Features Research Archives

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Unusual Rear Extension on a CJ-2A

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old Images • TAGS: , This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This photo appeared on Facebook. The rear bed extension is either a one-off customization or a dealer-related modification. Either way, I’ve not seen another one of these.

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The photo was take of Joe Smith by his son Albert Smith, Sr. It was posted to FB by Douglas Elliott.

It reminded me that these two unusual, extended 2As were also from Seattle (taken at Arthur Warn’s service station. I’ve never seen another like this or the one at the top.

 
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The WWII Jeep’s Engineering Flaw

• CATEGORIES: Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

David Tracy writes about the engineering flaw that makes the WWII jeep dangerous, taking a close look about how that happens. The article’s title (The Legendary World War II Jeep Had a Dangerous Engineering Flaw) seems a bit hyperbolic, but, as usual, his article is good.

https://jalopnik.com/the-legendary-world-war-ii-jeep-had-a-dangerous-enginee-1797186236

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The Rat Patrol – Iron Monster Book **SOLD**

• CATEGORIES: Books, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay.

Sounds like it is a fictional book based on the Rat Patrol. It is 210 pages.

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“THE RAT PATROL – THE IRON MONSTER RAID 1968 TV PROGRAM RAT PATROL

210 PAGES HARD COVER GOOD CONDITION, YELLOWED PAGES

REFERENCE THE TV PROGRAM “RAT PATROL” KIND OF STORY ABOUT COMBAT ACTION FICTION USING WW2 WWII WILLYS FORD JEEPS MB GPW IN DESERT RAIDS.”

 
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Photo of Giant? Man Next to Jeep on eBay

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old Images This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: Thanks to CJ2atlas for potentially identifying our ‘giant’ as 8’6″ Felipe Manzo Reyes, who was called, among other things, “El Gigante Mexicano (The Mexican Giant)”.  In the late 1940s he spent time as part of the Cole Bros Circus’ side show. The outfit appears to be the same. 

Given the signature on the back and the size and fancy dress of this gentleman, it appears this guy may have been someone famous, at least in Mexico? He also looks like he is REALLY tall.

View all the information on eBay

“Mexico Man in Sombrero Hat with Jeep Car Real Photo Vintage Postcard ”

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A Slat Grille Rebuild

• CATEGORIES: Builds, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
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Kees’ nearly restored Slat Grille MB.

There was some debate on G503 back in 2016 about whether a modified jeep for sale was a slat grille MB or not. After seeing the jeep for sale in October of 2016 on eWillys, Kees took a chance that it was a slat grille and bought it.

He had it shipped to Rotterdam, only to learn it was in worse shape than he’d hoped. What happened next was several years of hard work to bring it back into drivable condition. Here’s his story:

Hi Jeepers,

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In October 2016, I bought a Jeep that I saw for sale on Ewillys. I had hoped it the Slat Grille I had been seeking, but was it really a Slat Grille?? A lot of folks on G503 were not convinced. Nonetheless, I took the risk.

When it arrived in Rotterdam I was shocked. It was in VERY bad shape. The body was covered in a layer of bondo, up to one inch in places. The sidepanels were almost gone. The gas tank was a drum bolted onto the cargo bed and the body was bolted to the frame with pieces of scrapmetal. There was a giant dent in the dashboard and the front of the jeep was a mess, replaced by bubba modifications. No effort had been made to clean the jeep, so it was covered with rust and dirt.

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Did I feel lucky? Not at all. But, it’s not like I could send it back! So, I started forward, one step at a time.

The first thing I did was bring it to our version of the DMV for inspection. The VIN in the title was 11358, but we could not find it on the frame. Fortunately, we did find a body number of 15160. With those two ID numbers the department did some investigation with their American collegues and found out the VIN is 111358. That was great, because they were able to determine that it was an original Slat.

Once that was settled, I sent a lot of detailed photos to an friend who is an expert on Slats. It was from him I learned I had a lot of rare Slat details like axles, body, frame and some engine parts.

The first year was no fun at all. None. Zip. Nada.

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I spent month after month cleaning, sandblasting and torching bondo. Yet, under all that bondo, I found perfectly good, shiny metal in some places.
When the body was clean I brought it to a welding expert, a pensionado who liked to keep busy welding. Thankfully, he was not expensive because it took him many weeks to reshape the complete body. The only replacement he did where the 2 side panels and the fuel tank container. He was able to restore all the other parts. In the meantime I was busy cleaning the frame. Continue reading

 
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The Dowden Potato Digger Brochure

• CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This potato digger was featured in a late 1940s Special Equipment booklet. Probably not many of these left.

