Lawrence just finished adding his bearing mod to this newer bell crank for a customer. He’s been working on jeeps for decades. If you would like this done for your bell crank, let me know (d@ewillys.com) and I’ll provide his contact information.
Features Research Archives
Unusual MB found on Flickr
Here’s an unusual MB that I spotted on Flickr. I don’t remember seeing it anywhere else (but sometimes my memory isn’t all that good!).
A nice looking ‘Follow Me’ Slat Grille
Jeremy found these images as part of a great folder of jeep images touring Facebook. You can learn more about them at Brian’s Military Jeep site.
“Will Work For Jeep Parts”
Willys Jeep Song
HOG spotted this unusual ‘Willys Jeep’ song, which is a rewrite of Queen’s Bicycle Race song, over at Kaiser Willys Blog.
I Want a Rocking Jeep!
Alex spotted this illustration of a rocking jeep a long time ago. Thanks for sharing it. I think these would sell . . .
A Cold Winter!
This frigid CJ-2A suffered through consecutive days in the 20s in Columbia, South Carolina, this winter. It was snapped on January 7, 2010 and published at wunderground.com.
Pounced: Biscuit Finally Has Its Name
It was sometime around mid-summer of last year (maybe earlier) when I started the project to place ‘Lost Biscuit’ on the hood of my jeep. It took a little longer than expected, but I finally did it.
First I had to decide which font to use. Fortunately, I got some very helpful input along the way from Dexter (thanks) and eventually decided upon the Marker Felt font. Okay, that was pretty easy.
Now, how to get the name on the hood. After hmming and haaaing over how I wanted to attach the name (hand drawn, stickers, stencils, pay someone else … ), I finally decided I would do it myself using paint. But, I knew my freehand drawing and painting skills froze around the 2nd grade, so this wasn’t something I could improvise. Since I had no immediate solutions, I decided to put the project on hold (which explains the delay).
One day this past December I was watching American Restoration on the History Channel. The American Restoration show is a spinoff of sorts from the Pawn Stars show and follows various restoration projects from Ricks Restoration out of Las Vegas. In one of the episodes, called Buttered Up (you can view it here), Rick restores an old popcorn machine.
To repaint the front of the popcorn machine, the painter used a technique that dates back centuries called pouncing. Pouncing? My ears perked up!
Pouncing? Never heard of that. As usual, my computer was on my lap so I instantly googled pouncing. I learned,
Pouncing is where pounce — loose graphite or charcoal — is rubbed through a series of small holes punched in a paper pattern to transfer the design to an item to be decorated
Well, I thought that would work for Biscuit’s name. After some more research, I found out that quilters use pouncing for some stitch patterns. So, the next day I hit some quilt stores. As you can imagine, the conversation went something like this,
“Hi, I’m here because I want to paint a name on my jeep,” says I.
Blank stare from cashier, “what do you need?”
“I need stuff for pouncing” says I, remembering now that I probably had not shaved, maybe, not even showered, and most likely wasn’t quite dressed like customers they normally help (however, to my credit, I didn’t have on my garage jeans).
Another blank stare, “you want to do what?” I think she even had her finger ready to dial ‘9’ (and then ‘1’ ‘1’)
It turns out, not everyone knows what pouncing is, even at the quilt stores. Eventually, after visiting a couple quilt stores, I found what I needed (you will see my pouncing supplies in a picture below).
Here’s the synopsis of this project.
1. Design and Print the template. Then, since I didn’t have a good awl, I created my own awl out of tape, a chopstick and a long push pin.
2. Next, I attached the template to a piece of cardboard. Then, I poked holes around the outer edge of all the letters.
3. With the letters outlined, I tested out the template on different materials to make sure it worked. It turns out pouncing is pretty easy!
4. Selecting paint was the next step. So, I visited my local art supply store and explained to them what I wanted. They directed me to an Acrylic Titanium White Tube from Windsor Newton. Along with the paint, they also suggested an acrylic spray on sealer and finisher from Americana. I took the paint home and tested it on different materials. At first, I didn’t like it, because it wasn’t as smooth as the typical oil based house paint I had expected. Instead, it had texture like a canvas artist would want. But then, after staring at it a bit, I warmed to the texture, because it gave the name a hand generated feel.
5. Yesterday, with the weather a little warmer, it was time to paint the name. I got out my template, my paint, and my pouncing supplies. I taped the template to the hood and prepared to pounce.
Over the course of my tests, the technique I found most successful for pouncing was not tapping the pouncer, but rather dragging it slowly across the holes. This kept the paper from popping up and blurring the dots underneath.
The pouncing equipment consists of a pouncer with a ‘handle’ on one side and a soft side on the other. There’s also a plastic container that can hold pounce. Lastly, there is the white chalk.
6. Now it’s time to paint. I put three coats on each side. This image was taken after the first coat.
This is after three coats.
There is still some small edges that need cleaning up. Once I do that, I’ll spray it and hopefully that will protect it!
More on this unusual CJ-?A/MB Wagon in Bali
UPDATE: Rudolf sent some additional pics of this rig. Steve gives a good analysis within the comments section.
