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Buddy L Jeep and Space Shuttle

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

Somehow I hadn’t seen this combo of a jeep and space shuttle, with transport setup, from Buddy L. I found it for a good price on eBay. Ann will like the space shuttle.

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1960s? Postcard Of Jeep Tram Fishing on eBay

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

This Oceanside, California, CJ-5 pulled a tram that transported fishing enthusiasts onto the wharf.  My guess would be that is was owned by San Diego County.

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“Rare original postcard.”

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1945 Photo of Jeep w/ Custom Cargo Bed

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

This photo was posted back in 2011 by Bill Grist. I can’t tell if the rear portion is a connected via pivot point (aka trailer) or if it is one solid six-wheeler. It’s a unique setup for sure.

 
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Misfits Club Jacket

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

This jacket was spotted in a Yakima (WA) store by a PNW4WDA member (I just missed out on purchasing it). The club was from my home town of Renton.

There was a family a couple blocks from us that belonged to this club (something I remember as they had a cute girl my age … we both went to the same elementary school). I don’t recall this ever being a very big club, so this is a pretty rare find.

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Firewall Progress

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

The warming weather has got me busy, but I was still able to get some progress on the firewall covers. Between a small sledge hammer and my big vice, I was able to bend the steel into shape.

Here are my templates.

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Here’s an example of the steel. I was able to cut this out using my plasma cutter (Yeswelder 55DS). It was my first attempt at using it, but it worked pretty well.

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Here’s it after bending.

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The tabs need some adjusting.  Otherwise ,these two covers should work fine.

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Fall 1942 College Humor Article Ford GP

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

This article popped up in a Fall 1942 issue of College Humor. I was able to find a copy on eBAY. As you can see, this features a Ford GP.  We’ve seen a few of these pics in other magazines.

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Reshaping The Firewall

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

I spent the last couple of days working on the firewall. This is obviously a key element for assembling other items, such as the steering, brake/clutch pedals, gas pedal, etc.

I should begin by noting that we have a new name and theme for the jeep: LEFTOVERS. It’s a food-ish theme that kind of goes with Lost Biscuit. I like that it isn’t a particularly serious name. And, it seems appropriate given I am scavenging two former racing jeeps, but a few parts off of Biscuit, as well as some other random parts.

I saved the original firewall from the yellow-bodied jeep, but it wasn’t in the best shape. I also wasn’t sure if I wanted to use it anyone, because my firewall area includes several rollbar tubes that aren’t present in the yellow-bodied build. Here are some pics of it on the old jeep (btw, I’ve been terrible at taking pics during this build):

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I felt the deciding factor would be how well a template I planned to create for the firewall would overlay the old firewall. If close enough, I’d make the old firewall work (again, leftover theme).

Below is my really fancy paper template (I won’t be using the aluminum cover over the gear box .. I was just experimenting with that).

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The first thing I realized was that I would need to split the old firewall in two halves in order to install it and have it fit over the roll bars. Once I was reasonably happy with the template, I laid if over the firewall (no pics of that), only to learn that I would need to flatten most of the existing firewall and rebend it; not an easy task!

Fortunately, the other day I bought a 20-ton press from Harbor Freight (I needed it to fix a neighbor’s plow). I used the press to press the bends relatively flat. Then, I cut the firewall in half and began the process of re-bending the firewall to the specs I needed, then cutting out areas to fit one over the roll bars.

Here’s an example of the passenger side after the top part was was bent flat:

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Another obstacle I had to consider was the distributor at the rear of the engine. I needed room to be able to remove that if necessary. Here’s a pic of the two haves bolted to the crossmember I made from spare square tubing. It’s not perfect, but it will look alright once I get the paint off of it and clean up everything else. Besides, it will be hidden under the cowl.

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With the cowl in place, I began playing with the steering column. I never liked the way the steering column in the original green-black jeep wiggled. The yellow jeep had a much more solid setup, so I  will try to use it. It will need a new steering wheel, as that was damaged when the yellow jeep was wrecked.

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Next up will be getting the clutch/brake assembly attached, build the bracket for the clutch slave cylinder, build the covers that go over the center portion of the firewall, and add a few attach points along the side for the firewall. Still plenty to do!


