I’m busy on a project this evening (family history).  I’ll do an update around 2pm MST tomorrow.

Thanks — Dave

When readers comment on a post, I always get a copy of the comment emailed to me.  I had thought that readers who post a comment also received an email anytime there is a followup comment to a post.

Well, it turns out I was wrong about this feature (thanks to Robert for making me aware of the issue). So, I did some research and found a plugin for wordpress that solves the problem.

Now, if you post a comment related to a post, you’ll be sent an email anytime someone posts a follow up comment.  This should help mightly with cross reader communication on posts.

Thanks, Dave

Here’s a couple of MB? fenders. I’m not sure ‘great shape’ is how I would describe them.

“1945 jeep fenders. shed stored. great shape.”

http://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/grd/1098944413.html

UPDATE: AHA!  Somehow, I had changed the file permissions on a single folder, which apparently caused some havoc with the ajax comments, maps, the contact form and more.   It took a while to hunt it down the problem (probably because I was half watching tv too). While messing around, I took the opportunity to do some general maintenance as well, which is always good.

So, I’ll pick back up Monday late afternoon with a story on the very rare MB half-tracks and information about more rare jeeps owned by Fred Smith of the UK.

– Dave

Ok, this has nothing to do with jeeps, but until I setup my nutrition blog, I will record this here as I need to get this off my chest.  It has to do with nutrition, critical thinking skills and causal relationships.

I saw a headline that declared “Lack of vitamin D linked to teen health problems“.  As a follower of nutritional information over past few years, when I see a headline like that, I can’t help but wonder what type of study was done to determine how the lack of a single vitamin could be responsible for all the health woes of a generation of people.  It seems to good to be true (the natural corollary is that adding vitamin D to the diet will solve the problem .. yeah, right).

So, I go to the link.  I read the article.  I wonder if anyone else is as confused as I am.

Let’s look at the logic.

1. The study evaluates 3600 boys and girls 12 to 19.
2. The researchers draw blood for blood tests.
3. For some reason, not indicated, levels of vitamin D were measured (no other vitamin or mineral measurements or results were noted).
4. Indicators for heart disease were measured (waist size, blood sugar, high blood pressure, high cholesterol)
5. The sponsor of the research, not indicated (though one might suspect milk industry people given the focus on vitamin D — btw, I’m total fan of good quality, high fat milk, so no intentional swipe at milk producers is intended).  I searched for information on the study sponsor or original study information, but was unsuccessful.

Now, out of this data, the researchers discovered a pattern.  Teens with low levels of vitamin D had a statistically significant association with indicators of heart disease.  I have no qualms with that association (I’ve read studies a variety of studies indicating that large percentages of americans are vitamin poor.) and it makes logical sense based on what I know.

Importantly, a doctor in the article is quoted, “it’s likely that vitamin D deficiencies in teens stem from unhealthy diets and lack of exercise outdoors … If their diet includes chips and soft drinks, they’re probably not getting enough vitamin D.”  This makes total sense to me too.  I suspect this has less to do with exposure to the sun than ingestion of good quality products that contain fat soluable vitamin D.

So, I ask simply, is it the LACK of vitamin D that CAUSES the factors for heart disease to increase?  Or, is it the consumption of foods poor in vitamins and minerals across the board, that result in the low intake of vitamins and minerals in general WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY introducing high levels of sugars and carbohydrates (that are broken down into sugars) that result in increases in blood sugars in general (note that high blood sugars were also measured in the study).

Your body, in response to high blood sugars, produces insulin from the pancreas to lower blood sugars.  Of course, insulin also produces at least two byproducts: (1) weight gain due to the insulin secretion that causes the storage of fatty acids as tryglicerides within the adipose tissue of the body and (2) insulin which is excreted to deal with high levels of blood sugars causes increases in heart rates and constricts blood vessels which, over time, appears to raise the homeostasis of blood pressure.

GIVEN THE COMMENTS BY THE DOCTORS IN THE ARTICLE, IS LOW VITAMIN D REALLY A WARNING SIGN OF HEART DISEASE AS THE TITLES OF THESE REPORTS ON THE STUDY INDICATE OR SIMPLY A BYPRODUCT OF POOR NUTRITIONAL INTAKE?  IF IT IS NOT THEN WHAT IS CAUSING THE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND WEIGHT GAIN AMONG TEEN AND ADULTS?

