Here are some more photos courtesy of Charles.
Features Research Archives
More Videos From Brian Hainer
UPDATE: I had the wrong link to Brian’s FC Corners videos.
The previous videos showed Brian making some FC corners. Now he’s working on a CJ-3B body. Here are a couple videos he’s done on the body. There are some others, too.. This video shows the making of the rear floor:
And this shows shaping the sides of the body:
Late ’40s? Willys-Overland Sales & Service Postcard on eBay
Neat old postcard.
“VINTAGE POSTCARD – CONDITION: VG-EXC *See Scans Below For Detailed Condition of Both Sides.”
Circa 1944 Rare Early 2A Brochure
UPDATE: Thanks to Alaska Paul, the Goddess, and especially Ming the Wonder Parrot, who I’m told was instrumental in finding seed money to support their winning bid. Ming was worried the bidding might go higher and, to cover the additional cost, he might have to get a job. So, no job just yet Ming, unless you want to fund Knardly Rolls.
And thanks to the other bidders, too. I’m honored by your enthusiasm. And thanks to Ted for coming up with the idea!
Ted Jordan has volunteered to auction his rare 2A brochure to benefit eWillys. His brochure, “Jeep Planning”, is one I’ve only seen come up on eBay once before (in 2013). He is including a newspaper insert, which is also a pretty neat, too. What he doesn’t know, and what remains unannounced to this point, is an epic trip involving a group of Willys nuts. My goal is to drive Rusty on that trip next summer. That means it must be roadworthy in ten months. Can it be done? We’ll find out! More on that trip will be shared at month’s end.
This auction was all Ted’s generous idea. Here’s what he wrote: I have seen these brochures sell for over $100 when they surface so Im hoping some of you early Jeep enthusiasts will dig deep and help to support Ewillys and Dave with a worthy bid and purchase of this great piece of early Willys Literature. Winning bid or purchase payment can be sent directly to Dave at Ewillys and I will ship it for free and get it to you undamaged!!!! Good luck and remember this is going to a great cause so dig deep !!!
As a life long Willys Jeep enthusiast and a huge fan of Ewillys, I would like to try and raise a little money for Dave through an auction or sale of a really cool Willys jeep Brochure. I can only speak for myself, but Im quite sure most of you Jeep guys will agree that Daves site is one of if not the best site for anything Willys related.
The brochure I’d like to donate to the cause is a really early super rare Willys Jeep Planning Brochure. Its about 25 pages long and includes the very hard to find supplemented newspaper section of 6 pages that is most always missing.
The condition of the brochure is excellent to mint with no damage what so ever.
I’ve been collecting Willys Jeep Brochures for a long time and this one doesn’t come along very often if at all. What separates it from most of the others is it really concentrates on all the very early Prototypes, CJ2s, Ag Jeeps, and early CJ2A Farm and Industrial Jeeps. Continue reading
Jeep & Glider Mural in Sanford, N.C.
UPDATE: Charles noted that these three me were pilots, not paratroopers.
Jim alerted me to this mural in Sanford, North Carolina. The city of Sanford has been adding murals to downtown that preserve local history. One in particular is a glider with a jeep emerging from it that honors three of the town’s glider pilots, according to this article.
B-17 with Jeep in Africa
This photo come from Marc out of Mortefontaine.
“1946-1948 TWA management rode around Africa and SW Asia in a former B17G (probably Captain Bob Buck was in command !) the picture was taken on the flight line in Heliopolis near Cairo”
1955? Jeep Specialized Equipment Book **SOLD**
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay.
This look like a great post-1955 equipment book. Auction ends Saturday morning.
“This is a dealer sales book packed with information regarding the CJ-3B, CJ-5, 1 ton Truck, Station Wagon, Willys Fire Truck, Willys Ambulance, Jeep Fire Engine and a very complete list of all of the attachments and accessories available from the Jeep dealer at the time from A frames to welders. There is a sales brochure included for each item which describes the items in great detail as well as some of the installation times. This is an original surviving book from the early 1950’s, not a reprinted copy”
Bob Christy’s Ohio Flatfender Gathering
Bob’s gathering was this past weekend. He shared these photos. Looks like it was great weather for the event.
CJ-5 Body Serial Number Question
Dallas found this serial number on his body. Based on this thread, we believe it indicates an aftermarket body. Has anyone else run across similar numbers on their CJ-5 bodies?
He wrote, “I’ve got a 1959 CJ5. It has the typical serial number data plate on the driver side firewall in the engine bay, but in addition, it’s also got a serial number stamped directly into the firewall on the passenger side in the engine bay. Neither the location nor the number format itself are ones I’ve seen before on other CJ5s. Have you ever seen a number there? I’m wondering if it might mean I have an aftermarket tub.”
O.E. Szekely-built Ford-Powered 4WD APU **SOLD**
UPDATE II: Another of these surfaced in 2019.
(12/18/2016) Rudy just purchased this rare and unusual O.C. Szekely-built Ford powered four wheel drive APU. It’s got a an Szekely badge and an O.E. Szekely stamped transmission. I don’t recognize the transfercase, which falls to the driver’s side rather than passenger side.