 
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Warn Brochure Form WC-1060

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

I was surprised to find I didn’t own this brochure when I saw it on eBay, so I bought it. It highlights the Locking mub and the Lock-O-matic hub.

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Jeep Lighter From the UK on eBay

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

Here’s another jeep lighter from Great Britain. As you can see in the first pic, one of the cats was a BIG help with this post.

View all the information on eBay

“USA WW2 WILLYS MILITARY JEEP TABLE LIGHTER
110mm x 60mm x 50mm
THE LIGHTER PART IS REMOVABLE, THE LIGHTER CLICKS AND MAKES A SPARK, BUT FURTHER WORK WILL BE REQUIRED TO GET THE LIGHTER UP AND WORKING CORRECTLY AGAIN. SO PRESENTLY LIGHTER NOT WORKING.”

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Dorothy and Louise: The New Kittens

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

Updates are limited today. I spent much of today repairing a plow for a neighbor, so no jeep work got done. Then, we picked up the new kittens today, which have kept Betty Page and Lizzy very busy this afternoon and evening (which means they will sleep hard tonight).

The 2-month-old kittens are sisters and rescued cats. We discovered that a neighbor fosters cats, though she mostly ships them to the Seattle area as folks over on this side of the state don’t adopt them too much apparently. We formally named them Dorothy and Louise, after these two jeep explorers (because we were told the cats were pretty curious about their surroundings). We can attest that the kittens have wasted no time in exploring their room (they will have more run of the house later).

However, we are having difficulties telling them apart, so they may end up just as Thing One and Thing Two.

In the two pics below, you can see how happy Lizzy is! The good news is that the cats have had lots of dog time, so they aren’t scared of our dogs at all.

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Betty Page is enjoying the new kitties, too.

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NOS Free-Lock 27-spline Hubs

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

Thanks to Chris for selling me these NOS Free-Lock 27-spline hubs he got from a friend. He also included copies of the original documents that were included with the hubs. Since I have a Dana 30 on Biscuit, these will got on it once I start working on it.

This doc is one I posted last week:

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I’m guessing the warranty is no longer any good, lol?

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As I mentioned last week, this doc is the first evidence I’ve seen that Free-Lock became a “division” (whether actual or virtual) within Dualmatic. It is my belief that Selectro was another division:

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Here is one look at the hubs:

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And, a second look:

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Jeep Jamboree Game Ad for the Gameboy on eBay

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

There was a Jeep Jamboree game for the Gameboy? I remember having a gameboy shortly after they hit the market. I mostly played Tetris and Scrabble, though I had a few others. I don’t remember hearing about the Jamboree game. Anyway, this ad is on eBay.

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“Jeep Jamboree Vintage Gameboy Original Print Ad / Poster Game Gift Art”

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1964 Jeep Dealers Point Award Catalog $39.99

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

This unusual jeep dealers point-award’s catalog on eBay has a buy-it-now price of $39.99. It’s an unusual item for sure. My understanding is that dealers (or sales folks?) earned points in various ways that they could redeem for items in the catalog. There’s a pretty extensive choice of items!

View all the information on ebay

“HERE IS A REALLY COOL AND QUITE RARE FIND!!
THIS IS A 1964 WILLYS JEEP DEALERS FAVORITE SPORTS CATALOG OF AWARDS…AN INCENTIVE PROMO FROM THE KAISER JEEP CORPORATION TO THE TOP DEALERSHIPS!! THIS LARGE ISSUE COMES IN THE ORIGINAL ENVELOPE ADDRESSED TO: MR. SIMON REDNOR FROM REDNOR & RAINEAR AUTO SALES OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY…
THE ENVELOPE SHOWS AGE/USE WEAR, ALONG WITH SOME HAND WRITTEN PENCIL NUMBER TOTALS ON THE BACKSIDE..THE CATALOG
FEATURES SOME REALLY COOL MID CENTURY MODERN GIFTWARE, COOKWARE, SMALL & LARGE APPLIANCES, FURNITURE, WATCHES, JEWELRY, TOYS, GARDENING, CLOTHES AND MORE!!
PLUS THE VACTION SPOTS!!…THE CATALOG IS IN VERY GOOD CONDITION WITH SOME NORMAL AGE WEAR & THAT OLD PAPER SMELL..A WONDERFUL ADDITION TO YOUR WILLYS JEEP COLLECTION OR MID CENTURY MODERN COLLECTION!!”

