Category Archives: Cars & Trucks

Fresh coat of paint for the Jeep

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Paul hit a snag on replacing the broken steering box. Something about bearings and it means what he expected to be an easy job… won’t be. So no idea when I’ll finally get behind the wheel.

But it was a nice day so I put a fresh coat of paint on the roll bar and the tub. There are some brackets in the tub that I think will be perfect for safety anchors for the dogs’ harnesses. Not much left (that I can help with). I’ll paint the seats this week and finally say so long to the camo.
I put the jerry can in its mount, just to see how it looks. Very Jeepish but if it starts feeling like a big ass IED, I’ll leave it at home. AAA is my friend.
24 Hours Later: After thinking about it overnight, I decided to remove the jerrycan from the back of the Jeep. One, there was the Exploding Pinto consideration. Two, it is unlikely I’ll ever drive so far I need more fuel than the Jeep’s tank holds. And three, with the spare tire and the jerrycan the back of the Jeep would be too crowded. The vehicle just isn’t wide enough for all that stuff.

Less and less camo

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While I’m grateful to the previous owners of the Jeep for all the good things they did for her, the camo paint job cannot be forgiven. But I’m fixing that, little by little.

Today I painted the dash (does a Jeep have a dash?). Not sure why anyone thought the inside of the Jeep needed to be camouflaged. Probably just liked the camo look as much as I hate it.

The dark spots in the photo above are where the spray paint hasn’t completely dried. Only remaining camo is the cover of the seats and that will be taking care of next week. Tomorrow, weather permitting, we’ll give the roll bar a fresh coat leaving only the inside of the tub.

All of this will get much easier when we can drive/steer the Jeep. Next day or so?

Jeep clean up

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Sort of. I used the Shop-Vac to suck out the dust and gunk that had accumulated under the carpeting that lined the tub. Sponged it out in preparation for a coat of paint. Before that, however, Paul recommends going over the metal with Scotch-Brite pads (arrow).

The tailgate has been bolted closed because a) it’s pretty much useless and b) to accommodate a mounting bracket for the spare (arrow). Paul is very particular about wheels and tires and has located a rim that matches the ones on the vehicle. Still need to paint the jerry can mount and I think I might keep a few gallons strapped to the back of the Jeep. Took the top off again because I plan to paint the roll bar at the first opportunity.

The remaining photos are just for fun. The iconic Jeep grill; the tidy little engine; and a nice 3/4 view. The steering box scheduled for deliver by end-of-day tomorrow so I might a wheel to get behind in the next week.

First ride in the Jeep

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While waiting for the new steering box I’ve been amusing myself with what I think of as de-junking the Jeep. Removed rusty old seat belts; pulled up nasty carpet; ditched the home-made tool box (there’s a perfectly good one under the passenger seat). Also a little spray paint touch-up. Still plan to yank the CB radio and the spotlights on the rollbar.

As I finished up Paul suggested to take the jeep for a little drive (steering with vice grips, of course). I was surprised by just how much land Paul, his brother and father have. (I believe he said 120 acres but I might be wrong about that.) Best part? Winding trails just wide enough for the Jeep (and other offroad vehicles, I assume).

Paul had no trouble steering with the vice grips and the Jeep did the offroad bits beautifully. But we mostly just moseyed along in first gear. This is going to be a fun ride.

UPDATE 2/6/23: The floor of the Jeep –front and back– was covered with a nasty black carpet. I much prefer the battered (?) metal. When I get the Jeep home I’ll wash it out good and give the tub a coat of paint.

I played with the canvas top a little and decided to just go with the top over the seats. Just not a fan of those plastic windows. I’ll wear my insulated coveralls when I need to drive in cold weather. (Man,I have got to adios those lights.)

Paul was able to remove the broken steering column and see what he needed to get the Jeep drivable. Parts on order. Getting closer.

The Family Jeep

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Steve Hoefer, an online acquaintance, shares his family’s Jeep story:

Ours is a 1946 Willy’s CJ-2A. Originally I believe it was Normandy Blue with yellow rims. I don’t think Dad bought it new, he’d have been a bit young in ’46, but he bought it for farming.

They stopped driving it before I was born, though apparently all of my siblings bounced out of it at some point or other. I’d always known it as a busted thing parked in an outbuilding, home to generations of raccoons. Around 1990 my dad decided to drag it out so he and a buddy could fix it up. He wasn’t interested in making it look new, I don’t even know how we’d have addressed the rust. It took quite a few parts and rebuilding the engine. When it works it sounds just like on MASH and handles like an unruly toddler. I’ve never had it above 30 mph because I don’t think I’d keep it on the road or me in the seat. Both dad and his buddy have passed now and none of the rest of us know engines enough to keep it in good repair. We do have the full service manual. If someone was motivated enough they could get it back into shape without too much trouble.

