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Book Review: The Jeep (book) by the Olyslager Organisation

• CATEGORIES: Bantam-FordGP-WillysMA-EarlyJPs, Books, Features, Unique Jeeps, Unusual • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

I don’t know when or where it came from, but at some point my parents obtained a book simply titled “The Jeep“.  It was mostly a picture book, which as a young kid was perfectly fine with me.  I open and looked through it many, many times. Ok, I still open it ….

However, it wasn’t just a book with a few pics of jeeps you see everyday.  Instead, it’s a slim book full of a wide range of pictures.  Of course, there’s the standard bantam, mb, seep, gpw, etc. But, there’s also, for example, 3 images of the Willys/Nuffied modified airborne jeep, seen to the right (though not from the book — it’s from a russian site — the book images of the Willys/Nuffield are at the bottom of this post).

I bring this up, as I ran across a copy of the book at the Boise Library today.  So, I snapped a few images of the pictures with my digital camera (hence the poor quality – purchase the book to see them sharply) and will post a some of them.

I haven’t asked for permission to post them (I TRIED to, but can’t find the contact info for them), so I’ll add this pitch for the book.  This book is a must for any jeep nut.  While it’s a fairly small book with only 64 pages, the collectors prices (at amazon) were hovering around $45. It’s a perfect size for your kids.  The organization responsible for publishing the book is the Olyslager Foundation (link?), which has published a number of other cool books listed at the Open Library Project.

Now for some cool, but poor quality pics to wet your appetite…

One of my favorite sections of the book show how quickly a crate jeep can be put together.  The book documents this particular group only took 3 minutes and 31 seconds to put it togther.

Check out the rest of the pics …..

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South Webster High School “Jeeps”

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

Who woulda thunk it?  It turns out South Webster High School in Ohio adopted the Jeep mascot more than 50 years go.  Though it’s not jeep the vehicle, rather it’s Jeep from Popeye, it’s still cool in my book.

“Before 1940, South Webster High School athletic teams had no official name, although local sportswriters sometimes referred to them as the “midgets.

However, in 1940 the rules of basketball, by accident, helped to produce the mighty JEEP. By the rule in 1940, coaches were not permitted on the playing floor to instruct players. Coaching had to be done prior to the start of the game or at half-time. During rest periods between the first and third quarters of play the team manager at South Webster would roll a small box onto the court to supply players with refreshments and first-aid materials. However, the coach at South Webster was accused (and rightly so perhaps) of sending in plays and instructive notes in this little four-wheeled box. Local fans were positive that when that little box was sent onto the floor, players were getting more than refreshments. Everyone knew that the box contained answers to the problems being presented by the opposing team.

Also in 1940, a favorite comic strip contained a character who knew everything. In 1936, the charater of “Eugene the Jeep,” a small bright-eyed creature from Africa who was all-knowing, was introduced into the “Popeye” comic strip. Popeye gave the Jeep to his girlfriend, Olive Oyl, as a birthday gift. The Jeep, whose diet consisted of orchids, helped popeye solve many difficult situations in his comic strip career.

Since the JEEP was all-knowing, some local South Webster people associated the coach’s box, containing messages to his players, with the comic strip character.

According to, what is now legend, the late Mayor of South Webster, Mr. Gilbert Havener, is credited as the first person to label the box as the “JEEP BOX.” The sports editor of The Portsmouth Times (now Daily Times), Lynn Wittenberg, picked up the term and used it in describing South Webster’s 1940 Scioto Country Tournament team.

The mascot was never officially adopted, but has been, since 1940, generally accepted….”

Learn More Here

 
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Flatfender Brewing Company

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

Here’s a jeeper who turned 2 passions (beer and jeeping) into a business.  Learn more about Flatfender Brewing.

“We are an online,  local, & delivery service for all of your homebrew needs. We are located in Crescent City Ca . This is 15 miles south of the California Oregon border & about 1 mile from the pacific ocean. Our town is surrounded by huge redwood trees & one of the cleanest rivers in the United States. We can order anything you might need that we do not stock.  I am Brian & i am know as “jeepguy” on forums & in a pc game i play called battlefield 1942. I also like jeeps & like to build & wheel them.”