Thanks to some careful research, Rudy discovered that this vehicle was one of eight deliver to the military on August 25th, 1953. Specifically, “”The vehicle is a specially built two passenger 4X4 truck powered by a FORD eight cylinder engine. . . . A generator mounting chassis, located between the seats, supports the two generators and generator drives” and the “transmission that incorporates the transfer case is designed to transfer engine power to the generator drive”. O. E. Szekely dropped off eight of these vehicles to a shipping service on August 25th, 1953.”
Dec. 1952 Issue of War Battles Comic Book on eBay
The seller believes this is the second best example of this comic book that exists.
View all the information on eBay
“A RARE CLASSIC COVER COMIC FROM 1952, THE AMERICAN G.I.’s ARE MOWING DOWN THE KOREAN SOLDIERS, BOTH WITH THE MACHINE-GUN, AND WITH THE JEEP ITSELF AS IT’S BARRELING RIGHT AT THEM! GREAT COVER BY LEE ELIAS.
This is one of many shock covers that Elias drew for Harvery in the pre-comics code authority heyday.
I Love My Wife Sign
Guy shared the “I love My Wife” sign. You might notice the importance of the fine print. View the sign on Amazon.
Feb. 1957 Willys News Magazine $25
I accidentally ordered an issue of Willys News I already had. So, I’m putting this one up for sale. It has eight pages of pictures and information. These sell for between $28 – $38 on eBay.
1956 ish Willys Export Procurement Information Booklet **SOLD**
I believe this document is pretty rare, given I’ve never seen another one. To help fund fund my jeep project I’ll be selling some of my brochures. This one is clean and in good shape. It came from Canada. It’s twenty-six pages. The models covered include the DJ-3A, CJ-3B, CJ-5, CJ-6, Wagon 4×4, L6-226, Wagon 4×4 F4-134, Delivery Wagon 4×4 F4-134, Truck 4×4 L6-226, Cargo Personnel Carrier, FC-150, and the FC-170. Each model is given two pages in a format similar to that shown below.
January 1946 Motor Magazine Fixing Army Jeep on eBay
The January 1946 issue of Motor Magazine has an article about fixing the Army jeep.
Jeeps On A Truck
Blaine found these photos on justoldtrucks.com on this thread http://forums.justoldtrucks.com/PrintTopic739.aspx It’s not clear if these were being saved or taken to the dump. The third pic shows a crane that was probably being taken to a dump/recycler.
trucks.com.
1970 Press Photo of Renegade II on eBay
I thought the rims were unusual. I can’t remember running across these on any jeeps for sale.
“This is an original press photo. Jeep Renegade II – One of the first offerings of Jeep Corporation, since its acquisition earlier this year by American Motors is this Renegade II. The new four wheel drive model incorporates many custom performance features. It is finished in Big Bad Orange with Charcoal Trim. (Autos- Jeeps) Jeep Renegade. Photo measures 10 x 8.25inches. Photo is dated 11-24-1970.”
1952 Photo of Jeep Used in China Shop on eBay
A china shop in Boston used this CJ-3A as a delivery vehicle inside the warehouse.
“1952 Press Photo Jeep Crashes into China Shop in Boston, Massachusetts. This is an original press photo. No Dishes were BrokenPhoto measures 11.5 x 9.5inches. Photo is dated 10-16-1952.”
Rewind — September 5-7: Our “Rusty” Trip
Normally, I’m good about updating our adventures daily, but we usually don’t do these hellacious long drives (which is by design). So, this post will cover the last few days …
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 5TH —
On Monday morning September 5th we left Missoula, bound for Billings. we arrived at Lloyd’s place near Billings, Montana. We drove a for a few hours, cresting the Continental Divide with temperatures of 34 degrees and some thick almost-snow-like rain, making it clear summer in Montana was near an end. Wanting to avoid putting on chains, I thought it best to avoid going back through in the dark, so I my goal was to sleep Monday night at Bozeman, where we could do all three passes (the divide and the two in Idaho) during daylight hours.
We arrived in Billings in the early afternoon. By then, the clouds that had dogged us since Idaho had given way to sun and warm temperatures. When we pulled in front of Lloyd’s shop, the cross-eyed DJ was parked out front. As soon as I saw it, I was convinced it was going home with us. We hopped out and Lloyd introduce himself.
A forest fire fighter by trade, the trim sixty-seven year old man still had plenty of bounce in his step. He explained that he spends much of the non-fire months restoring/refurbing vehicles. It was both a passion and a practical way to reduce his taxable income. He estimated he restored one automobile a year.
As I looked over the DJ I asked Lloyd if he’d originally planned to restore it. He said know. He’d seen this parked at a nearby house, but the owner wasn’t interested in selling. When the owner died, Lloyd purchased it at an estate sale. He told me he’d never seen a 2WD jeep and didn’t know anything about the Dispatchers. He just had a gut feeling about it and decided to pick it up (and probably make a few dollars in the process).
One of the first things I did was try shifting the transmission. I pushed in the clutch, which had good resistance, and awkwardly moved the column shifter about (my first time using one). After some testing, it seems to smoothly move between all the gears (at least that’s my impression). Next, we opened the hood. Lloyd demonstrated that the engine spun. That confirmed I was buying it.