Given the enormous amount of quality studies by quality people in this field, the stunning lack of reasonable conclusions here simply floor me. Let me simplify this further.  While different people have different tolerances for this formula, the basic formula applies:

Sugar (& flour and starches) >raise blood sugar levels > which causes a hormone called insulin secretion from the pancreas > which forces your body to burn sugar and save other products, including fats, for burning later.  This causes your body to operate in a manner you will not like!  One byproduct is weight gain: WEIGHT GAIN HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH OVEREATING AND CALORIES AND EVERYTHING TO DO WITH EATING POORLY NUTRITIOUS FOODS.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled jeep posts ….

Ok, I’m excited!!  Ever since I saw the movie Tucker: the Man and his Dream I’ve always wanted to see a Tucker up close.  I’ve never seemed to be at the right place at the right time to see one in person.  However, today I was innocently browsing the latest edition of Via Magazine (the AAA magazine) and noticed a review of several car museums in the west, including one from Spanaway, Washington, called the LeMay Museum.   Why someone would put (or leave) a collection of cars once listed as the largest on the planet by the Guinness Book of World Records in Spanaway doesn’t entirely make sense to me (not knocking Spanaway, just can’t imagine there’s a ton of traffic to support the museum).

Now, this really surprises me since I spent 4 years of my life haunting the Tacoma (Tacoma melts into Spanaway) environs while finishing my undergrad degree at the University of Puget Sound.  Yet, not once did I ever hear of the LeMay Car Museum the entire time I lived there.  Moreover, it’s not too far from my sister’s place in McKenna, Wa, so the next time I’m there I will grab my young nephew and go check out the cars.  And, among the cars, is the 7th Tucker ever made (pictured above).  Too cool :-).

HOLY CRAP .. I just checked out their About page.  Here’s their grand plan for a new museum adjacent to the Tacoma Dome on 9 acres: “Upon completion, this $100 million project will be the largest auto museum and attraction in the world …”  Make sure to check out the video at the bottom of the About page!

Here’s a 1953 CJ-3A that’s been changed to appear like an MB, but still has the ’53 parts.  It looks like it’s in good shape.

“I am selling my willys jeep project due to a divorce. I have over 3500 invested in the jeep. The jeep is a 53 made to look like a 45, I still have all the original 53 parts as well. It is not a flat head engine it is a 4 cyl not sure what type the jeep ran well before the restoration, has overdrive as well. The jeep and trailer were both sandblasted not a body off sandblast. The trailer comes with a pintail hook as well as a standard tow hook. The trailer also has a hill break it is a really nice trailer. Selling both as a set. call me at 303-588-4065”

http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/1042673503.html

Sometimes, you just gotta love the internet.  While searching for an MB dashboard image relating to an earlier post, I ran across a brief history of jeeps in Tahiti , which was mostly historical photos such as the one below, along with some images of a restored 1944 MB in Tahiti, shown at the bottom of the post.

Ok, so this has nothing to do with jeeps and it wasn’t really zombies, but I thought it was funny, soooo ….. hackers had their way this morning with commuters in Austin, Texas.  An electronic road sign that normally reads “Construction Area Ahead” was updated by some hackers to read “ZOMBIES IN AREA!  RUN”.

While drivers interviewed were amused, a City of Austin Spokesman was less amused, saying “Even though this may seem amusing to a lot of people, this is really serious, and it is a crime and you can be indicted for it, and we want to make sure our traffic on the roadways stays safe.”

I suspect this won’t be the last electronic road sign we see hacked.  Read more here ….

UPDATE:  I have discovered a theme. There’s an Ad from Los Angeles Craigslist and an Ad from Orange County Craigslist to go along with the original San Diego Ad I show posted at the bottom.  I’ve put them all together, as a suspect the seller is the same for each, and I think I’ve got a bigger picture now ….

San Diego Ad –> Title =  Willys Jeep  …………………. Ad Text = “non op”
Long Beach Ad –> Title = o]]]]]]]]]o ’46 willys ……. Ad Text = “bring your truck, lots of parts I need to clear out.”
Orange County Ad –> Title = ’46 willys ………………. Ad Text = “you put it together”

So, the seller has a non op 1946 willys cj-2a that’s in many parts.  The seller expects you to put it together.  The seller suggests you bring  a truck.  I suggest you offer the seller very little cash for all the effort you will expend putting humpty dumpty back together again.

