Ann’s family is arriving this weekend to celebrate Oolie Christmas. Yes, it is Christmas in February. Why Christmas in February? Because her family (large family) was too busy to gather at Christmas. What’s an oolie Christmas? It’s a family celebration of Christmas started by Ann’s grandmother, who suffered a brain injury in a car wreck. After the wreck, she couldn’t do a lot, but one thing she could do was go to thrift stores. So, she’d go to thrift stores all year around until she had a huge collection of pretty bizarre presents (they’d fill half a bedroom). The presents weren’t addressed to anyone; instead, they were passed out until everybody had one. Then, everyone shouted OOLIE and opened the presents all at once. Then they would hand out another round of presents, yelling ‘oolie’ together again and unwrapping commenced once more. The goal is to have ten rounds.

After Ann’s grandmother passed away the tradition died. However, last year the family decided to restart it. Everyone bought ten thrift store items or made presents from scratch. We all have so much fun, we thought we’d repeat it. This year, as I mentioned, we put it off until February. In fact, we still have the christmas lights on the house, the tree still stands, and decorations still line the banisters. I admit it is strange having christmas decorations up so long you have to dust them. 🙂

Because of all the activity, I’ll be rerunning some old posts and maybe a couple new ones during some down time.

Happy OOLIE Christmas!

UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay.

The Farm Journals have a variety of interesting Willys/Jeep stories and ads like this, but finding a free or cheap source of them has been difficult.

“This magazine advertisement features the Forwad Control Jeep FC-170 manufactured by Willys Motors, Toledo, OH. The copy boasts that The Newest addition to the 4-wheel-drive ‘Jeep’ family!”. The piece is 8 1/4″ x 11 1/2″ and is in good condition (see photo).”

Last month when I share pictures of my ‘jeep’ shirt that horrified my wife, Steve sent me a variety of pictures showing his jeep shirt collection.

1) My most “busy” Jeep shirt.   It actually has several types of 4×4 on it, including Scouts and Broncos. This has to come in a close second place to,  “OMG, are you really going to wear that in public?”

2) Here is my favorite FC Roundup Shirt, because it has an FC Wrecker on it. I don’t own a wrecker (yet), but I came close to owning one.

Continue reading →

Pardon the brazen shout out to my nineteen year-old son, Karson.  Tomorrow he begins a ten month stint with Fema Corps.  He will start in Sacramento, where he will go through ‘boot camp’.  Once he completes his training he’ll start working somewhere in the western US.

Fema Corps is a Fema specific arm of the Americorps NCCC program. The FEMA Corps members focus on disaster preparedness, response, and recovery activities, providing support in areas ranging from working directly with disaster survivors to supporting disaster recovering centers to sharing valuable disaster preparedness and mitigation information with the public.

It should be quite an adventure for him; the start of making his own way in the world. Here’s a pic of him sitting on the bumper from 2011 (remember that time I ran out of gas . . .). Good Luck Karson!

These look more like Mini Terror tires rather than Desert Dogs. Still, finding brand new, rather than retreads, is unusual.

“new desert dog tires 92.00 free mounting call 1-304-387-2869”

http://wv.craigslist.org/pts/3439164509.html

I happened across this story by Rob Hardy about a 1942 MB? that was purchased and owned by Howard Hong until 2010, when he passed away. In 2012 it was donated by his son to the Northfield, MN, VFW.

http://northfield.patch.com/articles/wwii-jeep-finds-new-home-at-northfield-vfw#photo-10066780

UPDATE: Was on eBay. **SOLD**

This jim beam decanter includes the antenna.

“ARMY JEEB
JIM BEAM DECANTER
Hard to find one of these in this excellent condition with the rear antenna still attached.
No chips or cracks, empty and no box.”

Continue reading →

I plan to do some updates later tonight.  Right now, I’m trying a few different ways of logging in and registering.  So, the registration might appear and disappear.

UPDATE: Hmm … it turns out my default eWillys WP theme was causing some issues. That might just have been the source of a couple problems. Or, I’m just playing whack a mole …. anyhow, I’ll leave up this theme until I fix the other one.

We aren’t too far away (Monday or Tuesday) from being up and running again on a newer, much faster server.  So, why the big delay?

1) SPAM/BOT Traffic: I have reading through log files.  The spam bots/spiders are hitting the site with enough frequency that it is slowing down the site to a crawl (or using up all webhost resources altogether).  I have tried numerous strategies to reduce the strain of these on the webhost, which has helped, but not cured the resource use problem.  Even the back end, which I use to do updates, etc, is nearly unusable due to the busy server.

2) COMMENT SPAM: The amount of comment spam has dramatically increased.  Look at this chart.  It shows approx 3000 spam comments (automated comments that are junk) in September 2012.  By December that number had increased ten fold to 30,000 spam comments.  While there are defenses in place to deal with that, I suspect that is helping cause resource problems as well.

3) SERVER HOSTS: Like Goldilocks, I tried a couple different server hosts (experiences described in posts below). One proved too frustrating, one proved too limiting.  For the third try, I’ve turned to the McDonagh Brothers, web hosts and developers who, as lovers of jeeps, have a bit of self interest in seeing the site succeed.  We should be up and going monday or tuesday.

