Jim forwarded the following photo of him and his brother from 1967.
He writes, “This faded polaroid was dated Aug 12 1967. It shows my ’46 CJ2A, my brother Bob, super-on-the-job and me, grinning and I’m sure torquing everything to exacting specs. She was my second car and my best. I bought it the summer of ’66, spent two cold winters in it and to the best of my recollection, the only one around with any four wheel drive.
There were no aftermarket parts and I wanted oversize tires real bad, so we got some Mercury wheels, maybe ’49s or early 50’s and worn down snows. My father just thought that was ridicules, so one day he borrowed it and returned with brand new Firestone Town and Countrys….6.00 x 16!!!! You can just make out the tread in the picture. After that I did an awful lot of tire swapping to keep things on an even keel. I used to take guys on excursions for beer and gas.
The jeep was called Sophicles Hoblitz which I believe is written on the hood leaning against the tree off to the left. The name Sophicles Hoblitz….. I think came from a Hot Rod magazine cartoon, something about a bearded prophet who advertised himself with a sign on the side of a jeep. Probably warning of eternal damnation to anyone who becomes swayed by the charms of an old Willys. One more thing. I bought her in Longmeadow Ma next to the Ct line from a man who had gone blind and had not driven it for years. That was in ’66 and then it was only 20 years old.
I guess in the 1960’s you could go to any auto parts store and easily get parts for a 2A, correct?
Great story and cool pic. Thanks. My son named his first jeep Bocephus (and not even for Hank Jr). Reminds me I need to name my jeeps… or at least the 44 since I plan to drive that much more.
Back in the 50& 60’s if you owned an old Willys Jeep, It Wasn’t easy to find parts at you local auto parts store; you had to search for parts and get referrals from other guys as to where to go. Auto parts stores didn’t stock Willys parts because they didn’t sell enough of them to justify the cost. Most of the time there was a ex GI who started a Willys parts business and filled a need. Back in the day when I was a kid in Northern NJ there was John Van Dine at 155 route 17 Paramus , NJ and Sarafan in Spring Valley, NY. And of course Morris Ratner “the Jeepster man” in Howell TWP. NJ. Amen, enough said.
Mike,
What happened to the Jeepster man? I wanted to start this jeep hobby before I moved from Howell NJ to Mesa, so 4 or 5 years ago I found him on Google in Farmingdale and drove over to the property. The road sign even had “Jeepster” in the name, as I recall… but no sign of jeeps or Jeepsters anywhere, and no one answered the listed phone number. I chose not to trespass and look in the row of barn stalls.
Joe, The Jeepster man died some years back; His daughter was trying to keep the business going on a part time basis with some help but I think it just became too much for her. She did try to sell over the internet with a web page on a limited basis which never seemed to be up dated and no follow up on inquires. Morris was in his 90’s when he died. I wish I had the opportunity to buy his stock while he was still up & kicking, but like most of these old timers, this was his life & kept him going. Now the parts sit and deteriorate and lose value. Thanks for your inquiry, Mike
In the ’60s, Sears Roebuck had a Jeep parts specialty catalog that was way better than you’d expect – quite an array of parts and accessories.