Leo reports that the inventor of the Jeep Camper passed away in March. You can learn more here:
Features Research Archives
CJ-3A with Snow Plow and Auburn Jeep-a-Trench Santa Rosa, CA
I was looking through some pictures related to this post and spotted this CJ-3A with a Jeep-a-Trench and snow plow in a wrecking yard in Santa Rosa, CA. I don’t know if it is for sale, but it might be. It’s no wonder the back tires are flat!
Tues. May 21st: Food and Jeep Rides
<– Day 17 – Mon. May 20th: Gettysburg and A Little Slice of Heaven | Trip Overview | Day 19 – Wed. May 22nd: Old Cars and Chocolate Shots –>
TWO UPDATES From the original post:
- We will spend Wednesday in Hershey, PA. We have plans for Thursday in Lancaster and Friday morning in Kempton, PA. From there we will be driving to Long Island on Friday and meeting up with my son (unless they ship him out to Oklahoma). We’ll be staying in the Sea Cliff area through Tuesday morning and then driving up to Connecticut. I hope to have a map update in the next couple of days.
- On Wednesday morning I finished version one of the Amber Panels of Konigsberg book (YEAH!). I still need to build one graphic and dump the text into the formatted book template, but then I’ll be sending it to the publisher for printing. I plan to do a limited run of fifty books as a “Bantam Festival Special”. LIke the last book, I’m sure there are a few errors that people will find. Once I fix the text, I’ll open the book up for general sales (sometime in mid-July?).
On Tuesday we spent the day with Tom, then Merlin, then headed to Hershey, Pennsylvania.
After we left Gettysburg on Tuesday, we drove a few miles east to Tom’s house to check out his Truck and Wagon. Tom’s 1948 truck is his daily driver. He’s added some disc brakes and a Ford 302, so it’s got some power and stopping speed. He also rebuilt the entire rear bed and it looks great!
The wagon is a cheap beast he bought that his son now plays with. It’s got lots of rust issues, but runs good.
1974 CJ-6 Salt Lake City, UT eBay
UPDATE: This is back on eBay (thanks Steve).
(04/14/2013) This CJ-6 was originally purchased as a Tour Jeep for Ouray tours.
“This super rare, all original Jeep CJ6 with the factory 304. It is a great little Jeep with 41,000 original miles, I bought this gem back in ’09. I searched high and low for a CJ6 for years and was after 3 things, a rust free body, original V8 and one painted originally “Copper Poly” which is like a burnt orange, real cool color. You can see a lot of the Copper poly peaking through everywhere, The original paint is under the toolbox cover.
This Jeep has rich history, I bought it from where it lived its whole life, Ouray Colorado, the “The Jeep Capital of the World”. It was originally purchased as a Tour Jeep and used as part of the historic “San Juan Senic Jeep Tours” back in the 70s and 80s and remained there until I bought it, hence why the low miles, it never got far out of southern Colorado. For those who are not familiar, the “San Juan Senic Jeep Tours” was the first Jeep tour company in Ouray, established in 1946 and is still in operation today (see there website www.sanjuanjeeptours.com). You can see several original pictures of other Jeep tours back in the day in the book “JEEP” by David Fetherston.
As mentioned before, this Jeep is rust free. The body is completely original, rust free original floors, fenders and tub, only a very light haze of surface rust on the underside of the floors. The original windshield frame is rust free as well unlike most that have cancer developing. The undercarriage and floor supports are amazingly rust free. The floor supports are super solid, unlike all the other CJ6s I looked at. As mentioned before, the original paint is Copper poly code 526. The paint code is stamped on the cowl tag as seen in the picture. I bought an original 1974 Jeep brochure after I bought this Jeep that contains a picture of a CJ6 painted Copper poly. All the original stickers are still intact including the engine data sticker on the grille, the VIN sticker on the dash, the Warranty sticker on the dash, and bronze data tag on the dash (really cool looking).
The drivetrain is in excellent condition and all original numbers matching, the data tag on valve cover corresponds with the VIN sticker build date on the dash (see pic). The engine code 708h13 breaks down as 7~1974, 08~August, H~304 V8, 13~13th day of the month. You can verify all this information at www.planethoustonamx.com/main/amc_valve_cover_id.htm. The 8th digit in the VIN # contains is an H which designates that it originally came with the 304. It starts and runs perfectly, it has a lot of power and sounds good, it doesnt have any noises or lifter noise. It drives like a dream, it has power steering which is super nice.