 
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FarmJeep.com

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

I stumbled upon the farmjeep website this morning.  It includes two extensive rebuilds, one about Ole Blue and one about Old Yeller.  Both appear to have been in poor shape when they ‘retrieved’ them.  Fortunately, the site authors have documented the restorations well.  Also, a nice jeep family history is part of the site, including an image of a jeep with side skirts, something I’ve never seen before.

For those into farm jeep implements, the site includes a great list of vintage farm jeep ads and an overview of farming aides for the jeep, including PTOs, lifts and more.

http://www.farmjeep.com

 
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Increasing old Jeep Sales and the Economy

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

Christopher made an interesting point in one his comments.  He mentioned that he’s seeing more jeeps for sale.  Well, oh boy, did this get me thinking ….. and while this is tangentially related to jeeps, it more about my thoughts on the economy.

I agree wholeheartedly with Christopher.  I believe the number of flat fenders appearing for sale is greater now, and the prices better, than I’ve seen since I started following them (which is only 2 years mind you).  Most of the ads appear to have the same theme, ‘don’t want to sell but need the money’.  Now, I don’t keep actual stats on this, but I have been pondering ways to do this without it being a time burden …

Combing Trends

When I combine the jeep sale trend I see with the recent October filings for unemployment insurance (highest in 16 years) and the record drop in October US house sales (worst in 50 years), plus the number of job applications per job here in Boise, I get the feeling the economy is still heading downward.

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Reader Builds — More on Paul’s 1944 MB

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

Paul has supplied us with some additional pics and an explanation of the mounting system.  You can view the full article about Paul’s jeep here.

“The first pic with the hood open shows the two Dzus (brand name) (learn how to pronounce Dzus) fasteners which help hold the hood down when inserted into the brackets shown in the 2nd pic.  The brackets are just above the yellow ignition coil and next to the master cylinder.  I also use another fastener (for a total of 4 to hold the hood) on the back side of the flat fenders.  The last image shows another view of the ½” pipe as it is bolted to the top side of the flat fenders. ”

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Jeep Thrills visits the Jawadhu Hills

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

Siva has updated his blog with a recent trip to the Jawadhu Hills by a few members of the Jeep Thrills jeep club.  One of the more interesting differences between jeeping in the U.S. and jeeping in India may be summed up by Siva,  “Jawadhu hills has around 270 mountain villages, people in these villages needs to walk for 4kms to 20kms to reach the main road.”  So, the terrain may be remote, yet you may still find yourself passing the occasional pedestrian or stopping for lunch at a local village after traveling over difficult terrain.  Thanks for the update Siva!

I tried to locate the Jawadhu Hills, but instead found the Javadhu Hills near Vellore that lie between two rivers, Ponnaiyar and Palar.  Is that the correct location?  Vandavasi, where you had breakfast, is near there.

 
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My Build — The Seats

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

A reader just received a 1951 CJ-3A. Since the seats in it weren’t something he wanted, he asked what I had done for seats. I realized I hadn’t really covered the topic, so here’s what I did and why I did it.

As you probably know, my first jeep was built from an ex fiberglass racing jeep (oh where oh where did those pictures go). From that jeep I used the body, frame, roll cage and seats as the foundation for what became my first jeep (which I called the ‘great escape’). The fiberglass seats were mounted on a 2 1/2″ pipe that was welded to the frame. A hole was cut through the bottom of the body and the pipe stuck through the body (not only did the thickness of the body help keep the pipes from moving, but the pipes held the body in place — a nice synergistic effect). On the upper end of the pipe were threads. Onto those threads a square platform was screwed onto the pipe. The seats were screwed onto the platform. It’s a one size fit’s me approach that works for me and people of similar size. The back of the seats were then bolted to a plate that connected to a bar that was part of the rollcage. So, those seats did not move. They were solid, despite their thin profile.

Because the seats were already there and they seemed to fit me fine, I went ahead and used them as is. As I raced, drove it every day, and used it in the trails, the positioning of the seats was perfect. I felt secure and tight when I raced, I never got uncomfortable during long drives, my back never got sore, and there was enough padding for enduring the trails. For me, those were some of the most perfect driving seats I have ever used.