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The Story of The Legend

• CATEGORIES: Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Blaine shared Jeep’s take on the history of the jeep. Of course, the company continues to ignore the importance of Bantam and Ford’s role in the origination of the jeep. One of the odd decisions was to select a photo of a 5 lug DJ-3A as representative of the DJ-3A. The history does include a mention of the DJ-5s and CJ-6s, so that’s good to see.

Also, a blurb about the CJ-6 claims the running gear was heavier duty, but as far as I know, the CJ-6 used the Dana 27 and Dana 44. Am I correct on that?

https://www.jeep.com/history.html

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Fall Willys Jeep Reunion This Weekend

• CATEGORIES: Event, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

The Fall Willys Jeep Reunion will be this weekend. There’s a good story in the Fulton Sun about the upcoming 24th Annual event.

http://www.fultonsun.com/news/local/story/2019/sep/07/willys-jeep-reunion-returns-auto-world-museum/794071/

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Popular Science: Alaska Fire Jeeps & M-170

• CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

The May 1953 issue of Popular Science including the following 2 jeep-related short blurbs:

Cold Alaska has so much warm water (from volcanic springs) that 17 new Jeep fire engines being sent there for civil-defense duty are equipped with special “heat exchangers.” They’ll cool the water sprayed on fires — cold water put out fires faster.

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The same issue also includes an unrelated mention of the new M-170:

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1952 CJ-3A Smoker/BBQ Stanwood, WA **SOLD**

• CATEGORIES: Features • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $1500.

For $1500 you can buy a pretty good smoker and a bbq.

“1952 Willy’s Jeep BBQ/Smoker. This smoker is tow-able and works great. Has built in fold down table in back with storage in cab area. We’ve used it for many years.

$1500 obo or trades (dirt bikes or boat)”

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Time for a Biscuit

• CATEGORIES: Biscuit, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

As I may have mentioned, I’m in Renton for the next week at my mom’s place while she’s away. As part of rearranging the garage, I’ve finally pulled Biscuit out of his corner.  My goal is to have him running by February, in part because my mom plans on moving!

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FC Jamboree Sept 13-14 2019

• CATEGORIES: Event, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Just one update tonight.

Dan Devires plans to hold his FC Jamboree again this year on September 13-14 in Lake Mills, Iowa. It should be a great time! I wish I could be there; instead I’m cleaning out my mother’s basement for the next few days.

http://thefcconnection.com/3rd_annual_fc_jamboree.htm

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Newgren Porto-Mill Feed Grinder Brochure

• CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

I published the green version of these (seen below) of this brochure, but not the red/black/white version. This red version really pops.

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1944 Photo Henry Larsen Talks to Alexander Vandegrift on eBay

• CATEGORIES: Features, Old Images This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This might interest someone.

View all the information on eBay

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“1944 Press Photo Henry L Larsen talks to Alexander A Vandegrift in jeep, NC. This is an original press photo. Vandegrift, Alexander A. (Lieutenant General). Lieutenant General Alexander A. Vandegrift, Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, recently made a four-day inspection tour of the Marine Corps training base at Camp Lejeune, New River, North Carolina. It was his first visit since he became commandant and the first trip back there since he left it in the Spring of 1942 to lead the Marine assault forces that drove the Japanese out of the Solomon Islands.

Lieutenant General Alexander A. Vandegrift (front seat of Jeep), listens to Major General Henry L. Larsen (right), describe a re-enforced rifle company’s field problem on a musketry range Camp Lejeune, New River, North Carolina, during his inspection tour. General Larsen, Commanding General of Camp Lejeune, and Colonel William N. McKelvy (rear seat), of Washington, District of Columbia, Commanding Officer of the Instructors’ Group, Replacement Battalions, accompanied General Vandegrift during the field problem. Photo measures 10 x 8.25 inches. Photo is dated 3-2-1944. “

 
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BCA Film Services, Jeeps and More

• CATEGORIES: Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Need military items for a film shoot? Are you near Toronto? Look no further than BCA Film Services, a company spotted by Gary that provides military set dressings, props, and vehicles.

https://bcafilmservices.com

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Farm Jeep Bio on Me

• CATEGORIES: Features, Website This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Barry Thomas and his son Evan have been working hard to expand Farmjeep.com, a resource for early farm implements and other jeep information. As they note in the “about us” section, they are a “father and son documenting that we don’t know what we are doing since 2002” … I can relate to that as well.

