Story by Nick Brooks - Edited by Mark J. Smith, WarJeeps.com
My love for Jeeps
started with my first
vehicle at sixteen a
1946 CJ2A. Since then
I've had five CJ7's, a
67 Kaiser Jeep Truck
and two M35a2 Kaiser
Jeeps.
I bobbed the M35a2 manufactured cargo trucks which placed them both in the category of an
XM381A2. The XM381A2 was a concept truck in 1955 that never saw production.
Bobbing takes away from the
towing pulling and carrying of
the true 6x6 but I and many
in this hobby do it for better
drivability and simply as a
hobby.
I purchased this 1971 M35a2
a couple hours from my
home. I bought it, drove it
home, used it on the property
for a year or so hauling
debris, pine logs or pulling
stuck vehicles before deciding
what I wanted to do with it. I
began stripping it down
February of 2016 and the
project began.
Disassembling the cab and
sending it out for sandblasting
and powder coating. I then
repaired some minor sheet
metal on the cab, fabricated the
bed using two front fenders in
the build, cleaned and primed
and painted the frame.
The first bobber I built I used the longest of the two rear drive lines getting an 8ft bed
so I chose to go with the shorter one this time getting a 6ft bed.
I then stained wood plank bed boards.
Although I still need to install the stainless
board strips. New wiring harness on front
and rear, full bench seat, custom steering
wheel and tinted windows.
People ask me
what I do with
it? I drive it! its
a truck and I
treat it like one.
It was fun to
build and fun
to drive and for
what I have
into it after all is
said and done,
only $11,000.
$7000 for the
truck and
$4000 in
upgrades.
It was a lot of work but worth it when
everyone wants to talk about it on a
Home Depot run!