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Preproduction Civilian Jeeps — A Great Book!

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

After reading the book review about “Preproduction Civilian Jeeps” from Jim Allen on Derek Redmond’s CJ-3B site (scroll to mid-page), I decided to purchase the book.  While I’m hesitant about purchasing jeep books, due to the fact that the images are often reprints of images I’ve already seen or that the text isn’t all that informative, Jim’s review intrigued me enough to spur me to action.

Thankfully, I was extremely happy with the book I received.  Frederic Coldwell’s Preproduction Civilian Jeeps manages to avoid the traps I mention above, producing a text that’s rich in information, details and images that are both unique and investigative.   In fact, the book is down right humbling.  I thought I knew jeeps pretty well, but reading this book taught me what I didn’t know about what I didn’t know.

Though each chapter is full of information, I think my favorite chapter was the final one, where Fred reveals how photographs have been altered by marketing staffs during the 40s so that the jeep that’s pictured in the photograph looks more like the Willys being sold to the public.   In some ways it’s a test; by the final chapter, has the reader learned enough to tell what the marketing department did to change the original images and why they did it?

I’m thinking I will paint in white ‘X2008’ on the rear bumper.  Read the book to learn why 🙂

 
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1977 Russian UAZ 469-B San Diego, CA **SOLD**

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

UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay

For that 4×4 collector that has almost everything?

“You are bidding on a very hard to find 1977 UAZ 469-B, 4X4, Ex- Russian Military Jeep VIN# 203815. The 2.5 L gasoline motor with only 40,000 KM runs very good. It has a 4-speed manual transmission with a high, neutral and low range transfer case. These trucks are rugged and simple 4X4’s, very popular in the Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa.”

 
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Brian’s Military Jeeps has moved to WWIIJeepParts.com

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

Brian’s Mililtary Jeeps website can now be found at http://www.wwiijeepparts.com/.  If you haven’t visited the site, you really should.  Brian has a wealth of information and details throughout the site.  For example,’What is Cosmoline?‘ is a question I never thought to ask, because I’d never heard of it; However, Brian not only knows to ask, but also has a ready answer! Below is Brian’s description of his website.

“The WWII Military Jeep Website – Dedicated to restoring WWII Jeeps – the MB, GPW – mfg. by Willys & Ford from 1941 – 1945, and outfitting them with proper parts, accessories, accouterments and militaria. MB/GPW, Slat Grill, “F” Script and other Rare Parts For Sale & Trade. “

 
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Four Wheeling Plus in Ellensburg, Wa

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

Four Wheeling Plus owner Ron Dunn Jr. is moving his shop to a smaller location, so he says he has some great deals on a variety of products.  You can learn more from the PNW4WDA website or go to his website.

“Yes I am selling my shop but NO I am not going out of business. I am selling my 6000 square foot shop that is pretty much out in the middle of nowhere and I hope to buy/lease a smaller building in town where I will get more foot and drive up traffic.”

 
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My Build — Oops, My Alternator Bolt is a Bit Too Long

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

Well, the best laid plans… While puzzling through the charging system, I decided I needed to pull off my alternator so I could determine exactly which kind of alternator I had (Delco 10SI 63 Amp — Determine your GM alternator).  As I pulled out the long bottom bolt upon which the alternator pivots, I discovered a problem: There wasn’t enough room to pull out the bolt.  Even after clipping a hole in my electric radiator framework, I still ran directly into the radiator (see the pic to the right).  Fortunately, I discovered can undo the radiator, shift it somewhat, and then can pull out the bolt far enough to let the alternator slip away.  So, at least I have a method, though elegant it isn’t!

 
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Fiberglass Race Body and Desert Dog/Coop Tires Eatonville, Wa **SOLD**

• CATEGORIES: Body Parts, Features, Racing, Tires and Rims • TAGS: , , This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE:  SOLD

If you are doing some PNW racing, here’s some good stuff for you.  Plenty of tread on those tires.  The body comes with fenders, hood and grille.

“Bobcat willys flat fender race body complete with seperate fenders hood and grill. Has removalable tailgate and no floor. Very good condition.$700.00

4 co-op front tires. 2 are brand new, 2 have 1 race and 1 spare. 10 desert dogs 2 are brand new and the rest are 60% and 85-90%. $1000.00 for all. Must take all tires. Will not separate.”

