This March 30, 1943, article describes the kids reactions to seeing a Navy jeep they helped purchase through war bond sales. It was published in the Kansas City, Star.
Features Research Archives
Semi-Regular Updates Going Forward
Good news. I hope to begin semi-regular updates until late spring(?). With summer behind us, more darkness, Rose’s passing, and most of my work on the guest “bunk house” completed, I have more time to devote to eWillys. The updates won’t always be as comprehensive as before, but it’s better than nothing?
Because of the infrequent updates this summer and semi-regular updates going forward, all advertising this summer has been and will continue to be free, going forward, as a thanks to those advertisers who have supported eWillys over the years.
As for the bunk house work, the last resident was a bachelor with a dog. The result was that the place smelled pretty strongly (and not in a good way, lol), especially the carpet. So, we pulled all of that, put down new floors, replaced the plastic moulding trim with larger, better trim, righted the crooked doors (front door was so out of level it wouldn’t shut), and fixed or removed kitchen cabinets (to open up the space … we don’t need all those cabinets).
Currently, I’ve painted everything white, but we hope to add some accent colors to reduce the ‘snow blindness’ of the white. Next spring, we’ll fix up the outside by adding missing trim, redoing the ramp and deck, and painting the building red and white (after all, it looks a bit like a barn).
Some friends have expressed interest in renting it, but technically we can’t rent it because of some county rules (long story). Our intent is to make a place folks can stay if they want. Here are some pics.
Ann will be decorating in a barn theme, so that will add some color and texture. We expect it will sleep up to six (queen in the back, futon in the front, and possible bunk beds in an unpictured nook).
Before pic of the kitchen (I am hoping Ann has some better before pics of the interior):
After pic (this was before I painted the trim and made a few other additions … and cleaned up):
Bedroom:
Bathroom:
Late 1960s Video of Robot Pushing VEC CJ-2A
Carl shared this video of a General Electric test robot (seems like a forerunner of the Boston Dynamics robots) pushing a VEC CJ-2A (which had seen better days — has the f-head bump, side damage, etc) out of a ‘ditch’. The Jeep portion begins at the 6:07 mark.
Photo of a Ford Vanette Pulling CJ-2A
Blaine shared this classic photo of a Ford Vanette pulling a CJ-2A. The photo appeared at the end of this post with a series of photos:
1964 Gladiator Camper Poster on eBay
This 1964 2’x3′ poster might interest a Gladiator collector. It is form number 64-05.
View all the information on ebay
“Item: Very Rare, Vintage, Original “Jeep Gladiator Camper” Automobile Dealer Sales Brochures Window/Wall Poster. 24″ x 36″ in Size. Rare Saved Paper History… Must have for the Serious Car Collectors! Does have some Fold/Edge Separations.
Year: 1960s Era
Condition: Vintage, Original, Used with Signs of Age and Wear, Please Review Photos for more Details. Lot Rated 8/10 for Condition. See Photos.”
1967 Photo of a 1943 Ford GPA
This photo of an unusual Ford GPA/jeep build has appeared in several places on Facebook, but appears to have been originally posted to the Forgotten Oregon Facebook Group. The photo was taken in Vernonia, Oregon, in 1967. The 1943 Ford GPA was modified by Brad Garner’s father. The shop next to The Jeep is the Vernonia Eagle newspaper office.
Watson Hub Variant or Modified?
This hub appeared in a Facebook photo posted by Josh. It appears to be a Watson hub (may have been private labeled through Sears), but part of its case was either 1) cast differently or 2) modified. Given The Jeep has spent its life in California, it’s likely some form of the Watson hub, but I’ve not seen one quite like this.
Willys-Overland Ads in Collier’s Magazine 1941-1946
UPDATE: This ad shows one of those odd instances when an ad appears in Collier’s that I have yet to find in the Saturday Evening Post. This happened a few times during the 1940s. Here’s a color version fo the ad, published May 04, 1946 (note that the ad continues the ‘Get a Jeep’ Campaign):
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Originally Published 03/10/2019: I spent some time searching for and assembling these Collier ads into two directory graphics, similar to the Saturday Evening Post graphics (updated in the post below). Unfortunately, the only archive I could find scanned them in black and white. And, the archive was missing some issues, so I suspect there were a few more published than shown below. Still, there are some differences between the ads, sometimes as small as changes in a few words of text, make these images useful for research.
1968 Article on Baja Race Jeep
This race jeep was modified with one-ton axles. Note the wider rear axle with an added fender well. The racers note the Jeep has 24-forward speeds. Maybe that means a six speed with an overdrive and transfercase? The article appeared in Roseville’s (CA) Press Tribune on October 23, 1968.
Lost Biscuit Is Finally Here
Lost biscuit finally arrived in Prosser, though The Jeep is a shadow of its former self. The original 3.8L V-6 was burning oil badly out of cylinder one, so while replacing the engine I also replaced the transmission, switching from an TH350 automatic to a T-18 with a low first. But, I could never find the time to complete that transition. Engine placement, driveline angle, and header angles seemed to fight me the entire transition. However, now that Biscuit is here, I’ll eventually have some time to devote to it (first, the race jeep’s seat will get adjusted for my height, then I will deal with Patterson’s generator and with the brake-clutch pedals, then Lost Biscuit).
To get Biscuit home, first I had to install a winch onto the tilt bed. After thinking through various ideas, I came up with a trial system that secured a winch frame to the tilt deck, but used a vertical angle against the from of the tilt deck as added leverage for the winch.
Here are some of the pieces I started with:
This shows the underside of the tilt deck. The square tubing in the pic above this one was drilled and bolted to the deck, with the bolts going through the wood and into angled pieces on either side of the hydraulic arm. I figured that was the least invasive way of mounting a winch (for now).
This shows the completed platform bolted onto the deck. Note how the front angle piece on the left sits down in front of the tilt bed. This allows the tilt bed to open and shut: