‘It’s a rugged little machine’: Willys Jeep Truck staying cool for the summer

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This article was published 11/03/2022 (1384 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MUNICIPALITY OF GRASSLAND — As a 12-year-old boy living on a farm in rural Westman, Camile Gofflot vividly remembers being in awe of his neighbour’s Willys Jeep Truck.

While Gofflot is residing on that same property at age 73, he finally has a Willys Jeep Truck to call his own, which makes the upcoming spring and summer cruising season very exciting.

On a chilly Wednesday morning, the retired cattle farmer invited the Sun into his garage, where the truck has been slumbering since November of last year.

At a glance, the full-size pickup still appears to be in pristine condition, with Gofflot saying that he pretty much drove it straight inside the shed for the winter after restorative work had been completed in nearby Hartney.

“Every bolt was turned,” the 73-year-old said on Monday, referencing the extent of the work that was undertaken.

“So it was a good feeling when I brought it home. I was pretty taken by the whole thing.”

Gofflot went on to say that his Willys truck is actually the fusion of two 1958 models that he picked up a couple years ago. He aimed to combine the engine and front end of one with the remaining body and frame from the other.

While he initially planned to complete the restoration himself, Gofflot had to outsource the work to a variety of shops in the region after injuring his back.

“So then I took it into Hartley to Greg Jasper. He’s the one that did the restoration for me,” he said. “BP Upholstery did the upholstery. Brandon Bearing did the motor because it was all original except for the bumpers.”

Because of this approach to the rebuild, Gofflot was able to retain all the unique physical characteristics that originally caught his eye as a child.

This includes a distinct V-shaped grille, which sets this vehicle apart from other classic trucks that are known to gear heads in the region.

“I haven’t seen very many of them since I was a kid,” Gofflot said.

“I’m sure in the States there are a lot of them, but here in Canada you don’t see very many driving around.”

Gofflot is also excited about what’s under the hood, given the pedigree of the company that originally manufactured this truck, Willys-Overland Motors.

After all, Willys-Overland is responsible for creating the very first “Jeep,” having been contracted by the American government to produce a new line of lightweight, versatile vehicles during the Second World War that could be used for reconnaissance and other military operations.

According to a 2016 article from Autoweek, Willys and Ford built more than 637,000 of these vehicles during the conflict alone.

When the war officially ended in 1945, Willys continued to integrate design elements of these Jeeps into new civilian vehicles, with this 1958 truck inheriting elements like the four-wheel drive.

Gofflot mentions that his pickup’s metal body also maintains that same military-grade toughness, which gives him confidence that it will not fall apart driving down a bumpy country road.

“The doors are really heavy, and so is the rest of the material,” he said. “It’s not like the material you use in cars today. It’s a rugged little machine.”

And even though Gofflot has only traversed around 58 kilometres with the Willys Jeep Truck so far, he can already tell that the vehicle provides a smooth drive despite not possessing any modern amenities in terms of horsepower and handling.

“I was really tickled with it on the drive home,” he said. “It doesn’t have any power steering, but I was really surprised at how easy it was to turn. It’s not far off from power steering.”

Because of this, Gofflot can’t wait for the spring thaw to arrive, since upcoming car shows like the 2022 Super Run in Brandon will give him the opportunity to truly show off this dream truck in person for the very first time.

“It’ll be quite a treat when I can get it out on the road,” he said.

Willys-Overland Motors produced the Jeep Truck between 1947 and 1965. Willys merged with Kaiser Motors in 1953, and the company was eventually bought by the American Motors Corporation in 1970.

The Jeep name has been owned by around a half-dozen companies since then.

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