Check out what’s left of the jeep behind the nice looking jeep. Must have been a story there . . .
Features Research Archives
1943 Photo of Jeep in Flood **SOLD**
David’s 1962 CJ-5 w/ Tuxedo Park Package
David Silberman just picked up this two-owner CJ-5 w/ a Tuxedo Park III package. Looks like a great project. The color is Indian Ceramic, consistent with one of the Tuxedo Park options from 1961-1963. A post from 2012 post shows how this might have looked.
He notes:
1962 Tuxedo Park Mark III.
August, 1962, as per VIN.
Original paint, original tires, original radiator hoses and most clamps.
Chrome hood hinges, windshield stops. Even the tailgate chains are chrome.
The steps were chrome, but mostly gone by now.
The interesting part is the mileage. 21,000 miles. The owner got it from his uncle 50 years ago.
He added the hardtop and plow, but it wasn’t on the road since 1986.
Seats are black with “pink” sides, same as
the wheel well pads.
Here’s the photos David sent:
Sterling Manufacturing’s Jeep Trailer
UPDATE: Check out Richard’s Sterling Trailer here.
Most of us are familiar with the post WWII trailers like the Bantam & Spen trailers, but one most people don’t know about is the Sterling trailer built in Canada by the Sterling Machine and Manufacturing Company. I *think* the company was located in Hobart, Ontariorioon the isthmus between Georgian Bay to the north and Simcoe Lake to the south.
Only a handful of these trailers have been photographed. The topic came to my attention thanks to Glenn, who spotted a Kijiji ad in a CJ-2A Page thread for the trailer. It appears to be the 2nd production model made. Here’s the info:
Vintage 1947 Willys Jeep trailer:
“This is a unique item if you are into old Jeeps. It is serial number 2!!! It was built in 1947 by Sterling Machine in Owen Sound, Ontario for Willys Jeep. The serial number plate is original untouched and shows it as number 2.
A little research into Sterling is they produced Civilian and civil service equipment for Jeep, and much of their business was concentrated on fire service. It appears this trailer may have originally been painted red, so it may have been sold as fire dept. equipment.
This trailer is in need of restoration, but is still usable. Up until recently it was used as a utility trailer by my father-in-law. Lots of surface rust, but structurally it is still very restorable.“
=================
The best threads about this trailer are at the early CJ-5 site and at the IH8Mud site. One of the big differences between the early trailer above and the later trailer are the fenders, which change from the extended type shown above to the more bantam-like fenders. Here’s an example:
=================
This is a vintage photo of a Sterling Trailer that appeared on Facebook.
Sterling Machine didn’t only do trailers. The CJ-3B page highlights there production of Fire Jeeps: http://cj3b.info/Fire/FireCJ2A.html
Sterling also received a Canadian patent for “Sawing attachment for jeeps and tractors” in 1951: http://books.google.com/books?id=KCoSAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Sterling+Machine%22+jeep&dq=%22Sterling+Machine%22+jeep&hl=en&sa=X&ei=8vxnU4CnD43GoASmuYDwDA&ved=0CEYQ6AEwAA
Finally, it appears George Hindman owned/controlled/bought Sterling Machine. His grandson Paul Evans mentions Sterling building ‘fire trucks’ there. http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/2011/04/17/new-exhibit-honours-hindman-ships
So, if anyone has more insight into Sterling Machine and Manufacturing, please let me know.
Bantam BRC-40 Post Card on eBay
1991 Book of Forgotten Tractors **SOLD**
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay
This 1991 booklet includes information on the Willys Farm Jeep. Not sure whether they mean the sparse CJ-3A version or something else. But, if you like jeeps and tractors, this might be for you.
