Sharp 1948 Jeep CJ-2A Might Be Better Than a New Wrangler: Throwback Thursday Presented by the All-New Nitto Recon Grappler™ A/T
Over 70 years separate this 1948 Jeep CJ-2A from a modern-day Wrangler. The new Jeep is a better daily, but is the classic more fun?
The Jeep has been around a long time now. The latest Wrangler models have technologies that could have not even been dreamed about when the first civilian Jeeps were sold. All this technology makes the modern-day Wrangler safer, and more capable than ever before. That is without question. However, when it comes to just having some stupid fun, does the old Jeep outshine the new? Well, if ever there was a classic Jeep that could dial up the fun it would be the 1948 Jeep CJ-2A that we see here.
This week’s “Throwback Thursday” Presented by Nitto is all about this lovingly restored 1948 Jeep CJ-2A. It was purchased back in the 1980’s by Dirk van Rees who used it as his first ever restoration project. He taught his son Kase van Rees to drive in it when the younger van Rees was only 9 years old. The father and son team both contribute to TFL Studios, and they recently uploaded a video to the TFLclassics YouTube channel. In this video a detailed review of this Jeep is provided. The case is made that although it is obviously not cut out for day to day driving it can be more fun than a new Jeep Wrangler. Is that true or is it the emotional attachment to the CJ-2A clouding judgement here?
A Family Jeep
The video starts with Kase van Rees introducing the Jeep and his father who was the one that restored it. Right away you can see why the van Rees family may not be able to be objective when talking about this CJ-2A. It has been with the family for about 35 years. And there are family photos of a 9-year-old Rees behind the steering wheel. This Jeep is actually part of the family at this point. And the senior van Rees also learned to drive in a Jeep CJ just like this one so there is a long history with these old flat fender Jeeps.
A Rough Start
When this 1948 Jeep CJ-2A was first purchased it was in rough shape. It was used for hunting by the previous owner and there were large wheels and tires fitted to it. The body was in rough shape but most of the original parts were there. That includes the original engine and transmission that the Jeep still has today. The engine under the hood is the 134-cubic-inch Go-Devil 4-cylinder that cranks out about 60 horsepower. That is obviously not a lot of power, but the Jeep doesn’t have much weight to it either. And a lightweight vehicle is always fun. “On a dirt road you can spin tires in second gear with this thing because there is no weight on the rear axles.” Says the elder van Rees.
Cool Details
Any Jeep CJ-2A is cool but this particular one has some touches that make it stand out. The wheels are new old stock that van Rees found from a guy in South America. They were painted black with a small burgundy stripe along the outside edge to match the body color of the Jeep. Speaking of body color, this Jeep had seven coats of paint on it when van Rees bought it. The burgundy color it wears today matches the original color. Moving to the inside, if you lift up the passenger seat you will find the glovebox. If you lift the drivers seat you will find the gas tank. There are also no doors, seatbelts or turn signals. Wonder if we could get Ralph Nader out for a spin in this?
Off-Road Fun
A modern Wrangler you can drive just about anywhere on road or off. This CJ-2A is not something you want to drive in the real world with modern traffic. However, out in the field it is a total blast. The terrain around the van Rees property is not exactly what you would call extreme. However, it does have some dips and hills that this 73-year-old Jeep handles with aplomb. The Jeep is then taken to an old horse-riding ring and is flung around there for a while. It is tough not to smile just watching this old Jeep slide around. If this is your idea of fun, then it is tough to beat this old CJ-2A.
Conclusion
The new Wrangler is so comfortable and capable that you need some fairly tough terrain to even challenge it. It is also built to modern safety standards and as a result you are more isolated than you are in the CJ-2A. The old Jeep you can have fun with in your own backyard. It is like cruising around on a dirt bike. And who doesn’t love a dirt bike? Check out the video below and see for yourself just how much fun an old Jeep can be.
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