 
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My Build — Progress: Wiring & Lights

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

Over the past couple of days I’ve continued to make progress.  I’ve got the headlights and taillights installed.  The headlights had an unexpected complication:  It turned out the modern 5 1/2″ bulb wouldn’t sit correctly into the 50 year old mount, so I had to encourage a better fit with my grinder.

NOTE:  One set of items I don’t seem to have are front turn signals.  I’d like to find a set of the cone turn signals that I believe were on a mid 60s Willys truck like these.  If you know of any, please let me know where I can find some.

With the lights attached, I started the wiring process.  My main goal is to make it as easy as possible to unattach the body for painting or repair purposes.  So, for example, after installing the taillights I ran a flexible tube along the body using some sheet metal screws so that all the rear lighting stayed attached to body.  Anytime wiring needs to cross from the body to the frame, engine, etc, I’m trying to bridge it with some kind of plug.  So far so good.

Continue reading

 
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My Build — Front Shocks and Shock Mounts

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

I stopped by Buck’s 4×4 shop here in Boise yesterday and picked up some BDS Shocks.  My measurements showed I needed a pair of shocks that had a compressed size of approx 15″ and a maximum size of approx 25″.  It only took them a few minutes to find what I needed.  Best of all, the price was right — under $100.

Now that I had shocks, I could finally create the front shock mounts, something I’ve put off for a few months. I knew I wanted something similar to what I used last time for shock mounts.  On my last jeep I took some 1/2″ steel that was 4″ wide and bent it using a 10′ tube pipe and dad’s huge vice (firmly attached to a 1000lb bench).  The result were mounts that attached to the side of the frame, rounding up and out.  I liked the effect, so for this jeep I wanted to do something similar.  Instead of the steel I used last time, I took a piece of 1/4″ x 5.5″ x 6′ piece of steel I salvaged from my sisters’ farm and created my shock mounts from that.

Continue reading

 
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The Austin Gipsy

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

Expanding from the previous post about Austin Champs, the Austin Gipsy was a chance for Austin Champ designers to start from scratch using what they had learned from the Champ.

One of the most interesting features was an independent suspension design as seen in the drawing to the right.

Austin Gipsy Links:

 
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The Austin Gipsy (another British 4×4)

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

Expanding from the previous post about Austin Champs, and continuing our brief tour of british 4x4s, the Austin Gipsy was a chance for Austin Champ designers to start from scratch using what they had learned from the Champ.

One of the most interesting features was an independent suspension design as seen in the drawing to the right.

Austin Gipsy Links:

 
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1953 Austin Champ (British 4×4) Midland, MI **SOLD**

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

UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $2000

Brian forwarded this ad to me.  I’ve never knew these existed.  According to Wikipedia, these were built from 1951 – 1956 and were excellent cross country vehicles, apparently surpassing the capabilities of the Land Rover.  However, though the Land Rover could only do 80% of what the Champ could do, the Land Rover cost much less to produce, so the Champ contract was eventually cancelled.  Interestingly, the Champ had a 5 speed synchromesh tranny with reverse adapted to the rear drive line apart from the tranny, so that the Champ could do 5 speeds backwards as well.  Finally, the Champ had no transfercase, instead the driveline went to the rear differential and then there was a takeoff to the front differential (which had a clutch to control 2wd/4wd mode).  These would make a very interesting project.”

 
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Puzzled about Brake Line Sizes

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

Once again, I’ve been searching the internet.  The newest quest for information involves brake line sizes.  Specifically, as I posted a few days ago, I pulled brakes lines and a combo valve from a late 80s Cherokee.

One of the things I didn’t realize initially was that the front brakes lines are 3/16″ while the rear line is 1/4″.  The question I had was, does that matter?  After some searching, I landed on the Hotrodders site where readers discussed this issue.  The nut of the discussion was that this should not be an issue and, in fact, has been done on many newer vehicles….

 
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Certifiablejeep.com

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

While doing some research on brakelines, I came across certifiablejeep.com, a website that appears to mostly follow CJ-5s and CJ-7s.   There’s some good information on the website.

