A 1948 Willys with Heart: The Story of Joel Spalding’s Family Legacy

A 1948 Willys with Tons of Family History

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 down 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. New leaf springs, shocks, power steering, and upgraded brakes were also in store for the Willys, as well as basics like windshield wipers, new seats and seatbelts, turn signals, and even a radio. All of this was completed just in time for Joel’s 16th birthday. To finish off the build, Joel’s parents gifted him new wheels and tires, as well as a new soft top for his birthday.

Rain, snow, or sunshine—the Willys was Joel’s daily driver all throughout high school and beyond. He took it wheeling on weekends with friends, drove it to school on weekdays, and even taught his now wife how to drive a stick shift in it. But just like most anyone can attest to, life moves quickly and by the early 2000s, with a wife, house, career and family life in full swing, the Willys took a backseat to everyday life. That was until 2014.

“My dad passed away in 2014 and the Jeep had been sitting in his garage for 10 years,” Joel told us. “My wife Cindy inspired me to pull the Jeep from our high school years out and rebuild it again.”

The rest, they say, is history!

The Rebuild of a Lifetime

With the idea of a rebuild now fully forming, Joel wanted to be certain of one thing—that the essence of the Willys he and his dad built in the mid 1980s would remain intact in the future rendition of the Jeep. With this in mind, he started calling shops near and far, not satisfied that his wishes would be fully taken into consideration until he got in touch with Nick Sessions in Laporte, Colorado.

“After calling all over the country to try to find the right builder, we found Nick at Sessions Motorsports. Out of all the calls I made looking for a builder, Nick was the only one who took the time to listen to my story and why the Jeep meant so much to me. He instantly understood my vision and helped enhance that vision to what the Willys has become today. You see his understanding in every detail of the build.”

A Vintage Willys Reimagined

While Joel wanted to keep the essence of the old Jeep build intact, he also wanted to outfit his rig with plenty of upgrades in the name of converting it into a ride he and his family could enjoy for many years to come. This included a full chassis overhaul , starting with a custom CAD-designed Sessions Motorsports chassis featuring a 3-link front and 4-link rear suspension system, both with aluminum links, King springs on all four corners, and custom Radflo Suspension Technologies bypass shocks specifically built for this Willys. The upgrade list for the chassis also included 3/16-inch steel skid plates with UHMW plastic, and a PSC Motorsports steering box.

Under the hood, you’ll find a brand-new 400 ci BluePrint V8 crate engine outfitted with a Holley Sniper EFI fuel system and fed by a TIG-welded aluminum fuel tank with an in-tank pump. Replacing the 300hp V8 that took the place of the original Odd-Fire V6 in the build a few years back, this fresh V8 is good for 523 horsepower and 505 ft-lbs of torque!

Backing the hearty BluePrint engine is a Tremec 5-speed manual transmission tied to an Atlas 2-speed transfer case, spinning 1350 front and rear driveshafts. Also new to the build within the last couple of months are Dynatrac XD60 front and rear axles, which replaced previously outfitted Rubicon axles.

Planting the Willys to the ground are 39×13.50R17 BFGoodrich Mud Terrain T/A tires wrapped around Dirty Life beadlock wheels.

New Vintage

While modern upgrades were slated for the Willys from the get-go, keeping as much of the original Willys body as possible was important to Joel. Unfortunately, Midwest rust had set in over the years, so Nick and his team did the next best thing, and went to work hand-crafting nearly a full brand-new metal body for the build. Save for part of the tub and the front grille, the Willys now features all-new sheetmetal, as well as a custom roll cage, custom half-doors, and even a one-off tailgate hand built to include the iconic Willys insignia stamped in the center. While newly formed, the Jeep’s body was meticulously built with the 4×4’s original look in mind.

The Willys also features unique details like 1951 Pontiac taillights, a custom laid-back windshield frame with split front glass, and one-of-a-kind “T.S. 2.0 Edition” badges, done to resemble the style of iconic Jeep badging with a nod to Joel’s dad.

“We call this version of the Willys TS2.0 – TS for my dad, Tom Spalding, inspired by the stamp he put on his tools, and because it is the second build in 40 years.”

While most of the Jeep’s body is new this go-around, one thing remains on the Willys from the very first build – the custom windshield bumper rests on the hood, which were hand-crafted by Joel back in high school shop class.

Inside, the Willys is just as custom, featuring diamond-stitch low-back PRP seats with black and red upholstery, a matching rear bench seat, a hand-built center console, and a 1932 Ford gauge cluster featuring Speedhut instruments. The Lecarra steering wheel is also a holdover from the original build.

Joel and his wife had the honor of sharing great times and even greater memories in this Willys back in their youth. Four decades later, they continue to share that joy with their kids and grandkids, thanks fully to one once-14-year-old boy and his dad that made a 1948 Willys a part of the family!

“Looking back, it was not just the memories of times spent in the Jeep, but the journey and time spent building it with my father that I cherished the most,” Joel reflected. “[I] spent many weekends and nights for two years in the garage with my dad learning so much and bonding with him over this Willys project.”

“I turned 54 this year and we’ve had the Willys for 40 years now. My grandkids are nine, six and four. The oldest is already starting to sit on my lap and drive a bit on the country roads. [I] can’t wait to teach them all to drive ‘stick’ in it!”

UPGRADES

1948 Willys CJ2A

Engine: Joel Spalding Huntly, IL

Engine & Drivetrain: Custom, fully CAD-designed Sessions Motorsports chassis; 93-inch wheelbase; King front and rear springs; Custom Radflo Suspension Technologies bypass shocks front and rear; 3-link front and 4-link rear suspension systems with aluminum links; 3/16-inch steel skid plates with UHMW plastic; PSC Motorsports steering box

Wheels & Tires: Dirty Life beadlock wheels; 39×13.50R17 BFGoodrich Mud Terrain T/A tires

Engine & Drivetrain: 400 ci BluePrint crate V8; Holley Sniper EFI fuel system; TIG-welded aluminum fuel tank with in-tank pump; 523hp and 505 ft-lbs of torque; Tremec 5-speed manual transmission; Atlas 2-speed transfer case with 3.0 low-range ratio; 1350 front and rear driveshafts; Dynatrac XD60 front and rear axles; Hydroboost master cylinder with Wilwood brake system components

Body & Paint: WARN Vintage 1951 Pontiac taillights; Custom windshield frame with split front glass; Custom “Willys” windshield bumper rests on hood crafted by owner in high school shop class; Custom rear tailgate with stamped “Willys” insignia incorporated into the center; Custom “T.S. 2.0 Edition” badges; White paint by Royce; WARN 9.0Rc winch

Off-Road Trailer: Completely handmade interior; Fully custom Sessions Motorsports roll cage; Diamond-stitch low-back PRP seats with black and red upholstery; matching rear bench; Speedhut instruments; 1932 Ford gauge cluster; Custom center console; Lecarra steering wheel