Features Research Archives

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Mid-1960s Model CJ-5 Plastic Jeep

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

UPDATE: This looks to have been an MPC model, as MPC created a variety of jeep-related models. One particular kit by MPC allowed for the creation of three different kinds of jeep: ! Hill Climbing Dune Buggy Jeep, A Stock Jeep, or a Service Station Jeep. Here’s an example of that model on eBay.

Here’s a better example of the service station CJ-5 model from Barney Goodwin:

jeep-model-texaco-barney

And here is a 16 minute video on the history of the AMT model company (and explains how MPC formed). I found it interesting (no mention of jeeps):

Here’s another CJ-5 Service Station model that is labeled an MPC:

https://skidsplace.forumotion.com/t3457-mpc-jeep-cj5

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This model sold on eBay yesterday for $25. What I found interesting was the level of detail, from the Dauntless engine mounts, to the Canfield Push-Plate on the front, to the Meyer half-cab details.

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1955 Koenig Road Service Brochures

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

UPDATE: This sold years ago on eBay, but I never posted all the pics I got from the auction. It is a good example of Koenig’s Wrecker and road service brochure. Along with tow packages, it includes helper springs, PTO add-ons, push-bumpers, and more. 

It is bulletin 155 (which likely means it was published in January of 1955) and then revised in April of 1955.

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Flatfender Lapel Pins on eBay

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

There are three lapel pins on eBay for $21.05/each (or make offer + $7.65 shipping) that come from Germany. I can’t speak to their history or whether they are all that old.

View all the information on ebay

“Jeep Lapel Pin Willys Varnished 60er Years – Dimensions 0 25/32×0 15/32in”

lapel-pins

 
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1955 Fire Truck at the Petrified National Park

• CATEGORIES: Features, Fire/Police/Industry Vehicles, Willys Trucks This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
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The truck is located at the Painted Desert Visitors center along Route 66 and I-40 at Petrified National Park in Arizona.

Eric posted some pics of a modified 1955 Willys fire truck to Facebook the other day. Apparently, the truck was originally stationed at the Chiricahua National Monument, then at the Fort Bowie National Monument, before arriving in 2016 at the Petrified Forest National Park.

Somehow, I have never been to any one of these three national parks. As a boy, we’d go jeeping at the Beverly Sand Dunes and finding petrified wood was no big deal, so I’ve never seen a reason to stop at the Petrified Forest NP. There other two are definitely worth a stop on our next Arizona trip; When will that be? Maybe spring of 2022?.

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The truck pictured looks to be a Valley Fire Truck model, white the white truck appears more like a General Fire modified truck.

My guess is the jeep pictured in this National Park sign is a Valley Fire modified truck, while, given the low rear bed, I think the white fire truck was likely originally modified by General Fire into a model they called “The General Commando”. According to the CJ-3B page, the General Commando came in both open top (similar to a Personnel Carrier) and a closed top, more typical of a standard truck.

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I could imagine that for the forest service’s use, remove the interior portion of the fire truck bed, then covering it was a practical way to get more utility out of the truck.

 
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1955 Photo of Scouts and Jeep

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

This March 24, 1955, article from the Santa Cruz Sentinel shows Boys Scouts readying a jeep display to demonstrate both traffic safety and jeep camping.

1955-03-24-santa-cruz-sentinel-news-scouts-jeep-safety-lores

Pictured are Bruce Donald, Bill Scout, Pete Schipper and advisor Charles Cloud. The group was affiliated with Explorer Post 89.

 
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1944 Photo of Burma’s Lowest Point on eBay

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

This press photo’s caption’s text and ID number looks identical to the one posted in 2019 (at bottom), except now the caption paper itself is trimmed and now in color (unlike the one at bottom).

View all the information on eBay

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Originally posted May 16, 2019: This press photo shows the lost point in the Burma Road (as of 1944).

“American Jeep on the Burma Road.
An American Jeep Rides through a section of the Burma Road in China that is cut right into the rocky mountainside. This is at the road’s lowest point of elevation, 2960 feet. Picture form the Chinese Ministry of information. Associated Press Photo EEM 10-13-1944 430P CNS.”

1944-10-13-burma-road-lowest-point 1944-10-13-burma-road-lowest-point2

 
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March 1948 Country Gentleman Ad w/ Monroe Lift on eBay

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

UPDATE: This is back up for sale on eBay.

View all the information on ebay

At the very least, this Country Gentleman Magazine ad appears on page 41 of Country Gentleman’s March 1948 issue. It may appear in other issues as well. If you want the entire issue, rather than just the ad, try this link: 1948 March Country Gentleman

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1952 Photo of Emily Osborne and a CJ-3A(?)

