Tag Archives: jeep

1946 Jeep CJ2A

Posted on by

I spent a couple of hours at the Jeep Reunion that took place in Fulton, MO on Friday and Saturday (I’ll share a few photos in a separate post). The highlight for me was the Latimer Family Jeep, a 1946 CJ2A.

The Jeep has been handed down to C. J. Latimer who was at the reunion with his father, step-father and grandmother. It was purchased by C. J.’s great grandfather in 1946 for use on the family farm near Marshall, MO.

A local businessman opened a Willys distributorship just after the war and the Latimer Jeep was the first one sold in Saline County. C. J.’s great grandfather purchased the Jeep for $150 and it arrived in a crate, ready for assembly!

The Latimer Jeep has an extension to the tub that was sold as a dealer accessory for agricultural use. According to family history, Great grandpa Latimer had to sign an affidavit that the Jeep would be used for agriculture. And when it was time to put up hay, the Jeep could be put in low gear and great grandpa Latimer could walk along beside the Jeep loading bales of hay.

C.J’s great-grandfather added a glove compartment but the Jeep is –for the most part– unchanged since it was purchased almost 80 years ago. The only hands that used and worked on the Jeep were C. J’s grandfather and great grandfather.

C. J. plans to get the Jeep drivable but plans no other changes.

Jeep Reunion

Posted on by

The annual Jeep Reunion in Fulton, MO was modest as such events go (a plus in my book) and I didn’t go nuts with photos. To my newbie eye there was a sameness to many of the Jeeps, but a few caught my eye.

Engine of a 1946 CJ2A. Owners insist very little has been done to the Jeep over the years.
1948 Delivery Sedan

Another 1946 CJ2A with a couple of farm implements that made the Jeep popular with farmers.

I believe this is an M274 ½-ton 4×4 utility platform truck. These were introduced in the mid-50s but I’m not sure of the year on this one. Also known as the MULE.

Fancy pants Jeep

Posted on by

Didn’t meet the owner of this fancy new Jeep but took a moment to check out his ride. Deluxe interior with some kind of two-way radio affixed above the driver’s seat. CB radios are not still a thing, are they? Sorry, but just doesn’t say “Jeep” to me.

First ride in the Jeep

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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 CJ2A instrument panel

Posted on by

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?

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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

Jeeps in the wild

Posted on by

I’ve been collecting these for a while. The last two (sand color) are the same Jeep. The first Jeep on the bottom row was on Paul Bandelier’s lot. Will ask him what happened it and update here.

1940’s Jeeps in Junkyards

Posted on by


“A look at vintage Willys Jeeps hidden away from the world in junkyards and barns across the United States. It’s amazing how much vintage iron out there needs rescuing. The Jeeps in this video range from pre-mass production WWII Jeep such as the 1941 Ford GP, to the standardized Willys MB, and of course post-war Jeeps such as the CJ2A, CJ5, and even a Korean-War era M38. They range from the 1940’s to the 1960’s.”

My friend John Middleton pointed me to a terrific YouTube channel called Turn N Burn. This young man has been restoring Jeeps since he was 17 and I’m finding his videos fascinating. The video below features a 1940’s Willys Jeep that as in a home garage when the place went up in flames and the Jeep burnt to the ground.”

After reviving the fire-surviving CJ2A, they take it to an off-road park for a proper break-in. I’ve yet to drive my new toy but watching these videos makes me think I might be a little more adventurous with the Jeep than I’ve been with the Land Rover.