I wanted to give a brief update on things. I know posts have been limited, but I’ve been putting my time away from you all to good use.

Firstly, we bought a new Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. We did it because our GC had hit 110,000 miles, yet was still worth about $20k (thanks to the recent jump in used car prices). We decided to take advantage of the hike and strike while we could. We feel we saved about 10% overall (our jeep jumped $8k in price over the past few months, while the new GC jumped about $3k from pre-pandemic prices).

However, the process wasn’t without a hitch. The first local Jeep dealership we stopped at tried to stick us with an extra $5000 market adjustment fee that wasn’t disclosed on their website. They claimed all the dealers were adding that fee.

That turned out to be a half-truth … some were doing it and some weren’t. Those folks were a little surprised at how quickly we walked away from their offer.

The next day I called Bud Clary Jeep in Moses Lake. I talked with a sales guy, Jeremy, and outlined what we had, what we saw online at their dealership (in particular the price), what we were willing to pay in cash, and that we weren’t willing to pay some kind of market adjustment fee (at least not a surprise one that wasn’t included with the online price). True to his word, there was no adjustment fee and we pretty much made the deal on the phone. Ann drove up and closed it. We are satisfied customers.

On Friday we got word through a neighbor that the local high school was giving away a parking lot full of furniture. So, we high tailed it down there and snapped up about 10 desks, three rolling cars, and a tower magazine rack (perfect for my 50 or so issues of Four Wheeler Magazine). About the only downside is that I’m having to scrape gum off some of the desks.

I finished up our garage-turned-workout gym. Having abandoned workouts during our move, I can now return to them, which should help me avoid the local ER, lol.

My progress in the shop has been less impressive. Still much work to be done.

As far as I know, the Epic Willys Adventure still plans to visit just before Labor Day Weekend. We are looking forward to hosting them for the evening.

We are gearing up for Ann’s surgery on the 29th (stomach surgery). She’ll be recovering most of August and likely won’t be fully recovered for several months.

My hope is that as the weather cools and the work around the place slows, that I’ll be able to return to more consistent updates. But, we’ll see….

I apologize for keeping everyone in the dark over the past week, but I felt it necessary so I could give you the best information I have.

But, before I begin, I just have to say that I greatly appreciate all the kind comments that were attached to the last post.  They were a wonderful counterpoint to an article I read while laying in the emergency room’s hospital bed (for 12 hours). The article stated that men are losing close-male friendships at a greater pace than ever before. So, as each of you added comments, I was a warmly reminded at just how many friends I have, even if we have never seen each other face-to-face.

So, why was I in the ER? The most important reason was to determine whether I was having either a stroke or a heart attack, as I was feeling some numbness along my face, arms, and hands, along with some light chest tension (there is also family history with both strokes and heart issues). Moreover, my ability to control my blood pressure had subsided, meaning when I laid down to rest, it was still high. All this had been preceded by several days of feeling odd.

The initial tests in the ER indicated that I was not having a heart attack (that was a plus), but the EKG suggested I might have had one a few days before.  Skipping over most of the drudgery and boredom that consumed my visit, eventually the next day they had me perform a stress test.

For those unfamiliar with it, imagine a very large ipod strapped to your side, affixed with multiple cables, along with body-hair-wrenching stickers attached to various parts of your body. Then, you climb on a tread mill and fast-walk it (in my head I thought I would be sprinting on it) as the heart tech raises the treadmill’s incline mode.

By the end of the stress test, I didn’t care what the results were: I felt great. It was the best I had felt in a couple weeks; I finally felt normal again. After that, I returned to my room and, while waiting for the results of the test, fell asleep.

Several hours later, I awoke to the nurse telling me I was going home. I guess the results were good enough that the doc didn’t bother to explain them to me. Besides, I had an appointment scheduled for July 1^st with my new primary care provider, so I figured he would delve into the results with me.

At home I put myself on bedrest. I felt that if anything was a principal cause of all this, it was EXHAUSTION. So, that meant No eWillys, no computering (though I have been using my phone), and no physical labor for the near future. I am taking a long needed break from life, as best I can.

While waiting for the July 1^st appointment to arrive, I also started some blood pressure medication. Unfortunately, that seems to have some side effects, but I can’t tell if it is the BP meds or some other issue causing them. After this third day of taking the meds (and feeling wierd), the first request I planned to make to my new doc was to remove me from the new med so I can establish a baseline of blood pressure and health. I need to know if there are lingering effects from this “Exhaustion” or if there was another factor that is causing some of the issues.

On positive side, my new doc explained to me that he felt I did not have a heart attack. Though he and I may have some debate over the state of my cholesterol (don’t get me started on that topic) and my blood pressure, overall he didn’t seem to have any worries about my health.

