This is the story of my 2.3-year restoration of a 1955 Willys M-170. This is actually my second M-170, I owned one about 30 years ago and sold it. As it turns out, someone from my current Jeep club ended up buying that very Jeep back then. Funny how things come full circle. I’m still relatively new to the Willys Jeep world, and I find it fascinating. There’s a tremendous amount to learn, and I continue to pick up new knowledge as I go. Kaiser Willys has been especially helpful along the way, guiding me on what I needed and sometimes what I didn’t.
I found this particular M-170 online in Willows, California, listed at a very good price. When I called the owner, he mentioned he had been getting interest from all over, but for whatever reason, he liked our conversation and agreed to hold it for me. His father had been restoring the Jeep before he passed away, and the son wanted it to go to a good home. He asked thoughtful questions, which I appreciated. My wife and I drove up to Willows—a great small town with good restaurants and a nice place to stay—and went to see the Jeep. It looked beautiful overall, and the paint was in great condition, which saved me from having to repaint it. However, it was missing several key components: litter racks, the reel light behind the driver’s seat, the spare tire holder, the front stretcher bar, and other items.
We worked out a deal, I left a deposit, and we headed home. Later, he delivered the Jeep to us—free of charge. Not long after, I discovered the engine had a cracked block at the right rear, which I learned is a common failure point on these engines. After going through two blocks (not cheap), I finally found a good one and began the rebuild. The block was returned to its original bore, and both the head and block were surfaced. A friend rebuilt the engine for me, taking the time to clean and paint everything—it turned out to be a real showpiece. Even with a friend, though, nothing is free.
At that point, I realized I needed more parts to complete the restoration. I found another M-170 in Oroville, California, so my wife and I made another trip. This one turned out to be a goldmine—it had all the missing components I needed, including the elusive reel light behind the driver’s seat. I probably paid too much for it, but it was worth it for the completeness.
That Jeep was delivered to my hangar in Santa Rosa (this time not for free), where I stored it next to the Willows Jeep. I took extensive photos before disassembly to make sure I knew how everything went back together—especially important since I’m still learning the Jeep world. From there, the real labor began. I wire-wheeled nearly every part using a stainless steel wire wheel to prevent future corrosion—a technique I’ve used for years restoring airplanes. It was time-consuming, but worth it. I didn’t want to paint over old, thick paint where imperfections would show through. I wanted everything clean and smooth.
There were plenty of missed hits along the way—my fingers and knuckles took their share of abuse. After 40 years of working on airplanes, I’m used to it. I’d come into the house with paper towels wrapped around my fingers, and my wife would just shake her head. In the end, though, the parts looked great. The donor Jeep had a radio mounted on the right rear seat, so I installed it in my restored M-170. I don’t know much about the radio itself, but I like the look. I also installed a .30 caliber machine gun mount outside the passenger seat. In all my research, I had only seen one M-170 set up that way, and I liked it. The mount was water jet cut and cost about $900, but it looks very professional.
For a personal touch, I replaced the standard Caduceus markings with “U.S. Army Combat Medic” versions on both rear sides. I found them on eBay for about $20 each. My wife and I took the Jeep to our first event—a gathering of Jeeps, fire trucks, and community members honoring a 105-year-old B-29 pilot. It was a great experience. I joked that I hope I look that good when I hit 75—in about 2.25 years.
Overall, the project was a lot of work but very rewarding. I enjoy having a project to focus on, and once one is done, I’m ready for the next—maybe another airplane restoration, though the jury is still out on that. I currently also have a 1946 CJ-2A and another M-170 (1962)—my third—for sale, along with various parts I’ve collected over the past couple of years: a rare reel light, refurbished gas tank, brake handle, towing shackles, multiple machine gun mounts, and several “U.S. Army Combat Medic” Caduceus emblems.
Present day picture of my Nieuport 28 with the Hat-in-the -Ring emblemMy Nieuport, when it promoted Snoopy and the Red Baron cartoon in the 1970’s. It has a large amount of movies. My father owned it in the 1950s and performed a lot of airshows between his air racing at Cleveland. He is the one who taught me to fly. Guess I chose the right dad.
Kaiser Willys Jeep Blog Story – Brent Mone
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