I've got an Old Jeep, don't know what it is..HELP

Ok, a friend of mine just purchase an old jeep (we blieve 63 Kaiser vehicle). I know nothing about jeeps but she did send me the serial numbers that she could dig up. I've posted this in another forum that I post in regulararly and I've gotten some unsure answers so I decided to come to the professionals. Here's the E-mail:

and here are some pics for reference:

 

Judging by door openings and location of fuel tank filler I'd say a DJ-3a. Most DJ-3a's didn't have tailgates but one could have been easily added. Normally the spare tire on DJ-3a's was mounted dead center in the rear or had a Continental kit on the back and chrome bumpers. The DJ series (dispatcher Jeep= DJ) were 2 wheel drive from the factory. Dummy on here has one of those converted to 4 wheel drive. There was a series following his build up in JP Magazine. I also have a DJ-3a tub on my race Jeep but my door openings more resemble a normal 2a or 3a flat fender. I do know mine was a Surrey which may account for the differences in door wells. Nickmil

 

I agree...

especially with those door openings... also the gauge is a giveaway as well (the two small ones look like add ons). Mines a 62 DJ-3A swapped onto a CJ frame. Looks like someone hacked a tailgate hole there... should be just straight sheetmetal all the way across.

Also, if in not mistaken, in 63, the only flatties available were the 3B and the DJ-3A... so since its a low hood jeep, it would have to be a DJ just by process of elimination (if it really is a 63).

 

how do i determine what year it was produced from the serial numbers?

 

These links are only if you have a VIN number or the 13 digit serial number? wich all we have is 9 digits...

 

try just googling "willys serial numbers" or something like that. would be easier if you had the VIN but there must be some serial number databases online somewhere. you gotta do a little digging
Hey you might enjoy this article about a DJ-3A buildup... i thought about it when i saw the pics of yours... both jeeps have the rare large door openings
http://www.jpmagazine.com/projectbuild/154_0505_1953_jeep_dj_3a/

just a question... why so concerned about the Serial? why not just build it and wheel it? most of the parts between flatties are interchangeable so you dont necessarily NEED to know the exact year...

Mine's a 62 or 63 DJ-3A body and i have no idea if the frame is from a 2a, a 3a or a 3B, but i never have trouble finding parts, so i dont worry about it.

 

Those door openings looks EXACTLY like the jeeps from the airports that were posted from the CJ2A page (IIRC) in the offtopic area a couple weeks ago

 

Some dj's did have tailgates. The ones with the hard tops had them, and the different door openings which this jeep has.

 

I have seen several DJs with big door openings and tailgates. they usually have the expaned windshield wings to accomodate the hardtop

 

the reason I'm concerned is, it's not my jeep. A lady I work with purchased this jeep and asked me to help her find some info on it because she wants to do a resto on it..that's why the year is important.

also, i didn't think auto makers used VIN #'s until the 70's? If this is untrue where can we find the VIN#?

 

For the most part all Jeeps had VIN numbers of sorts. Many times they were registered however with the engine number, which often adds to the confusion.

Jim

 

I wish this were as simple as having a number punching it into a query and then it just tells you your car is this color, this engine, this body style, built on this day of this year...I guess this is just a little quirk that Jeep enthusiasts spend their time researching.