While returning from our short camping trip, we spotted this 3B motoring down I-84 at 60MPH heading from Pendleton to Echo, Oregon. It was perfect weather for a jeep drive.

Steve shared some links that provide a little history about the manufacture of WWII vehicles, including the jeep, at the Ford Assembly Plant in Richmond, California.

This first link provides information about jeep contracts and more (http://fordmotorhistory.com/factories/richmond/richmond_jeeps.php):

Assembly of jeeps at Richmond was a fairly simple process. The plant received most components from Dearborn, including the frames, which had already received a first coat of paint there. Workers placed a frame on the assembly-line conveyor and then attached springs and front and rear axle assemblies. Then they gave the entire chassis a second coat of paint. Next they installed the engine, steering gear, transmission, transfer case, battery, wheels, radiator, body, gasoline, oil, and coolant.

A Ford inspector then started the jeep for the first time and took it for a 5-mile test drive, noting deficiencies that were rectified upon return to the plant. Then Ford turned the jeep over to Ordnance for inspection and acceptance. Ordnance inspected every jeep with at least a 1-mile road test. Ten percent of the jeeps received a 5-mile test, and 1 percent received a 100-mile test. Once accepted. Ordnance returned each jeep to Ford, where it was sent it to a screen room for a radio suppression test under the supervision of an Ordnance inspector. Then Ford took the jeep to the disassembly line where it was prepared for boxing.

The workers at Richmond also did their part to send reading material to the troops abroad (http://fordmotorhistory.com/factories/richmond/richmond_jeeps.php):

Workers at the Richmond branch did more to support the troops in the field than simply do excellent work in preparing tanks and other combat vehicles for shipment abroad. They also undertook a special project aimed at bolstering the morale of soldiers on the front lines, far from home. Under the leadership of Frank Vivian, an engineer in the boiler room, members of UAW Local 560 (who called themselves the “boilerhouse gang”) collected current magazines and newspapers from members of the community, wrapped them in packages, and placed a package in each completed jeep or tank before it was sealed for shipment. By November 1944, workers at the Richmond Tank Depot had sent 40 tons of magazines, bundled and stowed in vehicles, to the troops in the theatres of war.

This next link explains that a new tank contract forced the boxing of jeeps temporarily outside (http://fordmotorhistory.com/factories/richmond/richmond_tanks.php):

The San Francisco Ordnance District received instructions from the Office of the Chief of Ordnance in May 1942 to begin the preliminary work of establishing a tank depot in the Bay Area. By then, the Richmond branch had been assembling jeeps for several months. A short time later, an officer in Washington called the Ford Motor Company to inquire about the availability of the Richmond branch to prepare tanks for shipment overseas ….. When the tank-depot contract was signed, the Richmond branch was using the craneway to box jeeps for shipment abroad. That operation had to be moved outside immediately. Shortly thereafter. Ford built a boxing shed along the east side of the plant to facilitate the crating of jeeps and other vehicles. 

The article also references the known flotation issues with the GPA (SEEP) (http://fordmotorhistory.com/factories/richmond/richmond_tanks.php):

Another accident had occurred the previous month that reflected a different sort of laxity as the war drew to a close. On April 14, two Ford workers took an amphibian jeep for an unauthorized cruise in the bay while a group of the vehicles was being prepared for shipment. Ordnance and Ford managers had received instructions not to test the amphibians because they were not yet ready for travel in water, but the workers evidently had not heard or heeded the instructions. The amphibian jeep sank about 100 feet from shore in 30 feet of water. One worker swam to shore, but the other had to be rescued by some nearby Signal Corpsmen. The depot had to hire a barge and diver to locate and retrieve the jeep.

This quick post will cover two unrelated topics.

