Rear view of the W-O Canvas Top on a VEC CJ-2A. The PTO pump looks to my untrained eye to be an MP Universal Jeep Packaged Pump Model 12M-WJ.

UPDATE II: I’ve added a second version of the W-O Canvas Top brochure (tan brochures). they come from a Willys-Overland Equipment Book that, based on other brochures contained in that book, was likely published earlier than the brochures that appeared in the original version of the post.

This jeep brochure from an early Willys-Overland Special Equipment catalog highlights the first production soft top for the CJ-2A. It was labeled a W-O Canvas Top. The material used wasn’t your average canvas, at least according to the brochure. Instead, it was 10oz soldenized duck. That description meant nothing to me, so I attempted to decipher it.

These two brochures were published in a Willys Industrial Equipment book. It appears Willys-Overland changed up the name slightly to the Willys Canvas Top, though in the text the W-O Canvas Top name remains the same as above.

The biggest mystery was the term “soldenized”. Not even the internet knows what “soldenized” means. The fact that the term probably describes a means of mildew or waterproofing makes sense, and Robert Ackerson described it similarly in his jeep book, but that’s more a description of the result of the process, not a description of the process itself.

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This appears to be an introductory mailer for the FC-170.

View all the information on eBay

“Hello, You are looking at an ORIGINAL bi-fold Postcard
1957 Forward Control JEEP FC-170
Eccher’s Jeep, Ferndale, Pa.”

Maury spotted a collection of brochures and parts booklets on eBay that I was lucky enough to win. One of the brochures describes the portable, gasoline-powered Model 800G Warn Winch. On the other side of the brochure is an Electric Marine Model 400E Winch. A post from 2017 about the 800G includes pics of it.

The Model 800G Gasoline Warn winch:

According to Warn Industries, the Model 800G ad below is from 1969. 

Between February 1970 and April 1970, Warn also included the winch in a Four Wheeler inner-cover, full-page advertisement. Given the importance of the company’s hubs and vehicle winches to Warn’s profit margins, I’m surprised the company included the 800G in this full color ad. Perhaps management had high hopes for the product? Whatever the hopes, I can find no evidence that Warn advertised the 800G ever again after April 1970.

Real-world example from the Warn website, There are also pics on Warn’s Facebook Fan page.

The Warn Marine Model 400E Electric Winch: 

This brochure appears on the back of the 800G brochure. I could find no other information about it online.

UPDATE: Barney corrected me. The tops in the first brochure were Whitco tops.

I bought this hoping for more Bestop info (thinking they were Bestop tops), but Bestop isn’t mentioned in this brochure at all.  I’m guessing the date of 1975 based on the fact that I don’t see any later dates on ‘the facts’ list.

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