This is a very rare CJ6, they only made 2826 in 1974 and less than 1/3 of them came with 304 V8s. Not to many left around and not to mention worth saving”
Mon. May 20th: Gettysburg and A Little Slice of Heaven
<– Day 16 – Sun. May 19th: On the Road to Gettysburg | Trip Overview | Day 18 – Tues. May 21st: Food and Jeep Rides –>
On Monday we took full advantage of a lazy morning and didn’t leave the motel until the crack of noon. Our first stop was downtown Gettysburg, where we walked around a bit. I can’t imagine why Lincoln would be so popular around this town!
Soon, we were hungry, so we stopped at Hunts Battlefield Fries and Cafe, a place just south of downtown known (according to the internet) for it’s fresh fries and good burgers.
True to our internet source’s information, the fries were good and there were a lot of them! Ann had a grilled ham/cheese/bacon sandwich that she enjoyed. I had a burger with a good bun and tasty meat. They put no extras on the burger . . . maybe I was supposed to ask for them? It was good anyway.
After lunch we drove to the Gettysburg Battlefield National Park Visitor’s Center. It’s a beautiful new structure. While the surrounding park is free, the museum, the cyclorama and the movie at the visitor’s center costs money. We tried all three and liked the movie the best. After the movie we were whisked upstairs to see the cyclorama. We wished they’d explained what a cyclorama was and underscored how old the cyclorama’s painting was before the show began rather than at the end.
The museum had several groups of school kids completing assignments, so we moved through it rather quickly. It didn’t hit us until near the end of the museum that the different areas of the museum represented each day of the Gettysburg battle. I think it would have been useful to have a sense of nightfall and sunrise as people pass from Day 1 to Day 2 and Day 2 to Day 3.
With the visitor’s center complete, we did a quick tour of the surrounding area:
After touring the park, we headed over to visit Frank at his home, just a few miles north of Gettysburg. Frank had explained that he had some jeeps for us to see.
Entrusting our visit to Siri (iPhone), I asked her to get me directions to Frank’s house. All was going well until we turned into Frank’s long driveway. At that point, Siri warned us to park the vehicle and walk. Ann and I turned to each other and started cracking up. Apparently, Siri was concerned about our well-being and felt we were too far off the road. We were convinced Siri would start yelling “Danger, Danger” and start assimilating us to force us to turnaround. Eventually, I had enough of Siri’s warnings and shut her down.
We finally found Frank and his son Adam at their shop where they keep their collections. As Ann and I marveled at the beauty of the shop, the surrounding barns, and the rolling landscape, Frank explained that he owned three hundred acres of land. He called it a slice of heaven. We could not argue with that description.
Frank and Adam gave us a tour. As you can see in the pictures, they’ve assembled some great stuff. There jeep collection includes a few original paintings, five military jeeps, toys, models, and a CJ-2A they are restoring. They enjoyed sharing their collection with us and we felt honored to be invited. Here are a few photos.
1949 Coleman Iron Ad
RC Model Jeep Maple Hills, WA $450
This is a great looking model FC. This young kid knows his flat fender racing jeeps.
“Deciding to sell my scratch built flat fender build because I need money for college. Just finished the build not to long ago and really hate to see it go. Body is 100% custom built out of sheet steel and welded together. Custom made square drive shafts, along with frame rails, roll cage, etc. Countless hours have been put into building the jeep and it definitely shows. Electronics are pretty basic, running xl-5 esc, traxxas transmitter/receiver, hitech servo, and integy 55t motor. Jeep comes completely RTR besides battery and charger. Call or text at (425) 941-4605”
Jeep Sign Portland, OR $100
Vintage or reproduction?
“JEEP SIgn 30″x40″ Mike 503-312-7897”
Sun. May 19th: On the Road to Gettysburg
<– Day 15 – Sat. May 18th: At the Reunion; A Brick Shy of a Full Load | Trip Overview | Day 17 – Mon. May 20th: Gettysburg and A Little Slice of Heaven –>
On Sunday, we didn’t participate in the ritual Sunday drive through Cuyahoga National Park. Instead, we headed for Gettysburg. However, I was able to get a few pics from the ride:
As folks toured in their jeeps, we exited Hudson, Ohio.
