Here’s another round of pics:
Features Research Archives
Free Bearings
Steve’s got a variety of unused bearings that came with a wagon he bought. He has no use for them. He’d rather give them away to eWillys readers than recycle them. If you are interested, contact Steve at owenwalk@comcast.net.
CJ-3B New Repro Tub Narvon, PA $2000
Daryl’s got this tub for sale.
“We have a CJ3B new, reproduction body tub for sale. Regularly $2,400, currently $2,000 picked up in Narvon, PA. If shipped, $100 for crating plus motor freight to your location. This tub has the 5-hole dash. Photos attached. If interested, email Daryl@DLBensinger.com or call 610-286-9545.”
Jeep’s Superbowl Commercial
For anyone that missed Jeep’s Superbowl commercial, here it is:
Special Equipment Article From 1956
Tim & Cathy’s 25th Anniversary in Hawaii
Tim must have a wonderful wife. The pair of them spent their anniversary in Hawaii driving around in a jeep and even dropped by a military show. Now that’s love 🙂
Time wrote, “For our 25th wedding anniversary we went to Oahu, Hawaii. Here are some photos of the trip and of course Jeeps. We rented a Jeep and we got this four door wrangler unlimited sport, -white. We took the roof top off and drove all over the island. It was fun to drive,and we got 18 mpg that week with gas at $2.50 /gal. Only complaint is that that wrangler really needed new brakes. The photo of us and wrangler at Kaena point, that’s as far as the road went west.
After the road washed out that area was turned into a hiking trail so now cannot drive a loop around the island. We visited the USS Missouri on living history day in recognition of 72d anniversary of its launch. Here we found a WWII Jeep on display along with a Dodge WC 51 and we met members of the Hawaii MVPA. We also met GEN MacArthur and toured the ship. We wanted to drive from Waianae up the Kolekole pass to Schofield barracks but the road was closed to traffic and has been for some time. The black and white photo was in the USO stars in Honolulu during WWII, not sure what vehicle i”
1946 Photo of Electric Jeep Built in Seattle on eBay
UPDATE: This was listed last March on eBay. It’s back.
This battery powered jeep was built by J. F. Scott of Seattle. It weighed 100lbs and can reach 10mph. Based on all the kids, it doubles as a personnel carrier, too!
“1946 Press Photo Minature Jeep of Jimmy Scott His Dad Built It
This is an original press photo. Photo measures 7 x 9.25inches. Photo is dated 6-29-1946.”
Fred “Fritz/Snuffy” Rowland’s CJ-2A
Former Idaho cowboy and restaurant owner Fred “Fritz” or “Snuffy” Rowland (he was known by both nicknames) moved from Idaho to Beatty, Nevada, late in life to try his hand at prospecting. Fritz found uranium and gold, but nothing amounting to a big strike. His story was shared in the July/Aug Westerner Magazine in an article titled “Death Valley Gold Digs.”
1956 Introduction of the FC-150
The Victoria Advocate featured this story in the December 12, 1956, issue of the Victoria Advocate. Just below the article was an ad for the FC-150.
Valentine Jeep Card on eBay
It’s perfect for your valentine.
“Vintage UNUSED (unsigned) Valentine children’s one sided card, like the kind we would exchange in school with each other. Please check out photos for image, caption and condition. These are a reminder of yesteryear and wonderful childhood school memories!! I am a smoke and pet free environment.”
The Tale of Paul’s Steering Column
Paul shared the story behind his one-of-a-kind stainless steel steering column.
Paul writes, The steering column in my Willys has quite a story behind it, ……. About 10 years into the rebuild (1995) I began thinking about what kind of steering column and wheel I’d like to have for the Willys. I wanted a tilt column to make it easier for me to enter and exit the Willys, the steering column and steering wheel should be one of a kind and not some mass produced stuff that everyone has and if at all possible these components should be fabricated from stainless steel to match the rest of the vehicle. I wasn’t even aware of any aftermarket suppliers that made replacement steering columns for custom vehicles but if there was a company in America making replacement columns I figured they would be mentioned in the hot rod or custom car magazines. I began reading all the current car magazines I could get my hands on, searching for any mention of or advertisement from a company making replacement steering columns.
