Magazine Research Archives

Jeeps filled magazines in various ways. Some magazines reported on brand new ‘Blitz Buggy’ and other important develops about the jeep during WWII. Others reported on the changing models during its civilian life. Still others showcased how jeeps were used and the modifications done to them.

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Africa U.S.A. and Jeeps

December 6, 2023 • CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine, Old Images, Postcards

UPDATE II: Here’s another Africa USA Postcard. It’s a available on eBay.

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UPDATED Aug 04, 2020: This post is an aggregation of Africa USA postcards and articles. Another postcard from the form adventure park popped up on eBay, this time with a CJ-5 pulling the trams:

View all the information on eBay

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Posted June 2019 on eBay, a CJ-3B pulling trams:

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From 2015: Africa USA, was part of a theme-park movement in the late 1950s that included New York’s Freedomland, Disneyland, Wisconsin’s Fort Dells, and others. By 1959, these parks were collectively generating revenue of $2 billion.

There is a feature article about these parks in the August 1, 1960, issue of Life Magazine. The picture below is from that article. You can take a ‘virtual’ jeep-train tour of Africa USA here (don’t expect much).

This article appeared in the December 1955 issue of Willys News. That’s the jeep train behind the animals.

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Oct. 1944 Pop Mechanics Sidewalk Jeep Instructions

November 21, 2023 • CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine, Models • TAGS: Popular-Mechanics, w.

The October 1944 issue of Popular Mechanics included instructions for building a “Sidewalk” jeep for kids (pgs 105-108). It also included on page six this image of an MB turned into a fire jeep.

Now, for “Coasting in a Sidewalk Jeep”:

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Fall 2023 Dispatcher Magazine

November 16, 2023 • CATEGORIES: Magazine

The newest issue of the Dispatcher Magazine arrived yesterday. In it, Peter Gebhardt shared his restored FC-170; Francisco Diaz provides more info about Spanish Viasa vehicles, specifically the Vans, and Steve Serrao shares his X-98 clone build, plus more!

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1945 Yank Magazine Article

November 7, 2023 • CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine

UPDATE: I originally posted this July 2, 2014. Thanks to Barry Thomas for the idea.

I’ve seen the cover of this September 21, 1945, issue numerous times, but never the interior story. So, here it is. Click on the story photo for a much larger version.

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August 1969 Cars & Parts Jeep History Article

October 19, 2023 • CATEGORIES: Bantam-FordGP-WillysMA-EarlyJPs, Features, Magazine

I ran across this August 1969 Cars & Parts magazine on ebay with the below history about jeep history. In it, the author references the use of “GP” or “General Purpose”, claiming that was how the military referred to the jeep. I still have yet to document any evidence that during WWII jeeps were labeled or referred to as “GP” or “General Purpose”. So, I wish the article’s author would have included a reference or example (and welcome any examples).

As I have argued before, the switch from Ford calling its prototype a Pygmy to the company calling it a GP happened without explanation, other than this excuse: G=government and P=80″ wheelbase. But, if that’s the case, why wasn’t the first one called a GP? And, where is the GL, GO, GQ, GR, GT, GV, VW models built by Ford? And what are the chances Ford’s initialism, when sounded out as an acronym, *just happened* to sound like the word “jeep”, a term that was making the rounds about the time the Pygmy was dropped off at Holabird (according to later court testimony).

Anyway, here’s the article:

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May 1948 Outdoor Life – Bountiful Jeep Posse

October 15, 2023 • CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine • TAGS: Jeep-Posse.

Here’s another story with images about the Bountiful Jeep Posse. This appeared in the May 1948 issue of Outdoor Life. Interestingly, this article summarizes the environmental history and purpose behind the creation of the Bountiful Jeep Posse.

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August 1969 Nat Geographic Tour Jeep Pics

October 15, 2023 • CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine

In August of 1969 National Geographic published a lengthly story on the state of Colorado. Near the end of the article is a photo overlooking Ouray with a few tour jeeps in the foreground.

I had hoped the FC-Tour Jeep that was depicted was mine, so I bought the issue on eBay, But, a couple clues indicate it is Craig’s tour jeep. Other tour jeeps shown are the white CJ-6, the red topless wagon, and the Commando tour jeep.

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July 30, 1945, The Postwar Jeep Life Magazine

October 13, 2023 • CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine

Though I created this two-page scan from the July 30, 1945, issue of Life Magazine ten years ago, but somehow it never got posted. You may have seen it other places, such as Barry’s Farm Jeep page.

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Summer 1974 “Life with Putt-Putt” Article

October 10, 2023 • CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine

This article, and the short two page article that follows it, appeared in the Summer 1974 issue of The Milestone Car periodical. I’d never heard of this publication nor the associated “Milestone Car Society”.

