Features Research Archives

To Top

1948 Popular Homecraft’s Wander Wagon Junior

• CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine, Willys Wagons, Wood bodies • TAGS: , This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: The complete set of plans for the Wander Wagon is shown below. Previously, I’d only had the first part of the build scanned.

In 1948 Popular Homecraft Magazine did a two article series on the construction of a home built Jeep Station Wagon. The name for the custom wagon was the Wander Wagon Junior. The project was shared with readers over two issues, the 1948 Jan-Feb issue and the 1948 Mar-Apr issue. I was finally able to locate a copy of the Mar-Apr issue, so now the full build is shown below.

PART I: January-February 1948 issue:

1948-jan-feb-home-woodcraft-wander-wagon3-lores 1948-jan-feb-home-woodcraft-wander-wagon4-lores 1948-jan-feb-home-woodcraft-wander-wagon5-lores 1948-jan-feb-home-woodcraft-wander-wagon6-lores

Continue reading

 
To Top

1959 Patent for a Portable Reeling Device

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

The patent for this portable reeling device was filed on December 25, 1962. It isn’t just for a jeep, but a jeep-like vehicle is shown and referenced. I’ve never seen any evidence this was ever manufactured; anyone else?

 

1959-01-26-portable-wire-reeling-device-patent

From the patent, “Now with more particular reference to the drawing, FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4 show an embodiment of the invention with a jeep as the means to drive a power driven communication wire reel 16. The communication wire is retrieved and wound onto the communication wire reel 16 by activating outwardly an adjustable speed disk 31 with a clutch lever 20. The power to perform this function is derived from a power take-off 38 from the engine.

Persons familiar with jeeps of the military variety know that such jeeps have a transmission which connects the motor to two shafts which are connected in parallel. One of the shafts drives the ground engaging wheels of the vehicle while the other shaft is connected to a power take-off. This power take-01f may be used to drive a hydraulic system or other attachment. In this case, the power take-off 38 is connected to the shaft 37 and thence to a universal joint 36 and, from there, to the clutch for driving the reel. A pressure spring 35 is held in place and away from a spinning friction power disk 33 by means of a bearing 34 which is fixed to the friction power disk 33. The constant pressure which is exerted on the bearing 34 forces the friction power disk 33 outwardly and against the adjustable speed disk 31. By moving the clutch lever 20 to the left, a pivot 40 in a clutch lever support plate 22 will force lever lugs 39 to the right.”

 
To Top

1944 Jeep Toy Project From Home WoodCraft

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

The November/December 1944 issue of Home Woodcraft featured this “realistic” jeep toy-of-the-year. If you need high resolution versions of this, comment below or email me.

1944-11-12-home-craftsman-jeep-toy-lores 1944-11-12-home-craftsman-jeep-toy2-lores 1944-11-12-home-craftsman-jeep-toy3-lores

 

 
To Top

Year? CJ-5 Photo on eBay

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

I’m guessing this photo was part of the 1955 CJ-5 introduction?

View all the information on eBay

“Vintage Jeep Vehicles News & Photos Press Photo KAISER JEEP CORPORATION”

cj5-press-photo1 cj5-press-photo2 cj5-press-photo3

 
To Top

My Heart Stood Still (Jeep on Cover) on eBay

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

Carl found this one as well, a song from the Connecticut Yankee that has a jeep on it for some reason.

View all the information on eBay

“This is Extremely Rare original Sheet Music from the US for: ” My Heart Stood Still ” From The Musical: A Connecticut Yankee . This original sheet music is from 1957 and is in VG+ Condition. This sheet music is 5 pages long!!”

a-connecticut-yankee-music

 
To Top

Year? CJ-2A & Trailer Project Photo on eBay

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

Is that a truck-bed trailer?

View all the information on eBay

“Vintage Jeep Vehicles News & Photos Press Photo WILLY’S 8 X 10”

cj2a-trailer-press-photo1

cj2a-trailer-press-photo3

cj2a-trailer-press-photo4

 
To Top

1942 Photo of Jeep Lashed to a Raft on eBay

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

This photo captures a military test of a jeep lashed to a raft in a Los Angeles lagoon.

