolts. The M38 floor in that period. Yeah so the floor is uh is not correct for uh for this Jeep but it's easier to work on, you know just take the whole floor out if you want to work on it.
You would never know! Oh that looks really good! These seats are really nice!
Yeah so I mean that's a stock configuration of the seats for the 3B.
I just haven't seen them like that good of shape to be honest with ya.
Well I mean it's the fresh canvas you know, but otherwise.
It looks good.
But i use this thing off-road too and that's why it's a little rough around the edges.
That's okay it's just, you know, the Jeep look. Yeah. I think I almost muddied my Jeep before I came up here.
I had it laying on its side on Thursday. It's got some new scratches.
Beauty marks! The top looks really good. Where'd you get your top?
So the top is a combination of a couple- this is on 38 top just part of it and then I had a friend of mine make the side curtains which, that's like an M38 too. I like the m38 top to me is the easiest one to come on and off of the of all the canvas tops. And then the doors are just custom canvas on the doors that would fit a 3B.
Yeah, this is different right here like this right?
Um well all these old ones didn't have a bar that way, the old ones had the windows look like that yeah.
Oh I guess i didn't know that. Learn something new, nice!
Yeah the later ones they had the bar going this way, you know, these windows don't open either so it's a little bit stuffy in there at times.
Yeah like a heat box in there. So you have a book? What's this book you got here?
Yeah so this is uh it's one of the most rare Jeeps ever made. They made 1,000 CJ-V35/U's in 1950 on a Navy contract for the uh Marine Corps and there happens to be one right there.
That jeep? Let's see what's in here real quick, so what kind of stuff's in this?
So I tried to find everything I could find out about those Jeeps. it's not easy to find information but there's there's quite a bit- there's quite a bit of stuff in there. I did a lot of research at the national archives and I went to the uh the Marine Corps uh archives.
Oh that's cool, that's cool.
And and a lot of other places too, a little piece here a little piece there...and now its a book!
Now you got you a book, cool!