“A COMPENDIUM OF LITTLE KNOWN AND MOSTLY FORGOTTEN TRACTORS 1930-1960 BY ALAN KING SOFTCOVER CONDITION VERY GOOD- COPYRIGHT 1991 PUBLISHED BY;INDEPENDENT PRINT SHOP CO. INC. -64 PAGES.. INCLUDING ;BROCKWAY,CENTAUR,CUSTOM, EAGLE, EARTHMASTER,FARMASTER,GIBSON, HARRIS, GRAHAM-BRADLEY, INTERCONTINENTAL,LAUGHLIN,LOVE,PORSCHE,SHEPPARD,SILVER KING,THOMSON AND MORE..11 NEBRASKA TEST RESULTS FOR THESE TRACTORS, SPECIFICATIONS AND MISCELLANEOUS DATA… CORBITT,GIBSON MODEL I & H,HARRIS POWER HORSE MODEL 53, HARRIS POWER HORSE FWD,INTERCONTINENTAL D 26 OR DE, AND MODEL DF, LONG MODEL A, FARMASTER MERCER FG 33 OR 30 CKAND FD 33 OR 30 BD, PORSCHE DIESEL JUNIOR L108, UNIMOG 30 DIESEL, WILLYS FARM JEEP…
OTHER NAMES IN BOOK ZETOR KOVO, THOMSON MACHINERY CO, R H SHEPPARD CO, LAUGHLIN ROW CROP, FRIDAY MODEL 048, FERGUSON HI-40, FATE ROOT HEATH, ,CI CAPPS CO JT GO-GETTE, AVERY RO-TRAK,ALLIGATOR”
Bob Facklam Poster **SOLD**
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay
I don’t know anything about these, but looks interesting.
” Up for consideration is a limited edition JEEP WILLYS COLLAGE print by Bob Facklam. Signed and Numbered Limited Edition (500). B&W print, acid free, dimensions in inches is 11″ x 8.50″. It is on 80lb paper stock. When matted will be in inches 11″x14″. Fits any standard 11″ by 14″ inch mat and frame. It is personally signed and numbered by the artist, Bob Facklam, who also signs a Certificate of Authenticity which is included. Bob Facklam is recognized throughout the Midwest at Tractor Collector Shows for his pen and ink renditions of antique farm implements.”
More from Marc’s 1/2 Scale CJ-2A build
Marc from South Africa continues to make some neat progress on his 1/2 Scale build. Thanks for assembling this synopsis!
Marc writes, “Let me start with where I am to as of 15 April 2014. Unfortunately all production stopped on this date. Until I have the full use of my left shoulder after some structural work carried out, hopefully the structures doc will me the go-ahead by end May.
I ended with the making up of the two panels/dash/fwd fire wall. Slightly different to the real thing here for the ease of making. In the end the upper cowl/dash assembly will look the part.
Thanks to Paul & Lyn: http://www.ewillys.com/2014/01/23/update-from-paul-on-his-stainless-flatties-progress/ for sending me additional measurements and confirming plenty of smaller details for me.
I did finish up the firewall but have not taken photos yet.
To jump about a bit heres the top bow corner brackets that were made up. Claus kindly measured up on his CJ-2A for me http://www.ewillys.com/2012/04/05/builds-claus-rebuilds-a-cj-2a-in-south-africa/.
The middle brackets in the for the wheel boxes are also done…….I took photos but they have been filed some where safe, I can’t them find now.
Fire Jeepster’s new Home
Steve Elkins reports the following:
“In case you’re wondering what happened to that cute little Jeepster Firetruck some of us have been following on eWillys, it will soon be used as a vineyard tour Jeep at the Gandona Winery in California’s Napa Valley. After two little mechanical problems on the tow vehicle extending the 1100 mile adventure by two days, I was finally successful in transporting the red Jeepster from Southern California to the Wine Country, Northeast of San Francisco.
The seller had a change of plans and had to let go of the red Jeepster. The buyer is new to the Willys experience and is really excited about his new purchase. A new steering wheel, and re-chroming the front bumper is the first order of work to spiffy-up the 65 year old chariot, re-powered with a second generation Buick 231 c.i. V6 and automatic trans.
After seeing this on eWillys, I enjoyed connecting the seller and the buyer. And I made a new Jeepster connection with the seller. He has a nice ’50 Jeepster, daily driver with a rare optional L6-148. We might just see him at the Willys America Open House on July 19, 2014.”
1944 Percy, France
Dennis Drives Across the US in his CJ-2A
Dennis recently moved from Ohio to Astoria, Oregon. A few weeks ago he decided to drive his CJ-2A (w/out an overdrive no less) the entire way. He had a few hiccups along the way, but otherwise arrived safely. You can ready the entire post from the CJ-2A Page here:
http://www.thecj2apage.com/forums/i-am-moving_topic29896.html
British Lightweight 4WD ‘jeep’ from 1958
Marc spotted this article about a 500lb lightweight airborne jeep-like vehicle from a post on Jalopnik. The vehicle was feature in the July 1958 issue of Popular Mechanics (pg 83). It demonstrates that the lightweight airborne program that started during WWII was still ongoing.
Vote for Anne Palmer’s Photo on Facebook
Anne Palmer, the wife of long time reader Brian Palmer, has a photo that’s been selected by Bushwhacker for a Facebook contest. If Anne get’s the most votes, they’ll get free entry into next year’s Jamboree. She took the photo out of the back of their 3B during this year’s Jamboree.
If you have a Facebook account, then here’s the link to vote (it will show up as Graham Pickney):
Here’s the photo she took:
COMPLETED: 2014 Spring Southwest-California Trip
<– Day 42 – Apr. 30th: R&P 4WD and Herm | BACK TO OVERVIEW –>
On May 1st we drove home to Pasco. We didn’t stop anywhere, so there’s nothing to report. We landed in Pasco, tired, but happy about our great southwest adventure!
Thought there’s not much on this page, I wanted to save this page due to the comments on the bottom. The overview of the trip with links to daily reports can be found here –>
1952 Photo of MBs/GPWs recalled for the Korean War on eBay
Marc found this fascinating photo. The description explains these jeeps were part of ‘Operation Roll Up’, a plan to gather up jeeps left in the Pacific Islands during WWII.
“This is an original press photo. Dept- US Army Service Corps, Credit – ACME & NEAPhoto measures 9 x 7.25inches. Photo is dated 03-18-1952.”
1943 Photo of Crated Jeeps being assembled in Britain on eBay
Hamilton Tow Pedal Jeep Caldwell, ID **SOLD**
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $200.
If I had some extra cash, I’d pick this up. Cool piece!
“Custom painted
50’s Hamilton Jeep Tow Truck
Peddle Car
Needs tires”
Day 42 – Apr. 30th: R&P 4WD and Herm
<– Day 41 – Apr. 29th: Ann Flies the Goose | OVERVIEW | Trip End –>
Today is out last day of travel and visits. Tonight we will stay at Ann’s aunt and uncle in Vancouver, and tomorrow, we head directly home.
Ann and I spent the morning with R&P 4WD. In the evening I visited with Herm (AKA Herm the Overdrive Guy) and his son Marty Tilford. In between, Ann’s uncle lost his grandkids dog (still missing), so we spent several hours looking for the dog. On the plus side, I got to know her aunt and uncle’s neighborhood really well!
Our drive from our motel in McMInnville to R&Ps location in Oregon City, Oregon, took about an hour. What surprised Ann and I about the drive through the rolling landscape of small farms was the large number of wineries in the area. We both agreed that there seemed to be more wineries, more signs for wineries, and more tasting rooms than both Sonoma and Napa combined! Or, maybe we were just thirsty?
Figuring it wasn’t quite time to drink, we landed at R&P thoroughly sober and ready to look at parts! Rich and Paul, who started R&P in the 1970s, and John, who joined them a few years ago, greeted us warmly. R&P provides a variety of drive train services, including tranny/tc rebuilds, axle builds, brake products and more.
After some pleasantries, we dove into their newest items. They recently developed a bolt-on dual master cylinder installation kit especially for trucks and wagons. They had a nice demo until to show us how the adapter attached to the frame:
They also demonstrated their new tow bar adapters and their disc brake kits. R&P was even kind enough to donate a disc brake kit for testing on Biscuit, so I’ll be doing a full write up on that when install them (thanks guys!).
Next we got a tour of their garage and parts area. Not surprisingly, there were a bunch of different axles, transmission and transfer case gears and more. Ann faced the biggest challenge during this portion of the tour as she’d put on a dress so she could enjoy the sun, not realizing she’d be inside a garage (though I’d mentioned this fact to her . . . ). She’s a good sport and did her job taking photos, risking grease spots on her dress at every turn.
We also spotted John’s CJ-6, which is undergoing some work at the moment. It seems he’s as busy as I am, which explains the state of both of our jeeps.
After that we wandered outside to look at a few more jeeps. Each of these has a variety of upgrades to meet the challenges of northwest jeeping. One update that really interested me was the vintage Offenhauser Buick V6 valve covers in the CJ-5. They got my attention. Boy do I have valve cover jealousy.
Here’s another look at some of their jeeps:
We also took a look at a few of their projects.
After our exploring the R&P shop, the guys Kindly took us out for lunch. Yum!
With our bellies were full from lunch and a temperature of 85 degrees (pretty high for this time of year in Portland), we drove north across the Oregon-Washington border.
