I spent yesterday been working on a series of marketing posts related to the Kaiser Willys integration in 1953 and 1954. So, just a handful of posts today.

July 23, 2017, after a long day of driving, Scott had a long night of engine work.

Some of you may remember the July 2017 Alaska Or Rust adventure and the problems that Scott Gilbert’s wagon engine gave him (and Bob Christy and, part of the way, Rick Pacholski) … how has it already been 2 1/2 years?? Yikes!

After several engine rebuilds during the trip, the Scott and Bob were forced to turn back early and could not complete the trip. Eventually, Scott reinstalled a rebuilt engine and got the wagon going again. However, not surprisingly, Scott’s especially diligent these days about checking the condition of his wagon’s engine.

In an effort to monitor the engine’s condition, he wondered if there was any way to test the oil (he runs Lucas classic 10-30 oil) to be sure there wasn’t extra engine wear occurring. After checking with other folks and finding no answers, he hit the internet. Eventually, he tracked down Blackstone Laboratories. For only $25, Blackstone tested his oil and reported the results within a week.

About Scotts’ engine, the lab reported that the oil looked in good shape, which provides Scott with more reassurance that his newest rebuild will serve him well over the coming years. Still, he plans to do a few more tests occasionally, just to be sure. So, if you are concerned about your engine oil, you might check out Blackstone Laboratories.

Barney Goodwin of Barney’s Jeep Parts brought up an interesting bit of history regarding Canadian made Kaiser Jeep CJ-5s for the US (and Canadian?) market.

He wrote, “Your Canadian made Commando brochure post got me thinking. A customer of mine in my hometown of Houston has his dad’s ’69 CJ5 bought brand new at Woodie’s Jeep in Houston .

And, it was made in Canada!

Dave, the only reason I can think this happened is that Toledo had a military contract(s) they were running at the late 1960s and required the Toledo capacity. Around that same time, Kaiser Jeep had a short contract for M-151A1 MUTTs, contracts for M-274 Mules, and contracts for the Kaiser Jeep M-35 Deuces. Keep in mind it was also the first year for the Postal D100 Dispatcher DJ-5A. All of this was before AMC bought Jeep and moved government products production to Indiana as AMGeneral.

Kaiser Jeep’s solution? Shift the production of CJ-5s (and other vehicles?) to Canada.

Below is a picture of the data plate for my friend’s 1969, the one bought in Houston. Note the location of it and size. It’s right below the regular VIN plate on the firewall.

Most CJ-5s of that era had the 4 holes already punched in that location and they exist on our Toledo made 13,000 mile 1971 CJ-5. 

If anyone else has insights into this, we’d welcome them!