======

My original post is below:
This Ad which comes from of San Diego is for a “Willys Jeep”.  The text of the ad, in its entirety, is  “non op”.  There’s no pictures, no year, no model.  Maybe it’s a deal? Maybe it’s a waste of time?  It made me laugh …

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/cto/1001346890.html

UPDATE:  The price on this jeep has dropped to $2500. **SOLD**

I was driving through Caldwell the other day and the dealer was just parking this jeep as I sped by the lot.  So, I couldn’t resist turning into the lot to take some pics.  Of course, after walking up to the jeep, it took only a couple seconds for a sales guy to come over and offer his help.  He tried making a couple points about the jeep, which I gently pointed out were incorrect.  I then provided him with some information about the year of the jeep and how it differed from a military version.  He got quiet after that. Though I didn’t tell him, I would say it’s way over priced.  I wouldn’t pay more than $1500 for it as, for starters, the front of the frame at the point of the grille on both sides has been welded, re-welded, and cross welded.  Here’s some pics.

Continue reading →

Happy New Year everyone (at least somewhere it’s the New Year).   New Year’s day marks the official one year anniversary of eWillys.

Over the past year I’ve met lots of new friends from all around the world, written about 1400 posts, nearly finished my own jeep, and only pissed off one reader (that I know of :-)).  I feel like I’ve successfully hit my goals this year: to create a website that follows the older jeep & jeep parts market so that I and others can better understand the market demographics — what’s for sale, how much they cost, and more.  Along the way, I’ve tried to make it interesting, amusing and educational.

Based on the feedback I’ve received, you all seem to be enjoying the site thus far.  My 14 year old son swears to me that one day he was walking down the street in downtown Salt Lake City and heard two guys talking about the eWillys website and how much they liked it, which he thought was pretty cool.

Over the next year, I hope to continue to deliver interesting information,  improve the site (especially those drop down menus which stick within firefox), and expand the content in new directions.

Finally, I really really appreciate all the readers who have provided endless helpful feedback, suggestions and information.  I try to keep this site updated on 24/7 basis as best as possible and sometimes I make mistakes in the process, so always feel free to drop me a line, and I’ll respond as quickly as possible.

Have a wonderful 2009 everyone!

– Dave

I found this event notice in the parts section of Craigslist, so for those near Eatonville, Wa ….

“County line offroaders 4×4 club is having a snow jam rally sat jan 24 in Eatonville on scott turner road to elbe hills . door prizes,raffle, 10.00 to sign up includes 1 hand. 5.00 per extra hand. chilly feed with all the fixins! starts at 8am. last rig out at noon….bring the whole family! qauds welcome!more info call:360 458 0644 or 253 350 2584”

http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/pts/968061994.html

I like the gearing (4:10s) and disc brakes on this setup.  Make sure to double check the width measurements.  A Dana 30 is about 53″ wide, while the Dana 27 & 25 are 51″ wide.  Here’s a site with a bunch of similar stats.  Here’s more on shortening a Dana 44.

If I were to make a gearing change, I’d likely shift to 4:10s.  Dad’s was 4:10s and it still rumbled down the freeway with no problems.  The one nice thing about the 3:73s, which I’m running at the moment, is that they are readily available, which proved to be an asset when I discovered my R&P was broken.  I picked up a used set for $15.

“i have here a 50″ or so inch wide backing plate to backing plate disk brake 44 it woill work great for a cj, willys, or a fj land cruiser or anything that is more narrow than a full size truck, im going in a diffrent direction with my project so its up for grabs thanks for looking”

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/pts/912709647.html

Last month I happened upon the fcConnection ebay auction results.  I thought that was a great idea, so I thought I’d add something similar.  It took me a while to get around to building it, but here it is http://www.ewillys.com/?page_id=2480. The main menu above now contains an “ebay results” link as well.

My goal is to develop a database of prices just to see what kind of prices sellers are getting on ebay, which are stats I haven’t followed much.  I will be focusing on the 1/4 ton flat fenders (Models: MB, GPW, CJ-2, CJ-2A, CJ-3A, M-38, CJ-3B, DJ-3A).

To get my information, I’m using the eBay watch system to keep tabs on flat fender auctions.  When an auction concludes, I’ll post it.