Continue reading →

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Sept 1950 Motor Magazine ‘Jeep Mountaineers’

October 4, 2023 • CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine

This article describes the use of the jeep in the mountain west. There are some interesting notes about salt lick placement requirements, too.

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March 1961 Motor Trend Wagon Review

September 30, 2023 • CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine

The author of this review evaluated his time driving in a 2WD wagon.

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Summer 2023 Dispatcher Magazine

August 11, 2023 • CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine

The Summer 2023 issue of Dispatcher Magazine arrived in my mailbox yesterday. That cover photo is beautiful (much better than my lousy scan would suggest). The issue includes an unknown-to-me story of how the Olympics helped sell the Jeep Comanche.

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Dec 1969 Man’s World Magazine

July 31, 2023 • CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine

Here’s another Men’s magazine that depicts a jeep on its cover.

View all the information on eBay

“Man’s World Magazine 2nd Series Vol. 15 #6 VG 1969”

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Jeep Yakima Rodeo March 1959 issue of Modern Man

June 22, 2023 • CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine, Old Images, Old Images Jeeping, Racing

UPDATE: This post originally appeared September 28, 2013:

It’s a dirty business, but hunting down jeep stories takes me through all types of content. In this case, I had to search through several pages of bare female breasts and bodies until I found this story about a Yakima Jeep Rodeo from the March 1959 issue of Modern Man. I can report that accompanying the enthusiastic models were several other interesting stories . . .

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Uranium ‘Gold’ Rush

June 15, 2023 • CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine • TAGS: Life-Magazine, Uranium.

UPDATE: This was originally published April 22, 2015

1958-08-uranium-outdoor-prospector-magazine

Credit for posting this rare magazine cover with a CJ-2A on it goes to: http://national-radiation-instrument-catalog.com/new_page_14.htm

The hunt for Uranium during the late 1940s and into the 1950s in the American West was a big deal. It’s also the last great mineral rush with-in the continental United States. Uranium’s grand paradox, as author Tom Zoellner puts it, is that “[t]he stability of our world rests on a substance that is unstable at the core.”

So large was the hunt for Uranium, the May 23, 1955, issue of Life Magazine noted that more man-hours had been spent hunting for Uranium between 1952 and 1955 than were spent seeking all other metals in history, at least according to the Atomic Energy Commission. Having spent considerable time thumbing through decades of mine related information prior to the 1900s, I find this claim dubious, but maybe someone can explain how this could be?

Still, the uranium boom captivated the imagination of the public. Uranium Fever was written and sung by Eliot Britt in 1955 and included jeep references. This great site shows how the search affected popular magazines of the time. In the Life Magazine article referenced above (pg 26), the author included a list of ultimate gear for prospecting. At the very top of the list was a brand-new four-wheel jeep for only $1,685, along with equipment and a map of the best places to hunt:

Continue reading →

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Spring 2023 Dispatcher Magazine Issue

May 17, 2023 • CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine

The newest issue of Dispatcher Magazine arrived in my mailbox yesterday. The central article cover the history of the Viasa-Willys. This issue is the 10th anniversary of the launch of the magazine. If you haven’t subscribed yet, I highly recommend it!

https://www.dispatchermagazine.com/

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1958 Article From Sunset Magazine

May 13, 2023 • CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine • TAGS: Adventure, kent-frost.

UPDATE: This post was originally published 12/26/2018:

This article about exploring southern Utah in a jeep was published in the October 1958 issue of Sunset Magazine. You’ll see a nod to Kent Frost’s guide company and a photo of the front of one of his CJ-5s.

1958-10-sunset-magazine-needles-country1

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Fall 1942 College Humor Article Ford GP

March 27, 2023 • CATEGORIES: Bantam-FordGP-WillysMA-EarlyJPs, Features, Magazine

This article popped up in a Fall 1942 issue of College Humor. I was able to find a copy on eBAY. As you can see, this features a Ford GP. We’ve seen a few of these pics in other magazines.

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Parmley Engineering’s Jeep Replacement Body

March 9, 2023 • CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine, Old News Articles • TAGS: Desert-Dogs, Fiberglass, Four-Wheeler-Magazine, Parmley, Popular-Mechanics.

UPDATE: Zac shared a Parmley that he inherited along with a document that shows some pricing and states it was designed for the 81″ chassis.

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Originally posted in 2013, with some pic updates over the years:

As many of you know, I am very curious about the fiberglass aftermarket bodies made for the jeep. While I’ve seen most models for sale over the years, I have yet to run across Parmley Engineering’s fiberglass body, one of the more unique ones ever created.

After wrecking his CJ-5 in the early 1970s, Californian Tom Parmley, a machinist by trade, decided to build himself a better body for his still-good chassis. He wanted the body to legally accommodate wider tires, a dash box with more room, a hood that was lower, and other features. So, he built and tested his dream body with great success. Along the way, he received so much positive feedback that he created a kit so others could easily install a Parmley body on their CJ-5 Chassis.