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1947 Family Line Up and 1948 V2 Family Line Up Brochures

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

Willys-Overland produced a July 01, 1947, brochure featuring its family line up of vehicles. The following year, on July 01, 1948, the company reprinted the brochure with a few minor changes and it was printed on a glossier, thinner paper. So, when buying this brochure, make sure to check the date of printing.

Here is the 1947 version of the tri-fold brochure:

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The brochure opens to the left revealing these two pages. At the bottom of the page on the right is the date “7-1-47”.

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This image shows the fully open brochure.

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1966, 1967 Warn Brochures on eBay

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

These docs cover Locking and Lockmatic Warn hubs from the mid 1960s.

View all the information on eBay

“VINTAGE 1966 1967 1968 1969 WARN LOCKING 4 WHEEL DRIVE HUB ADVERTISEMENT FORD CHEVY JEEP TOYOTA DODGE GM.”

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Mid 1960s Warn Hub Docs II on eBay

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

Here is another set of Warn Hub Docs on eBay.

View all the information on eBay

“VINTAGE 1969 JEEP WARN 4 WHEEL DRIVE LOCKING HUB ADVERTISEMENT CATALOG PRICE LIST LOT MODELS WL-2, WL-2A, M-175, M-54”

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Testing The Racer’s Front Clip

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

I spent the last couple days figuring out where I want the firewall positioned and how I want to attach it (and watching some March Madness, so not a lot has gotten done). I may even be able to reuse the firewall from the yellow jeep, though I’ve had to “massage” it with a sledge hammer into a useable state. I will know more once I remove the body.

But, before removing the body, I wanted to see if/how well the front clips I have fit the body and frame. It turned out that the radiator (and the attached power steering cooler in front of the radiator) needed to be moved back about an inch for either front clip to fit. Thankfully, that was easily done.

I tested out the better of the two front clips, but it didn’t want to mesh well with the body. So, I tried out the more damaged of the two front clips, which was original to the yellow body, and that fit much better. The problem is it will require more work to fix (which I will take as an opportunity to do something creative with the grille portion).

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Note that this is sitting crooked at the front. I have not added an mounts for the front clip yet.

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San Juan Scenic Jeep Tours Brochure

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

This is another example of a San Juan Scenic Jeep Tour brochure. It is a tri-fold brochure that is 8.5″x11″ when fully unfolded.

This is the cover.

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This is the back when folded.

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This is partially unfolded.

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This shows the brochure when fully unfolded.

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Nevadaville By Jeep Brochure

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

There’s no date on this brochure which offered tourists a chance to see Nevadaville and Central City, Colorado, by jeep.

This is the front (right) and back (left) pages.
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PNW4WDA Summer Convention 2022

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

Steve let me know this video of the 2022 Summer Convention had been published.

After our wayward trip to Phoenix, I’m back in the shop making progress on the racer. The rear sway bar has been added and some rear bump stops should be done soon (once I get some more welding rod). That will complete the rear suspension repairs/mods.

Once I finish the mount for the gas tank and battery, the rear area will be complete. Then comes the floors and cowl area, after which is the seats, the wiring (most of it just needs to be re-run), and, finally, mounting, prepping and painting the body. May 1 is still the goal.

 
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Roscoe Turner Testimonial for Jeeps

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

UPDATE: This was originally published Aug 30, 2013.

Famous barnstormer and racing pilot Roscoe Turner endorsed the jeep in this 1946 letter.

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1940s? Rock Ford, Colorado, Postcard on eBay

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

This military-appearing parade may be a part of the state fair. That’s the only thing I can think of when the card references “fair day”.

