Where It All Began: My 1962 Jeep CJ5

My dad was born in London in 1934. At around 18 he went into the military and was stationed in Egypt, where he first got to know military Jeeps. Later, back in London in the 1950s, he and a friend would take a Jeep around a corner on two wheels. Yes, that was still possible back then. I don’t know what kind of Jeep it was, but the story stuck with me.

Years later, in the 1990s, I found my own way to Jeep. This is the story of my first one.

An Ad in the Automobil-Revue

A friend and I were both doing our apprenticeships as automotive mechanics and were looking for a car to tinker with. Then he brought the Automobil-Revue to school. In it: a 1962 Jeep CJ5 for sale, 1,800 francs, to be picked up.

We thought: why not? The Jeep stood on a farm somewhere on a hill in the Bernese Oberland. My brother came along, and we drove the Jeep home on trade plates. It was in its worst possible condition. The floor had rust holes so big that you could see the asphalt passing underneath. Top speed was about 60 km/h, and we stopped to refuel roughly three times on the way home.

The farmer told us the Jeep had been in the Korean War. I have no idea whether that is true. What I do know: when we started taking it apart, we found about seven layers of paint on the body.

Taking Everything Apart

At first the Jeep was stored in the garage of my friend’s parents, until we got a workshop of our own. There we started to take everything apart, down to the last screw, and to repair or replace what needed it. We even swapped the engine for a 2.2-litre four-cylinder with only about 300 km on it.

We built the dashboard completely ourselves. A chrome roll bar and a bumper followed, plus some more chrome (but not too kitschy), special tyres, and a new bikini top and soft top. Looking back, I’m a bit surprised how far we took it.

Of course, we did not only work on the Jeep. We also did a lot of nonsense, or just sat there with a beer and made hot dogs over a fire. Boys will be boys.

My Dad’s Part

My dad played a big role in this project. He was a spray painter by trade and very good with mechanical and electrical things. He cleaned every part and repainted it, made new sheet metal parts, painted them and lettered them. That was really something special.

He also made me a plaque from a piece of the original body panel, which was beyond use as a body part. And he built a small model Jeep, sprayed in the same ultramarine blue as the real one. Both are still with me today.

What Happened to the CJ5

Our friendship did not survive when my friend got married. I don’t know what he did with the Jeep and all the material. He had originally invested more money than I had, so I’m fine with him keeping whatever it was worth. If you counted my dad’s hours, the maths would look different, but that’s a different story.

At some point the Jeep was even listed for sale on my old website. It’s more than 30 years ago now, and it was a great experience. It was my first Jeep.

From the CJ5 to the Rubicon

The next Jeep came in 2017: a Compass, which turned out to be a complete letdown and absolutely unusable for me. Luckily I could trade it for a 2017 Wrangler JK CRD. After that came the 4xe, which was another disappointment.

Today I drive a 2024 Wrangler Rubicon JLU with the 3.6L V6 Pentastar, and I’m absolutely happy with it. But it all started with a rusty CJ5 on a hill in the Bernese Oberland, a friend, and a dad who could make anything look new.

What was your first Jeep? Did you rebuild an old CJ yourself, or is there a Jeep that runs in your family too? Tell me your story in the comments below – I’d love to hear it!