This is how a 1956 model Jeep got a new lease of life

Kollam: Mechanic trainees of Chandanthope Government ITI have transformed an old Willys Jeep into a new vehicle. A 66-year-old 1956 model ramshackle Willys Jeep was reborn in 33 days of intense effort by 23 trains of 2021-22 batch diesel mechanic trades at ITI.

This vehicle was a mere skeleton, rusting in the training garage of the trainees. The students spent Rs 47,000 on the project for assembling new spare parts and procuring spare parts from vehicle scrapping yards, adding new electrical components, painting and refurbishing the vehicle. The students found the money for the project on their own by skipping their study tour.

When Mahindra's first-generation 2.3-litre 4-cylinder CJ500 diesel engine hummed inside the chassis of the Willys Jeep, the vehicle became majestic once again. Mated to a 3-speed gearbox, the vehicle gets 37 bhp of power and 117 Nm of torque.

The students replaced the Jeep's left-hand drive with a 540mm Mahindra steering wheel. Although the vehicle is good enough to climb any steep hill, it is not allowed for legal road driving. Although the said upgrade is part of the project, it aims to make technicians self-sufficient in the field of motor vehicle mechanics. Mechanical diesel section senior inspector O Jayakumar led the project.