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

This looks to be a CJ-3A (the rubber seal around the edge of the windshield is one clue) with a Worman hardtop. Emily Osborne owns both the jeep and the farm.

https://collections.mnhs.org/cms/display?irn=10736646

“Emily Osborne works an eighty acre farm north of Albert Lea; she is shown here checking the oil in her jeep.”

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1942 Video of Akyab Landing

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

John shared this video. It shows the first landing of troops in Burma on the island of Akyab. Jeeps (looks like all Willys MBs) only appear in the first 16 seconds of the video.

This second video gives more of an overview (with narration) of the same landing force, which arrived unopposed (no jeeps).

 
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Photos From the Museum of American Armor

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

Nick visited the Museum of American Armor in Old Bethpage State Park, Long Island, New York, and took these photos for us.

Here’s a video from the Museum’s website:

Nick wrote, “Right when you walk in and scattered throughout with the heavy artillery are a number of well preserver/restored jeeps. The second vehicle you see when entering is a nice GPW. Then, there are blue and yellow newer-looking jeeps (looked like a 3a and an m38a1), which they drive and use around the park. The museum has a very nice OD m38a1 and an M-718 ambulance jeep. They also have an M-274 Mule, a Mighty mite, and an MB.

They have several volunteers that restore the vehicles and many are driven around. And, if you want to take a ride in a tank in an old battlefield setting, I believe you can for a reasonable donation (think it’s like $125).

Here’s a GPW:

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This M-38A1 looks well restored:

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This CJ-3A? may have an aftermarket hood. It looks like there’s possibly a “Follow Me” M-38A1 behind the blue jeep:

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This appears to be an MB:

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And another MB amongst a Commando car on the left and an M-151 on the right:

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1945 Photo of a Follow Me Jeep

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

This photo shows Police Chief Schrage in the new Burbank airport “Follow Me” jeep used for the escort parking of aircraft. The aircraft in front of the jeep is a Lockheed Hudson, also known as a Lodestar. Note the camouflage in background. The photo is an 8 x 10 in. black and white photograph.

https://digital-collections.csun.edu/digital/collection/SFVH/id/3889

 
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Jeep’s Best Burlap Potato Sack

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

This potato sack sold for over $60, though I don’t know the exact selling price. Jevon Aasand (1921-2000) owned the Aasand Potato company, but I’m not sure who owned/managed the Jeep’s Best brand.

jeeps-best-potatoes-osseo-mn

 
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1960 “A Jeep Can Go Anywhere” Article

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

Columnist Russ Leadabrand thinks the jeep is the best way to see California. This column appeared in the June 29, 1960, issue of the Pasadena Independent:

1960-06-29-pasadena-independent-jeep-exploring-lores

 
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February 1945 Photo on Iwo Jima of Ambulance Jeep

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

This National Archives photo was taken on Iwo Jima in February of 1945. The Original Caption read: Duck Row—Enroute to the front lines, a stretcher jeep travels a matting runway as it passes a pool of amphibious trucks near the beach at Iwo.

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/32607197

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The Jeepster at the I-95 Welcome Center

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

In 2018 when driving south from Philadelphia to Delaware, a reader recommended we stop at the northbound welcome center along I-95. Unfortunately, as we were driving south, we got a little confused, then we realized that to turn around was going to take more time than we’d allotted. So, we never got to see what was at the Welcome Center.

Yesterday, someone posted a picture of a Jeepster that sits inside the Welcome Center, so now we know what we missed! We’ll definitely stop on our next trip, should we head north on I-95.

 
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Report from the 2021 Parker Arizona Military Event

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

Joe-in-Mesa filed this report from last weekend’s Parker Military Vehicle Display and Swap Meet in Parker, Arizona.

The inaugural Parker event was a great time, and very relaxing. No signal to speak of at the display area and campsite along the river, so we actually just communicated with one another with no outside world interruptions. Signal was normal once you got out onto highway 95 and back at our hotel in Parker.  The highlight for me was a true “Bucket List” item: trail ride to The Desert Bar (Nellie E. Saloon) Saturday afternoon. I also enjoyed the Friday night dinner and presentation about the WWII desert training areas Patton established in that area, mostly Arizona and California.

Here is a rest stop pic of the convoy to Parker with us up front (first time towing BOTH my WWII jeeps – new truck and trailer) and my friend David Webster with his MB and trailer.

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Parker, Arizona, is located along the Colorado River on the western edge of Arizona.

Below are my wife Jan and David mugging during set up day one with my jeeps sporting the awesome covers I got from Ian Liljeblad (www.bigwillyjeep.com)

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Lots of vendors displayed parts and militaria.  Military Vehicles on display were mostly 1/4 ton to 3/4 ton (more than 2 dozen).

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Friends’ jeeps and a mule (far left) parked for the dinner and presentation on Friday night about the WWII Desert Training Area by a Yuma Proving Ground museum curator. 

