Originally several different posts, this post aggregates some of the Bros Rotary Sno-Flyr brochures.
This was from circa 1955:
Originally several different posts, this post aggregates some of the Bros Rotary Sno-Flyr brochures.
This was from circa 1955:
UPDATE: These various photos show the early testing of Mighty Mites.
(02/29/2020) This photo appears to show one of the prototype Mighty Mites. It’s hood number (179849) is 3 numbers away from another Mighty Mite (179846) that appeared in the press video at the bottom of this post.
“1954 Sikorsky S-56 Helicopter Backing Jeep into Cargo area … Press Photo”
Here’s the Mighty Mite press video:
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Originally Posted May of 2018: The hood and windshield on this jeep are different from the standard Mighty Mite. This may have been an early prototype. See the photo at the bottom for another view of a vehicle that may be one until earlier than the vehicle in the press photo. (the one in the press photo is #179849).
“1954 Press Photo Jeep being loaded into Sikorsky XHR25 helicopter, Connecticut. This is an original press photo. Three loaded jeeps or 26 men can be carried by a new giant helicopter demonstrated at Bridgeport, Connecticut, Monday. The Sikorsky XHR25 is being built in quantity for the armed forces. It has twin engines, retractable landing gear and rotors that fold, making it easy to handle aboard aircraft carriers. It will fly faster than 150 miles an hour. (Aero-Helicopter) Photo measures 10 x 7 inches. Photo is dated 01-19-1954.”
This is #197848 (from G503): http://forums.g503.com/viewtopic.php?t=195524
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Originally Posted September 2018: Cool, but odd photo, given the roadway behind it. Lots of competing visual angles.
“This is an original press photo. Light enough to be airlifted by helicopter but tough enough to pull through knee deep mud, the mighty mite is to be produced by American Motors Corp. for the military forces. The mighty mite weighs 1,300 pounds less than the jeep and is 43 inches shorter. It is capable of climbing an 87% grade and can do 57 miles an hour on the highway. Its powerful aluminum die cast, air cooled engine enables the vehicle to carry a payload of 500 pounds while towing another 1,000 pounds over rough terrain. United States – Army – Equipment – Vehicles Photo measures 9 x 7.25 inches. Photo is dated 12-05-1954”
The newest issue of the Dispatcher Magazine arrived at my mailbox. It’s another great issue full of vintage jeep info, including a listing for the “world’s oldest jeep touring company” out of Ouray, Colorado, that is for sale (yes, the owner is considering retirement).
However, the article that really snagged me was Bill Norris’ Maverick article (Thank You Bill!). I now finally understand the Maverick Wagon history (1958-1964) and how some Maverick TV show drama resulted in the 1960-1964 ‘Maverick’ wagons not really being Maverick’s anymore, despite having the Maverick pre-fix. It’s also why some folks are pro ‘1958-1959 were the years that the only true Maverick wagons were produced’, while other folks point to the pre-fix in the years 1959-1964 and argue that any wagons that used the pre-fix are actual Maverick wagons.
This Pan-Am ad was published in the June 04, 1944, issue of the Chronicle Star. The three-column-wide ad was a large one.
That’s some muddy muck.
View all the information on eBay
“1943 Press Photo Front-Bound Yank Jeep Moves Through Ankle Deep Mud in Italy. This is an original press photo. Italy: It’s tough enough to make headway against a well organized German Army, without mother nature too. A front-bound Yank jeep at home on any terrain, has no trouble moving through ankle-deep mud, but the muck did tend to slow it down. Photo measures 9 x 7.25inches. Photo is dated 11-3-1943.
UPDATE: Some updated information and ads.
Coast Cities Motor Sales announced the opening of the Jeep dealership in a December 10, 1948, article in the Pascagoula, Mississippi, Chronicle Star. Subsequently, for eleven months, from December 1948 through October 1949 they published ads in the same paper.
Later, In May of 1950, a new seller, Jackson County Motor Company, appeared. Perhaps, not coincidently, Jackson County Motors launches on the same highway (HWY 90) as Coast Cities Motor Sales had been located.