And, if you have any wonder as to why I was exhausted, not only had I been working my butt off for 4.5 months (getting the house ready to sell, packing, prepping the new house, then making changes to the new house), but I also stopped exercising (lack of time) and eating more poorly. Add to that, another cancer diagnosis for Ann’s mom (and the general friction we have with her). Then, there’s my own mother’s recent stroke(s) and the need to get her in a better situation, and the result is that I may have become overwhelmed by it all.

So, the plan of action is to get some rest (meaning keep ewillys on Hiatus for longer), start exercising again, start carefully tracking my blood pressure to establish a baseline, and do a sleep study. Hopefully, all this reset’s me back to my ol’ self.

Perhaps in another week or so I can add another report. Until then, I am doing my best to take care of myself.

Best wishes and again, sorry to worry you all (I have certainly been worried) and hopefully all this will work itself out just fine.

– Dave

I am sorry to report that, until further notice, ewillys is on hiatus. I will provide an update in the next few days when I learn more about my health situation.

Thanks for your support, interactions, corrections, and, in many cases, friendship. It has been a most interesting journey.

-Dave

No updates today.

Thanks for everyone’s suggestions on the Allen bolts. I greatly appreciate them.

I made progress on the shop and garage-gym yesterday, and entertained Ann’s family. There may not be any Saturday morning either, as I need to mow, fix a few sprinklers, then drive Ann to Walla Walla this afternoon for dental surgery, the other guests arrive tonight.

Temps have been adjusted upward. High will now be 116 degrees.

Just a couple updates for Wednesday.

Looks like none are drivers.

https://boise.craigslist.org/pts/d/nampa-willys-collection/7333201496.html

“Selling my Willys collection. Two-1953 and One- 1952 Aero cars.”

UPDATE: Still Available.

(03/04/2021) Looks solid.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/748416486101560

“Old school Jeep Great condition Great interior”

Remember that time I wrote that I hoped regular updates would resume on Monday? Well, life threw us a curve. I visited my mother for Mother’s Day and learned she is struggling much more than I realized. So, we will probably be moving her sooner rather than later.

I brought back a few items from her place, like some desert dog tires for the race Jeep and some tools, but had hoped to bring back the DJ-3A aka Patterson (with Steve Carter’s offer to trailer it to Prosser). However, my mother’s garage door was broken and  Patterson wouldn’t start (fuel pump not working), so I told Steve we’d do it some other time. I never got the fuel pump working, but I did get the garage door working again. I will swap in my electric fuel pump for the time being.

Just a reminder for those that are wondering why the updates are so unpredictable right now. There are lots of transitions happening for the next month or so ….

Our move to the new property remains ongoing. The big push occurs Friday as we’ll be moving most everything into the new house that day from the Pasco house. Then, this weekend, we’ll have some family help to get the house and property in better order.

By the end of next week, we’ll think we’ll be ready to list the old house. We expect it to sell in 48 hours or so, as the house is a good one with a great backyard, and the market remains on fire.

Once we get settled at the new place, I will then begin making trips to Renton to pick up jeeps, equipment, tools, and family items from my mother’s place, so there will likely be some interruptions during that period as well.

When in Renton, I will need some help. There are a few heavy items, like a family coal cart, that I may need help loading. I’ll provided an update on that when the time comes.

Last night I spent the night at the new place, but I misplaced my hotspot, so no updates Tuesday morning. I will hunt for the hotspot and post a couple vids later today if I can find it.

It’s been a busy Thursday in a good way. I will update on Sat morning.

UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $750.

TJ shared this ad for a running CJ-2A engine.

“Engine is a 1946. Ran good in my MB. Just pulled it to replace it with a 1944 MB engine. Messenger me for a video of it running just before I pulled it. Brand new never installed manifolds with new gaskets available for an extra 300.00”

This includes a rear PTO and a Kelly hardtop. I’m surprised this hasn’t sold yet.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/300415857908886

“1950s jeep ran great when we parked it years ago. Needs a little tlc and would run great again. Was our hunting jeep and again everything worked when it was parked”

If you didn’t notice, eWillys was down on Sunday. It wasn’t just my server, but seems to have been the entire server farm (or the connection to the server farm). Even the web host’s site was down. Things seem to be working fine now.

With eWillys not working, you’d think I had some extra time to take it easy. No sites, no updates, no problems …. Instead, it just gave me extra time to pace and fret over the VA’s delay of the paperwork we need to close on the house. We were expecting to close on April 2nd, so every day of delay drags on us.

