UPDATE: Steff notes in the comments below that the gas line has been fixed.  As I mentioned below, the gas line broke prior to my visit so I wasn’t able to hear the engine run.  Was listed at $3000.

See another example of the miner hood ornament here.

My son Karson and I drove to Wanship to check out this CJ-3B.  The jeep is located high up on a hill overlooking the rockport Reservoir — the view was worth the trip alone.

While checking out this jeep, I snapped some pics and talked with Darrel and Arne.  If you call on this jeep, you’ll be emailing Arne’s wife, then meeting up with one or more of the three to look it over. So, that’s just to clarify if you get confused about whom are are dealing with.  The actual owner of the jeep is Darrel.

On this day, I didn’t get to listen to the jeep start as one of the gas lines had sprung a leak at one of the places where the gas line is clamped.  This caused some gas to leak into the garage which stank up the garage pretty good.  At the time of our visit, the garage was nearly fume free, but we didn’t want to take  a chance so we rolled the jeep out of the garage.   You can see the end of the line sticking out from underneath the passenger side of the jeep.

While this CJ-3B does have some wear, you can easily see this was a classic 80s flattie, especially with the padded rollbar.  Darrel said that this jeep lived much of it’s life in the Tahoe area, and it looks like it was built for the trail.  I forgot to ask about the differential ratio and whether it had posi/lockers in either differential.

One of the more unusual features was the emergency brake (at least I have never seen this mod before).  The emergency brake is located very nearly where you’d install an overdrive shifter, and looks like one too, but instead has a button on the top of the shifter.  To engage the emergency brake (located on the back of the dana 18) you pull the lever towards you.  To release it, I believe (didn’t test it) you push the button on top and it releases.  I really liked this idea and think I’ll try to implement something simlar for my back emergency brakes.

Karson’s evaluation was “it was cool”, which was followed by ideas about where we could go jeeping once I got the roll cage put on the jeep.  Then he said, “Dad, just let me know if there is ANYTHING I can do to help you with your jeep museum project”.  I think he’s got the jeep sickness 🙂

The front of this jeep has a Miner hood ornament, though the miner’s pan has fallen off (Darrel sill has the pan though).  I did a quick search on Miner hood ornaments.  According to this thread, “from 72-86 there were specials built for different states and promos.  You can research online through books written by Jim Allen.”

“1953 WILLYS JEEP – HIGH HOOD, 350 Chevy Engine, 4 – Speed Transmission / 4 Wheel Drive.  4 Point Harness Seat Belts, Tilt Steering Wheel, Ragtop + Side Doors + back seat, Padded Leather Seat Covers, Chrome Wheels, Holley Headers, Mickey Thompson Baja Tires, MOAB READY-Come See for Yourself!, Legend has it this Jeep won some title in the Rubicon Run, and was featured in a Hot Rod Jeep Magazine, + it has a cool Miner dude for a hood ornament”

http://stgeorge.craigslist.org/cto/1366557486.html