Rudolf forwarded me this unusual CJ-?A/MB wagon. Rudolf reports that this is titled a 1944 and was used for public transit in Bali. Given the full floating rear end, the rearend might have been from a MB. It reminded me of another vehicle with a similar wood rear end that is located in France (see the red image below).
From France (CJ-3B Page, Offroadaction.ca)
Tavis Highlander’s Wagon
Roadmonster.org wrote about designer Tavis Highlander and his wagon last year. According to the post, his illustrations have been featured in Hot Rod and Car Craft Magazines. In addition, he illustrated and then built the below wagon, which has been featured in Hot Rod Magazine, Truckin’ Magazine, and Radical Renderings.
Click here to see the entire post at Roadmonster.org
Click here to visit Tavis’s Website with a variety of pics from this build
Here’s Tavis’ concept drawing:
You can see here that this started with a pretty ordinary, rough wagon:
Here’s the completed project. Click the pictures to see the build process.
Here’s a look at the motor (from Roadmaster.org):
Willys Images from Wikimedia
At some point this image was uploaded to Wikimedia. I thought it was a nice, detailed, large image. Click on the image and you can check out the details pretty closely.
One more set of pics from the Four Corners
This is the final set of pics from of the Four Corners from Alan. I’ll combine these separate posts into one at some point.
1969 CJ-5 w/ Camper Harpers Ferry, WV **SOLD**
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay
“We have a 1969 Jeep CJ Camper They only made 336 of these I have found on the internet there only a hand ful of them left. they are rare as hens teeth. this a V6 engine with a three speed trans. It needs a complete restoration as you can see from the pics. it is being sold on a Bill of sale only it looks to be about 95% complete we do see it is missing some hub caps/ gear shifter knob/ some camper parts/ It did run when parked any questions please call me my name is Dannon”
1964 King Midget Pt. Pleasant, NJ $5500
Need a car that’s a little easier on gas than your jeep? How about this one cylinder car HOG spotted. No, it’s not 4wd and it is smaller than some golf carts, but I figured I’d post it anyway. Besides, even if you don’t like the car, check out the turn signal/running lights on the front. Those might be a nice conversion option for older jeeps.
I have never seen a King Midget. There were 3 basic models of the Midget. The first model was a one seater, like a mini-racing car from the early 1900s. The second model expanded to two seats, along with other additional options. The third model increased strength and horsepower.
The King Midget Car website has this video, which shows a variety of old Midgets:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJv0a7dUbIU&feature=player_embedded
“I am selling a 1964 King Midget, “Worlds Most Exciting Small Car”. The car is in outstanding condition and is a A.A.C.A Senior show winner. The engine is a One cylinder, with 2 speed auto trans; the car gets 60-90 miles per gallon! The odometer reads 5,226. If you are wondering, YES, this car is street legal and another interesting fact about the King Midget is that they were only available by mail order from 1952-1970. I am forced to sell the car due to a death in the family and am sad to see this “small” gem of a car go.”
VMSB244.com Honors some WWII Vets
Alan has been sharing those great jeeping images from the Four Corners. He helps run a website called VMSB244.com where WWII men from the VMSB244 squadron are honored and remembered. One cool feature is that they have scanned original letters written by the men of that squadron.
Photos from WWII at Ewa, Hi
Here are some images taken by Alan’s grandfather during WWII.The first two appear to be a GPW.
Alan writes, “These WWII photos came from my grandfather while he was with VMSB 244 on EWA, HI. The guys would train at Ewa and then go on to Midway and many other Islands during their time in the Marine Corp.”
WWII Jeep at Small Museum in Auchonvillers, France
If you happen to be in France and staying at the Avril Williams Guest House, in Auchonvillers, France, you must take a trip across the street and visit the small museum. There you will find a set of compact dioramas from several wars. In the World War II diorama sits a restored MB or GPW of some vintage.
I found a pic of the jeep at this website, which follows someone’s journey through the battlefields of France.
A FC Roundup of my own — My First Ride in a Forward Control
As I mentioned a couple days ago, the FC Round up was this weekend in Arizona. Well, I didn’t have time to make it down there. But, that didn’t stop me from having a FC Round Up of my own.
A reader asked me to check out a Forward Control for sale about 45 minutes north of me. I had some time today, so I drove out to meet with the seller, Daryl, who was awfully nice and very informative.
Well, it turns out Daryl didn’t just have 1 FC, he had 5: 2 FC-170s, an FC-170 DRW, an FC-170 with an expertly extended frame and aftermarket Dually setup, and an FC-150. Daryl had a story about each one and pointed out some things I didn’t know. Daryl and his son developed an interest in them a few years ago, brought them home, and hope to get working on them soon.
The nicest one, which Daryl has for sale, runs and drives, so he took me for a ride. It was the first ride in an FC for me and, hopefully, not the last! We cruised up the road a bit, then cruised back. I had hoped to take a video, but the video on my phone stopped working (turns out it was operator error, but I didn’t figure that out until later).
He said he didn’t mind if I posted a few pictures, so here they are. Thanks for a fun afternoon Daryl!