As we wound our way through Pennsylvania to Gettysburg, the toll roads lightened our wallets to the point we were considering taking out a bank loan. In addition, we encountered clouds that were as thick as fog as we traversed a few tall hills. Isn’t it summer yet?
Finally, it seems the only photo we took all day was a blurry photo a barn. On the bright side, we got a killer deal of $51/night at a Marriott hotel using Priceline, so we plan to stay two nights in Gettysburg.
Tomorrow we will see the Gettysburg battlefield and museum.
<– Day 15 – Sat. May 18th: At the Reunion; A Brick Shy of a Full Load | Trip Overview | Day 17 – Mon. May 20th: Gettysburg and A Little Slice of Heaven –>
Fri. May 17th: Day 1 of the Midwest Willys Reunion
<– Day 12 & 13 – Wed. May 15th & Thurs. May 16th: Mixers, Foodies & Heavy Equipment | Trip Overview | Day 15 – Sat. May 18th: At the Reunion; A Brick Shy of a Full Load –>
Friday morning we awoke in Hudson, Ohio, a short distance away from the reunion, to a beautiful sunny day. I spent the morning honing Saturday’s presentation. I will be sharing with the audience (assuming more than just Ann shows up) why I run eWillys, how I do it, the challenges, and what the future holds.
On Friday afternoon we made our way to the Clarion Hotel where the 2013 Midwest Willys Reunion is being held. After a quick practice run through the presentation with the slide projector, Ann and I went out to look at all the jeeps.
It seemed every few steps we took someone approached us to share how much they enjoyed eWillys. It’s great to know the site is enjoyed by so many enthusiastic readers and it was fun putting names to faces and shaking hands.
As you can see from the pictures, there were plenty of jeeps to browse today. More are expected tomorrow.
1946 Quaker Oats Postcard on eBay
Here’s an unusual postcard from Quaker Oats. The riders in the jeep are Terry and the Pirates by Milton Caniff.
“1946 government postal card postally used. Some corner wear. Slight bends at lower corners. Hard to find.”
2 Bantam BRC40s and a Willys MA in this Photo on eBay
Several protoypes pictured in this photo.
“Type I, News Press Wire Service photo. Measures 9×7″. This is part of a collection from a former employee of the UPI in Tribune Towers before this collection was moved to New York.”
1952 CJ-3A ‘Budweiser’ Waukee, Ia **SOLD**
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was No Price. Has Budweiser decals.
(06/04/2011) This looks well done.
“This jeep in good condition. Has a removeable top. This jeep runs and drives, is stock except for the engine. The engine is v-6 Buick. It is red, has new tires on white rims. This jeep was donated to Waukee VFW and we are going to sell it”
Wed. May 15th & Thurs. May 16th: Mixers, Foodies & Heavy Equipment
<– Day 10 & 11 – Mon. May 13th Rest & Tue. May 14th: Crust, Raisins, and Smoked Pork | Trip Overview | Day 14 – Fri. May 17th: Day 1 of the Midwest Willys Reunion –>
Wednesday, May 15th: We spent all of Wednesday at Ann’s Great Aunt Alice’s place in Greenville, Ohio.
Thursday May 16th: We drove from Greenville, Ohio, to Hudson, Ohio. Along the way, we made more new friends!
This morning we were back on the road. Our ultimate destination was Hudson
We began the morning heading to the Kitchen Aide Experience. Having never been, I pictured it as part tour and part museum in the Kitchen Aide factory itself. Instead, it’s a giant Kitchen Aide store where you can buy new or used Kitchen Aide products of every color and kind. Downstairs there are some beautiful refurbed mixers and blenders. Those ‘in the know’ tell us the refurbs are actually better than the new ones. They certainly were better prices.
Next to all the refurb machines in the lower level was a mini-museum. Since Ann assured me we didn’t have room to bring a refurbed 6 quart 575KW mixer with a glass bowl home, I had to make due with the mini-museum. What amazed me most about the museum was how little some of the attachments had changed. Here are a few pics from the museum:
Ed’s Old photos
Ed wanted to share these pictures. As you can see, he was in quite a pickle with that jeep. The last picture shows his son.