It wasn’t long before I saw an advertisement for a company called ididit and the primary focus of this company was to build replacement steering columns for custom vehicles. Their ad had their address listed along with their telephone number so I made a quick phone call to the state of Michigan and ordered a free catalog. About a week later their catalog arrived here at the house and it was full of information about the company, about how to correctly determine the angle of the steering column and the location of the steering wheel along with internal wiring specs and how to identify the correct column length for your vehicle. This catalog was full of step by step procedures to solve installation problems I hadn’t even thought of yet. According to the catalog, steering columns could be ordered in steel or aluminum (plain or polished) in either standard lengths or total custom units. I was happy.
After mocking up a column in the Willys (a sawed off broom handle with a plastic plate screwed to the upper end) I was able to find the column angle which would give me the least interference during entry and exit while still providing a reasonable position for the steering wheel and this information allowed me to get the total length of the column from steering wheel to column end in the engine compartment. With my calculations in hand I made another call to ididit and attempted to order a column. This is where things got a bit weird. Continue reading
1946 Ad for the Civilian Jeep
Your headaches are over if you buy a jeep? That’s a new one! This was published in the Schenectady Gazette Feb 19, 1946.
More Pics from Charles
Thanks to Charles for sharing.
1944 Photo of ‘Official Photographer’ in the Mud on eBay
Note how clean the feet are of the guys holding the jeep.
“1944- U.S. soldiers work to free jeep mired in the mud of Germany. Photo measures approx. 8″ x 10″”
1944 Photo of Ford GPA in Texas on eBay
Calm water is best for those GPAs.
“1944- Ford GPA ‘Seep’ (Seagoing Jeep), amphibious version of the Ford GPW Jeep, at Foster Field, Texas.Photo measures approx. 8″ x 10″”
View all the issues here on eBay
John’s “Woody” DJ-5A
John shared his neat DJ-5. If you live on Long Island, keep a watch for him during the summer.
He wrote, It was turned into a ‘Woody’ about 35 years ago. This one is a 69 DJ5 A. I bought it about 1980/81 or so. It’s got the original 2.5 in it and I use it about 4 months every year…..June to September. I have not made any changes except for putting in a radio and a glove box and I recently had the Seats recovered. I never met the original owner (the guy who did all the nice woodwork, glass etching and paint job) but recently ran into someone who recognized the Jeep and told me about the very creative guy to built it back in the 70s. About twenty years ago I had to take the motor out and and replace the main bearings. Last year I had to find an exhaust manifold which was not easy. Otherwise, it gives me good reliable service every year. It’s really been a fun vehicle. Every where I go people want to buy it and on the hiway I am always being photographed while driving.
Mini Beep Jeep Mason, OH **SOLD**
UPDATE: Was $3900. **SOLD**
Here’s an unusual jeep.
“This MINI BEEP has a 6.5hp engine, very well put together, $5k in just parts. Start it up and go, has reverse, brake, bench seat, trailer hitch, working headlights and moree….you can modify any way you want and even add parts. Use it in anywhere!!
The MINI-BEEP is uniquely different and better than any ATV, any UTV, any other kind of off-road vehicle. The MINI-BEEP pulls trailers, and implements, bulldozes sand, gravel and snow, drives off-road, and goes almost anywhere. It’s a 4/5 scale version of a World War II JEEP®, and it’s AMPHIBIOUS, too! The MINI-BEEP is a do-it-yourselfer’s dream project.”
1963 Photo From Canyonlands
This 1963 photo shows a jeep exploring the Needles area in anticipation of Canyonlands National Park. The park was established in 1964.
http://content.lib.utah.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/USHS_Class/id/28787/rec/5
Another Update From Paul
If I ever step into Paul’s jeep, I’m going to bring some surgical scrub footies.
Paul wrote, I felt the gray marine carpet in the footwells was too dark so I installed some stainless steel scuff plates on top of the carpet. I put a brushed finish on the stainless plates before I screwed them to the carpet and I’m happy with the results. The carpet is still visible, the stainless makes the footwell area brighter and I think the cutout design goes well with the Willys.
Just another crazy thing I never imagined I’d want for this Willys rebuild.