1. Ann and I decided to go camping for a couple days. Unfortunately, I couldn’t escape the internet, even out here. So, I will be checking email, but responding little. I already have some posts ready for the next couple days, so enjoy! (see the crab story under #3)
2. Bruce Agan’s JeepGalaSurrey DJ-3A site may be down permanently. Those who don’t know, Bruce was arguably one of the most knowledgeable DJ-3A/Surrey (he owned several) collectors about that vehicle line. Moreover, he not only shared his information with anyone interested in the DJ-3A family, but he also posted his information on the jeepgalasurrey.com site a few years ago. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2016. His site remained online until last week.

   If I don’t see the site reappear soon (this means his web host received a payment), then I’ll launch the information from files I gathered from his site (SiteSucker is a very handy application). I’ll let you know when the site goes back up.

3. As you can see, we are enjoying some crab on our first night of camping (Clyde Holiday State Park in Oregon). Funny store that explains why a brain damaged wife can be a good thing.

   Ann had a craving for crab. When we decided to go camping, she went shopping for some camping food and felt 1/2 a crab each ought to be enough. She approved the fish counter and said she wanted 2 crabs (as the crab was already cleaned and separated into halves).

   However, the person behind the counter interpreted that as 1 crab (2 halves) each or 4 halves total. The counter-person went to work, while Ann was blissfully unaware what was happening …. she said she was trying to remember how she had setup the sprinkler system in 2005.

   When the counter-person handed her the package, she thought it looked big, but didn’t think much of it. Only when she got home did she open to find SIX HALVES!

   Now, I don’t know where the disconnect happened, but I can confirm that I had my fill of crab Wednesday night 🙂 🙂

Michael shared this Jalopnik story of a 79 year old German man’s ride in a jeep last year, thanks in part to Christian’s Willys Am Tegernsee group. It was the first time he’d been in a jeep since 1945. Read the whole story here:

https://jalopnik.com/my-german-grandpas-first-ride-in-a-world-war-ii-jeep-si-1796840800

Vernon asked me about doing a Hatari related post. Now, put your coffee down before I say this … ready … I have never seen Hatari. Now that we are past that issue …

I spent some time looking for a way to watch the movie. It turns out there’s a website devoted to helping people find movies on different platforms: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/hatari . In the end, it appears the cheapest way for me to watch it is to rent it through Amazon or head to a local library in search of a copy. In the mean time, the trailer is available via Youtube:

To see some jeep photos, I highly recommend the CJ-3B page’s coverage of the movie. As Derek notes in his article, Jeep claimed there were 43 different jeeps used for the movie, including CJ-6s, FCs, CJ-3BS, Wagons, and Trucks and perhaps a few others?

https://www.cj3b.info/Movie/Hatari.html

The Internet Movie Car Database (https://www.imcdb.org/movie_56059-Hatari!.html) also has some still shots from the movie, including this FC Dually flatbed:

Of course, there are still plenty of Hatari items on eBay:

Hatari Posters and Memorability on eBay, like this Belgian poster:

So, while you all read this post, I’m going to locate a copy of the movie!

UPDATE: Seth alert me to  On The Rox Fabrication  and their Facebook page.  The business creates custom parts for the Roxor that make it look more jeep-like. Here’s a pic showing a Jeep and a Roxor. At a quick glance, can you spot the Roxor?

The answer is that neither are jeeps (okay, so it was a misleading question). Both are Roxors.

Below are some of the parts made by On the Rox. I will be interested to see Jeep’s reaction one its legal staff becomes aware of the On The Rox products.

Original Post August 7, 2018: This post covered Jeep’s Filing with the FTC against Mahindra, the creator of the Roxor.

As many of you know, the Roxor is Mahindra’s newest jeep-like vehicle. It’s a non-highway vehicle capable of a max speed of 45 mph. It’s best thought of as a hybrid jeep/atv(aka side by side). When they were first introduced, many folks wondered how Mahindra could build and sell these in the US. And, furthermore, why wasn’t FCA (Jeep’s parent company) fighting this.

