Awesome Antiques

How Oklahoma Green Built His Awesome Little Green Willys Without A 30-Year Mortgage

story and photos by Allen Merritt

Ken Levings’ 30-year long love affair with his ’46 Willys began when Ken and his wife, Carolyn, were vacationing in the mountains of Southwest Colorado. While they were camping in Lake City, some friends innocently invited them on an off-road adventure into the surrounding San Juan Mountains.

Oklahoma Green’s vintage aircraft-like dash.

The thrill of ‘wheeling over 13,000-foot-high passes, the awesome beauty of exquisite alpine meadows awash with flowers, and the delight of feeling closer to the Creator among the snowcapped peaks and wildlife brought new passion into their lives.

They longed for more off-road adventures, so as soon as they returned home to Blackwell, Oklahoma, Ken began his search for a Jeep of their own. He located a long-abandoned ’46 Willys CJ2A flat fender in a pasture. The then 30-year old Jeep had sunflowers growing up through the rusted out floor, but it started, and the price was right.

Fortunately, Ken owned Ken’s Auto Supply, and he was a patient mechanic. After he welded up the floor, repaired the brakes, and got lights working, they started Jeeping moderately challenging trails. The original engine had a cracked block, but they used it for a year, though it was too slow for highway use. One of the first upgrades was to replace the tired old engine with another four-banger from a Ford Pinto. The Pinto motor revved high enough to get down the highway, but it lacked low-end torque needed on the trail.

Early on, Ken swapped the Pinto engine for a ’78 Buick V6, making the old flat fender, a formidable contender, on and off road. Recently Ken upgraded again to a ’94 Chevy 4.3 Vortec engine, which gives the 3460-pound Jeep a weight to horsepower ratio of 21.62 LBS/HP. Little by little, one upgrade at a time, over the years, Ken transformed the rusty heap into one of the finest recreational vehicles anywhere.

A partial, but not sequential, list of Ken’s upgrades follows: He installed a windshield frame from a CJ3A onto the 2A because it had a track for a soft top, and it accepted a pair of electric wiper motors, and tinted glass. He installed a roll bar, nerf bars, and bumpers. Ken adapted a GM tilt steering column and a Saginaw power steering unit with an inline filter and cooler to keep the steering fluid cool and clean. He fabricated a center storage console, with a Pinto emergency brake handle. Ken installed Bushwhacker flares on front with Wrangler flares on the rear fenders, recessed tail lights, and had the little Jeep painted with Dupont Centari Lime Green.

For axles, Ken shortened an open knuckle, Dana 44 front axle with ARB Locker, disk brakes, 4.56 gears, and Warn Hub Conversion Kit. To make the rear axle track with the front, he widened it to 54-inches. The rear 30 spline, flanged Dana 44 includes a Lock Rite Locker, 11 inch drum brakes, and a Micro Brake Lock. A 1 1/2-inch Energy Suspension body lift and 2 1/2” SuperLift springs with custom shackles and 2” Rancho bump stops made room for 33x12.50 Mud Terrain tires on 15x10 chrome modular wheels.

Recently, Ken replaced the 4 speed transmission with a GM Turbo 350. A 32-inch billet style oil cooler with a 10-inch dash-controlled electric fan cools the fluid.

The transfer case is a dual lever DANA 18 bored out for a 1 1/4” main shaft with “O” rings. The 2:1 torque converter combined with the 3.15:1 transfer case and 4.56:1 differential gears yield a final crawl ratio of 72 to 1.

A custom 12-gallon tank feeds the V6 through an in-tank electric fuel pump. A GM R4 air compressor fills a Currie Volume Tank to operate the ARB Air Locker and inflate tires. A heater and adjustable seats make the little Jeep comfortable on long rides.

Below the CJ3A Willys’ windshield is a dashboard that would be more than adequate in a J3 Super Cub airplane of the same vintage. The aircraft-like dash sports a full compliment of gauges: fuel, fuel pressure, oil pressure, oil temp, water temp, vacuum, and air pressure gauges along with a voltmeter, hourmeter, and altimeter by Hobbs. A Lev-O-Gauge rounds out the impressive array. Lights and buzzers backup the critical gages. From the dash, Ken can switch on the fuel pump, fast idle solenoid, headlights, heater, and winch. Indicator lights report the status of 4WD, seat belts, ARB, emergency brake, and air compressor.

