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1942 Photo of Ford GP in London on eBay

• CATEGORIES: Bantam-FordGP-WillysMA-EarlyJPs, Features, Old Images This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: Still Available. The caption and date are slightly different between this current pic on eBay and its predecessor from 2013 (at bottom).

View all the information on eBay

“1942 Press Photo U.S. Army Soldiers ride down London street in Military Jeep. .This is an original press photo. Four American doughboys ride down a London street in a peculiarly American vehicle, one of Uncle Sammy’s jeeps. Note how they are overshadowed by the familiar London double-deck bus. U.S. Army in London Photo measures 6.25 x 9.5 inches. Photo is dated 03-15-1942.”

1942-03-15-ford-gp-london1 1942-03-15-ford-gp-london2

This version of the photo was auctioned in 2013 on eBay. It has the date of March 13, 1942. The caption includes the verbiage, “A ‘Jeep’ comes to London Town”.

ford-gp-england

 

 
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Yankee PTO-Driven Saw Mill Windsor, CT **SOLD**

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

UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $400.

Dave shared this PTO powered saw mill. It even includes a guard … almost looks safe!

“Older yankee pro portable sawmill”

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Bestop Manufacturing Company

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

As often is the case with these company bios, I rarely know the full story, so this is a working draft.  (note, I have seen Bestop as BesTop and BESTOP, but I feel Bestop is easier to read for our purposes). If you have other interpretations, thoughts, or corrections, don’t hesitate to comment below.

Bestop Launches:

In the early 1950s, Tom Bradley ran an auto upholstery shop in Boulder, Colorado. After some customers came to him wanting repairs to their soft jeep tops, Tom decided he could build a better top, so he launched Bestop on a part-time basis in 1954. According to the Bestop website, “Working out of an old brick schoolhouse with seven employees, Bestop quickly developed a reputation for quality and the word spread.”  And, from 4wd.com, “To [Tom’s] surprise, the Jeep replacement tops began making more profit than the upholstery projects. It wasn’t long before Bradley decided to sell his upholstery business and focus on designing and manufacturing tops.”

Here’s a look at some early brochures. Note the “Vinalette” top, an attempt at branding that didn’t last very long. These brochures are likely mid to late 1950s (these pics came from this eBay auction):

1956-bestop-brochures1 1956-bestop-brochures2 1956-bestop-brochures0

The Bestop site notes that the business continued to grow for ten years under Tom. At that point, the story on the company’s website advances to the mid-eighties, but skips additional history in the process.

Bestop Expands Product Line:

The only evidence I could find that Bestop expanded it’s produced line under Tom was this 1961 brochure introducing rear seats. The seats have a flat, simple design.

1961-01-14-besttop-backseats1

The Stengel’s Obtain Control:

In September of 1966, forty-year-old James (Jim) Joseph Stengel filed a patent for a plastic tab that, when placed on the front edge of a soft top, allowed it to hook into the down-facing channel that is attached to most vintage 1/4 ton jeep windshields. This improved the speed at which a top could be mounted to a jeep. What Jim’s relationship to Bestop was at that point isn’t clear to me yet.

1966-09-06-james-stengel-softtop-patent-lores

As of the 1966 patent filing, there was no assignment to any company, just to Jim himself. In the meantime, at some point between 1964 and 1968, Jim and his wife Marj acquired Bestop (from Tom?) and began operating it, as her obituary notes “Marj and Jim ran their business, Bestop Mfg., which grew to be a leading manufacturer of cloth “tops” for Jeeps and other recreational vehicles”.

One bit of evidence that the Stengels were connected to Bestop by 1966 was that Jim filed the above 1966 patent under the address “P.O. Box 318, Boulder, Colorado”, the same address that appears in this May 1968 brochure published by Bestop.

Two years later, in 1968, Bestop Manufacturing filed for a Trademark on the name Bestop, again under the same PO Box 318 address :

1968-bestop-trademark

Now, this is where it becomes a little confusing. At some point in 1968, Bestop acquired or expanded into several lines of additional products and, around the same time period, Husky Products appears to have dropped a similar type of products.

Below is a visual comparison of a 1966 Husky brochure and the 1968 Bestop brochure. The first three pages of the Bestop brochure kind of look like reworked versions of the 1966 Husky brochure (it’s this comparison that started my dive into this topic). And, yes, I realize the tops are somewhat different, especially at the back (Husky continued to advertise the full top into the 1970s, but dropped advertising for the half tops, the multiple doors, and other items).

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1960 Photo of M-38A1 Near Transport Ship on eBay

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

Not many photos (that I have seen) of M-38A1s coming off of a transport ship.

View all the information on eBay

“1960 Press Photo United States Army Transportation Corps Jeep and Carrier. This is an original press photo. United States Army Transportation Corps Jeep and Carrier. Photo measures 10 x 8.25 inches. Photo is dated 08-25-1960.”

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Brewer Beer Can w/ Jeep on eBay

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

Maury shared this unusual can featured the rear of a jeep. I’m guessing the beer has been consumed?

View all the information on eBay

“HERE ARE 2 BRAND NEW, CRAFT BREWERY BEER CANS FROM THE CRAFT BREWERY IN NANTUCKET MASSACHUSETTS. GETAWAY IPA WITH A COOL JEEP CJ-5 ON THE BEACH LOGO AND CRAN-TUCKET WITH A CRANBERRY FARMER. COOL PAINTED LABEL CANS. BOTH IN EXCELLENT CONDITION.”

cisco-cranberry-jeep-can

 
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Summer 2019 Dispatcher Magazine & Holy Toledo! 2020

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

The Summer 2019 issue of Dispatcher Magazine is out, along with the Holy Toledo 2020 calendar, just in time for Christmas!

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De Jeep, a Dutch Jeep Book

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

I can’t remember how I obtained this photo of a Dutch jeep book cover, but I see no evidence that I ever posted it (found it on my old computer). So, here it is. The publishing date appears to be 1949.

dutch-jeep-book-lores

 

 
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First Issue of the KW Booster Newspaper

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

This December 1954 Volume I, Issue I was the first issue of the ‘new’ KW Booster News, a monthly newspaper designed to inform employees. Updates would include the newest announcements, company updates, employee updates (such as the new profit sharing model), and  intra-company events (such as intramural bowling teams). This first issue introduces the brand new CJ-5, among other announcements.

I’m not sure how many issues of the KW Booster were published. The only other issue of this newspaper on eWillys is the June 1958, Vol. 2, No. 1.

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1954-12-kw-booster-page2-650px 1954-12-kw-booster-page3-650px  1954-12-kw-booster-page4-650px

 

 
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Jeep Parts and Service Sign Austin, IN $45

• CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Roger spotted this sign. I can’t tell how large it is, but it looks like a good price.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/571612383646378/

“Nice Jeep light up decor”

jeep-sign-indiana

 
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Few Updates Today

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

Just some wagon and truck ads this morning. I’ve got the inaugural December 1954 KW Booster News almost ready for Tuesday morning.