“Thought you might be able to use these. Couple of old photos from the late 60’s. The couple of me standing in front of the jeep in a creek were taken in Turnback Creek outside of Halltown Mo. on our family farm. The one of the jeep in a pond was also from the farm. The one of my son was taken at our home in Ormond Beach Fl. He is learning what a match book cover is properly used for. Yep, you guessed it, setting ignition points on his 67 CJ-5.”
Mon. May 13th Rest & Tue. May 14th: Crust, Raisins, and Smoked Pork
<– Day 9 – Sun. May 12th: Tuckered Out? Then Visit a Firehouse | Trip Overview | Day 12 & 13 – Wed. May 15th & Thurs. May 16th: Mixers, Foodies & Heavy Equipment –>
Monday May 13th: Instead of trying to squeeze in a long day at the Ford Museum, we decided to take a day off instead, as we have a busy week coming up. So, Monday was a day of rest at Brian’s house in Fenton. Thanks to his hospitality, I was able to finish the 6th draft of the Amber Panels of Konigsburg book.
Tuesday May 14th: Today, we left Michigan for the state of Ohio.
We started the morning bidding a fond farewell to Brian, who’d opened his home to us for several days (Thanks!).
One of the places Brian recommended we visit before we left was a bakery in Fenton, MI, called CRUST. As soon as I looked up the website and examined their menu, I was hooked. Most of their breads are made with starters rather than commercial baking yeast. So, I HAD to visit the place.
I wasn’t disappointed. Everything looked so good, we walked out of there $37 poorer. I can’t recommend the place highly enough.
After the bakery, we’d planned to head for the Ford Museum. But, at the last minute, we changed our minds. I knew we had to be down in Ohio by dinner time, so I was concerned we’d have to rush through museum. Instead, we had the opportunity to take our time to drive south. It proved to be the right decision.
As we drove south, Ann’s cousin recommended we visit the River Raisin Battlefield National Park in Monroe, MI, from which the War of 1812’s “Remember the Raisin” call-to-action originated. At the battle of River Raisin the Americans thought they’d won, but then the Brits & Indians regrouped and beat the US troops. American’s were shocked by the loss, hence the rallying cry of Remember the Raisin. Ann’s cousin claims that one of the men captured was a distant relative of Ann’s. To capture the feeling of Ann’s relative, I put her behind bars.
Hugh’s Fiberglass Bodied CJ-2A
Congrats to Hugh for completing his fiberglass build. Just in time for summer! Next on his plate is a M-151 Mutt project.
Hugh wrote, “Just got my fiberglass bodied cj2a back from my cousin who painted it. Chose olive drab because we figured if we scratched it off road it wouldnt break our hearts like a shiny paintjob would. Well i consider this jeep done so now we can start on the 48 cj2a with the m151 mutt drivetrain. That jeep is going to be an interesting project.”
Wooden Model Jeep on eBay
The price is only $2.99 on this weathered model.
“Vintage hand made wooden army jeep.
It is a bit worn and there are a few missing parts, please look at the pictures closely and let me know if you have any questions.”
German’s with a Slat Grille
Tim found the a link to a Russia site that has this photo and others.
Sun. May 12th: Tuckered Out? Then Visit a Firehouse
<– Day 8 – Sat. May 11th: Fire Engines, 16,000 Toys and A Destroyer | Trip Overview | Day 10 & 11 – Mon. May 13th Rest & Tue. May 14th: Crust, Raisins, and Smoked Pork –>
On Sunday we spent the day sightseeing.
On Sunday Ann and I drove down to Ypsilanti, MI, which is about an hour south of where we are staying in Fenton, MI. Our goal was the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum (aka Miller Motors), which has a real Tucker and a fiberglass fake Tucker (or so I’m told) made for the Tucker movie.
Ever since I learned Ypsilanti was home to Preston Tucker, I’ve wanted to visit this museum. So, I triple checked the website to make sure it was open on Sunday. The site confirmed this was true. Confident the museum would be open, we arrived at noon Sunday, only to find the museum closed. I was bummed.