So far, I have only located two resources that document this body. One is the February 1974 issue of Four Wheeler Magazine, which featured a multi-page article about the new body. Additionally, at least two issues of Four Wheeler Magazine also have ads for the Parmley body kit. The other resource is a June 1975 Popular Mechanics article. The Pop-Mech article also shows off the fiberglass top he invented (at least I assume it is fiberglass).

Here are a couple publicity photos taken by Tom Parley and published in the Feb 1974 issue of Four Wheeler:

This image shows the Parmley with a top and is from Popular Mechanics. Note the top example sports Desert Dogs …

Here is a Parmley-bodied jeep on the cover of a the May 1978 issue of Four Wheeler Magazine.

This Parmley Engineering ad appeared on the back of January 1974 issue of Four Wheeler Magazine:

Bob Christy wasn’t sure what this vehicle was when he photographed it in 2008, but now we know.

This Parmely sold in 2015 and included a rare top:

This one sold in 2017:

1970-cj5-parmley-loveland-co3

This one sold in 2022:

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Winter 2022-2023 Issue of Dispatcher Magazine Has Been Released

February 18, 2023 • CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine

I received the latest issue of Dispatcher Magazine yesterday. In it, John Gunnel discusses Howard Tibbal, his huge circus model, and circus jeeps, while Barry Thomas shares how Henry Ford saved the jeep.

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Jeep Rodeo in the 1959 Issue of Man’s Magazine

February 11, 2023 • CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine, Racing

UPDATE: This post originally appeared April 2, 2016

The February 1959 of Man’s Magazine contained photos and short report from the annual Jeep Rodeo in Yakima, Washington. Unfortunately, most of the pics aren’t a whole lot different from the March 1959 issue of Modern Man Magazine, featured in 2013.

Man’s magazine turned out to be a lot less risqué than the cover image and headlines might suggest. There was even an opinion article expressing concern over how American college football was fast becoming too professionalized.

Continue reading →

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1951 DeAnza Trail Jeep Cavalcade

January 7, 2023 • CATEGORIES: Event, Features, Magazine, Old Images • TAGS: Adventure, cavalcade.

UPDATE: Originally posted Feb 1, 2018:

The May 1951 issue of Motor Trend captured the 3rd Annual DeAnza Trail Jeep Cavalcade. The author, Ernest Reshovsky, titled the article “Jeep Gymkhana”, possibly attempting to reference timed automobile or equestrian contents designed to test driving skill, though to my knowledge the Cavalcade was not a timed event.

1951-07-motortrend-jeep-gymkhana-calvacade-pg2-1

1951-07-motortrend-jeep-gymkhana-calvacade-pg2-2

Continue reading →

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Jeep Article with Several Assertions

November 20, 2022 • CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine

Bill shared this article that includes several claims I hadn’t encountered. So, I figured I’d shared this to see what others thought:

https://www.quora.com/What-is-a-product-design-detail-that-only-engineers-will-notice/answer/Nelson-McKeeby

“A little known fact is that most United States wheeled vehicles were designed to stack with only limited modification”?
Was this an actual design goal or a nice to have? Maybe this assertion is true, but I have only see a few examples of stacked jeeps. I can’t imagine the front clip of the Jeep underneath could handle extended shipping in this manner (which, by extension, suggests to me that it was never really ‘designed’ to do this).
“The size of the jeep was dictated by the railroad cars that would carry it”?
Again, this design aspect is news to me. My understanding is that the design was a carryover from the Bantam design, which was a carryover from the Bantam vehicle size. The short wheelbase was excellent for a light weight design and maneuvarability.
“The mass of the jeep was dictated by the ability to stack up to four high”?
Again, I am unfamiliar with this claim.
“Nearly every part of a jeep is catalog ordered…. The basic army Jeep was the same from start too finish”?
I guess the term “same” would need to be defined, as the basic WWII jeep went through mini alterations over its life.
“Post WW2 when there was a massive shortfall in available farm equipment, there was a period of around seven years when Jeeps were pressed into service as farm equipment.”?
ummm … they were designed, tested, and marketed as farm vehicles starting during war time.

Anyway, check out the article for other claims.

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Fall 2022 Dispatcher Magazine is Here

November 16, 2022 • CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine

The newest edition of the Dispatcher Magazine arrived in my mailbox yesterday. One article in particular caught my eye: Dan’s gauge restoration. I could have used this a few years ago! Thanks for that writeup Dan!

Also, note the classified ad at the end of the magazine: the San Juan Scenic Jeep Tour business is for sale (and has been for at least a little while).

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Jan 1950 Salesbuilder

September 23, 2022 • CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine • TAGS: Jeep-Willys-News.

Finally, another Salesbuilder landed on eBay. This one is from January 1950. One of the interesting things to me was the 12-postcard campaign shown on page 17; I’ve only documented a handful of the postcards.

Continue reading →

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