View all the information on eBay

“Rocky Ford CO Street Scene Main Street Signs Downtown Old Jeep Vtg Postcard View
Original, vintage item.
Standard size, measures about 3.5″ x 5.5″ or a little smaller.”

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Free-Lock 27 Spline NOS Hubs with Documentation

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

Thanks to Chris for publishing this information on a Facebook post … It appears I will be buying from him a set of model F-28 Free-Lock hubs sold by Dualmatic. These NOS Free-Lock hubs included documentation stating that by December of 1973 Free-Lock had become a “Quality Division” of Dualmatic Products Company.

So, I believe this confirms that Free-Lock was acquired by Dualmatic, so now the questions are 1) when did this happen and 2) why didn’t Dualmatic use the branding sooner than circa 1970 (there was a gap between the end of Free-Lock in 1959 and the re-emergence of the brand circa late 1960s or early 1970s).

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This document suggests there were seven different models of Free-Lock hubs, which may explain why we have seen several different types of later-model Free-Lock hub styles. Given the emphasis on “A Quality Division”, this document *might* hint that Dualmatic was using the Free-Lock brand as a premium hub, perhaps hoping to clear more profit from them?

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The fact that the top of the hub shows no branding suggests these instructions were intended to be distributed across multiple brands of Dualmatic-built hubs.

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The date of the newspaper used to wrap the hubs is December 4, 1973:

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Parmley Engineering’s Jeep Replacement Body

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

UPDATE: Zac shared a Parmley that he inherited along with a document that shows some pricing and states it was designed for the 81″ chassis.

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Originally posted in 2013, with some pic updates over the years:

As many of you know, I am very curious about the fiberglass aftermarket bodies made for the jeep.  While I’ve seen most models for sale over the years, I have yet to run across Parmley Engineering’s fiberglass body, one of the more unique ones ever created.

After wrecking his CJ-5 in the early 1970s, Californian Tom Parmley, a machinist by trade, decided to build himself a better body for his still-good chassis.  He wanted the body to legally accommodate  wider tires, a dash box with more room, a hood that was lower, and other features.  So, he built and tested his dream body with great success.  Along the way, he received so much positive feedback that he created a kit so others could easily install a Parmley body on their CJ-5 Chassis.

So far, I have only located two resources that document this body.  One is the February 1974 issue of Four Wheeler Magazine, which featured a multi-page article about the new body.  Additionally, at least two issues of Four Wheeler Magazine also have ads for the Parmley body kit.  The other resource is a June 1975 Popular Mechanics article.  The Pop-Mech article also shows off the fiberglass top he invented (at least I assume it is fiberglass).

Here are a couple publicity photos taken by Tom Parley and published in the Feb 1974 issue of Four Wheeler:

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This image shows the Parmley with a top and is from Popular Mechanics.  Note the top example sports Desert Dogs …

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Here is a Parmley-bodied jeep on the cover of a the May 1978 issue of Four Wheeler Magazine.

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This Parmley Engineering ad appeared on the back of January 1974 issue of Four Wheeler Magazine:

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Bob Christy wasn’t sure what this vehicle was when he photographed it in 2008, but now we know.

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This Parmely sold in 2015 and included a rare top:

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This one sold in 2017:

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This one sold in 2022:

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RIP Tom Cruze

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

On Sunday, while we were gone, Tom Cruze left the house in the morning and never returned. On Wednesday morning I found him in the ditch across from our driveway. He’d been hit by a car. The girls, especially Lizzy, who treated Tom like her puppy, remains upset with his disappearance. I brought Tom’s body back so the girls could sniff him in hopes it provides some closure, but Lizzy remains the sadder of the two.

Tom embraced his puppy role, eating with the dogs from their bowls, following us to the gate when it was time to open or shut it, and playing outside with us. He had no fear and was up to the task of taking on both dogs when they wrestled. He was only here eight months, but he made the most of it!

Here is Lizzy grooming and playing with Tom Cruze from January:

So, the greatest-dog-there-ever-was-that-was-actually-a-cat has gone to that great actor’s studio in the sky. He didn’t stay with us long, but he made a giant impact. He also helped the girls get over Zollie’s death. The house will be a quieter place without Tom’s giant personality filling it.

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