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2005 Traveling Jeep Exhibit

• CATEGORIES: Features, Museums This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: A reader named Jim actually served on the USS Slater. He spotted this post from 2013 and had some insights into the real history behind the USS Slater jeep:

I was pursuing the many facets of ewillys when I found a page with our jeep (the USS Slater jeep) ! I got a good laugh when I got to the last picture of it (the plaque).

This is why:

First, this is our jeep a number of years ago in a parade.

us-slater-jeep
Way back when, some “idiot” member of the board thought it would be an idea to auction off the jeep. No one knew what happened to it after that. Then, several years ago I went on a hunt for it. I found it! Where? The Chrysler Traveling Museum”! Apparently, the auction winner had sold it. (to a museum?)

Then, in the picture on eWillys I see on the plaque (last pic below) where it says “This particular vehicle was owned by the US Navy and served on the USS Slater”(during Korea).

Well just to correct their version of history, during the Korean War the Slater had already been given to Greece where she served for the next 45 years in the Hellenic Navy! DE’s (Destroyer Escorts) did not usually have jeeps. because they couldn’t fit them onboard!

My search for the jeep got me to Chrysler and I emailed them. Not that I would expect them to give it back, but…. Then I get this email back:

us-slater-jeep2

The funny thing is all this is happening just months after the posting on your site in October of 2013! I especially like how a so-called “historian” believed how it came to be!

Well, according to this letter they were still touring the country in 2014 (which answers your “where is it now” question from 2013)!

When I am finished with my jeep and she is all lettered up as the USS Slater jeep, I think Chrysler may have a little competition!

Ciao for now,
Jim

==========================

Originally Published 2013:

Joe shot these photos back in May of 2005. He writes, “I visited this DiamlerChrysler Corp. traveling exhibit in Virginia Beach, VA back in 2005, photographed it and posted the story on the G503.com website back then. (when the ewillys.com concept was but a dream for sometime in the future.) I’ve included the link for you to read as background and to share with your readers. I found the follow-up comments by other G503 members the most interesting based on their expert knowledge/experience of the subject.”

Anyone know if they still run the traveling exhibit?

http://g503.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=105&t=61931

slater 1 slater 2 slater 3 slater 4 slater 5

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Kelly Manufacturing Self Locking Hubs

• CATEGORIES: Features • TAGS: , This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE:  This post has been updated with more pics. Also, there is currently a Kelly Hub brochure on eBay.

In May of 1957, DA Ruben L. Beck filed a patent for a new hub design. Beck was a dreamer and like many dreamers, some saw him a genius while others thought him just plain crazy. Beck’s goal was to create a simple, but effective, four-wheel-drive hub.

kelly-hubs-da-ruben-beck-patent2 kelly-hubs-da-ruben-beck-patent1

Beck had already made an early impact in the jeep world, when he founded D.L. Beck Manfucaturing in Middleport, Ohio, a company that made hardtops (see Beck hardtop history here).

1954-beck-all-steel-cab-brochure1Beck sold his hardtop company to Hubert A. Kelly, in the 1950s but Beck and Kelly remained in contact. The date of the sale, thought once to be 1951, is less clear after this document hit eBay in 2014. It indicates Beck was still selling hardtops in 1954.

1954-beck-all-steel-cab-brochure3

No matter when the sale occurred, Hubert took control. It wasn’t long after the patent filing that Mike Kelly, Hubert Kelly’s descendent, remembered seeing the hubs for the first time. He thought that was about 1958. I asked that he review the patent and Mike sent me the following notes:

“The Kelly Self Locking Hub I knew a was little different than the one pictured in the patent drawing. The housing was larger in diameter and had reliefs milled along the outside to allow clearance for the mounting bolts. The internal parts looked very similar to what I remember. I’m pretty sure the final Kelly product was a Beck design. I don’t recall anyone else working on it.

