HOME GROWN

A 1948 Willys with Tons of Family History

- LINDSEY FISHER

For some people, a vehicle is merely a way of getting from point A to point B. For others, it’s an outlet for their “need for speed.” But among enthusiasts of just about every vehicle demographic, you’ll also find another category of people—those who have deep connections with their vehicles thanks to heritage, family ties, and/or great memories of building their ride in their garage with loved ones.

Joel Spalding of Huntly, Illinois, falls in the latter category. While he certainly has plenty of vehicles capable of making just about any speed freak smile ear to ear, his 1948 Willys CJ2A holds a deeper meaning—one that can’t be bought and will certainly be passed down to future generations.

Humble Beginnings

In 1984, Joel was a 14-year-old with an eye out for his first vehicle. Lucky for Joel, him and his dad Tom spotted a 1948 Willys for sale out front of a local welding shop. After pleading with his dad to go take a look, the pair chatted with the owner and Joel fell in love. Joel and his dad bought the Willys and brought it home with the intention of rebuilding it to be Joel’s first vehicle once he turned 16.

As he describes it: “It was blue and as simple as a Jeep could be.” But a manual CJ isn’t exactly the easiest thing to just hop in and drive, so before tearing around the Willys, Joel and Tom would take the Jeep out on gravel roads for a bit of off-roading and some lessons for Joel on driving a stick shift.

Once the teardown began, the engine was the first to be redone, with the Spaldings outfitting the Willys with a rebuilt 1976 Buick Odd-Fire V6. Father and son then rebuilt the axles, drive shafts, and the original T90-3 speed transmission, adding a Warn overdrive.