DJ-3A Used as Pick up & Delivery Vehicle
This March 1956 article from Willys News explains how some dealerships were using the DJ-3A as a drop off vehicle. A driver from the dealership would drive the jeep to a vehicle owner’s house, pickup the car, hook the jeep’s hitch to the customer’s car, and then drive the car to the dealership for maintenance. After servicing it, a driver would bring the car back to the customer’s house, jeep in tow, and return in the jeep.
1946 Article on Underwater Jeep
Mahl Jeep Loader
UPDATE: Glenn shared this pic of restored Mahl Jeep Loader. It’s located near Minneapolis.
ORIGINAL POST FROM 2012:
There appears to be an article about the Mahl Loader in the 1949 Municipal Journal & Engineer, Volume 80, but I can’t read the whole article. Farm Implement News, Volume 70 page 149, from 1949 also has an article, again I can’t read the whole thing.
1992 Christmas Jeep Article
Here’s a neat story from the Reading Eagle out of Reading, Pennsylvania.
Leaks & Fenders
Two bits of good news from Paul. One, his jeep was NOT affected by Alaska’s recent earthquake. He had the sense to bolt things to the wall that could potentially fall onto his jeep. Two, he’s made some more updates to Knardly Rolls! So, read on . . .
Paul writes, the progress so far this winter season on the Willys has been a little weird. Things started to get strange when I decided to fill the cooling system for the first time in 30 years. I’m an optimist but I like to think I’m based in reality so I told myself there’s always the possibility of leaks in the cooling system and having a couple of empty buckets ready to catch dripping antifreeze might be a good idea. With the empty buckets cleaned and placed nearby I poured the first gallon of antifreeze into the radiator.
After a short pause to inspect the hoses and connections for system integrity I began pouring the second gallon of coolant into the radiator and I quickly noticed my feet were getting quite wet. I managed to wedge the empty but rapidly filling buckets under the front axle where most of the escaping antifreeze could be captured since the leak appeared to be from the front of the engine by the timing chain cover. Oh well, it looks like yet another unexpected repair or modification needs my attention.
After the leak slowed down to a slight drip I repositioned one of the buckets directly below the radiator drain and began transferring the antifreeze from the cooling system into the bucket and then back into the gallon containers which is where this green fluid came from about 15 minutes earlier. When no more fluid flowed from the radiator drain and the recaptured antifreeze was safely back into the gallon containers I decided to call it a day and leave the heavy thinking for the tomorrow.
After having strange dreams throughout the night concerning the coolant leaks on the Willys, by the next morning I ready to start pulling components off the front of the engine so the timing cover could be removed for troubleshooting. Since the engine has never been run after being rebuilt this was a fairly quick and easy task.
Once the timing cover was out of the way and the front of the cylinder block could be inspected I learned an interesting bit of information about the Buick V-6 engine. The front of the block has 4 bolt holes (2 on the left and 2 on the right) for the timing cover to attach, BUT the timing cover is manufactured as either a 2 or a 4 bolt type.
The timing cover on my engine is a 2 bolt type (where the coolant passage flows into the water pump) so the two unnecessary threaded holes in the block should’ve been plugged to prevent antifreeze from leaking. The unused threaded hole on the block is drilled into the coolant passage but the unused hole to the right is a blind hole and not open to the cooling system.
To prevent anymore leaks and to make me feel better I installed internal wrenching hex plugs in the unused holes . These plugs were screwed into position after the threads were cleaned and dried and the threads on the plugs were coated with gasket compound, then it was time for reassembly. Things were going pretty well until I noticed the rubber on the crank pulley damper was cracked and bulging out along the seam so this project came to a halt until the damper made a trip south to the Damper Doctor for a rebuild.
[editors note. I *think* it was in one of those holes that, during my very first engine rebuild, I put too long of bolt into one of the holes. I tightened it down, though it got difficult near the end. Imagine my surprise when the #1 cylinder piston kept hitting something while i tried spinning the crank. OOPS, I’d damaged the cylinder wall!!]
1945 Photo of a Jeep in the Philippines on eBay
What a cool bridge.
“1945 Press Photo Military Jeep Crossing American-Built Rail Bridge, Philippines. This is an original press photo. Photo measures 9 x 7.25inches. Photo is dated 02-11-1945.”