The hubs were manufactured in Charleston West Virginia. We already had an large machine shop there on Broad St. So moving production from Ohio to West Virgina was only logical. I know the assembling the hubs could be “interesting” if you weren’t watching what you were doing. Putting the internal workings together with the ball bearings being under spring pressure woke up more than one man who wasn’t paying attention.”
Photos Photos

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1950 Photo of First Cavalry in South Korea on eBay

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old Images This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This was taken shortly after the start (06/25/195) of the Korean War.

View all the information on eBay

“1950 Press Photo US patrol jeeps move along the Naktong River dike. This is an original press photo. South Korea — A U.S. patrol jeep moves along the dike of the Naktong River on the lookout for North Korean infiltration. First Cavalry patrols crossed the Naktong to assess damage done by a B-29 attack on Communist positions.Photo measures 9 x 7.25inches. Photo is dated 08-16-1950.”

1950-08-16-korea-war1 1950-08-16-korea-war2

 
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1955 Warn Hubs Manual **SOLD**

• CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Documents, Features • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This early Warn manual No. WD-255 sold on eBay for $36.20. My last bid was $35.20, so someone out there outbid me.

1955-02-warn-hubs-manual2 1955-02-warn-hubs-manual3 1955-02-warn-hubs-manual4 1955-02-warn-hubs-manual5

 
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1949 Ads in the Montana Farmer-Stockman

• CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

In 1949, Willys-Overland halved the number of ads in the Montana Farmer-Stockman from 1948’s eight ads to only four. This may underscore the financial issues Willys-Overland was facing.

The first ad was published January 15, 1949:

1949-01-15-montana-farmer-stockman-lores

March 15, 1949:

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May 15, 1949:

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September 15, 1949:

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Schematic Plans for Parkway Conversion and DJ-3A Hardtop on eBay

• CATEGORIES: Documents, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This unusual set of drawings highlight some Parkway Conversion details and some DJ-3A Hardtop details. Each sheet is 29″x18″. Asking price is $47.50.

View all the information on eBay

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“”Jeep Model CJ-3A Dispatcher”, Plans for the Parkway Conversion Utility Delivery Vehicle canopy assembly and attachment, by the writers and illustrators of Willys-Overland Motors, Toledo, Ohio. No Copyright, but a 1956 date. Published by Jeep, Willys Motors, Toledo Ohio. NOT Ex-Library. Note – the photos you see are of these diagram sheets – no ‘Stock Photos’.

A tight firm clean set of three sheets, each 29″ x 18″, each detailing the assembly and attachment of these canopies to the Jeep CJ-3A vehicle of that day. clean and very well illustrated pages.

Sheet 1, illustrated with paragraphs of text, dated March 1958;
Sheet 2, Close-up with all dimensions including window dimensions and attachment detail;
Sheet 3, An Isometric view with attachment directions.
A splendid set of plans for that splendid old barn find or the Jeep Dispatcher passed down to you. Direct from a postwar Jeep dealer’s library. No dogears, No mustiness, No smoke smell. Splendid for the owner rebuilding that old find. We do try to describe them correctly – We want you back as a customer – hundreds of repeat customers.

A wonderful set of directions for the Mechanic, collector, historian, author. No names. Darkenings but no markings. NOT Ex-library. NOT Remainder-marked. We combine S&H on multiple purchases. Check out our eBay store – Navalperson 2 – Navalperson Books and More – 1,600 and more items waiting for you there. Buy with confidence – over 30,000 satisfied Internet buyers can’t be wrong!! Don’t let this one get by you – this is a marvelous Jeep find.”

 
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1947 Postcard of CJ-2A w/ Large Travel Trailer on eBay

• CATEGORIES: Features, Postcards This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Now that’s a load!

View all the information on eBay

This Auction is for a 1940’s real photo travel trailer postcard of a Jeep pulling a trailer  Good used condition ”

1947-postcard-cj2a-trailer1 1947-postcard-cj2a-trailer2

 
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Mid-1950s Product Merchandise Manual on eBay

• CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Documents, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Seller’s asking price is $295. The contents are likely very similar to this one, which has been scanned and made available for free.