In the meantime, I’m using Facebook to provide some contact and updates: http://www.facebook.com/pages/EWillys/304123822973935

UPDATE: As part of switcherooo 2 I have decided to do some house cleaning.  Until I make the switch, you can still comment on posts, but you won’t be able to login (there were thousands of spam-created users). 

Imagine you have a mechanic that tells you your jeep is tired and worn.  He tells you that it isn’t safe to run at highway speeds. You tell him that you have to drive it at highway speeds to get to work and make money. He says that your jeep can’t do it and you need to upgrade.

Fine, you say.  If I have to ….

He points out some different places you can get a new jeep. However, there’s a catch, he says.  The new jeeps are 5 to 10 times more expensive a month to operate than your current jeep. Of course, you’ve figured as much. But, since you are paying more, you expect you’ll get the features you already have plus some extras, right?

Oh, so naive . . .

As you shop around, you find promise after promise of better features, more speed, great service, easy to use steering wheel, custom body styles and more. It’s like a street in Tijuana with signs, promises, cajoling, and more, as the shop keeps attempt to get you inside.

After walking up and down a street of dealers peddling their jeeps, you spot a dealer who will only charge five times what you currently pay per month.  This particularly dealer, we’ll call him VPS.net, was recommended by your mechanic. VPS.net promises you’ll have so much speed, you can break clear of the Earth’s atmosphere, visit the moon, see the stars, and return in a flash.

Wow.  You get the highways, stars and a moon to boot?  This sounds perfect!  I mean, I don’t mind paying more if I am getting more for my money.

But wait. What is the catch? No catch really, says Mr. VPS.net. You even get to choose the engine you want — Ford, Chevy, BMW, Jeep — We support all the different engines. We walk you through the process of installing them. So easy! We even have lots of happy customers.

You look up the customers online. Yes, they seem happy. One even has a smiling avatar. Wow!  Ok, sign me up.

So, you pay them, decide on a jeep, and pick your engine . You are ready to go. But before you leave the lot, you have to build the engine.  That’s how they save you so much money over the other dealers.  OK, fine. You’ve built an engine before, so you can do it again. But, wow, these engines are getting ever more complicated. After looking through the different engines, you find an engine expert online who recommends a Ford engine when buying a VPS.  Then, you build the engine, fasten the seat belt and  reach down for the transmission to shift it into drive.  Wait, what happened to the gear shift? hmmm . . .

Fortunately, your new jeep dealer was so excited to have you aboard, they have already sent you an email. They say if you need anything, just let us know. So, you respond. You write that you do need some help.  There is a transmission missing. You wait for a response.

But all you hear is crickets, nothing but crickets for two days.

But, that’s ok, because you have been working to install the two transmissions they offered. One was free.  We’ll call that the Chinese transmission. The other was extra. We’ll call that the Russian transmission. You, being cheap, decide to try the free one. After spending several hours trying to install the Chinese transmission, you happen run across a disclaimer on a Chinese website that claims they no longer support Ford Engines.

Well DAMN you say.  With I had known that before I tried to make that tranny work. Fine, I’ll pay extra for the Russian transmission.  However, before you get the transmission out of the box, you see another disclaimer that the Russian transmission doesn’t work at all with the Ford engine.

That’s when you realize, to run the transmission, you will have to completely remove the engine, pick another, and spend/waste a bunch more time trying to make it work.

Yes, that was my day yesterday with my new webhost, or shall I say former webhost. I am now working with a new host that specializes in WordPress sites. I have to say that I am stunned at the lack of graceful and reasonable upgrade paths from a shared hosting environment to a mid-tier hosting environment.

At noon Tuesday I plan to switch to my new server.  If everything goes smoothly, you’ll barely notice any differences.  If, it doesn’t go smoothly, you’ll notice that.

The most difficult issue may be email.  If you need to contact me after Noon my time on monday you can use my d@deilers.com email.  It might not be until Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning for the interwebnetether thingy to direct traffic correctly.

As you can see below, I have a plan all worked out … what could go wrong?

BTW … only a few updates tonight. I had the craziest little spasm in it.  My wife cave me a back relaxer early this morning, after which my cognitive functions rapidly declined for most of the day.  The spasm is gone now, and my brain seems to be functioning better. Note to self … no more muscle relaxers!

Nothing like some growing pains!

This morning my host took down the site due to resource overage.  Something was causing my server usage to spike. I made a few changes, which seems to have resolved the issue temporarily.  So, the site is live again, but it’s really time to move it to a host that can handle more bandwidth/resources/visitors.  I’ve spent the last few hours reviewing all sorts of VPS and Dedicated hosting options, with different pricing and hosting structures.  It turns out that website hosting companies pay reviewers up to $150 each to refer customers to their hosting packages (depending on the package), so finding unbiased reports turns out to be a challenge.

If I don’t get to updates tonight, I’ll do some during the Seahawks/Falcons game tomorrow.