View all the information on ebay

“1942 Press Photo La, Calif. Army jeep on a raft in Army demonstration. Photo measures 9 x 7 inches. Photo is dated 7-3-1942.”

1942-07-03-jeep-raft-test1 1942-07-03-jeep-raft-test2

 
To Top

Suzuki at the Mesa’s Cruise Night

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

Joe spotted this rare 1971 Suzuki LJ10, also called a Brute IV, at Mesa, Arizona’s, Cruise Night. This looks in good shape. You can learn more about these vehicles at http://www.LJ10.com

1971-LJ10-suzuki-mesa-cruise-night2 1971-LJ10-suzuki-mesa-cruise-night3 1971-LJ10-suzuki-mesa-cruise-night4 1971-LJ10-suzuki-mesa-cruise-night5 1971-LJ10-suzuki-mesa-cruise-night6

 
To Top

Atlanta Auto Show

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

Jay shared pics of this modified Jeepster Commando that appeared at this year’s Atlanta Auto Show.

IMG_0941 IMG_0942

 
To Top

RIP Karl Emrich Eilers 1933-2019

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

My father passed away yesterday at the age of 85 after a week of family hospice care at his home of fifty-five years. He’d had a good, full life. The Navy veteran, long time Boeing Engineer, and, after retirement, Home Depot employee, struggled physically after his stroke in 2002, but it never dampened his will or drive.

2019-03-21-dad-i-march-madness-last-pic

I took this pic just as the first basketball game started on Thursday. I had no idea it would be the last pic.

Before he passed on Thursday, Dad and I did something we’d never done. We turned on the March Madness basketball tournament at 9:30am and began watching March Madness together. I love basketball, so I thought I could share this with him (and I had control of the remotes). Though he likes sports, he always preferred football more.

Dad could no longer see the TV too well, so I ran the play-by-play scores by him and explained who was playing. He seemed to enjoy it. It was mostly just he and I as we rooted for the underdog teams as we juggled multiple games and channels. But, what he was really looking forward to was the 4pm game, which featured #1 seed Gonzaga, as that was his college Alma Mater.

Gonzaga is a Catholic school, but dad was no Catholic. In fact, I’d only learned the day before that while at Gonzaga, he got As and Bs in everything, except for the Ds he received in the religious classes. That sounded about right to me.

Just after 2pm on Thursday he decided, with his usual certainty and determination, that he was going to stand again and do a couple “pushups” (knee-bends using his walker). He hadn’t been out of bed in a week and a half, so we knew he was pretty week to be attempting this. His heart was only pushing about 20% of normal, due to heart failure, but, as he put it, “Goddammit”, he was going to do it. So, my wife, my mother and I helped him. He proceeded, with our help, to push himself off the bed twice.

By the second push, he was pretty tired, so we put him back into the bed. He immediately asked for my hand. That’s when I knew something was wrong, as he wasn’t one to hold my hand. Then, his breathing started to increase and a concern flashed across his eyes. While we soothed him, we could tell something had happened. He, of course, knew it, too.

The end came quickly and he suffered little. If he hadn’t been in the middle of dying, I am certain he would have appreciated the irony that a little exercise led to his passing, as loved to exercise, mostly lifting weights. Exercise made him feel alive most of his life, but in the end it led to his passing. I doubt he would have wanted it any other way.

We will miss him, but we are universally happy in his death. Between his stroke and increasing heart failure, he was a shell of his former self. At the end, he went out quickly and with dignity at home knowing he was loved (and with some gallows humor about the exercise). He was a good man and got what he deserved: PEACE.

PS…. for the record, Dad and I did share the Gonzaga game, though he showed little emotion as the Zags crushed their opponent, remaining pretty stiff throughout. It was only after the game that the funeral home came for the body. (I’m pretty sure dad is smiling, but shaking his head at me by this point).

chapter5_dad_i_milk_lake_1981

Summer of 1981. Dad and I at Milk Lake in the Cascade Mountains jeeping with our Jeep Club

2013-karl-dad-david

Dad and I in 2013.

