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Normandy Blue in Iceland
# 64036

 

Hjalti Johannesson of Akureyri, Iceland has a 1946 CJ2A, which were very common there at one time.  He writes, "I'm the second owner of this jeep and bought it in 1980 then 17 years old. The first owner was a farmer in northern Iceland (in the fjord Skagafjordur) and he got it registered by the vehicles' authority December 13th 1946. He used the jeep on the farm and around the countryside (see the photo of him and his old jeep taken in 1985). The jeep had a canvas soft top like most of CJ-2A's that found their way to Iceland. A couple of years later a hard top replaced it, made by the farmer himself. After the war and in the early 1950's jeeps were the most common vehicles in Iceland. Making hard tops for them became a small industry, since having a soft top in Iceland's climate is not the ideal choice. This jeep was parked outside of a barn around or after 1970, its engine taken and used for another jeep which the farmer continued to use. Even if I was just a teenager at the time I was always looking for an original jeep CJ-2A 1946 and my father as well. He shares an interest in jeeps with me and his first jeep was a Willys MB 1942. My parents were on a vacation in the area in 1979 and asking for directions on this farm when they spotted this jeep beside the barn. Although it was rather battered it was very original; fenders, parking lights, tailgate with chains attached, front bumper, 6V electrical system and most other items were intact. The body tub, although rather rusted, was in original shape and the hard top had been put on top of the tub without any modifications to the latter which is rare. The body tub even still had the flush openings on the sides. It took me two years to make the jeep running again. Since 1982 it has been used, first for daily transportation and then more sparingly. It was even used for trips into the highlands of Iceland in the 80's and early 90's. The serial number is 64036 (easily readable from the two plates on the right side of the firewall and the plate on the outside front left corner of the frame). The engine which I acquired instead of the original, that had been taken for other uses around 1970, is from a Ford GPW (serial no. 638632). Starter and generator are original. Axles have to my knowledge never been dismantled and most of the transmission- and transfer cases is original. The original color is Normandy blue (the original paint is on the front side of the firewall) and the wheels had the dark red color with a black stripe. Last winter I gave it a little overhaul, some minor rust repairs, new tires, battery (6V of course) and fresh paint. I removed the Bestop soft top which I had used from 1982. It is in nearly original shape. Now it sits in the garage most of the time and is only driven when the weather is good enough for topless driving."

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