Features Research Archives

To Top

The “New” CJ-5 at SEMA

November 2, 2017 • CATEGORIES: CJ5, Features This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
36

UPDATE: It appears this endeavor didn’t work out.

Merlin reported on a NEW CJ-5 that will go into production (approx 5,000 jeeps per year) soon. One question that many folks have asked is how the new jeep can meet the current safety specs for new cars. According to Merlin, the short answer is it can’t, but it doesn’t have to meet them. In 2014 the feds passed regulations that allow low production auto manufacturers to only have to meet the specs for 1967.

“With Sema going on I am excited to finally announce the return of an old favorite, the Cj5. Universal Motors Corp (makers of the Allied Jeep L head blocks) has the new Mopar licensed Cj5 on display in booth 32326 at Sema. These sport the current Jeep engine, and there will be a diesel option as well. Bodies and parts will be manufactured by UMC, not bought from current parts and panel manufacturers other than Jeep. A kit version will be available as well. Assembly is done in Detroit. More info and pics will be posted as I receive more. http://universalmotorscorp.com/”

cj5-sema1 cj5-sema2 cj5-sema3 cj5-sema4

 

[fb_button]
 
To Top

1942 Photo of Jeep, Dawson Creek, BC on eBay

October 31, 2017 • CATEGORIES: Features, Old Images This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
2

I can say the place looks a little nicer than it did back in ’42.

“1942 Press Photo Army Jeep passes the Dawson Creek muddy street.
This is an original press photo. Dawson Creek, BC. There are fewer spots these days than Dawson Creek BC. U.S. Army Troops and engineers are gathered there to lay out preliminary plans for building the highway to Alaska. Rain and mud are a set back but Army engineers say they will push her through”. An Army jeep is shown on the muddy main street of Dawson Creek. Photo measures 9 x 7.25 inches. Photo is dated 3-15-1942.”

View all the information on eBay

1942-03-20-dawsoncreek-bc1

1942-03-20-dawsoncreek-bc2

[fb_button]
 
To Top

Watson Hub Information

October 30, 2017 • CATEGORIES: Features, Magazine • TAGS: . This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
7

UPDATE II: There’s a newer, updated Dualmatic hub post with comments about the Watson hub here. 

These hubs were created about the same time as the dual lever Dualmatic hubs. Moreover, we can state for sure now that there was a specific relationship between the Watson hub and the Dualmatic company.

How do we know this? Because both hubs share the same patent number 2854111:

watson-hub-instructions

dualmatic-hub-sticker

You’ll note that the patent number 2854111 is the same in both the above items, with both connected to this single lever design: https://patents.google.com/patent/US2854111.

UPDATE:  A 1967 Sears Jeep Parts Catalog had a set of hubs for sale that look suspiciously like the Watson hubs. One thing we’ve noticed is that some Watson hubs have “WATSON” imprinted on the hub, while other identical hubs don’t.

So, were these WATSON hubs that were private labeled, or had Dualmatic been making WATSON hubs all along, but now offered them for private labeling? It’s easy to think that Dualmatic might want to separate their Dualmatic branded hubs from private labeled ones. Changing the private-labeled version to this look would help that.

1967-sears-catalog-sears-watson-hubs

===============================

Original Post: October 30, 2017:

Alaska Paul discovered this Watson Hub article in the 1958 issue of Science and Mechanics magazine. This suggests that the Watson hub was developed in 1956 or 1957, making the company a very early hub manufacturer.

The mechanism looks similar to the early Dualmatic hubs. In fact, the first Dualmatic hub patent filing was in 1956, for a single lever model. Whether that inspired the dual lever model by the California-based H. S. Watson company remains unclear. I have no evidence to suggest Watson ever patented its hub nor how long they sold their hub.

