Popular-Mechanics Research Archives

To Top

January 1943 Pop Mechanics Jeep Flies Target Plane

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

A couple additional references to the jeep were made in the January 1943 issue of Popular Mechanics. You can see the online version at Google Books

1) Page 33: “Jeep Flies Target Plane to Help Gunner’s Aim”

Apparently, a plane was mounted to a jeep and driven across an open field.  I’ve never seen any other pictures of this.

1943-01-pg33-jeep-flies-target-plane

2) Page 64: Perhaps this is the first running model jeep? It certainly was an early one!

1943-01-pg64-model-jeep

[fb_button]
 
To Top

M38a1 vs The Mighty Mite

• CATEGORIES: Features, M-38A1, Magazine, Mighty Mites • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Here are two different stories from two issues of Popular Mechanics comparing the size of a M-38A1 to the Mighty Mite.

1. Popular Mechanics May 1953 on Google Books | Purchase a copy of the magazine on eBay

2. Popular Mechanics March 1954 Page 140 on Google Books | Purchase a copy of the magazine on eBay

[fb_button]
 
To Top

Jeep Dozer Article by E.V. Reyner

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

Here’s an interesting article published in the May 1953 issue of Popular Mechanics (pg 195).  Interesting that they chose to use a VEC CJ-2A rather than a later model jeep.  This issue also includes an introduction and comparison between the M-38A1 and the Mighty Mite.

Popular Mechanics – May 1953 – Page 195
(Pg 100 introduces the Mighty Mite)

There is an issue for sale on eBay as well form only $5.25

[fb_button]
 
To Top

Early PTO Plows for Fighting Forest Fires

• CATEGORIES: Features, Fire/Police/Industry Vehicles, Magazine, Old Images • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Looking for USDA jeeps I found these two different plows used for fire fighting in the late 1940s/early 1950s.

The “V-shape plow” was featured in the August 1949 issue of Popular Mechanics:

This plow was featured in the May 1951 issue of Popular Mechanics on page 151.

[fb_button]
 
To Top

The Four Wheel Steer Bantam in Pop Mechanics

• CATEGORIES: Bantam-FordGP-WillysMA-EarlyJPs, Features, Magazine • TAGS: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

I spotted this brief note about the four-wheel-steer Bantam BRC-40 on page 167 of the May 1946 issue of Popular Mechanics.  Why it appeared five years after it was built seems a little strange.  I can’t imagine the army keeping this model top secret for any reason.  Maybe they needed some filler for the issue?

Here is a link to the Google page that shows the whole article

[fb_button]
 
To Top

Letter about Woodie Tops by Station Wagons, Inc

• CATEGORIES: Advertising & Brochures, Features, Magazine, Wood bodies • TAGS: , , This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay

Here’s a rare letter that advertises woodie kits from Station Wagons, Inc, for CJ-2A and MB/GPW models.  This 2 page letter shows both a full and a half cab.  Below the two page letter is an example of an ad that appeared in Popular Mechanics.

Popular Mechanics Ad from the January 1948 issue of Popular Mechanics, pg 266.  This ad appeared in the February 1948 issue as well. I haven’t done a full accounting to determine how many other issues had the ad.

1948-february-popular-mechanics-wood-tops

[fb_button]