2011 Spring Midwest Willys Reunion Held at Mason, Ohio!

Michael Myers' two early CJ-2A civilian Willys models in the restoration process. Vintage Willys civilian models make up the majority of Midwest Willys Reunion members. (Photo courtesy of Michael Myers)

  Over a three-day weekend in May, Willys-Jeep 4WD enthusiasts gathered at Mason, Ohio. The historians, mechanics, farmers and engineers brought their knowledge, extra parts and a lot of cameraderie to the event just miles from Cincinnati.

See the video, slideshow and article links on this page!

    Asked to present at the banquet dinner, I had the pleasure of meeting the group and their families. Over the weekend, we talked "Jeep" and shared our many experiences. The level of expertise at that gathering spread the history and legacy of Willys and Jeep 4WDs. Everyone went home wiser from this fun, wholesome event!

  My walkaround of the swap meet reveals a variety of approaches to Jeep restoration, buildups and niche uses of Willys and Jeep 4WD vehicles. The theme this year, Jeep farm equipment, focused on the original intent of the Jeep 'Universal'—a utility vehicle with exceptional traction, stamina and versatility. Quickly, Jeep recreational use came to light and launched unprecedented access to the backcountry! At Mason, Ohio, Willys-Jeep history and restoration parts were readily available.

  There are eight videos available from this event. For the show and swap meet video, scroll down this page to the video screen. To see other 'Flash Video' presentations, click on the topics below:

1) Slideshow: "Rebuilding the Ross TL Steering Gear"—Click here!

2) Slideshow: "Gear and Transmission Case Restoration"—Click here!

3) Slideshow: "Gas Welding Metal Restoration Video"—Click here!

4) "Video Workshop: Steering Knuckle Kingpin Bearing Service"—Click here!

5) Slideshow: "TIG Repair of Large Iron Castings"—Click here!

6) "Video Interview: Vintage CJ-2A Restoration with Michael Myers"—Click here!

7) "'Top Bows' Product Discussion with Michael Myers"—Click here!

     Visit the Midwest Willys Reunion website!  

     Note: The video is an .flv file, which opens automatically with Adobe Flash Player™ and other .flv supported programs. A free, secure download of Adobe Flash Player™ is available at the Adobe website. For convenience, you can click this link to access Adobe Flash Player™:

http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/

You can view this video in either the viewer frame above or in full-screen, lower resolution format...

—Moses Ludel