Bill Carter’s CJ-3B

For quite some time I’ve heard rumors that eWillys was causing daily slowdowns at the ARB USA headquarters in Renton, Washington, which just happens to be down the hill from my parents’ house. Yesterday I finally got a chance to investigate the issue, thanks to an invite by Mitch Carter.

For those that don’t know, ARB was founded by Anthony Ronald Brown in Australia in the 1970s. Originally the company produced bumpers, but quickly grew through the development of other products. They also grew by purchasing additional manufacturers (air lockers, suspensions, and more) and expanded across models and years to provide a wide array of 4×4 products. They even have some portable cooler-like refrigerators made for off-road folks that will freeze food. Today ARB is the largest 4×4 distributor in Australia and the company exports products around the world.

Mitch gave me a tour of the ARB facility. Given all the equipment they handle, they need a big warehouse. This is just the front area:

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Robin thinks these photos might be suggest the roots of his Willys Sickness. Yep, based on these photos, he was doomed from an early age.

“Here are some photos that might explain me. The kid on the trike is me. The Jeep in the background was my Dad’s (started my collection). The guy in the M-38 was my Dad’s first Sgt in Korea and the CJ3-a is just a pic my Dad had.”

Reader and T-shirt designer Jeff Phillips helped me create these new t-shirts from a 1942 drawing. I received the first box of olive drab shirts today. The look great and, made from 60/40 bend of cotton and polyester, feel great. I’ll explain more in a few days once I get the gray shirts.