 

 
To Top

Liftmobile Patent

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

This Liftmobile patent was filed by Schultz Kurt-Gunnar on January 16, 1960. This seems to be the only patent related to the jeep that he filed. I can find no evidence that this

1960-01-16-liftmobile-patent1 1960-01-16-liftmobile-patent2 1960-01-16-liftmobile-patent3

According to the patent, “The present invention aims at providing an improved elevator-type motor truck or liftmobile, repowered, equipped and counterbalanced for faster transportation of the load under care, to more distant places, even off the road, where they may be urgently needed under adverse conditions, as after accidents, during strikes, rebellions, forest fires, etc.

More particularly, the present invention aims at adapting a motor vehicle or truck, for example, a commercially available vehicle such as a Jeep, by appropriate modification and reconstruction thereof to quickly pick up the load at a depot from the ground or from a lorrys platform, for instance, canned food and refreshments, packed in boxes, first-aid material, barbed wire spools, bundled on pallets, and various other auxiliary and protective articles, to expeditiously travel with the load at the usual convoy speed, about 25-30 m.p.h., even over rough ground and in roadless country, and to promptly deposit the load in dangerous places under fire from rebels, at dark, by dumping, i.e., without necessity of stopping the vehicle for purposes of unloading.”

 
To Top

Han-D-Crane by the Construction Machinery Company

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

Anyone ever run across one of these cranes. It was manufactured by the Construction Machinery Company out of Waterloo, Iowa.

han-d-crane-brochure1-lores han-d-crane-brochure2-lores

 
To Top

2 1950 Photos of Unloading Jeep in Korea on eBay

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

The price on these two identical photos is good. The photo appears to have been taken on September 20, 1950.

View all the information on eBay

“Original Korean War Press Photo dated 1950. (2 identical) Jeep unloaded from a Flying Boxcar plane at Kimpo Airport, taken by Photographer Stanley Tretick. 7X9″ the image itself is a bit grainy but theyre in great shape.”

1950-09-20-korean-war-jeep-photos

 
To Top

1942 Saturday Evening Post with A Ford GP

• CATEGORIES: Bantam-FordGP-WillysMA-EarlyJPs, Features, Old Images This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

On pages 48-29 of the August 15, 1942, Saturday Evening post featured an ad by the United State Rubber Company titled “Here’s Where Your Rubber is Going”. The ad included a Ford GP.

1942-08-15-sat-evening-post-heres-where-your-rubber-is-going-pg49-rubber-company-ad-fordgp 1942-08-15-sat-evening-post-heres-where-your-rubber-is-going-pg48-49-rubber-company-ad

 
To Top

WWII Airman Compass

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

You never know what will pop up around my parents’ house. The other day my sister found this tiny compass set, given to my grandfather for my father and his brothers. The set contains a small magnet, what I believe to be a magnetized arrow that can balance on the magnet, a 1925 coin (unsure what type of metal), and a small leather pouch. All of this was stored in a small envelope with a note to my grandfather.

The letter mentions four items. The fourth may have been a small leather pouch, which somehow I forgot to photograph. The coin was in the leather pouch. The arrow and magnet were in the tiny envelope shown in the photo below. Both the leather pouch and the small envelope were inside the large enveloped with the writing.

I tried to find more info online, but didn’t have any luck. Anyone know some history about this? Is the magnet and arrow supposed to be used with the coin?

compass-4-lores

compass-3-lores

compass-2-lores

compass-1-lores

 
To Top

Sedan-Jeep From Facebook

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

Farrell Fox shared this photo of what I call a “Sedan-Jeep” on Facebook. There was no year or caption. I loosely define a sedan-jeep as one which has had some kind of custom top and/or fenders, added that make the jeep a little more car-like.

sedan-jeep-fb

 
To Top

1966 Jeep Ads in Popular Science

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

Blaine shared these two ads from the February 1966 issue of Popular Science. The jeep ad appears on page 71 and the engine adapter ad was published on page 227.
1966-02-popular-science-cj5-ad-pg71

1966-02-popular-science-v6-v8-adapter-ad-pg227

 
To Top

1943 Photos of the Chevrolet Airborne Prototype on eBay

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

This seller has a series of photos of the Chevrolet lightweight prototype.

