Website Research Archives

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A Wagon named BlueBell

• CATEGORIES: Website, Willys Wagons This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

I was surfing around the Old Willys Forum and spotted a link to a great little site  in Canada devoted to BlueBell the Wagon.  Make sure to take the animated BlueBell (upper left corner of the site) for a test drive.  Lots of good info here.

 
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The Barfrosttreffet is this Weekend

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

Even Erlien wrote me today to tell me about the upcoming Barfrosttreffet (early frost gathering) in which he and about 40 other vehicles will participate.  Given it will take place in Norway, I suspect it will be plenty cold!  Even has offered to take some pics and share them.

Even tells me a number of folks from Norway keep tabs on eWillys, so I thought I’d give a shout out to the Jeep Club of Norway.  Launched in 1999, the club has members in areas throughout Norway.  Their website with some images to check out, but if you want to read about the club you’ll need to brush up on your Norwegian 🙂 (or use a translator, which is what I did).  Thanks for the email Even!

(btw, Even I need you to email at d@ewillys.com … I tried responding to the email addy you sent and it didn’t work for some reason)

 
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Diane’s 1944 GPW Restoration Site

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

Brian sent me a link to a website called “Diane’s Jeep“.  Diane lives in the UK and almost a year ago today purchased a 1944 GPW that she plans to restore.  She has had experience restoring other vehicles, but this will be her first jeep.  Diane’s Jeep Website has been chronicling her team’s efforts.

Below is an image of how the jeep looked before she started.  It appears pretty stock and in fair condition.  There is plenty of work to be done!  Check out pictures of the progress that she has made. Good luck Diane!

 
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Hungarian Jeep Site with many Pics

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

Earlier in this decade, I drove through part of Hungary.  I dropped in from Slovakia, stayed in Budapest and then drove north into Austria.  Some people call Paris the city of love, but I’m pretty sure that title belongs to the city of Budapest — there was lots of kissing and hugging all over.  And I enjoyed my fair share of it too there …. I also went to my first true European ‘bath’ while I was there; the description that comes to mind was crowded and disorienting.  There was no kissing and hugging in there and, frankly, I was happy about that.

My understanding of Hungarian isn’t very good; the number of consonants to vowels made any attempts to pronounce town names and words an act of folly.  However, despite that,  I still found this Hungarian jeep site enjoyable: http://ww2jeep.gportal.hu .  I’ve seen many of the pics on this website elsewhere and some nowhere.

 
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Drag Jeeps in JP Magazine

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

HOG pointed out this article from 2009 in JP Magazine about some Flattie Drag Jeeps.  There are some good pics.  Here’s one below.

 
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The easiest way to work on the underside of a Jeep is …

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

UPDATE 2: See a pic of a tipped jeep from Tom’s Dad’s Time in WWII.

UPDATE: Grant mentioned that Vernco demonstrates how to tip a jeep on its side.  See a pic below and some steps.  Learn more at Vernco.com.

Tip it on its side!  Alex spotted this post from the Miljeep website.  Unfortunately, my french is a little rusty … ok, really really rusty.  I’ve posted two pics here.  You can see the other two at the Miljeep website.

I tried searching for additional jeeps on their side, and though I couldn’t find any more, I found some other cool pics that I’ll feature over the next couple of days.

From Vernco’s Site, 9 prep steps for tilting your rig:

1. Drain the fuel tank and run the engine until the carb is dry.
2. Drain the engine oil, transmission and transfer case lube. (He didn’t drain the radiator, but notes he probably should have. It didn’t leak but caused a problem when he had to remove it later.)
3. Remove or drain the oil bath air cleaner.
4. Remove the battery.
5. Remove the passenger seat since it can pivot free.
6.Remove or restrain anything else that could come free.
7.Inflate the “downhill” tires to max pressure since they must support the vehicle weight on an angle while the tip is in progress.
8. Fit some 2×4′s between the engine block and “downhill” frame rail so the engine mounts wouldn’t shift.
9. Chain the engine to the frame so the mounts wouldn’t let loose.

 
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Long Range Desert Group Preservation Society (LRDG)

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

EVENT:  The LRDG Preservation Society will be participating its 2nd biggest event of the year October 2-3 2010 at Prado Dam Park in Chino Hills California. They are one of 85 different re-enactment groups from nearly every time period and culture in history.  It is a Military Time Line Event which will feature everything from Roman Legionnaire’s to Viet Nam Re-enactors and many other periods in between.

Kim wrote me last week after seeing drafts of the “Africa SAS” T-shirt I’d like to produce (I am working on refining the shirt design btw).  As the membership chairman of the Long Range Desert Group Preservation Society (LRDG), he’s particularly interested in the SAS jeeps and Long Range Desert vehicles.  So, he introduced himself and the organization.

The LRDG Preservation Society is a non-profit organization established “to learn as much as possible about the unit, the men in it and the equipment and tactics they used. Then to share that information with all whom wish to learn. To that end this group has built a replica of a classic WWII LRDG truck (1942 Canadian Chevy, right hand drive, India format) and outfitted it with “historically correct” military equipment, gear, provisions, and uniforms. The vehicle was built by Rick Butler in Yreka California from several vintage trucks and parts from around the world. Converting a left hand drive vehicle to right hand drive was one of many challenges.”

The Society has supporters and members throughout the world, including the US, England, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Portugal, South Africa and more.

About the Long Range Desert Group:

During the 1930s, the British developed the idea of creating a motorized guerrilla/recon group in northern Africa to provide intelligence to British Forces.  After studying the terrain and needs for such a group, the Brits formed the LRDG, which according to the LRDG website “was very much like a “private army”, formed to meet the particular conditions of desert warfare.”  The LRDG was made up of volunteers and, because of this, they could wear beards and were given latitude that regular military soldiers did not have.

Learn more about the LRDG by clicking here and scrolling to the bottom of the page.

 
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Classic Enterprises Restoration Website – Restoration Panels

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

I really haven’t done a great deal of research into the best sites for parts restoration.  However, while looking for something else today (do I use that phrase a lot?) I discovered Classic Enterprises Restoration.  Specifically, they had a nice, easy to scroll list of restoration panels for Willys and Jeeps of all types.

 
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2 Webpages: Early MB Differences & British Airborne Jeep

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

I was looking up something for a reader when I stumbled upon these two webpages.  One page documents some of the differences between very early MBs and later ones.  The second page provides detail pics of a British Airborne Slatgrille in Signal Configuration. I thought both pages have nice detail pics and explanations.

The British Airborne Slat Grille in Signal Configuration:

The Early MB Differences Page:

 
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OOYYO.com — International Used Car Search Engine

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

A reader from Greece contacted me today. He is searching for a bare bones willys that he hopes to get and ship back to Greece.  As an alternative, I suggested he try using ooyyo.com to locate a jeep in Europe.  I haven’t used this search engine much, but in a search of greece, it did show a variety of Willys flatties and CJ-5s.   So, I did a search on Willys in the US and I got a wide range of results, from way, way overpriced — almost confusing — to reasonable deals. For example, I have this CJ-3A from CDA listed at $10,000 , yet ooyyo has it listed at $20,000 and links it to this ad.  Caveat Emptor!