At one point my nephews made a potato cannon and we mounted it on top and pretended we were in Rat Patrol. (We put the windshield frame on, but never felt safe putting the glass in. Also we never found the front bumper so I bolted a piece of 4×4 to the front.)

Jeep now topless

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I hate camo and all that phrase has come to connote. When I saw the Jeep for the first time I thought, cool Jeep. My second thought was, that camo is fugly! Paul made the Jeep look much better with a few cans of spray paint. I’m going to try to do the same for the canvas top.

Thought it would be a chore to get the top off but Paul and I did it in about five minutes. Turns out the previous owner had the top custom-made by some upholstery wizard. When it was off Paul said he thought the Jeep looked happier.

I spread the pieces out on the floor of the big room in the Annex and masked the plastic “windows” in preparation for painting tomorrow. Curious if this will work at all and how many cans it might take. If it comes out okay, I’ll probably put it back on and drive the Jeep some this winter.

I also learned today the previous owner had a cover made for the Jeep. I was expecting a big old bag that covered the entire vehicle but this item looks custom, too.

Difficult to tell from this photo but it appears this just covers the interior with those two pouch-looking things for the seat backs. I don’t expect to worry much about the Jeep getting wet but we’ll see how easy this is to get on and off.

I’ve cobbled together a “carport” of sorts by covering the top of the Land Rover rack with a heavy duty tarp in hopes of keeping the worst of the weather off. (:54 video)

Update February 2, 2023: The spray job on the canvas top came out better than expected. Close enough to the color of the Jeep body.

Jeep CJ2A instrument panel

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There is just so much I love about vintage vehicles, simplicity being near the top of the list. While giving Barb her first look at the new toy (we’ve decided it’s my birthday present), I snapped this photo of the instrument panel. (The CB radio will be among the first to go)

The grey knob top/left is the choke; next to that is what looks like a cigarette lighter; no idea on the tiny toggle switch. “Speed” reads the speedometer, in a nice cursive font. Somewhere along the way, someone converted this Jeep from 6 volt to 12 volt. Not sure if the voltmeter is part of that update. Like my Land Rover, the Jeep has a “drum emergency brake.” The big silver handle. Down below are the oil pressure gauge and the temperature gauge.

The ignition is hidden behind the gear shifter. Some of the older Jeeps had a starter button on the floor but I don’t believe this one does.

I intend to learn more about these gauges over time. And behind the electrical wiring, four fuses (and a spare).

What is the essence of a Jeep?

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Perhaps the better question is, do vehicles have an essence.

“the intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something, especially something abstract, that determines its character.”

I put this question to a handful of people I know who might have given some thought to such a question.

I’ve been watching lots of videos about the history of the Jeep as well restoration projects. Seems there’s as much mystique and passion surrounding the Jeep as Land Rover.

The historical videos started with the initial development during WWII; then the transition to Jeeps made for the agricultural market; and on to the more mainstream civilian models.

The Jeeps I see on the road (and there seems to be a LOT) bear little resemblance to those early Jeeps. Looks like the name and the grill (maybe) is all that’s left. Which got me wondering… when did these models cease to be a “true Jeep?” If Mitsubishi purchased the brand and putting the Jeep name on one of their models, nobody would consider it a Jeep.

We saw this mindset at work with the Land Rover “Santana.” The forums were full of guys who insisted that is not a “real” Land Rover. I suspect no two Jeep owners could agree on this question. And I don’t particularly care, except from a philosophical standpoint.

If I get any takers on this question, I’ll share them in comments below.

Jeep promotional videos

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YouTube: Willys, the “World’s Largest Manufacturer of Utility Vehicles,” presents the “Jeep Family of 4-Wheel Drive Vehicles and Special Equipment,” a circa 1954 black-and-white film promoting Jeeps produced for civilian use. (“One man with a Jeep can do the work of 100 men with shovels”)

Because this video runs a tad over 20 minutes, I’m guessing it ran in theaters before feature films. I recall seeing newsreels like this as a child in the 1950s. Jeeps like mine (CJ2A) were aimed at the agriculture market and this video show one handy attachment after another.

The narrator pronounces Willys: WILL us … rather than WILL eez so I’m confident that is the correct way to say it.

YouTube titles the video below: Autobiography of a Jeep and the narrator is the “voice” of a Jeep during its development and the early years of WWII. The delivery is that Pete Smith Specialty style from the 40s and early 50s (you had to be there). A little corny but some excellent Jeep footage.

YouTube description: “A small company in Pennsylvania, Bantam, invented the Jeep, but the military needed more than Bantam could produce. So they turned to Willys and Ford and had these auto titans build Jeeps. Edsel Ford joins other Ford Motor Company officials as they demonstrate their vehicles for the military.” (this video has no sound)

Okay, one more. 1940 Ford Pilot Model GP-No. 1 Pygmy