As we crossed the Columbia river and entered Washington State (exactly six weeks after we left it), Ann got a message from her uncle: “Can you help me find the dog?” It turns out Uncle Bob and Aunt Debbie, who live in Vancouver where we planned to spend the night, had been watching their grandkids and their new dog, Bradley, who’d been a shelter rescue. Despite Aunt Debbie telling Bob not to let the dog off the leash, Bob wanted to train the new dog, so he’d unleashed him for a moment. Bad idea. Bradley took off into the woods. Since we had some extra time before meeting with Herm, we offered to help.
Bradley had only been missing a few minutes when we arrived at the Fohl household. We immediately began to troll the neighborhood with it’s parks, tall trees, underbrush, and windy 1970s suburban developments.
Ann and I split up to cover more ground. She wandered through a local park while I cruised the nearby junior high and high schools. It was at this point that I realized how awkward this could prove to be. I’m some middle-aged man slowly driving through school parking lots asking young boys and girls if they’d seen a lost dog. Even worse, had somebody asked, I couldn’t exactly describe the dog, since I’d never seen it! The words “stranger danger” kept cycling through my head . . .
Thank goodness for Herm and Marty, because after searching for two hours, I got a call from Marty letting me know they could meet with me. Though I had to leave Ann behind to continue the search, I couldn’t drive away fast enough!
Many people know Herm on the web by his internet name of ‘Herm-the-overdrive-guy‘. While he’s definitely a go-to-guy for overdrives (for servicing or for purchasing new or rebuilt ones), he also supplies many more products and services than that. He’s been involved with jeeping, jeeps and parts for decades and can has earned a wealth of knowledge from that experience.
Herm and his son Marty gave me a peak ‘behind the curtains’ of his home-based operation, which allows him to be around his family. One good reason for working at home is that the business keeps him very busy. He says he can work on larger items like transmissions in the afternoon, then in the evening have a seat at his work bench, turn on the tv, and rebuild overdrives. He says he’s thought about retiring, but he loves what he does and doesn’t know what he’d do if he retired.
He also continues to develop new products, several of which he explained to me. He was very excited about them. He feels he has an opportunity to fill some small vintage jeep drivetrain niches, to satisfy needs for which there are currently no solutions. Since I didn’t explicitly ask to share those ideas, I won’t get more specific here.
Unfortunately, because I abandoned my wife to the dog search, I didn’t take too many photos. It’s too easy to get talking and forget to take them. But, I’ll make sure to bring her along next time so we can get an updated photo of Herm, Marty and I. Meanwhile, I did take a photo of the home made Elk/Porl bacon that the Tilfords gave me [Ed Note: this was great tasting!]
So, thanks to Herm and Marty for taking the time to meet with me. And, many thanks for the elk/pork bacon. We’ll eat that for breakfast with some North Coast duck eggs. 🙂
For those wondering about Bradley the lost dog, the story ends happily. The search was given up while I was gone. The grandkids were told the dog was lost and they were sad.
But, don’t despair, because at 10pm, as I was going outside through the garage, I spotted a dog peering around the corner of the house. It was Bradley. He’d found his own way home!
Tomorrow we head home for some rest. All this ‘vacationing’ has worn me out!
<– Day 41 – Apr. 29th: Ann Flies the Goose | OVERVIEW | Trip End –>
Day 41 – Apr. 29th: Ann Flies the Goose
<– Day 40 –Apr. 28th: Firehouse #4 | OVERVIEW | Day 42 – Apr. 30th: R&P 4WD and Herm –>
Well, what a surprise! On Tuesday the cold and rain showers forecasted by people paid to predict such things continued to be scared away by the blue sky and warm temperatures in Oregon. Such weather would have been perfect for the coast of Oregon, but our mind was too changed to change back.
Anyone who has ever driven north on Interstate 5 through southern Oregon knows what a pretty drive it is. Successive low mountain passes of about 2000 feet chase any boredom away.
Our first stop of the morning was at Canyonville at exit 98. When traveling north with my sister back in December I’d spotted several jeep bodies on what I thought were shipping containers just off the Interstate. They were still there when we passed this time, so we pulled off to get a closer look at them. While there were no identifying ‘for sale’ information, I believe these belonged to Del Blanchard, who is actually operates out of Myrtle Creek according to his website [Ed Note: Del has since passed away.]
In the pic below, the body on the right appears to be a galvanized (no stainless) CJ-3B body. The one in between is a CJ-2A/3A Stainless. The body on the right is an all-stainless CJ-3B body (I saw no indications of galvanized floor parts) that includes some interesting windshield tighteners.
