Dave Naylor (kaisercj71 @ yahoo.com) is hoping to locate his Dad’s old 1947 CJ-2A. His story is below:
So, just a long shot here but, please play along. In Grangeville, ID (pretty sure it was Grangeville) around 1951, my dad traded his ’47 2A on a ’51 4×4 Willys truck. I’ve lost all hope of ever finding that old 2A, having no VIN number to work from but, I’m kind of interested if obtaining some old pictures or other artifacts from that dealership, circa late 40’s or early 50’s.
The dealership was Gort Smith Motors or maybe Gortsema Motors, AFAIK, and was still in business several years ago. I called them wondering if any old sales records were still in existence. No luck, as I had imagined.
If anyone stumbles across any period items related to this dealership, I’d be interested in obtaining them. Not sure what all brands they sold as many dealers sold other stuff besides just Willys. I’d be interested in Willys/Jeep items only, of course.
Thanks folks.
Interesting post, I relate to the story of finding my dad’s old jeep, or that matter, any of the many I have owned over the years. To my surprise, I have come across some Willys vehicles that I DID recognize from the past, just not my own. After seeing these Jeeps for sale, I contact the owner to verify my background information, they are always amazed that I can remember that far back, 30 – 50 years in such detail.
Dealerships are a somewhat different story. I try to connect a salesman’s name to the dealership, as expected, all have passed on. I’ve had some luck by joining fackbook pages as related to Old bus transportation information, hit the jackpot there. I keep searching for my JEEPS of the past, keeps my brain active and alive. Good luck in your search.
Good luck in your quest. To echo what Mike said in his comments. I worked in a small town Chevrolet dealership in high school and on/off during college and other stuff. The veteran salesman kept his own records of when/what/where he sold many, many vehicles. Often times that “stuff” is kept by a family member. Also…..mechanics…..parts people etc.
Also…..are there any old “car guys” left in the town…..hot rod guys etc. They often are great resources and horders of local info from “back in the day”.
Have fun