This photo was published in the December 1978 issue of the Silent Wings Newsletter. Santa was exiting a Waco CG13. Read more here and look for December 2013.
Features Research Archives
1947 Photo of American Legion Riding to City Hall on eBay
Marc forwarded this photo. When I first saw it, I thought these guys were doing a German salute. The jeep has an unusual paint job. Is it something specific?
” This is an original press photo. Those calling upon Mayor William O’Dwyer to join are Betty Plunkitt, Jim O’Conner, Nicholas Lanese, Milton Epstein, William H. Barker, & Al Brief.Photo measures 8.25 x 7.25inches. Photo is dated 8-26-1947″
Photo of Jeep Getting Towed Out of the Yalu River on eBay
No year provided, but this was taken in the South West Pacific Area of WWII.
“AN ORIGINAL WW2 PRESS PHOTO THAT MEASURES APPROX. 22CM BY 16CM DETAILED INFORMATION ON THE BACK PLEASE CONTACT WITH ANY QUESTIONS WILL BE LISTING SIMILAR ITEMS”
Koenig Tub Extender Frederick, MD **SOLD**
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $350
Wayne spotted this bed extender.
“For Sale an original Koenig Tub Extender for sale. If you’ve ever seen one before, you’re squarely in the minority. You take the tailgate off your CJ 5, plug this piece in its place, then put your tailgate at the end of your tub extender and viola…2 more feet of cargo space. Pictures are as it is. It’s a very simple restoration to match with your classic. Email with any questions or interests! Would like gone asap!”
Photos from WWII Pictoral History Book
Over the holidays I discovered several volumes of a book titled “Pictoral History of the Second World War”. Here’s an example of one of them at archive.org. The series is full of amazing photos, including some vintage jeeps photos. Most of the photos were taken by various news services. I’ll be sharing these on occasion. Here are a couple:
Old Jeep Photos on Flickr
Dan spotted this Flickr thread that shows old photos from the Hemet Jeep Club. There are also multiple photos of a great looking CJ-5 with an unusual bumper setup. You might remember these great LIfe Magazine photos from a 1949 Hemet Jeep Club Anza Calvacade.
Here is a link to view the old photos Dan found (you have to browse between the photos to see all the old jeep pics). I’ve copied a few of the photos to share below:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25936876@N02/9451395405/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25936876@N02/9454178552/
1956 Article About Fleet Sales
This April 1956 article from Willys News highlights the importance of fleet sales to an Oklahoma dealer.
Some Photos from Bob
Bob Anderson forwarded some photos and text to start the new year.
He writes, Found an old picture of a Willys I bought in about 1978. It had 12K actual miles on it, and had never been on the road. Was used on a large Asparagus farm in central Ill.
Needed a complete overhaul, as well as most front end parts, but kept it for years when I moved back to WI and bought a small farm.
It did everything I ever asked it to on the farm !! Loved it…
Also here is a picture of my ’52 M38A1 after I moved the seat back. I am 6’5″ and ~350 lbs, and it works great !! I used the common methods described here and elsewhere to move it.
Transmission ID and More at the Crankshaft Coalition
I happened upon this website while looking for some transmission information. As I scrolled through the page I was impressed with the amount and organization of information. I ended up spending time viewing a bunch of other pages. Since it is a Wiki-based website, people can make corrections and add information.
http://www.crankshaftcoalition.com/wiki/Transmission_identification
20,000 Miles South by Helen and Frank Schreider
UPDATE II: Not only did they publish a book, but they also filmed a documentary in color, called We Made the “Impossible” Tour, that was part of a lecture tour. In addition, their adventure was serialized in the Saturday Evening Post in 1957:
January 12, 1957, We Made the “Impossible” Tour, Part One: How We Motored Through the Jungle
January 19, 1957, We Made the “Impossible” Tour: Part Two: How We Went to Sea in a Jeep
January 26, 1957, We Made the “Impossible” Tour, Part Three: Island-Hopping the Spanish Main
February 2, 1957, We Made the “Impossible” Tour: Part Four: Trigger-Happy Territory
February 9, 1957, We Made the “Impossible” Tour: Conclusion:The Land of Fire – three agonizing miles of travel in southern Argentina.
UPDATE: This same book is published under a different name with some different photos: “La Tortuga an amphibious journey from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego”. I could not find a copy for sale when I last looked.
“20,000 Miles South: A Pan-American Adventure in a Seagoing Jeep from the Arctic Circle” by Helen and Frank Schreider is a great read. In the book they relate their first failed attempt to travel south in a Willys Wagon, which leads to their decision to try it in a SEEP (named La Tortuga). In 1954, they started their journey south, sharing in the book their struggles, successes and failure. At one point they try to drive down a railroad track, but are forced to give up the effort due to the damage the track inflicted on the SEEP. At another point they enter the country of Colombia by water, only to be told when they attempt to exit the country that they didn’t get the proper stamp (because they entered via the water). These are just some of the challenges they face.
I’d have to say this is one of my favorite jeep related books that I have read. After the “20,000 Miles” book they wrote the “Drums of Tonkin“, which is about a trip through Indonesia, and “Exploring the Amazon.” They also joined National Geographic as photographers and authors.
Frank died in 1974 at the age of 70. He suffered a heart attack in the cabin of his sail boat, Sassafras, while anchored off the island of Crete. I suspect that’s the way he would have wanted it. Helen was still alive and living in New Mexico at last report.
La Tortuga was re-discovered in California in 2006 and shipped to Norway. La Tortuga appears to still be for sale.
It appears you can borrow a copy of the book through the open library project. Learn more here. Here are some photos. This is a shot of the inside cover which shows the path they drove/boated:
This photo was taken after the maiden voyage in Balboa Bay, California. Helen is holding onto their dog, Dinah, who could often be found riding on top of the cabin.




