View all the information on eBay

1950s-product-merchandise-manual

“”Product Merchandising Manual” by the writers and illustrators of Willys Motors and Willys-Overland Export Corporation, Toledo Ohio. No Copyright information. Assembled and Published by Willys and the Jeep Division in the early 1950s – we make a presumption of 1955 based on the Jeep CJ-5 described herein., Presumed First Edition, NOT Ex-Library. No ISBN. Note – the photos you see are of this binder and sections no ‘Stock Photos’.

A tight firm clean binder containing Forty (I through XL) tabbed sections of promotion information for the Jeep dealer to sell Jeeps to the public. The purpose-made three-ring binder is deep blue/yellow-green lettered and decorated with the large Willys ‘W’, although the information is for Jeep. The binder is 11 1/2″ x 11 1/2″ if you count the big graceful curve of the 3 1/4″ spine. The hinges for the binder are separately hinged so the binder could hold additional information as developed by Willys and Jeep. The pages are 11″ x 8 1/2″ with 3/8″ color-coded plasticized tabs identifying the sections. Those sections, again, total 40. Continue reading

 
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1978 Jeep Expedition of the Americas

• CATEGORIES: Features, videos • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Mark Smith was the leader of the 1978 Jeep Expedition of the Americas (also known as the Expedicion de Las America), a 20,000-mile, 120 day odyssey that covered the Americas. Much of the trip was on roads, with the offloading of the the Darien Gap, the section of land between Colombia and Panama, the focus of the trip.

The narrator in the movie notes, rather dramatically and erroneously, that the Gap had only been crossed once before by the British Army. In fact, the Darien Gap had been crossed at least once before in 1960 by a group in a Landrover and a Willys truck, the story of which was published in National Geographic and clearly titled “We Drove Panama’s Darien Gap“. Though Frank and Helen Schreider drove the entire length of the Americas in their SEEP, Tortuga, in 1954, one place they didn’t attempt to drive, but instead floated around, was the Darien Gap.

Fortunately for us, the 1978 trip was captured on video, so we can enjoy some of what they saw during their adventure. Vimeo currently has a twenty-seven minute video of the trip. It’s a little dated at times, but still interesting to watch:

expedition-darien-gap

 

 
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Through Snow, Snow, and more Snow, the Mail Gets Delivered

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old Images This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This April 01, 1949, article by Jack Cady highlighted the effort of Lou Morris to deliver the mail in a CJ-2A navigating the Wild Horse Trail from Havre to Canada during Montana’s winter of 1949.

1949-04-01-montana-farmer-stockman-usmail-jeep-lores

 
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1954 Ads w/ a CJ-3B and KW Logo

• CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This ad appeared in the October 14, 1954, issue of Oregon’s Heppner Gazette Times. It includes an illustration of the new CJ-3B. It also shows that some KW logos appeared in newspaper ads for a short time.

1954-10-14-heppner-gazette-times-willys-ad

This ad appeared the following week (October 21, 1954) in the same newspaper with similar elements.

1954-10-21-heppner-gazette-times-willys-ad

 

 
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Four Wheeler Makes Some Seat Covers

• CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

In case anyone’s interested, Four Wheeler ran an article by Verne Simons about making seat covers.

https://www.fourwheeler.com/how-to/body-chassis/cj-2a-seats/

four-wheeler-seats

 
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2 Menus w/ Las Brisas Pink Jeep on eBay

• CATEGORIES: Features • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This eBay auction features a set of Las Brisas Menus from 1973 that include images of pink DJ-3A Galas on the front.

View all the information on eBay

1973-las-brisas-menu-surrey-menu1 1973-las-brisas-menu-surrey-menu2 1973-las-brisas-menu-surrey-menu3

 
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1958 Photo of Young Boy and FC-150 on eBay

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old Images This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

I bet this kid grew up to be an FC kind of guy. He looks very serious about jeeps!