Prior to Coast Cities Motors Sales. jeep dealer Caver-Wiggins advertised from July 1946 to November 1947 in the Chronicle Star. Subsequently, in a corporate restructuring, Runnel-Wiggins became the main seller/advertiser. Runnel-Wiggins ran ads from November of 1947 through April of 1948. No additional information appeared in the Chronicle Star about Runnel-Wiggins.
After April, the next Jeep ad for 1948 was the December 10th, 1948 ad by Coast Cities Motors. Whether Coast Cities Motor Sales was related to the previous dealer isn’t clear, as they were located in a different places.
Below are some Coast Cities Motor Sales ad example:
December 17, 1948 & January 07, 1949: Pascagoula’s New Dealer For The World’s Most Useful Vehicles
(The ad shown is actually the January 07 ad. The December 17, 1948, ad has only minor text differences from the January ad. This is a long one-column ad, so it’s been chopped to better fit the page)
January 14, 1949: Announcing … Another Home for the World’s Most Useful Vehicles
January 24, 1949: Launch of Coast Cities Motor Sales
February 11, 1949: One Farm Vehicle You Can Count on in Any Weather
This illustration was donated to the University of Toledo. It was drawn by Steven Escayne while was serving in Italy in 1944.You can see a few other illustrations by Steven drawn during the war in the Library’s collection here. Another website, https://toledosattic.org/exhibits/war-in-their-own-words also has some drawings by him.
UPDATE: The bottom photo from 1943 was available on eBay in 2017. Here’s another one, this time from 1944, that is on eBay.
View all the information on eBay
“1944 Press Photo General Mark Clark & officers ride jeep in Rome During WWII. This is an original press photo. World War II – Italy (Entry into Rome). In three-star jeep, Lieutenant General Mark Clark (left front), fifth army commander, rides through a Rome street June 5, day after Allies captured the city. In rear seat are Major General Alfred M. Gruenther (left), Clark’s chief of staff, and Major General Geoffrey Keyes, second corps commander. St. Peter’s cathedral is in background. Photo measures 7.5 x 10.5 inches. Photo is dated 6-5-1944.”
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From a 2017 eBay auction: “1943- Lieutenant General Mark Clark, Commander of the Allied Fifth Army in Italy, reviews beachhead battlefronts near Anzio from a jeep with Army officers during an inspection tour.
Photo measures approx. 6 1/2″ x 8 1/2”
Has anyone ever seen one of these Western Snowblowers mounted to a jeep?
Western also produced wrecker setups as well (Pics from a 2015 eBay auction):
This brochure highlights the Western WC-3 Cranes for the FC, Jeep, and Jeep Truck.
“Up for Auction is a Rare and Amazing Western Wreckers for Willys 4WD Vehicles Jeeps-Jeep Trucks-Forward Control Trucks-3 Ton Cranes Brochure there are 2 pages in very good condition.”
Cool press photo.
View all the information on eBay
“1942 Press Photo US marines drive jeep on Guadalcanal air field in World War II. This is an original press photo. World War II – Solomons – Marines in jeep ride across Japanese-built airfield on Guadalcanal, one of Solomons seized by US forces. American planes were using base soon after Marines landed Photo measures 9.25 x 5.75 inches. Photo is dated 08-30-1942.”
Kevin mentioned the film Night Time in Nevada the other day, noting it showed a CJ-2A pulling a trailer. Well, it does’t just pull the trailer, it races through the desert with the trailer at one point. Oddly enough, the sound effects at that point in the film make it sound like the jeep and trailer are swerving with screeching tires on streets rather than on a sandy trail dual-track trail.
The Jeep-trailer scene begins about the 12:46 point.
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040644/
The IMCDB does not have a page or pics related to this movie title
Just a few posts today, but some good ones!
I’ve been very interested in the Hudson Hornet Steering Modification since I heard about it a decade ago. Unfortunately, there’s scant information about implementing the modification, but reports were that it was a relatively easy one that produced fantastic results, offering a power-assist feel to the steering and reducing play (a similar, alternative steering modification is the use of a 1980s Ford Ranger box, which Lawrence Ellliot shared back in 2018).
