Jon Denny shared this highly bubbafied front driveline on Facebook.

My oldest son is up visiting from Utah for a few days (yeah!). Last weekend he summited Mt. Baker as part of a glaciering class, which gives him some experience on the wet western Washington snow (vs. the dry Utah snow).

RACE JEEP:

On Wednesday we got out the Race Jeep so we could loosen the steering a little (there was a slight bind that I’ve meant to correct for a while). The hope was that the stars would finally align and Ann and I could hit the Moonshiner’s race this weekend in Randall.

However, while driving the race jeep out on Wed I noticed some smoking from the engine (hood was off). We discovered some some oil (a few Tablespoons maybe) had splashed from the front passenger side lower engine corner area (still not sure where), that hit the radiator hose and front pumpkin as we were driving. I cleaned up the oil, but rain and a dead battery (another puzzle, as I have a battery disconnect) forced us to give up the search for the leak.

Later that evening, I looked for leaking oil under the racer, but saw nothing obvious (to me anyway).

On Thursday, the weather improved greatly, so after some chores we got out the racer and idled it, but didn’t see any flash of oil. So, we drove it around some. Once again, we spotted some excess oil on the radiator hose.

After some investigation, we figured out the oil was coming out a bolt hole in the block just above the mechanical fuel pump attachment point. I’m not all that familiar with Chev 350s, but a quick video showed me that a bolt needs to be there, so I don’t know why one isn’t there. Perhaps it fell off?? See pics below:

See top hole … I believe that should have a bolt. So, I’ll try that!

GLASSES UPDATE:

Meanwhile, the company making my new glass lens are still a few days away from shipping them, in part because, due to the prescription, they aren’t sure if they will fit my frames or not .. ugh.  So, even without the oil issue, I wouldn’t be able to see the track well enough to race.

So, it all sucks, but such is life.

FC PROGRESS:

As for the FC, more progress was made. I cleaned up and painted the gas pedal linkage, so now it’s ready for installation.  I also installed the gauges onto the bottom of the dash. I think the smaller size helps make them look less overwhelming vis-a-vis the dash. On the left side of the dash you might see an aluminum strip, which is a mockup for an angled bracket that will support the fuse box, which will rotate up when not being view (or so that’s the theory).

Barney Goodwin from Barney’s Jeep Parts just purchased this yellow Approved Willys Service sign, which is similar in colors, content and styling to a sign posted on eWillys back in 2020 (see bottom of post). Does anyone have any history behind these unusual service signs. Barney noted that on the back of his it references Chicago if that’s any help.

Barney added, “This sign is made of heavy gauge steel . It is not flimsy like an import. The edges are rolled and there is a weathered support plank on the back as shown. The rolled edge is painted black. There is stenciling on the back with perhaps a product number For Willys Overland by a Chicago contractor.”

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UPDATE **SOLD** Was originally posted August 26, 2020.

Roger Martin spotted this unusual Willys Service Sign at a Portland, Indiana, Tractor show today. If you are interested in the sign, we can get you the seller’s p#.

Let’s hope yesterday’s rain at the 2024 Willys Reunion gives way to some sun! There was at least a little sun in the evening, as shown by the Jeepster Man’s photo posted to Facebook.

Meanwhile, wow, time flies! It’s hard to believe that it’s been six years since we attended the Willys Reunion, which is happening this weekend. Pictured below is part of our Alaska Or Rust Crew from 2017, who reunited at the 2018 Reunion.

You can read more about the 2018 Willys Reunion specifically and our 2018 East Coast trip in general here: http://www.ewillys.com/2018/05/20/day-21-saturday-may-19th-mr-infamous/

Here’s an odd one. Double Cola, a brand I’ve never seen, in 1994 sponsored a contest that included a Jeep Cherokee. This must have been a very special can to keep it around for 30 years!

View all the information on eBay

“Super rare Double Cola can, which was made with a plastic wrapped exterior. Win a Jeep Cherokee promotion. Empty 12 oz. can.  Canned under authority of the Double Cola Company,  Chattanooga, TN.”

We stayed up extra late Friday night and were rewarded with clear, active skies! I took these photos with my iPhone (no filters, no adjustments later). However, the phone made these look much more colorful than they were to my eyes. Once I realized how cool the skies looked while using my phone, I walked around the property taking photos. We have a bunch of solar, motion detector lights, so they just added background light also.

But, before the night pics, I have one from Saturday. I was in the garden and looked over to see what I thought might be a dead cat … but, no, it was just sleeping.

Other notes … more progress was accomplished on the FC. The oil cooler fan bracket is all done, the cooler and fan attached, and the wiring ready for install. The gas pedal is nearly done, though I want to lighten the pivot portion of it.

One additional note. It seems the eye surgery I had last August has accelerated the cataract in that eye, which has resulted in some loss of vision. I’ve got new glasses arriving this coming week, so I hope that allows me to see good enough to race. Otherwise, I will have to get and recover from cataract surgery before racing … if not one thing, it’s another!

Okay, now the sky photos:

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