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The weather was perfect. On Friday evening we enjoy this beautiful sunset over the Colorado River looking west from the La Paz County Campgrounds, Parker, Arizona.

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1954 Tractor Field Book Farm Jeep Ad

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

This Farm Jeep ad from this 1954 Tractor Field Book Magazine purchased off eBay shows that the Farm Jeep was still being advertised as late at 1954 (though there’s no record any Jeep Tractors were made past 1951). In fact, it’s estimated that in 1954 only 12 Farm Jeeps were produced, and the ones that were made were of the CJ-3B-Farm-Jeep variety rather than the CJ-3A version. This ad below shows the CJ-3B version, serial number prefix 454-GC2.

1954-tractor-field-work-mag-farm-jeep-cj3b-ad

 

 

 
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1945 BF-Goodrich Tires Ad on ebay

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

This ad with women sipping tea while soldiers push through thick mud just expired on eBay, but will likely be relisted. It seems a bit unfair to women, as if they didn’t know a war was going on. I would imagine that most women likely were the main food shoppers and had to deal with shortages beyond just rubber.

View all the information on eBay

“Condition:  Near Mint
Size (approximate): 10″ X 12″
Source: Magazine
Miscellaneous: One page print advertisement”

1945-bf-goodrich-ad-women-tea

 
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Mid 1950s Kaiser-Willys of Canada Ads

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

This ad appeared in the March 28, 1955, issue of Canada’s National Post. I didn’t realize Kaiser Willys of Canada was using the phrase “Canada’s Most Useful Vehicles”.

1955-03-28-national-post-willys-canada-ad-lores

A year later, in 1956, the company was still using the phrase. This was posted in the September 22, 1956, issue of the Financial Post:

1956-09-22-national-post-jeep-ads-lores

 

 
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August 1942 Photo from Guadacanal

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

This photo appeared in the August 21, 1942, issue of the LA Times, along with a number of other newspapers.

1942-08-31-latimes-jeeps-guadalcanal-lores

 
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Waterproofing a Jeep; Only Takes 45 Hours!

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

John shared this video. It shows some of the steps involved with waterproofing a jeep.

 
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Joe Dope Slams on His Brakes

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

A good digital example of Joe Dope slamming on his brakes from the National Archives:

joe-dope-slams-brakes-national-archives-lores

 
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Willys-Jeep Wood Model with Trailer on ebay

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

This is a curious model. It looks like someone may have been trying to make a Willys MA.The grille and the double gauges make me think that. Just how ‘vintage’ it might be isn’t clear to me. It’s currently priced at $189.99. No description provided.

View all the information on ebay

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Western’s 1947 Aluminum/Steel Kid’s Pedal Jeeps

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

UPDATE: The University of Washington’s Digital Collections includes the below photo with a more accurate date (1947) and description. According to the UW Library, pictured in the top photo is Joe Woolfe and his grandson

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Previously Posted February 11, 2019: These images were posted on Facebook and the toy jeeps attributed to Boeing. However, as a commenter pointed out below, these were actually produced by Western Toy Company in 1959. Here are some other examples.

(02/11/2019) These jeeps are pictured in front of the old Seattle Art Museum (we did field trips there in high school) which is inside Volunteer Park in Seattle, Washington.

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“Powered By The Famous Hurricane Engine” Emblem

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

UPDATE: The mystery is solved. These badges were used on mid-1905s Mercury Kiedhaefer outboard motors (and possibly other models). Thanks to Mike for greatly helping solve this issue.

This example is a 1955 MERCURY KIEKHAEFER 18 HP, MARK 28 HURRICANE with the “Powered by the Famous Hurricane Engine” emblem/badge:

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Originally Posted March 24, 2021: I’d hoped to explore this topic a little more, but life had other plans in store last night … Hopefully, someone can shed some light on this topic …..

A truck listed here has an unfamiliar emblem that reads ‘Powered By The Famous Hurricane Engine’.  I’m not familiar with this emblem.

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The first reference I found to that phrase was from a Willys-Overland 50th Anniversary Ad, which included an image of a Willys Aero-Eagle and, underneath, a reference to that phrase as seen here. In 1953, the Aero-Eagle was powered by the F-161 Hurricane Engine:

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From this 1953 ad showing the Willys-Overland models:

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Next, I found the phrase in this newspaper Ad:

1953-05-07-heppner-gazette-times-cj3b-ad

My theory is that maybe it was a emblem that was added to some Hurricane engines of the era?? But, I just can’t get any research traction on the issue.

OTHER EMBLEMS:

Here are pics of two other similar emblems. This dark blue one was sold at some auction:

powered-by-the-famous-hurricane-engine-emblem1 powered-by-the-famous-hurricane-engine-emblem2

And this one was on eBay at some point:

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