“This site is dedicated to all that is Jeep. Mostly CJ’s are depicted and discussed on this site, but it isn’t limited to just CJ’s. We have been live now for for a little over 3 years and in that time we have met and talked with many people. The site has grown by leaps and bounds since its inception. It is still geared towards those who want to enjoy the Jeep lifestyle and gain and share knowledge about Jeeps.”

Certifiable Jeep.com

 
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Anyone know where to find Vintage Mud Flaps?

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

This afternoon I spent some time searching the internet to find some type of vintage mud flaps, without much success. I’m looking for some flexible rubber flaps with some type of 4×4 image or logo on them. Here’s an example of what I had on my last jeep (I should have kept those …).

 
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Reader’s Builds — Don Giovanini’s CJ-3B

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

Don’s got a beautiful CJ-3B that he’s clearly spent a great deal of time building.  Only a labor of love would produce details as unique as ‘a 4 barrel with a holley from a scout’.  If you don’t see this weekly driver around town, then he’s likely in the the hills of Colorado.

Some stats:

  • A 1954 CJ-3B that has the nomenclature plate for government service.
  • 231 buick bored .030 balanced
  • Eldebrock performer 4 barrel with a holley from a scout with a small venturi
  • Continue reading
 
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Builds — Vivek’s CJ-3B

• CATEGORIES: CJ-3B, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Vivek purchased a 1967 CJ-3B right hand drive Mahindra at the end of 2004.  According to his early blog notes, the jeep barely started, was missing the front drive line, and generally needed a lot of work.  When he finally did pick it up, on the way back it stalled, requiring the help of some local builders to move it out of the way of a bus.  Fast forward several years later and you can see Vivek and his CJ-3B pictured on the right.

Among Vivek’s challenges was his effort to get the papers.  Not only were the papers absent, but apparently the owner wanted to sell the jeep, but the owner’s son did not.  It took a few weeks before Vivek could get the original papers, insisting the owner drop the price slightly further for all the trouble the owner caused him.  You can read about the purchase here.

Learn more about Vivek’s recent engine rebuild, the jeep club he belongs to, and some recent jeeping pictures. Also, check out Vivek’s friend UBS and his one-of-a-kind jeep collection.

Vivek’s working for the next few months in Milipitas, California.  When he heads back in December, he hopes to take back a lift kit with him.  If anyone has any suggestions, comment below.

 
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One owner, 5 mechanics & 45 flatfenders …

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

A gentleman named Vivek contacted me last night.  He ran across ewillys while searching for some jeep parts.  He’s from India and owns a CJ-3B that he restored.  He’s currently working in California for a few months, before heading back to India, so he’s looking to locate a few parts he can take back with him (there’s enough jeeping in India that maybe I ought to head there and work for a few months — can I get a job with my MBA Vivek?).  I’ll be highlighting him and his efforts in a post I’ll write in the next few days.

For now, I want to thank Vivek for opening up the interesting world of jeeping in India to me.  After a few email exchanges, he pointed me to a gentleman named Mr. Uday Bhan Singh.  Mr. Uday, it turns out, owns 45 flatfenders that he has collected over the span of 40 years.  This month, autocarindia did an article on him, which has been copied and posted to the Jeep Thrills website, which is also Vivek’s jeep club.

Here are links to the article pages which is worth reading (once open, click on the page to zoom into it):

Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

To say Mr. Uday is passionate about jeeps likely understates things; The article’s description of him as a Jeep Junkie is likely more accurate.  One look at the images of his “great arc” jeep and you’ll see he not only knows jeeps, but uses and jeeps with them.  Last year in his MB he navigated the length of the great arc, the 78th meridian that bisects India.  The meridian itself stretches about 583 miles as the crow flies, however the actual driving mileage was just under 1200 miles.

To complete this drive, Mr. Uday went prepared.  This jeep carries a few extra parts, such as 2 sets of springs mounted to the underside and a special contraption made of poles for helping winch out of difficult places that are strapped to the driver’s side.  I highly recommend reviewing the pictures.  Even the paint job is nicely unique (reminds me a bit of the follow-me jeep paint jobs).

thegreatarc