Now, thanks to Adam, we have some new insights into the obstacles and benefits of installing a Hudson unit into a vintage jeep! Perhaps the most difficult obstacle to overcome is locating the steering box itself! Adam’s provided some great details below, but If you want to ask Adam more questions directly, he’s offered his email ahedgcock @ gmail.com (remove the spaces around the @).
Below, Adam shows some of the differences between the Hudson and Ross (Willys) units:
Here’s Adam’s description:
Hudson Horney Box casting number 34641.
John recently rebuilt a set of Cutlas Selective Hubs, the type with the knob that rotates to engage and disengage the hub. There appear to be at least two styles of these hubs, one with a flat top and one with a groove, so that a tool (or improvised tool) can be used to help engage, disengage the hub.
This exploded overview from 1961 shows how the parts assemble (see the full brochure below this post):
As you can kind of see from this diagram, there are two sections: 1) is the hub cap that holds the knob and the spring in place (from part 107-2 in the middle and everything to the right of it) and 2) the hub base (part 108-2 and everything to the left of it).
John wrote, “Overall I’d say these are my favorite hubs I’ve worked on so far. I have a pair of Warn hubs (with the tiny needle bearings) and a pair of Selectro hubs (big chrome knob type). The Warns seemed like a real pain to rebuild since the needle bearing were in rough shape. And the Selectro hubs, while very easy to operate, were probably the weakest design I’ve seen.”
Here’s a look at John’s finished product, as it’s the best example a complete hub next to a hub with the top separated from the base:
HUB CAP:
We’ll start with the hub’s cap first. John provided the following note: “To remove the coupling piece (part 102-2 Coupling) from the chrome cap (with the cutlas knob) you have to line it up right with the correct groove, then push down firmly against the spring inside (part 110-2 coupling spring). While pushing down spin the coupling, and then the coupling spring will pop the coupling right out and its free.”
With the inner portion of the cap apart, you can see the coupling ring, the coupling, the coupling cam spring (part 107-2) and the coupling cam pins (parts 105-2).
This December 1961 back-to-back brochure shows the parts break-downs and price lists for the early non-slot Cutlas Selective Hub model 100-2 and the Power Lock Hub. See John’s rebuild of the Cutlas Selective Hub here.
Mohamed Busamnoh, eWillys’ United Arab Emirates correspondent, reported on his recent visit to the newly opened Offroad History Museum in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Thanks for sharing! (check out another museum owned by the same sheikh with a giant flat fender).
“I passed by to the newly opened Offroad History Museum in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, to check it out and it’s pretty impressive. It is owned by one of they royal family members who goes by the nickname “Rainbow Sheikh”. It is divided into 3 main sections:
He has more than 350 cars on display only in this museum. He also owns several museums around the world. From above, the main entrance is built as the letter H for his name, Hamad. He had what I believe is the only FC in the country besides mine or at least from what I have seen around. He also has all kinds of everything 4×4. All kinds of jeeps.
An article about the impact of the Coronavirus on Colombian theme parks led me to this recently opened jeep-themed roller coast at the Parque Del Cafe (which translates into the Coffee Park). It underscores how nuts Colombian’s are about jeeps!
The park is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Colombia. In 2017 it attracted more than one million visitors. The name of this particular roller coast is the Yippe, likely a play off of the Yipao bean/jeep culture. It opened in late 2018 as best as I can tell.
I imagine this video was created during the testing/building phase:
Here are some pics:
Steve shared this unusual modification. This experienced hot rodder built an electric motor into a V8 block to make it look like a traditional engine. To improve the engine’s range, he installed a V8 into the bed of the truck which will power a pair of generators.
The build:
UPDATE: Below is a press photo of the ‘push-a-war’ photo in the original 2014 post on eBay
View all the information on eBay
“1943 Press Photo Camp Joe T. Robinson, football players push a jeep for training. This is an original press photo. A new use for the versatile jeep is shown here. The jeep is being substituted for a charging sled. Captain C.R. Goodwin, Special Projects Officer of the 66th Div. soon at Camp Joseph T. Robinson, Arkansas, is getting a “ride” while directing the training of a gridiron team which is part of the camp’s athletic program. Photo measures 9 x 7.25 inches. Photo is dated 11-15-1943.