1958-10-science-mechanics-watson-jeep-hub-article

2 Examples of Watson hubs:

watson-hubs-1 watson-hubs-2 watson-hubs-3

Another example from a truck listed for sale on Craigslist out of Redding, California:

watons-hub-from-cali-truck

[fb_button]
 
To Top

“Gold Plated” Executive Gift **SOLD**

October 27, 2017 • CATEGORIES: Features, Models This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
5

UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay.

Having the box makes this one unique. But, it appears the bumper has been broken.

“Made by Comet for retirement gift for WILLYS OVERLAND EXECUTIVES. This toy is in excellent condition, tires show very little play wear. Hard to find with steering wheel intact. JEEP embossed in tailgate is crisp and clear. “Gold plating” is in great shape with some tarnish that I will leave to the buyer to clean. Only blemish is right front bumper is typically broken. Box is in equally excellent condition. Both have been kept under glass as long as I’ve owned it.”

gold-plated-jeep-with-box

[fb_button]
 
To Top

Japanese Envelope on eBay

October 25, 2017 • CATEGORIES: Artists/Drawings, Features, Postcards This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
1

Here’s an unusual piece.

“Vintage Colorful Japanese Jeep Envelope or Sleeve — New Old Stock… Newspaper like paper has colorful illustration on one side and line drawing on the other… Colorful illustration of a woman officer driving a jeep, a small doll dangling in the wind shield and a rose… Back side has line drawing of a little girl riding a donkey… There is also Japanese character writing… Good condition, new old stock, both top and bottom open… Piece measures about 5 1/8″ x 7 3/8″… ”

View all the information on eBay

japanese-envelope1

japanese-envelope2

[fb_button]
 
To Top

1949 Color Video of Exploring Southern Utah

October 24, 2017 • CATEGORIES: Features, videos This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
0
1949-ray-virginia-garner-southern-utah

This CJ-2A has the spare tire on the side and sports a Beck “ECONO” Model F3B-100 hardtop.

1949-ray-virginia-garner-southern-utah2

The CJ-2A has the same hardtop, but for some reason it no longer has a side mount tire.

Frazier spotted a wonderful color video from 1949. Credit for the one-hour length film goes to Ray and Virginia Garner. As I watched it the first time I was struck by the quality of the cuts, the closeups and faraway shots, and the overall sense of a narrative, despite the lack of sound. A little research proved that this wasn’t Ray’s first video. He’s got a long resume that stretched back to pre-WWII. He and his wife Virginia continued filming for years, traveling around the world, and made films for NBC and ABC News.

LINK FOR VIDEO==> Check out the one hour video that starts near Moab and ends within Canyonlands National Park. The jeep section begins at the 15:30 mark and lasts the rest of the film. You’ll eventually realize that there are two green CJ-2As, though I didn’t see a scene that ever showed both together. If you know southern Utah at all you will really appreciate this gem.

Here’s the archived description:
Movie (color, no sound, 57 minutes, 33 seconds): a home movie by Ray Garner shows various scenes in the deserts of the American Southwest. Ray and Virginia Garner take a road trip in a wood-frame station wagon, camping in the desert of Utah and Arizona. Scenes include Arches National Monument, sand dunes, the La Sal Mountains from Arches, cactus and other vegetation, Monument Valley, wildlife (caterpillar, lizard, insects, scorpion, “Hassayampa legend” sign; car travel in the desert; camping; a windmill pumping water; men climb El Capitan (Agathla Peak) in northern Arizona; the couple in a motorboat on the Colorado River. jeep ride at Dugout Ranch and Canyonlands, San Juan County; petroglyphs at Newspaper Rock; dynamiting a boulder to clear a path for the Jeep; Chesler Park and the Needles area; Indian ruins (Beef Basin?); small planes land and take off at Chesler Park; installing climbing ropes on rocks in Canyonlands to access Indian ruins; Wedding Ring Arch in Salt Creek Canyon; Indian ruins and petroglyph (“All-American Man”) in Salt Creek area. Final sequence shows more natural arches.

[fb_button]