If you haven’t been there in a while (or never), check it out, as the father and son duo have rebuilt the earlier site into a larger one with lots of information. The jeep lift research area is especially valuable. You can even learn a little bit about me, as Barry generously asked me to contribute a short bio for the site.

Visit farmjeep here: https://www.farmjeep.com

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Bernd’s Bad Day at the Gas Pump

• CATEGORIES: Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Some days you wish you could do over. Bernd had one of those days recently. His goal was to transport a ride-on lawyer mower to the Austrian workshop to repair an oil leak.  After loading the lawnmower, he discovered his CJ-5 needed gas, so he drove to the local gas station and put in about a half tank, then proceeded on his way.

Soon, his jeep wasn’t quite running correctly. Remembering he still had his receipt from the gas station, he pulled it out only to discover that he filled up with diesel instead of standard gas.

So, Bernd sent the CJ-5 to a ‘spa’ for some cleaning and reinvigorating. We hope it recovers soon!

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Surrey Postcard From Hawaii on eBay

• CATEGORIES: Features, Postcards This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

I don’t believe I’ve seen this postcard.

View all the information on eBay

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2 Smokey the Bear Table Cloths **SOLD**

• CATEGORIES: Artists/Drawings, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: **SOLD** Price was $16 for the pair.

(02/18/2019) Not one, but two 54″ x 96″ tablecloths.

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“TWO Vintage Smokey the Bear
Prevent Forest Fires Paper Tablecloths-
Both New Old Stock-
Hard to Find Collectible Items

Up for sale in this auction are TWO vintage paper tablecloths featuring Smokey the Bear. A hard to find item that will make a great addition to any Smokey the Bear collection….also great to use if you like. Definitely never opened or removed from the package.

I believe that both tablecloths are the same design…..they just look different due to the way they are folded within the plastic wrap. Made by the C.A. Reed Company….featuring “Futura Stylized Designs”. Only one tablecloth has the label on the back. The tablecloths measure 54 x 96 inches in size.
Continue reading

 
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Early Newgren/Love Lift **SOLD**

• CATEGORIES: Features, Parts This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay.

Maury shared this rare lift for auction on eBay.

“You are bidding on a vintage NEWGREN (LOVE) under body rear hitch for Willys Jeep CJ Models. It was removed from a 1946 cj2a with column shift, so I know it is an early version of this lift. A little rusty and crusty, but still there for restoration or duplication. These are very rare to find so this may be once in a lifetime find for the avid collector. Listing is for local pickup, but I will aid in shipping and banding to pallet if you are handling a truck freight option. Feel free to email any questions. Watch my other auctions for some other vintage accessories”

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Continue reading

 
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A Good Laugh … $35,000 Jeep Brochure

• CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Thanks to Maury, we can have a good laugh. He spotted this auction. Someone is trying to sell this brochure on eBay for $35,000, with bids starting at $25,000. I have this same brochure, but mine says “Willys Overland Export Company” instead of “Willys of Canada Limited Windsor Ontario” and costed me only $25.

View all the information on eBay

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1963 Panel Delivery Brochure on eBay

• CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

I am surprised there’s no reference to it being a Jeep Wagoneer, just a ‘Jeep’ Delivery Wagon.

View all the information on eBay

“1963 Willys Jeep Panel Delivery Sales Brochure. The full fold out has another illustration of the Panel Delivery along with information on features.
Pages: Folds out to 17 x 8
Details: W 8.5 x H 4 x D 0.1″

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1945 Postcard From Camp Butner on eBay

• CATEGORIES: Features, Postcards This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This postcard shows a bunch of jeeps at Camp Butner all lined up.

View all the information on eBay

“Camp Butner N.C. Jeeps At The Motor Pool Postcard Vintage view old card. Condition is Used. Shipped with USPS First Class Package.”

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Krause “9” Plow For the Jeep

• CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This late 1940s brochure was produced by the Krause Plow Corporation out of Hutchinson, Kansas. The Company has a long history and is still in business today.

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Aeroquip Special Equipment Brochure

• CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

This rare brochure probably doesn’t mean much to most folks, but hopefully it’s important to someone.

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