The Red Jeep

[F Bill]

Lately I have been trying to clear out all my extra parts jeeps from my storage lot, as I spend way too much time worrying about the scrap thieves taking parts off them or worse...I've posted them here and on the 2A page, but until today I never took a really good look at the red jeep stacked on top of another, which came to Coleman that way from Oklahoma with all its buddies ...

Anyhow, today I went to the local body shop and had them use their forklift to lift the red jeep off the white one, so I could sell them separately as nobody seemed interested in a stack of jeeps... The unloading went without a hitch, which was a relief. I'd been planning all sorts of Rube Goldberg ways to unload the jeep for years, and this was so obvious and simple, once I figured out they had a forklift that would do it.

Here's what I looked at in my storage lot for years.


Here's the pair stacked on my trailer.. Yup, a tire came off the bottom jeep, It got a little exciting with some added lean. Check out that bulletproof skid plate...wow.


And here, after a bath, is my newest stock 3A.



I found a hood in the collection that was red once, and added it to make it look more like a jeep.



Here is the album with more pictures...If you are bored go and take a look, and if you want to guess at the year, let me know what you think.....NO serial number plates whatsoever. I'll find an engine number eventually and post it, although it is junk and has a 2A front plate on it, with an adapter to the 3A mount.
<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/FBilljeeps/embed/slideshow/Red%20CJ3A"></iframe>

http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/FBilljeeps/library/Red%20CJ3A?sort=3&page=1

I'm thinking about slapping one of my running Flatheads in it, just to see if the gearboxes are as good as they feel when shifting them. Maybe I will have a beater 3A soon? All it really needs is rewiring, seats, brakes, and an engine. And tail lights, and signals, etc....

[Ryan_M]

Sounds like you have a new-found affection for this particular Jeep. Better hang onto it for awhile. Drop a motor in there and go for a ride!

I'm impressed with the stack of Jeeps. What's the story there? Did you arrange them that way originally?

[garage gnome]

I think if you gave it a wax job Bill, it would look like my red jeep. 

[SteveW]

Still has the spare tire mount, those are usually gone. 41 or 44 rear end will tell early or late

[F Bill]

Sounds like you have a new-found affection for this particular Jeep. Better hang onto it for awhile. Drop a motor in there and go for a ride!

I'm impressed with the stack of Jeeps. What's the story there? Did you arrange them that way originally?

I bought out a gentleman who had been the jeep restoration business. He often delivered jeeps to the Port of Houston stacked like this, and when he delivered four of the jeeps to me, they were stacked on his trailer. Unfortunately on his way here, he broke a leaf spring mount or something on his trailer, and had to unload a jeep at the trailer place where they fixed his trailer. I had to make a separate run to get the jeep he left behind. All this to get ONE jeep I wanted in his collection. (A DJ3A that had been a Surrey a long time and many modifications ago.)

Anyhow I planned on taking the jeeps apart with my bucket loader on one end and my A frame hoist on the other, but never had enough help around to do that. A few weeks ago I took a friends F-100 frame to a local sandblast shop and they used their forklift to load and unload... A few nights ago the light bulb went off, and I figured I'd give them a whack at it. Took all of five minutes. No damage.

I would not recommend storing jeeps this way. Eventually over the years the one wheelhouse did start to collapse. I had wanted to build some wooden blocking to spread the load over the whole rear floor but the guy who loaded them said that was not needed, he did them this way all the time.

By the way if you'd wanted to ship several old jeeps in a container, they might have ended up on their sides in the box. You can really fill up a 40 footer with a lot of jeeps and parts if you don't mind some scratches and dings.

I took a look at the rear axle but couldn't get close enough to figure out if it was a 41 or a 44..  Can you guys tell from my pics??
Rear.. I'm thinking 41

Front:

Another view of the dash,etc..

  Still has the remains of the hat channels and wood poking out her and there..

Unfortunately the metal around the spare tire holder has been replaced a long time ago.....but it is solidly done..

[garage gnome]

Its a 41 Bill.

[Quebec Jeep]

Yep! a 1941!

[F Bill]

Well, the modifications are already starting.. Today I took off the old wheels and tires and added a set of 15 inch mud and snow tires I had put together last year, dark green wheels and lots of tread, although a bit dry rotted. The jeep actually rolls around the yard pretty easily and now it has all matching tires and a spare, it doesn't have anywhere as much jeep lean as it had before. Tie rods appear to be OK too, not a lot of steering play either.

I had a visitor from the 2A page today stop by and pick up the GPW I sold him... Took the usual tour, it was good having someone with WWII jeep knowledge to check out my 42 WWII  GPW in the side yard. He checked out Pintojeep as well but there was too much stacked on the hood to show him the engine.. 

I spent the rest of the day cleaning up the white jeep I am selling, turned out to be Luzon red underneath two paint jobs.� roughed out most of the body damage on it, so it looks a little less crooked. A couple little goodies will end up on the red jeep... Too dark for pics tonight, got some work done on my top secret project too. Tomorrow, hopefully some paint will get on that if it stays warm.. they are predicting temp in the 80;s on Saturday....this after 1/4 inch of ice on everything three days ago...

[athawk11]

Bill,
That little Red Willys cleaned up nice!  If you could get the engine to turn, I think you might have a keeper.  If you stuck a runner in it, then it's definately a keeper.

Tim

[F Bill]

Got the hubs on it yesterday off the jeep I am selling. Not impressed with Allstate hubs but they are better than freewheeling  front axles.. I will have to pull them and refurbish them once the jeep is going but at least they are where I know they won't get lost right now.

Here's what it looks like this AM. Got a better windshield arriving from Oklahoma later today so that might be the next...or maybe I need to get the engine swapped first.

[johnrb3b]

So whatever became of this project?
Did work and clearing out the farm out east push it down the priority list?

[F Bill]

Yes , I am still in the Northeast enjoying� the lack of tornadoes� most of the time.... ;)and I still have quite a bit of work yet to do getting the cleanup of the old place done, so the red jeep is not forgotten. It is on temporary hold for now. most of my mechanicing has been either dismantling junk trucks for scrap or maintaining a MF 1540 that has been taking most of the work we throw at it in stride.. Progress is being made, and eventually a large truckload of stuff will go to TX and I can start on the jeeps I have there again.


If it is any consolation, I do wear my 3A Jeep shirt regularly to remind me the jeeps are still waiting for my return.