Jeep-Willys-News Research Archives

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Willys News Article on Modified Jeeps

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

This May 1957 article shares two jeeps with unusual modifications.

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First FC-150 To Alaska Via Plane

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

A May 1957 article from Willys News reported that the first FC-150 to Alaska was sent by plane. Unfortunately, to fit on the plane it had to be disassembled. Look how close that cab is to not fitting. Someone in Alaska sure wanted that FC badly!

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Early Warn Manufacturing Co. History

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

This May 1957 Willys News article provides some interesting history about the Warn Manufacturing Company. Apparently there was some early resistance to using the first generation of the warn hubs, because jeep owners felt they’d purchased their jeeps for the four wheel drive capability. The initial hubs turned the jeeps into two wheel drive, which some owners felt defeated the whole point of owning a jeep. However, through education and marketing, the Warn folks slowly turned naysayers into advocates.

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From a 1995 Field & Stream Magazine article:

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These were the first locking/unlocking hubs Warn developed. These were advertised as early as October of 1953 in the Popular Mechanics:

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Louisville Apothecary Used Wagons and DJs

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

This February 1956 photo and caption from Willys News reported that the Louisville Apothecary, which had used jeeps for delivery since 1946, was welcoming their first DJ-3A Dispatcher to their lineup.

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Jeeps @ the World Championship Burro Race

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

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This September 1957 article from Willys News highlights an 11 mile jeep race as part of the World Championship Burro races that year (Burro races are still held). The course was originally from Leadville to FairPlay over Mosquito Pass, but heavy snows shortened the course from Alma to FairPlay.

If I read the article correctly, Denver’s Mile High Jeep Club had 600 members in 1957? No wonder it was considered the largest jeep club in the world!

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This map roughly highlights how far the race was. Cutting the race back to Alma shortened it considerably.

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Wrecker from Jack Tipple Motors

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

UPDATE: Paul Barry shared some photos of the truck shown below. The hamilton toy wrecker is cute.

Paul wrote, I kept asking about the tow truck. I guess the owners got tired of me asking and said if I wanted the tow truck I had to buy all the Willys stuff left over from the dealership. Shucks!

The story behind the truck is it was ordered from Toledo with a Canfield wrecker and was delivered in 1955 along with a new CJ-5. The truck arrived in red primer, as it was to be painted the yellow and blue AAA colors, the business was a AAA station since 1927. The pair of jeeps arrived very late at night and as was the custom the transport just dropped them off in front of the store. When morning came, only the CJ-5 was there, no tow truck to be found. I suppose phone calls were made and the truck was supposed to be right in front. Someone came into the station later that morning and said they saw a tow truck stuck in the riverbed back at the crossroads. So they took the old wrecker and recovered the new one In the Eel River (ed note Ferndale is just south of the Eel River). The local hooligans stole the truck and since it was delivered with only a couple gallons of fuel, ran out of gas while “wheeling” it.

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A Ferndale Willys dealer originally used this truck wrecker to tow disabled vehicles. He also used it as a customer demonstration vehicle.

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A ‘Big’ Texas Pipeline Business

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

According to a February 1956 article in Willys News This jeep owner was using a jeep-a-trencher to launch his pipeline business.

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1942 Article Explaining the new Farm Jeep

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

This June 19, 1942, Milwaukee Journal article describes early farm jeep tests at the Auburn facility.

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Jeeps in Central Park

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

This September 1957 article from Willys News shared the news that the NYPD was testing jeeps for use in New York’s Central Park, Coney Island, and the Rockaways. I’ve tried to find subsequent photos of the green and white jeeps in color, but haven’t had any luck.

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Crossword Puzzle Results

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

I forgot to publish these on Tuesday. Here’s a link to the crossword puzzle.

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Automotive Dealer’s Shop Crisis in 1956

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

This article appeared in the February 1956 issue of Willys News. No pics were added, but I thought the article itself was interesting.

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Frank and Helen Schreider in Willys News

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

The September 1957 issue of Willys News devoted a full page to Frank and Helen Schreider’s 20,000 mile trip from the Arctic Circle to the tip of South America.

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Jeep Display at Grand Rapids Auto Show

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

Too bad this isn’t in color. Note the DJ-3A with the convertible top at the lower right. the photo was published in the February 1956 issue of Willys News.

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Jeeps Help Out Riding Club

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

This February 1956 explains how jeeps are used at a riding club at Iron Mountain, Michigan.

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Actress Thelma Ritter in a CJ-5

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

We’ve seen a poorer quality version of this photo. Here’s a better scan of the June 1955 photo from Willys News with the caption in tact. Though the caption doesn’t mention the movie name, it probably refers to the movie released in 1956 called the Proud and Profane.

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Deborah Kerr (I think) on the left and Thelma Ritter on the right. Note the lack of a rear floating hub, which suggests the jeep in the background wasn’t a MB or GPW. Brett noted it’s probably a M-38.

 
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Obstacle Course Helps Dealer Sell Jeeps

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

A McHenry, Illinois, dealer created an obstacle course for potential buyers to test jeeps. The February 1956 issue of Willys News reported this.

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Pankey Motor Company Wagon

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

Pankey Motor’s Wagon was featured in this photo from the February 1956 issue of Willys News.

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Willys Dealer Markets DJs in Dayton, Ohio

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

This February 1956 story in Willys News tells the story of an Ohio Willys dealer who tried a creative way to market DJs in his town.

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A. W. Wisley’s CJ-5 With Surrey Fringe

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

Perhaps this CJ-5 was the first fringed jeep? The photo was published in the February 1956 issue of Willys News.

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Free Ballgame in Wenatchee w/ Your Jeep

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

A February 1956 article in Willys News told the story of a special promotion in Wenatchee, Washington. Drivers who brought their jeeps could get into the local baseball game for free.

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Jeep as Concrete Mixer

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

The February 1956 issue of Willys News featured this CJ-2A-turned-concrete-mixer.

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Fire Jeeps in the News

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

These two photos appeared in the June 1955 issue of Willys News.

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Catching a Big Cougar at The Dalles, Oregon

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This June 1955 photo shows the huge cougar caught by four hunters using Willys Trucks and Wagons.

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Willys Demonstration Series: Seeing is Believing

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

Nashville Willys Dealer Neely B. Coble launched a demonstration series to show just what jeeps were capable of doing. This June 1955 article highlights his effort.

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1955 Generator Test

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

This June 1955 article highlights a 30-hour Jeep PTO generator test run.

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