Here’s a 2012 ad for the bodies:
Odd note: If you use Google’s street view feature, you can just barely see the jeeps on the utility boxes if you are in the southbound lanes of I-5. However, as of now, if you try to view the jeeps from the northbound lanes, the jeeps are not present. Nor are they present from the on ramp right in front of the utility boxes.
Jason’s Family’s Jeep Trips through Indiana
Jason emailed me the other day asking about some wiring specs for a Jeepster. Thanks to Colin’s wiring diagram, his father got a Jeepster running that hadn’t idled in thirty years.
Jason and his family own a variety of jeeps. Each year as a family they take a drive through Parke County, Indiana (Covered Bridge Capital) on Memorial Day Weekend. Sounds like fun! Here are a few pics:
Day 40 – Apr. 28th: Firehouse #4
<– Day 39 – Apr. 27th: Crying Babies and Grungie Folks | OVERVIEW | Day 41 – Apr. 29th: Ann Flies the Goose –>
We began the day with a quick trip over to the North Coast Co-op for some fresh bread, duck eggs (had to get 2 dozen), and some lunch items for a picnic at Redwood National Park. The co-op proved to be my favorite part of Eureka 🙂
Even better, there was a place that speaks “Jeep” across the street!
The clouds and rain promised by the weather experts on Monday never appeared. Instead, we were blessed with perfect weather for our drive up the remainder of the California Coast. Blue sky and a few clouds became a beautiful contrast to the tall, deep green forests we encountered.
During our drive we decided to stop at Trinidad. Dan had mentioned it in one of his comments. It turned out to have a high beach cliff with a beautiful view.
After Trinidad I expected to encounter a welcome sign for Redwood National Park. As we waited for the sign we were surprised to see a place called Trees of Mystery. Out front of the place was an enormous Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox.
After Trees of Mystery we continued searching for the welcome sign for Redwood National Park, but never saw it. It wasn’t until we reached Crescent City that I realized we must have driven through the park. Thus my plans for a picnic in the National Park was thwarted by signage, or lack thereof.
Triang? Pedal Jeep Fountain Valley, CA $350
This looks a lot like a Triang, but it has two seats. I couldn’t find another example of this style.
Day 39 – Apr. 27th: Crying Babies and Grungie Folks
<– Day 38 – Apr. 26th: Finding Virginia City | OVERVIEW | Day 40 – Apr. 28th: Firehouse #4 –>
Well, it’s been an interesting day. My day started at 12:01am. I hadn’t been to sleep yet due to the crying of two kids in the motel room next door. Well, not just next door, but through the two doors that would have created a suite, doors so thin and porous that whatever food was being cooked in their room late at night wafted into ours. They weren’t good cooks.
The cries came and went for the next hour. Finally, at 1am, I woke up the proprietor of the not-so-fine establishment to complain. I figured if I was going to be awake, he was going to be awake. He wasn’t happy that I woke him. I wasn’t happy either. He agreed to call them. Amazingly, that seemed to help, at least for about fifteen minutes, though I can’t imagine he got on the phone with the two young children and explained the problem. I stopped caring about 1:30am when I fell asleep.
In the morning we awoke and got the heck out of there. So much for that deal!
We drove up to Redding and then headed west over several ranges, which appear to constitute part of the North Coastal Range. We spent three hours driving through some beautiful country along lots of two lane highway.
At one point we pulled into the lumber town of Weaverville. In the driveway of the Weaverville Garage was a VEC CJ-2A that needed some work.
Photos from Kool April Nites 2014
Steve reports from Redding’s Kool April Nites 2014.
“Here’s a one-of-a-kind Willys at Kool April Nites entry. The show ended today, but I thought I’d share these interesting photos. It’s a ’58 Willys Pickup re-powered with a Maserati Quattroporte V8.
All kinds of cars and trucks attend this event. Vintage celebrities such as Mike Love, of the Beach Boys, try to blend in as an every day car enthusiast. My buddy recognized him when they talked about his ’69 Berger Camaro for sale in the Car Corral today. Mike Love is an original hot-rodder from the days of the first muscle car, such as a ’61 Chevy with a 409 V8. There are also many pioneer hot-rodders and their latest creations.
Of course, there are some factory correct Willys vehicles that come out to enjoy the spring weather in Redding, too. I just thought I’d share this very original creation with you, as I was shocked at to see this unique combination of engine/body style.”
The Road Home
On Friday night Ann and I both decided we were ready to head home, despite the fact there were some things we still wanted to see. But, that’s always the case. You can never see everything, so you have to enjoy what you can see. Here’s our route.