  1. View all the information on eBay

“1942 Chevrolet US Army 1/4 Ton Jeep Truck Prototype Press Photo. Original
Details: W 10 x H 8 x D 0.1”

1943-10-19-press-photo-chev-airborne-prototype

2. View all the information on eBay

“1942 Chevrolet US Army 1/4 Ton Jeep Truck Chassis Prototype Press Photo. Original
Condition: Looks as though it was likely cut from an 8×10, possibly had two photos on 8×10 sheet”

1943-10-19-press-photo-chev-airborne-prototype2

3. View all the information on eBay

“1942 Chevrolet US Army 1/4 Ton Jeep Truck Prototype Press Photo. Original
Details: W 10 x H 8 x D 0.1″

1943-10-19-press-photo-chev-airborne-prototype3

 
To Top

Auburn Machine Works Trencher Patent

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

There are some great illustrations that accompanied this patent filed August 15, 1950, by Friedrich Schmidt on behalf of Auburn Machine Works.

According to the filing, “An object of this invention is to provide means for digging trenches particularly suitable for mounting on a conventional vehicle such as a truck or jeep without any substantial modification thereof and driven from the vehicle power take-01f. It is a related object to provide novel means coordinated with the digger portion of the device for enabling the vehicle to be advanced positively at a speed which is only a fraction of the normally obtainable minimum speed and with the engine operating at full rated R. P. M. I”

1950-08-15-auburn-trench-patent1

1950-08-15-auburn-trench-patent6

1950-08-15-auburn-trench-patent5

1950-08-15-auburn-trench-patent4

Continue reading

 
To Top

1945 Photo of a Jeep stuck in Philippine Mud

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

This photo appeared in the February 03, 1945, issue of the Saturday evening Post, page 18.

1945-02-03-sat-evening-post-jeep-photo-leyte-pg18

 
To Top

Gee-I Jeep Toy Davidson, NC $50

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

Dan shared this early Gee-I Jeep toy. Someone ought to like this for the price.

https://offerup.com/item/detail/622295627/?_branch_match_id=636002163807956657

“The Gee I jeep is in good condition with all original paperwork box. Rare piece to find. Was made in different years this is the first. You can color the Jeep any color you want.”

gee-i-jeep1

gee-i-jeep2

gee-i-jeep10 gee-i-jeep9

Continue reading

 
To Top

Newly Chromed Front Bumper Butte, MT **SOLD**

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

UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $2000.

Kris is selling this newly chromed front bumper and parts.

“This is a freshly chromed full front bumper assembly for the Willy’s Wagon or Truck. This should also fit the Jeepster. Not only are these parts very hard to find but chrome shops are getting ever more difficult to find. Especially shops that do work like the top notch work done at Decorative Industrial Plating out of Helena, MT. This bumper is in perfect condition and is truly show quality chrome. All chrome carriage bolts, nuts and washers are included! Bumper is located in Butte, MT.”

bumper-0-lores

bumper-4-lores

bumper-3lores

bumper-2-lores

bumper-1-lores

 
To Top

Jeep Soap

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

Chris snagged this unusual item off of eBay. I’d really like to know when this was produced, because some of the font details are fairly close to the look of the Jeep font in 1945.

jeep-soap-powder1 jeep-soap-powder2

 

 
To Top

July 1961 Jeep Family Sales Brochure on eBay

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

This auction starts pretty cheaply on this very 1960s looking brochure (pics are from an older auction)

“Up tonight I have more from several lots of literature I recently Acquired. Here I have a 1961 Jeep Brochure. This is 7 and 1/2 by 11 inches folded, opening up to 15 by 22 inches. Decent shape with wear as shown. A neat piece of Advertising to display with your classic.”