Here’s a shot of their collection:
Here’s an FC-170 that was used for years by a farmer to feed his cattle. But he had a problem, how could he stand on the back of the FC and toss the hay off the back and drive at the same time? His solution was his custom auto pilot contraption. He would get the Jeep going, attached his ‘auto pilot’ and then climb into the back and throw out hay as he drove along.
This FC-170 DRW has a racheting system to raise and lower the spare tire. I don’t remember ever coming across other FCs with that. Unfortunately, it was hard to get a great shot of this.
Brian’s 1945 MB on Display
In July of 2010 Brian found a 1945 MB on eWillys which he purchased. After getting it home and getting some repairs done, he decided that it should go to work for him, so he’s been lending it out for people to use for photos or as a display. So, many of you have probably seen pics of jeeps doing just about everything, but have you ever seen it used to sell books? I thought it was a great idea!
Brian writes, “I’ve actually rented the jeep out already to people for photos and display use – it all helps with the costs. I recently rented it to be on display at a Book Launching (Surviving Your Serengeti by Stefan Swanepoel) attended by over 10,000 people. There are also more photos from their book launch and people around my jeep at the Author’s facebook http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=99032510438&aid=332726″
Here are a couple pics:
The Second Set of Pics — The Southwestern Utah 1961 Trip
Here’s another round of pics from the 1961 Four Corners trip his father-in-law and his father-in-law’s father took. You can see the earlier round here.
Now, for a bit of trivia, the four corners monument is actually 1800 feet away from the real point where the four states meet. You can learn why here.
And here they have arrived at the Four Corners, a place which looks a bit different than it looks now!
The FC Roundup this Weekend & Blaine finds a Champ
A reader named Blaine couldn’t resist getting a shot with this Champ. You probably remember it from this post. Apparently, it’s still available. They do sort of grow on you ….
Blaine writes, “Here is the restored Champ in Scottsdale, AZ with me standing next to it. My son wanted to show me a car lot with collector cars ,and lo and behold, here is the Champ. I’m in Phoenix for the FC Roundup right now.”
The Overland Tent Trailers
HOG pointed out these unusual tent trailers. This comes from an article at Jpfreek.com about outfitting a multi-day adventure.
Builds: Diego finishes his CJ-2A
After initially purchasing this CJ-2A, Diego shared some pictures with me. It was pretty rough and I knew he was had plenty of work ahead of him. He recently completed it, especially considering the rough condition of the original, has turned out really nice.
Diego write, ‘I finally finished my project after almost two years. It has sometimes been a pleasure and sometimes a pain in the neck, but at least I’m pretty happy with the results. And even though is CJ2A post war jeep, I gave it a military theme. I always like the military style.”
Well done Diego!
You can see the entire transformation here.
Before:
After:
1974 CJ-5 Frame with a Boat Body Bronx, Ny eBay
HOG forwarded this. Who thinks up these things? What’s the thought process like? Well, I have this jeep and I have this boat … what to do, what do …. maybe I should install the boat on the jeep frame, but not make it able to float. Brilliant! Whoever did it gets a point for daring to do something really different.
“Who doesn’t want a 4wd JEEP powered 17′ Stick shift Galaxy boat! I wish I had the time to put this thing back on the road myself, but my lack of time and loss of storage is your gain! What I have for sale here is a 1974 Jeep CJ5 with the body cut off and a Galaxy 17′ boat hull attached!
It has been in storage since the early 1980’s. It was really well done! No it’s not amphibious but it is fun and you know there will not be another one at the drive thru or out on the trail! It ran and drove when it was put away but needs some work to go back on the road now. The 258ci strait six Jeep motor turns free and the manual transmission feels ok. The brakes need to be gone thru totally, the master cylinder is missing but is a stock jeep piece and can be bought at any auto parts store, all of the mechanical parts are actually readily available because they are jeep.
Its a fiberglass 17′ Galaxy hull that can be painted or polished back to a shine! I flat towed it from where it was so I know everything spins and turns. Unfortunately THERE IS NO TITLE OR PAPERWORK for it so it will be sold with just a bill of sale for the Jeep vin number. This is 100% as is no warrantee no guarentee!”
4 Jeeps in Museum Im Zeughaus Schaufhausen, Switzerland
According to the photographer, Massimo Foti, the Museum Im Zeughaus, located in Schaufhausen, Switzerland, is a very good museum, though it’s open infrequently.
Massimo writes on this Flickr Page: This is a very nice museum, solely focused on material used by the Swiss Army. It has an impressive collection of 20th swiss artillery and soft-skins, plus some cool AFVs. Its only drawback is that it opens only less than ten days each year… But since it’s enterely run by volunteers, I don’t complain. The pictures in this set were taken during various visits, using different equipment, so quality isn’t consistent and some older shots aren’t that great. But since the Museum isn’t very well know, I am including them to give as much visibility as possible to this excellent collection.
All of these photo’s were snapped by Massimo:
Here’s a CJ-3B:
Here’s a CJ-3A
Here’s a CJ-5
Here’s what appears to be a M-38A1 C, though it doesn’t have the ‘gapped’ split windshield.