View all the information on eBay

“You are bidding on a Nice Vintage Young Boy & 1957 Jeep FC-150/FC-170 Pickup Truck Decorated Crepe Streamers Photograph.
Very nice condition.
Great photo view showing young boy wearing suit & tie, posing beside classic 1957-1958 Jeep FC-150/FC-170 pickup truck. Decorated with crepe paper streamers & sign. Parked in front of church, possibly wedding event.

Border edge has processing/developer date stamp: 1/58 – Church sign has Aug 25, 1957 date.”

fc-150-boy

 

 
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1948 Montana Farmer-Stockman Jeep & Truck Ads

• CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: I mistakenly list a September 1949 Ad as a September 1948 ad. I removed that, so now there are only seven ads on this post. 

Willys-Overland ran a series of Universal Jeep and Truck ads in the Montana Farmer-Stockman newspaper through 1948. The ads for the Universal Jeep focused on farming and ranching and appear most, but not all months (The paper is archived at the Library of Congress and appears to have been a bi-monthly publication). Below are seven ads I could find. In 1949, the number dropped to only 4 ads.

January 15, 1948:

1948-01-15-montana-farmer-stockman-lores

No February Ad

March 15, 1948:

1948-03-15-montana-farmer-stockman-lores

April 15, 1948:

1948-04-15-montana-farmer-stockman-lores

May 15, 1948:

1948-05-15-montana-farmer-stockman-lores

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Hood Strips Ever a Factory Option?

• CATEGORIES: Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Someone on Facebook claimed that hood strips were a factory option, though without specificity as to which model of jeep in which time period such an option was offered. I was not aware of this option nor have I seen any documentation for such an option. Of course, I’ve seen plenty of jeeps for sale with hood strips, but never saw much consistency among the designs.

So, anyone know 1) were hood strips ever a factory option? 2) were they ever a dealer option? 3) were they ever featured as a special equipment option? 4) if any of these are true, does anyone have documentation?

Here’s an example of wood strips:

cj3b-wood-strips

From the CJ-3B Page: https://www.cj3b.info/Tech/HoodProblems.html

 
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1940’s Buddy L Victory Toy **SOLD**

• CATEGORIES: Features, Models, toys This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This Buddy L. Victory Toy sold for $42 (+$17 shipping) yesterday.

View all the info on eBay

1940s-buddy-l-victory-jeep0 1940s-buddy-l-victory-jeep1 1940s-buddy-l-victory-jeep2 1940s-buddy-l-victory-jeep3 1940s-buddy-l-victory-jeep4

 
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Small Wood Jeep Toy on eBay

• CATEGORIES: Features, Models, toys This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Roger spotted this unusual toy with an etched-in jeep grille.

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“You’re getting the vintage wood folk art toy shown. 5″ red jeep. Nice overall condition”

wooden-jeep1

wooden-jeep2

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Liquid Iron w/ CJ-5 on box on eBay

• CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This old package of Buckeye Silver Liquid Iron includes an endorsement by Willys Motors, Inc.

View all the information on eBay

liquid-iron-buckeye-cj5-willys-motors1

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“THIS AUCTION IS FOR ONE/1 USED RARE/VINTAGE ORIGINAL BOX CONTAINING BUCKEYE SILVER SHIELD LIQUID IRON TESTED & INDORSED BY WILLYS MOTORS.

MADE BY BUCKEYE PAINT AND CHEMICAL CORP. OF TOLEDO OHIO, ALSO HOME OF THE WILLYS JEEP.

ITS A 2 PART ADHESIVE AND FILLER. BOTH PARTS ARE IN THE BOX.

THE HARDENER IS STILL IN LIQUID FORM. THE LIQUID IRON LOOKS MORE OF A PASTE. I DID NOT OPEN EITHER ONE OF THE CONTAINERS.

GREAT GRAPHICS ON BOX. GREAT IMAGE OF A WILLYS JEEP CJ5.”

 
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Moriarty Brothers Key Ring Pembroke, MA **SOLD**

• CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Features • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $25.