And, if it goes down again, know I’m working on it 🙂

– Dave

No updates tonight. Having a nice evening with Ann. Updates tomorrow by mid-day.

I saw this silk shirt from Phat Farm on eBay.  When I showed it to Ann, she was so horrified by it she screamed.  Ok, I may be exaggerating a little.  There was no screaming; but, she was slightly horrified by it.

I tried to explain that it had the Prototype Ford GP printed on it.  How cool is that?  But, she was unimpressed.  To her credit, she liked the jeep.  It was the rest she didn’t like.

Seeing her reaction to this unique shirt was all I needed to bid on this.  I thoroughly enjoyed appearing in the kitchen wearing it and seeing her reaction.

Not surprising, I was the only person to bid on it . . .

UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $450.

This looks liek a good price.

“I have a 1948 Steel Jeep Tub and Hood (needs hood hinge) for sale. It will need the Front Floor Panel and Rear Center Floor Panel replaced do to year of vehicle.. The body is in good condition.”

Our normal three hour drive on Saturday from Pasco to Seattle took seven; in an attempt to avoid snow on Snoqualmie Pass we ran right into it on Sutan Pass.  The modern Ford Mustang, not know for its snow handling and sporting the wrong tires, was all kinds of fun inching over snowy, icey and remote Sutan Pass.  Wby did we taken Sutan Pass (which turns out to also be higher than Snoqualmie)?  Because my wife thought I knew the pass was there, even though I said I’d never driven over state highway 97 through Goldendale (we were heading south to I-84).

As I carefully steered up the pass, hoping not to slow down and lose traction,  I asked why she thought this route was a good idea.  She said she thought I had scoped out the pass. I said I had told her I didn’t know there was a pass at all!  Well, this back and forth conversation lasted until we crested the pass and slid/drove our way down the other side.

Despite her cool exterior and her positive confirmation of my driving skills, she was very busy snapping pictures with her phone and posting on Facebook pictures of the snowy road with comments like “we are gonna die” and “if we don’t make it, we love you all”.  She does have a sense of humor 🙂

So, after our long drive, we crashed in bed and have slept the night away.  Updates later.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/10/search_for_grandfathers_world.html

2012 was a great year for both me, personally, and for eWillys, too. Obviously, getting married was a pretty big deal as was finishing my book, Finding Virginia.  In addition, eWillys reached several milestones in terms of page visitation (600,000 this December and 12 million overall) and posts (now over 20,000).

For 2013, Ann and I have two trips planned, one down to Arizona for the FC Roundup in March and a second trip to the East Coast in May/June for the 2013 Midwest Willys Reunion in May (where I am scheduled to do a presentation) and The Bantam Fesitval in June.  More details to follow over the next couple months.

And, for 2014, we hope to do a trip to Europe during the summer to re-trace my grandfather’s trip through europe in 1924 (90th anniversary) and meet a variety of supporters from there who continue to visit daily and add to our knowledge base.  That will mean eWillys will need to be even more successful in 2013, which means a lot of work for me!

Happy New Year Everyone!

I created a post with a list of wiring schematics, but it was deleted somehow. This page provides a temporarily replacement.  I’m sure I had links to where I found these, but I will have to relocate them.

CJ-2A wiring Diagram

CJ-3A Wiring Diagram

1956 CJ-3B Wiring Diagram

1965 CJ-3B Wiring Diagram

1972 CJ-5 Wiring Diagram

1978 CJ-5 Wiring Diagram

UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay

“This 1949 Willys Overland Jeepster is in excellent used condition. The car has never been comprehensively restored because it has never needed such drastic attention. The car has been re-painted at least once. Paint is in good, presentable condition. There is no indication of any prior body repair or rust repair anywhere on this vehicle. The paint finish is red with some black fades highlighting the trim. All chrome is original and is very presentable as-is. The seat upholstery is in good, presentab l eand useable condition. The carpeting is new, original-style loop carpeting in proper color for the vehicle. The recently replaced the side curtains have never seen weather. This vehicle would qualify as an AACA HPOF (Historic Preservation of Original Features) car. As a collector who values original vehicles above restored vehicles, I believe that this Jeepster shoudl be enjoyed and cared for as-is and should never receive a comprehensive restoration. That said, if someone wanted to restore and have the very best Jeepster on earth, this is the right foundation for such an endeavor.

Noteable atrributes of this vehicle include:

* Very Rare, Original hub-caps in very presentable condition
* New reproduction set of hub caps are included (to be used when concerned about originals being stolen)
* Car is equipped with factory Overdrive – fully functional
* Car starts easily and runs smoothly with good oil pressure, no smoking, or other bad habits.
* Steering and suspension are all in good condition and the car travels well at highway speeds
* Tires are in good condition
* All chrome is original and serves as a testiment to the fact that this Jeepster has been well cared for its entire life.
* I would have no hesitations about getting in this car and driving it across the country”

I managed to get some updates up late last night.  However, I’m behind on emails, a condition without a cure until the 28th when I’ll be back in Pasco. So, if you emailed me and I haven’t responded, that is why 🙂