It seems FCA was simply biding it’s time and thinking about how to respond, because just the other day FCA filed a complaint with the FTC regarding the sale of the Roxor in the US. The core of the complaint rests on two principles.

1. According to the filing, “Most significantly, [Mahindra & Mahindra] exacerbate likely confusion by promoting their vehicle as bearing the Jeep-IP that FCA owns, touting their vehicle as being ‘modeled’ on the … Jeep”. In other words, Jeep is claiming the Roxor looks too jeep-like. With this argument, FCA is relying on the concept of Trade Dress, though I’ve found no evidence that FCA ever trademarked a specific ‘dress’. Of course, FCA has trademarked JEEP and the 7 slot grille, but the Roxor circumvents those. I suspect the argument will come down to whether a judge or the FTC believe that the Roxor dilutes the Jeep brand. Given the number of news outlets that have described the Roxor as a jeep-like vehicle, there may be a solid case for that.
2. While Mahindra is one of the oldest licensees (since 1947), that license doesn’t give Mahindra the right to sell jeep-like vehicles in the US. Since Mahindra doesn’t own the Jeep IP (some folks on Facebook have made, surprise-surprise, many erroneous claims regarding the Mahindra-Jeep contract, such as that Mahindra “owns” the rights to build and sell jeeps … a license does not equal ownership … in the end, having no access to the contract, we don’t really know the specific details),Jeep feels it is within its rights to put a stop to the Roxors. No doubt this argument will come down to the specifics of the contract(s). Is Mahindra limited from selling only highway vehicles in the US that look like jeeps or are they banned from selling anything jeep-like in the US? Time will tell ….

It’s interesting to me that Jeep didn’t file a lawsuit against Mahindra for violating the terms of its contract. So, either it doesn’t violate those terms OR starting with the FTC is a simpler, cheaper option for now.

Mahindra did offer a response, claiming its “actions, products and product distribution (including Roxor) both honor the legacy of the relationship and the terms of our agreements with FCA.” This is a pretty boilerplate response. To me, it also suggests they didn’t try to work with FCA when planning the Roxor, but instead were hoping for forgiveness or expected protection vis-a-vis it’s license. Still, I’d be surprised if there were terms that allowed Mahindra to sell jeeps or jeep-like vehicles in the US.

LINKS:

1. Law360 article (have to sign up to view): https://www.law360.com/automotive/articles/1070073/fiat-chrysler-says-indian-look-alike-is-ripping-off-jeep
2. Jalopnik article on filing: https://jalopnik.com/jeep-is-trying-to-keep-the-mahindra-roxor-from-going-on-1828080605
3. Australian Take on the Issue: https://www.motoring.com.au/fca-wants-indian-jeep-knock-off-banned-113947/
4. Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-02/fiat-chrysler-looking-to-block-mahindra-jeep-knock-off-in-u-s
5. Jalopnik article from the spring of 2018: https://jalopnik.com/this-is-why-mahindra-can-build-tiny-jeeps-1823472625

Jennifer recently finished a book about a CJ-5 called “Of Metal and Earth”. She wrote me a short note announcing her book. “I am the co-owner of a 1964 CJ-5 and author of a new book titled Of Metal and Earth. The story follows a 1964 Jeep CJ-5 as it passes through seven owners on their way to restoration and redemption.” I ordered, but have not read the book yet. Currently, the online book is free for Kindle readers.

 You can learn more about her book on Amazon.

She also include a pic of here CJ-5:

Vernon was right. The Mutant jeep named Big Willy is heading to Burning Man. Thanks to TJ for pointing it out the article.

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2018/08/23/built-for-blasting-reggae-big-willy-scratchbuilt-jeep-heads-to-the-playa/?refer=news

Just a couple updates for Wednesday …

This article is from last year’s Wall Street Journal. Photo by Della Moyer.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/from-world-war-ii-to-today-a-veteran-and-his-restored-jeep-1507641024