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Original Post February 2014: I stumbled up a collection of photos from the Signal Corps Collection in Record Group #111, Still Picture Branch, National Archives at College Park, MD: http://www.history.army.mil/photos/WWII/Preps/WW2-Prep.htm
This photo seems to show the opposite of a tug-a-war. It’s a push-a-war!
Here’s a photo of a Jeep Assembly line in England:
This interesting School at War Bulletin from October of 1943 was preserved by the University of Toledo. Pages five and six of the bulletin include a story about the success of the schools-buying-jeeps program. The war department had set a goal of 10,000 jeeps for US Schools for the year 1942. Each state was given a quota, which almost every state exceeded, resulting in the ‘purchase’ of 39,535 jeeps by schools.
You’ll find posted on eWillys various newspaper articles and photos describing the visits of jeeps and military personnel to schools. What I didn’t know was that not only did the jeeps visit the schools, jeeps also were driven “up steps, down steps, into gymnasiums, onto auditorium stages, and around school corridors. Once school in St. Paul, which “bought” 48 jeeps, reports that one of the versatile cars spent a whole day driving through the halls for inspection by the various classes.”
Here’s a break down of the jeeps purchased by schools during 1942:
Here is the full seven page bulletin:
Serval folks pointed me to a Hemmings article by Daniel Strohl that lightly addresses the early claim of a CJ-2A capable of pulling a large trailer at a speed of 60mph, specifically the trailer shown in the iconic photo seen below (a PR photo that appeared in multiple places early in Universal Jeep advertising).
Hemmings article: https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2020/05/01/lost-and-found-overflow-the-little-jeep-that-could
UPDATE: The cow in this illustration may represent an estate and cattle ranch Canaday owned on St. Croix, USVI.
This 1952 birthday card for Ward Canaday has been persevered at the University of Toledo. One of the signatures is from Barney Roos.
Derek put together a great multiple-article look at the Kaiser’s purchase of the Willys assets.
https://cj3b.info/History/KaiserWillys1953.html
Below you’ll find some added some additional info and research as well.
First, my only quibble with one article is that there is the implication that Willys-Overland was humming profitably along. Despite profits, it’s my understanding that the company was dealing with some cash issues, hence why they (especially Ward Canaday) might have been interested in selling. At the time, Canaday controlled Empire Securities, the single largest shareholder in Willys-Overland. For some background on Empire Securities, read this 1946 Fortune article.
In regards to some of the issues raised in the final article of Derek’s the post, Edgar Kaiser addresses some of them in this 1955 Congressional testimony, particularly one reason the company lost money during the first two years.
Here are a few more reports from 1953, organized by the University of Toledo:
And more from the University of Toledo:
And, here’s Leslie Gould’s take on Ward Canaday in a March 30, 1953, article:
UPDATE: **Status Unknown** Was $25,000.
I don’t see any of the APU equipment left, so while it’s a rare jeep, it’s also no longer an APU jeep. I don’t see anyone paying the asking price for it. That said, it’s got some interesting mods, including a custom lengthened rear cargo area, a custom spare tire well and holder, what appears to be the Hudson steering mod, and a custom modified top (shortened CJ-6 top perhaps). This also utilizes doors from a late model CJ-5 hardtop by Kelly. The rear portion may even be a modified Kelly CJ-6 top.
“Up for sale is a CJ3A Willys APU Jeep .
This APU Jeep was built for the military Navy and Air Force to start jets by the Valentine Welding Co. they made a total of 75, this is one of two know to still exist, and the only one with a windshield and top .
The newer F head engines were placed in and a custom hood made by the manufacturer
Asking 25k”
An October 21, 1944, photo and caption of Elizabeth McDougald of New York City highlighted her appointment to “London’s first Negro-staffed club, the Duchess”. She’d been appointed direct of the Red Cross club. Some letters by Ms. McDougald to military officers related to racial issues can be found here. A great deal of detailed information about her was uncovered through an auction purchase and subsequent research by Sherry Howard.