 
To Top

Long Road Home

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

No updates Saturday. Ann made sure I got a few hours of sleep, but am back at it with Dad now, though he’s finally sleeping a little, when not grumbling “damnit” and quiet chants of “watch, watch, watch”  . . . 

This past Thursday morning Ann and I arrived in the hospital to find Dad ready to die. And, by that, I mean he was in a hurry to get home that day, because tomorrow (Friday) he had to die. There was little emotion to it; just certainty in a matter-of-fact way. As he stated his position, the nurses told me he’d had a bad night Wednesday night, and that they had had to drug him, which didn’t do much good they added, and have someone present to keep him calm.

At this point, the 85-year-old man (who from his face still looks like he is in his late-60s and who the staff took for someone who was full ambulatory and ready to return home to live, not die) is bed ridden. He has spent the last two months in either the hospital or rehab, the latter of which he hadn’t successfully completed. His former 210lb body has shrunk to a 158lb shadow. His heart is pumping about 20% of what it should, causing a number of issues.

He’s aware of all this; he feels like crap; he can’t sleep well; and he’s just done with it all.

So, all morning on Thursday we discussed his wishes and exactly when he planned to die. Eventually, perhaps clearly being understood, and knowing mom had a long planned “girls trip” over the coming weekend (with her friends from high school), a break my tired mother really needed, that just happened to start on Friday (the day he planned to die), he decided to switch his upcoming death to this coming Tuesday, the day after she returns from her trip. It was important to him that she go on the trip, so he was willing to wait to pass.

These are strange conversations to have. But, hey, if he can last through Tuesday, we’ll take another few days with him.

Following that meeting of the minds, on Thursday afternoon we met will palliative care to arrange hospice. Then, Dad was pulled off IVs, etc. He was happy as a clam, except for one issue. He wanted to go home NOW.

Appealing to his practical self, I told him in order for him to return home and have Medicare pay for it, and insure mom had help when he was home, we had to go through certain steps. That meant he couldn’t go home until Friday. This line of reasoning resonated with him and kept him calm.

But I was still concerned he would get agitated at night, so to help him, I reassured him that I would stay with him until he went home. That made him happy, which was strange as he was normally the stoic person who told us when it was time for us to leave the hospital when visiting him.

So, from Thursday morning through Friday evening, I spent time adjusting him, getting him a snack (because his diet restrictions were removed), getting him cocoa, and whatever else he needed. And, of course, I continuously had to answer why he couldn’t go home right away and appeal to his logical brain that certain hurdles had to be jumped (example, hospice had to delivery equipment to the house) in order for him to return home. During that time, he slept in mostly short stints of a few minutes here and there.

On Friday night, dad finally came home, arriving in the evening. I can’t tell you how close we were to not returning on Friday, as the hospital equipment had to arrive at the house before they would release him. And here I must thank the St. Francis Hospital staff in Federal Way, who organized everything we needed to insure that should the hospital equipment arrive by 5:30pm (our deadline was 5:30pm or he would have had to stay an extra 12 hours), that Dad would get released immediately. Literally, five minutes after I got the call that the equipment was finally arriving 4:45pm Friday afternoon, and after the doc and social services had already left for the weekend, the nurse had me signing the paperwork to let him go.

So, he arrived home in an ambulance and was wheeled inside the house on a gurney, happy as a clam. He asked and received some Chinese food. He was able to pet his dog again.

Now, his goal is to last until mom’s return on Monday, then go to sleep on Tuesday and not awaken, or as his stroke-altered speaking style puts it, “I will then be six-feet under, flat”. We don’t want to burst his bubble, was we suspect he still has at least a few weeks, but if he can will himself to pass on Tuesday, then we all support him.

Due to his stroke 17 years ago, it’s been a long road for him to this point. He’s tried lightly to recover. So, if he’s ready to go, so be it. He’s earned it.