I suppose this house is more than just a house; it’s a transitional period, a bookend to the Finding Virginia story that ended in mid-2011, just before I met Ann. I had just started eWillys a few years earlier as the Recession crushed the companies I’d helped launched in the 00s. By 2011, the Recession had also wiped out half the value of the house I’d bought with my girlfriend in Idaho, meaning it was greatly underwater. The house got sold, I lost money, we split up, and I moved temporarily back in with my parents. So much fun!

Then, I met Ann.

We hit it off immediately. I soon moved in with her and her mom, as Ann was already caring for her mother at that point. Not having to pay for housing and having few bills, I didn’t have to work and, instead, was able to focus on eWillys, research, writing books, traveling, and helping out with my father. It was a unique opportunity to step away from the ordinary work-a-day world and, after all the my stress in the early 2000s of raising money for startups in Silicon Valley, it was a big mental relief (something I didn’t explore all that deeply in Finding Virginia).

And, if that wasn’t all, my mother and sister may be moving to Texas this fall, meaning they will be selling their houses. Having the extra space at our new place to put some of the family ‘treasures’ (like a coal cart from my grandfather’s Idaho mine) just adds to the pressure of needing this place.

I’m sure it will all work out this week, but that thought doesn’t making the waiting any easier, especially with Ann’s mother’s health so fragile.

So, it’s not that we are at the worst parts of our life; instead, we’ve climbed up from the worst parts, together, and can see the best parts before us; the house represents a huge step in that direction and we are ready to proceed. This is why the waiting is intolerable, because we are very, very ready to move forward!!

Mark forwarded this unusual XJ Glaval modified jeep. I’d never heard or seen this vehicle, but then I don’t know much about the XJs.

http://www.sellajeep.com/mjs/sale21/ad084/ad084.html

“I bought this as a daily driver without a clue about what I had. I have been told less then 100 of these were ever built. Do your research. Its very hard to even find pictures of these online. I was planning a full restore but my 79 CJ5 project has ate up my funds. I did install new radiator, water pump, battery, master cylinder, valve cover and gasket, thermostat and oil sending unit. Odometer reads 219000 and it purrs like a kitten. I have removed some of the interior with intentions of replacing the headliner but never got around to replacing it. I have all the original parts except for the rear bumper apron. Body is solid with zero rust. This in great shape for daily driving but really deserves a full restoration.”

Scramboleer Dan got these rims from a friend and is giving them away to anyone who can pick them up. One of the four rims is slightly different from the others (marked with a red line). Here’s what Dan wrote:

“Here are the details: four 15″ yellow Jeep wheels, 4″ center bore, 4.5″ inside width, 5.5″ outside width.

I got them from a local Jeep buddy who is moving out of the area. The wheels have been sitting outside for years, but I scrubbed them with soap and water. These have what appears to be a rubberized yellow coating on them. Beneath that is a forest green. Free to anyone who can pick them up in San Francisco. Easy backyard access on a quiet street a few minutes from major freeways.

Here are two comments from OWF (can’t confirm as to their accuracy).

Comment 1: “These are the earlier version cj5 rims, pre ‘66. Still had the rivets. These have the smooth face and can not take the dog dish hub caps.”

Comment 2: “You have 3 of the later 50’s – 60’s CJ5 wheels and 1 early CJ 3A 3B CJ5 wheel. See the different shaped dog dish centers.”

Hope someone in the eWillys world can use them!

Next updates will be Monday.

We had planned to close on the new place this past Friday, but a delay by the VA has put us back a few days. So, we should be closing this upcoming week. Stay tuned!

UPDATE: Price dropped to $4250.

(03/26/2021) This seller has three jeeps for sale, all for $4500. The white and grean jeeps look to be CJ-2As.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/125497576144270

“(3) jeep willys cj2a. Lots of parts! $45”

I purchased this cast Jeepster off of eBay. It might have been a mailbox topper, but neither Colin nor I are exactly sure what it’s original purposed was supposed to be. While this one has been tapped for screws, Colin’s was never tapped. This is 11.5″ long.

Next updates will be Sunday.

I got a ton of drudgery completed on the house on Friday (hence the reason for no updates today), from washing the porch, the garage, and the exterior lights, to cleaning the front vinyl fence and completing the trim painting. Whew.

As for the new house, the loan has been approved and we should be signing next week.

We certainly couldn’t ask for a better market for selling: super low interest rates and a super low inventory of houses. We expect that once it is on the market that the house will sell within a few days. This is just a crazy real estate market right now.

I should be an interesting few weeks!

My d@ewillys.com account continues to be problematic (I can see headers, but that’s all). So, if you have emailed me and I did not respond, please resend the email to d@deilers.com.

Thanks, Dave

No posts for Monday. Updates will resume Tuesday morning.