Brian had mentioned the Michigan Firehouse Museum in Ypsi was worth a look. So, we decided to check that out. It consists of an old renovated fire station with a building extension that housed different types of fire trucks, fire fighting equipment, and information. It is a fine exhibit, but after Saturday’s experience with Jim Dobson, our fire-museum quality bar was set pretty high.
Climbing at the Cultus Hole
Ron shared this classic jeeping picture. Thanks for sharing!
“Here’s an old picture from one of my jeeping trips, back in the day. This was in September of 1969. Pictured here is a friend of mine at a place called Cultus Hole, which is west of Yakima, Washington in the Cascade Mountains. He is now a rancher in the Columbia Basin and the last I heard he still has the Jeep sitting out by one of his barns, and he still fires it up occasionally and drives it around the ranch. It is a CJ3B of course, and I think it is a 1953 model, but I’m not positive on the year. The modifications on it were pretty standard for that era; a small block Chevrolet engine (283 cubic inches), an overdrive unit, a roll bar, and oversized tires and wheels are some of the things I remember, although I’m sure he had made many more modifications. The trips he and I made in our Jeeps were always memorable, to say the least.”
1945 VEC CJ-2A Cleveland Indian’s Photo on eBay
Marc spotted this photo marked August 24th, 1945. This must be a really early VEC.
“ADDITIONAL DETAILS: This is an original press photo. Credit – NEAPhoto measures 9 x 7inches. Photo is dated 09-14-1945.”
1962 CJ-3B Fruit Fly Sprayer Photo **SOLD**
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay
How about this unusual photo.
“You are bidding on an original press photo from 1962 featuring Fruit Fly Spraying Dick Burke getting things set on jeep sprayer before going out to the home where fruit flys were found . Photo is 10” x 8” in size.”
Cragstan Tin Jeep, Boat, and Trailer on eBay
This looks like a nice set.
“This 1960s CRAGSTAN (Japan) JEEP CJ3 WITH “QUEEN” BOAT AND TRAILER are in Near Mint original condition, in their original box. The 15.5-inch long tin toy has a few minor paint abrasions and box rub. The 7.25-inch long Jeep has a working friction motor. The interior is nicely detailed and lithographed, and the top is nicely fringed. The rubber tires are like new, and the tin hubcaps are lightly age tarnished. The 8.25-inch long boat and motor are lightly scuffed and scratched. The crank up motor works well. The 7.25-inch long boat trailer is like new. The colorful original box is complete, but has minor edge tears, scuffs and a few light stains.”
Sat. May 11th: Fire Engines, 16,000 Toys and A Destoyer
<– Day 7 – Fri. May 10th: From Iron Mountain to Mackinaw City | Trip Overview | Day 9 – Sun. May 12th: Tuckered Out? Then Visit a Firehouse –>
On Saturday morning May 11, we hoped to escape the cold of Northern MIchigan’s Mackinaw City by driving south. Our goal was Brian’s house in Fenton, MI, where he planned to take us out to dinner at the French Laundry (more on that tomorrow). He’s outdone himself with his generosity and hospitality, so many thanks to him!
Saturday’s first stop was the Antique Toy and Firehouse Museum in Bay City, MI. I can’t remember how I learned about this museum, but it was a wonderful treat.
When we arrived, there was only two other vehicles in the parking lot. We took a few pictures of the outside and headed into pay. When we stepped inside the door, the foyer was empty; there was no one was around to take our money. I yelled, but didn’t get an answer. I checked the door to make sure the open-sign said ‘open’; it did. I checked the prices and discovered it cost $7 per adult, but they were running a mother’s day weekend special, so Ann didn’t have to pay. Therefore, I laid $7 on the museum’s till and we began our tour.
Wow. Wow. Wow! There were toy automobiles neatly arranged everywhere. We’d later learn that more than 12,000 toy vehicles were displayed. Another 4,000 were awaiting display. As Ann and I looked around a man in a scooter and a young boy appeared, said hi, then went to the front. We told them we’d paid, and the man didn’t say much, he just continued to the front.
As we made additional progress through the different rooms a man in a wheel chair appeared. He was very friendly and began to explain the history of the different items. After a while, it became apparent that this wasn’t just a museum, it was one man’s collection: Jim Dobson. The man who was helping us (I missed his name) pointed out one wall where Jim had placed signs related to some of the companies he’d founded or been involved with. It was a long list.