This Moriarty Brothers (Manchester, CT) Willys Jeep Key Ring a neat little piece. Some history behind that dealership.

“estate sale find : vintage 1960’s Willys Jeep Keys I was told and leather clip key chain. Back side says Willy’s- Jeep , and front side says : Moriarty Brothers inc. Manchester Connecticut. Lincoln-mercury, Meteor-comet . Phone mitchel 3-5135.”

moriarty-brothers-key-chain1 moriarty-brothers-key-chain2

 
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1948 Report on ‘Jeep’ in Conservation

• CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Books, Documents, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

I purchased this cool booklet off of eBay. It has some great pics. I’ll share once it arrives.

1948-jeep-in-conservation-report

 
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March 1953 AD for Photo Tools

• CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Steve shared this ad for Proto Tools that included a Jeep. It appeared in the March 1953 issue of Mechanix Illustrated.

1953-03-proto-tool-ad-jeep-lores

 
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1941 Photo of Ford GPs in Box Car

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old Images This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This photo is another image-applied-to-plate that’s on eBay. It’s a neat photo showing at least four Ford GPs inside a boxcar.

View all the information on eBay

1941-Ford-gp-box-car

“Jeep New Metal Sign: Military Jeep Secured Inside Vtg. Railroad Boxcar 4 Transit

Suitable for framing or hanging, has pre drilled holes. A nice piece of 20th century history.
Great coloration in the sign.

The sign measures 9″ x 12″

This sign is also available in 12″ x 16″ for $29.88.”

 
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1942 Photo of Ford GPAs(Seeps) in Parade on eBay

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old Images This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Any thoughts on where this photo was taken?

View all the information on eBay

“1942 Press Photo Soldiers drive amphibious jeeps in Armistice Parade. This is an original press photo. War implements – jeeps in Armistice Parade Photo measures 8 x 3 inches. Photo is dated 11-11-1942.”

1942-11-11-2-gpas-parade1 1942-11-11-2-gpas-parade2

 
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Different Versions of the Koenig-Manufactured Hardtop

• CATEGORIES: Features • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: Adding to this post, there are a few examples of DJ-3As with wide windowed hardtops. It’s possible they were just using the CJ-5 hardtops. http://www.ewillys.com/2021/02/10/photos-of-a-1956-rhd-dj3a/

=================

Original post from March 17, 2020: 

1956-dj3a-brochure-2

The small rear window can be seen on the back of the top at the left top of this 1956 DJ-3A brochure.

Mike raised a question the other day, which resulted in us learning something new. He was viewing the launch-brochure for the DJ-3A when he noticed that the Koenig-manufactured hardtop was illustrated with a small rear window. Up to that point, Mike and I and several other folks were under the impression that all these tops had the same size rear window, but in fact that was false.

Instead, it appears that in 1955, through 1946(?) and possibly into 1957, Jeep used a small window in the back of the top, before moving to a larger one. Especially with the DJ-3As, with their lack of side windows, that small window would have made backing up difficult, as it would have been hard to see anything behind the driver.

Here are the four types of hardtops of this style identified so far.

  1. This top was available as early as 1955. This photo is a 1955 press photo showing a CJ-5 with the small window in the back. The CJ-5 version of the top also came with side windows. The image below is also available on eBay.
    cj5-koenig-hardtop-small-rear-window
  2. It’s not clear when the transition occurred, but in late 1956 or in 1957 the top began arriving with a much larger window as seen in this photo.
    1962-cj5-suffern-ny4
  3. Though an early photo of the DJ-3A with this style of top showed it with windows, the production version was manufactured without side windows.
    1956-dj3a-buffalo-ny8This photo shows the same jeep from the side. You can see the lack of side windows.
    1956-dj3a-buffalo-ny7
  4. This image shows a 1964 hardtop on a DJ-3A with the larger window.
    1964-dj3a-slc-ut20
    This photo shows the solid sides:
    1964-dj3a-slc-ut16