Lloyd’s dog “Crazy” helping me survey the underside of the jeep.
It didn’t take much more looking to see the body wasn’t quite as solid as I’d hoped, with rust a the steps and in a couple spots on the floor. Having seen other save bodies far worse, I knew we were in good shape with this one.
Satisfied, I gave Lloyd his asking price. I felt is was a fair price and I told him that. Besides, not only had he held the jeep for me without a depost, but he was generous with his time. I also hoped he’d give me a tour of his projects.
With the deal done, we pushed “Rusty” onto the trailer. Lloyd helped secure it, even giving me a few heavy duty come-a-longs to help secure my back up chains. With the jeep secure, Lloyd asked us to follow him into his shop. He had a jeep he wanted to show us. Here are some photos of the vehicles we saw. This is a Gaz on a modern chassis. I thought it looked pretty cool!
Not Quite Yet …
I was supposed to report on our trip, meeting Lloyd, and seeing Robin’s collection (and stopping by Montana Wheat). However, once again, I’m am exhausted from a long day of driving. The good news is that we made it back to Pasco and I completed some updates. 🙂
On Wednesday we have one more day of driving. We’ll be heading back to Seattle, to Auburn, to Yelm, and then back to Pasco. But, Ann will be doing some of the driving, so I’ll get the story of our trip up, finally.
“Rusty” Photos
UPDATE: I’ve added engine photos to the bottom of the post.
Rusty was owned and driven (apparently very roughly) on a farm near Billings, Montana. There are numerous welds, necessary to fix the cracks that appeared. The hubcaps have all kinds of dents, as does the body, the grille, hood, and the fenders. No part seemed spared. According to Lloyd, the man we bought it from, he purchased at an estate sale. The fact was, the farmer who owned it refused to sell it while alive, so Lloyd had to wait until he died. Lloyd was told it ran until it was parked and that it was parked due to the man becoming unable to drive it. At least, that’s the story. Still, the engine spins, the tranny shifts, and the jeep rolls easily.
Glenn tells me this was manufactured in late 1955 and made available for sale in 1956. I believe the color is pine tint, not far from the sea foam green color I’d intended to paint Biscuit (before I receive the wrong color from the paint company, but that’s another story).
Here are more than thirty photos that show the good, bad, ugly. What I can’t photograph is the smell emanating from the seats. lol.
No Updates on Tuesday
We had a long but enjoyable day yesterday. We picked up the DJ-3A, #56337 10538. Naturally, it will needed more work than it showed, partly because whomever owned it before Lloyd beat the thing up. But, the engine spins, the column-shift transmission shifts. and it’s got plenty of original parts to make it work the trip.
We also had a great time viewing Lloyd’s creations, which I’ll feature on Wednesday, and had a great evening with Robin, who shared his collection of jeeps with us.
Ethel to Missoula — Long Day
It was a long day of driving yesterday. I dropped off the motorhome in McKenna, picked up a truck there, stopped by my parents to grab some chains and help out mom. Then I made a quick trip to North Bend where Mitch Carter lent me his trailer (BIG THANKS to him). Next I drove to Pasco to pick up Ann. After that, we hit the road, driving over the very dark pass in pouring rain at about 50mph …. couldn’t see a damn thing! Eventually we broke free of the rain and arrived in Missoula in the wee hours of the morning. Robin, I’ll text you later today. Let’s meet after we pick up the jeep if that works.
More Pics From Charles
Saturday @ The Races
Saturday morning in Ethel started with a driver’s meeting at 8:30am. This has been standard practice for decades, the intent being to let driver’s know of any changes to the schedule, heats, classes, and courses. Some folks always have a skip in their step, others, like me, not born as morning folks, view it as the crack of dawn. Eventually my caffeine kicked in and things began to make sense.
After the driver’s meeting is a parade of jeeps, something that I never remember doing. Most of the racers line up and slowly drive the obstacle course. Not only do you get to see the course first hand, but it seems like a great group activity.
Here’s a short video:
Once the parade was finished it was time to race. About that time, the drizzle began to fall, adding some extra water to the already muddy track. The kids lined up to race first. During that time Jeff Miller introduced himself to me. We’d exchanged emails not long after I started eWillys. At that time he shared his Jewel’s Stainless Jeep with readers. Jeff has been a regular reader of eWillys since.
For much of the 1990s Jeff raced a jeep, but then he put racing on hold. It wasn’t until this year that he finally assembled another racing so he could reenter the sport. Like me, he’s fond of the Bobcat and Parkette bodies, so it’s no surprise that his race uses a Parkette shell. The jeep is a little more old school, powered by a 331 Stroker connected to a Ford Toploader and Dana 20. Not much is jeep other than that Dana 20. The hood is a piece of aluminum that a shop rolled for him so the angles from the grille to the body would look correct. It’s a nifty, clean piece. Holding the hood to the fenders are some original, stamped, Jewels stainless latches. As you can imagine, my shirt was wet from my drool. It’s a beautiful rig and it’s obvious he’s proud of it.