All along, Ken and Carolyn have attended 4WD events all over the country in their beautiful green flat fender. Though he has rolled the little Jeep a time or two, Ken became a skilled off-road driver, and he frequently says, “The amount of preparation before you leave home determines the success or failure of most 4WD endeavors.”

Ken has become an expert on Jeep parts, and he incorporated storage compartments throughout the Jeep to store tools and parts. When someone breaks on the trail, they get on the CB radio and ask, “Oklahoma Green, you got such-n-such part?” He frequently has what it takes to repair, replace, or bypass the failed part.

Oklahoma Green’s ’94 Chevy 4.3 Vortec engine gives the 3460-pound Jeep a horsepower to weight ratio of 21.62 LBS/HP.

Ken’s philosophy is, “If you’re broke, you’re not ‘wheeling.” And because he knows his and his machine’s capabilities, Ken seldom breaks parts. He finesses Little Green as far up the hill as is prudent, which is frequently farther than the pedal-to-the-metal drivers. And Ken isn’t ashamed to use his winch or accept a strap from a friend, though there is always some kidding.

The little ol’ flattie has been continuously enhanced, and has faithfully carried Ken and Carolyn on many Off-Road Adventures. In time, Ken and the Willys became known among 4WD enthusiasts far and wide by their CB handle, Oklahoma Green. Carolyn is no longer able to ‘wheel rough trails, and when Ken was asked what he will do with the Ol’ Green when he’s not able to jeep anymore, Ken said, “I’m going to be like Ol’ Dick Stansfield, the guy who wrote for FOUR WHEELER and OFF-ROAD magazines back in the ‘80s, I’m going to die on the trail.”

Over the years, the Green paint has faded some, but one project at a time, the Green Willys keeps getting better and better. They have the kind of character that endures them to off-road adventurers throughout the Midwest and Southwest. Though man and Jeep are small in stature, and they’re often called Little Green or Weenie Willys, both Oklahoma Greens are giants among men and machines.

“One Bad Apple May Be Rotten To The Core, But Its Beauty Is More Than Skin Deep”

Back in the ’80s, Oklahoma Green’s neighbor, Jim Roach, built a ’53 CJ3A Willys flat fender that was capable of ‘wheeling with Ken and Carolyn. After years of off-roading with Oklahoma Green, Jim had a stroke and sold his beloved Jeep to neighbors, Cliff and Dolores Wilkins. Cliff, who owns Oklahoma Truck Supply, and goes by the CB handle “One Bad Apple” continued to enhance the Willys.

The frame was lengthened 6-inches to incorporate a GM 4.3 V6 CMFI 195 hp at 4500 rpm engine with K&N Air Cleaner and Painless Wiring, a GM 700R4 with a manual shift kit, and a Dana 300 transfer case with CV driveshaft. With 4.88 gears, the final crawl ratio is 80:1. The front axle is a Dana 30 with an ARB Air Locker and disk brakes. The rear axle is a Dana 44 with a Detroit Locker. Four-inch lift springs, an off-road track bar, and Rancho 5000 Shocks control 33x12.50 BFG Mud Terrain T/As. A heavy duty, frame to frame belly pan protects the underside. Cliff’s shop did a pristine camouflage paint job with camo-flames on the Willys.

Tanner Wilkins, Cliff’s 9-year old grandson, usually accompanies Cliff on his adventures. Cliff built a special telescoping grab bar on the passenger side of their Jeep. The grab bar can be unpinned and rotated 180 degrees so that Granny can use it too. Tanner has grown up around big 18-wheelers and his grandfather’s vehicle recovery business. He’s a great hand at dragging winch lines, spotting, and he loves 4-wheeling. Everyone who ‘wheels with them, likes and respects Cliff’s Shadow.

Oklahoma Green and Bad Apple invite you to ‘wheel with them anytime you’re in the area. They frequent Clayton, Disney, and Poteau, Oklahoma as well as Las Cruces, New Mexico and Moab, Utah.

“One Bad Apple” in the awesome camouflage paint with camo-flames.

Bad Apple’s GM 4.3 V6 CMFI 195HP engine with K&N Air Cleaner and Painless Wiring, and Optima Battery.

One Bad Apple’s dash and passenger grab bar. By pulling a pin, Cliff can position the grab bar for grandson Tanner or grandma Dolores.