I really, really need to get off Facebook Marketplace. Buying cars is an addiction that, on Thursday, struck again in the form of a 1954 Willys CJ-3B — arguably the first “ugly Jeep” — that I simply could not resist even though I have way too many projects as-is. Here’s a look at my new flatfender Jeep, along with what it was like towing the thing in a 112 horsepower truck with a four-speed manual and insanely tall 2.73 gears.
OK, OK, so I didn’t really need the Willys I spotted whilst browsing Facebook Marketplace, but in my defense, I’ve wanted to own a CJ-3B for many years. It’s the first Jeep that the world pretty much unanimously decided was “ugly” (but charmingly so), with its hilariously tall grille meant to fill the space between the frame and the new-for-1953 high-hood needed to clear the new “F-Head” engine.
Honestly, the CJ-3B is a bit of an odd duck. We all are pretty familiar with the World War II Jeep; it and its CJ-2A and CJ-3A (all three shown below) successors have a lower hood than my 1954 CJ-3B because under their hoods were “L-Head” engines known famously as “Go-Devils.” The Go-Devil motor made only 60 horsepower, but thanks to a long stroke, it cranked out 105 lb-ft of torque.
Around 1950, the Go-Devil engine’s chief architect, Delmar “Barney” Roos, brought a new, more powerful motor into this world. Called the “Hurricane” or “F-Head,” the engine featured intake valves in the cylinder head, and exhaust valves in the engine block. The old Go-Devil had both sets of valves in the block. Here’s the L-head from the WW2 Jeep, as well as the CJ-2A and CJ-3A:
You can see that the cylinder head is really just a lid for the cylinders, as well as a place to thread in spark plugs:
And here you can see that the new Hurricane “F-Head” engine has only the exhaust valve in the block:
The intake valves (and still the spark plug holes) are in the head:
This basically allows air to enter and then exit the cylinders in a less tortuous path, meaning the engine “breathes” a bit better. I like to use the analogy of a syringe (but without a needle in it). If you pull the plunger back normally, the plunger (or piston) moves freely. But if you cover the nose of that syringe even part of the way, pulling that piston becomes difficult. Think of the new F-head as a less obstructed syringe-nose; it allows the piston to move with less obstruction, and the result is more power. 25 percent more, to be precise.
The actual figure only jumped from 60 to 75, but percentage-wise, that’s fantastic. If your V6 Toyota Camry were to get a 25 percent increase in power, the added horsepower would actually eclipse the total horsepower that the Willys F-head makes! (In other words, you’d gain more than 75 ponies). Torque also jumped from 105 to 114 lb-ft.
The new and revolutionary motor didn’t actually begin life in a civilian CJ; its first application in a convertible Jeep was in the new-for-1952 Willys M38A1, the very first “high-hood” “Universal Jeep”:
Some Jeep historian is going to have to explain this to me, because I don’t understand what happened next. Willys develops a brand new, more powerful engine and, to fit it, they design a beautiful vehicle with rounded fenders, a cool bulge in the center of the hood, and a less slab-sided profile. But instead of making this vehicle available to the public, they give the sexy Jeep to the military, and what do they build for civilians who want the new Hurricane motor? They take their CJ-3A and slap a tall hood on it, adapt a grille that reaches higher, raise the windshield, and make a few other adaptations that ultimately yield what many considered the ugliest Jeep of all time at that point:
I, actually, have always loved the wacky, lovable look of the The Last Flatfender, and I also love the vehicle’s historical significance. No, it wasn’t much of a wartime instrument like the World War II Jeep or even the M38A1 (the military version of the CJ-3B was the M606, but it wasn’t hugely popular), but in some ways the ‘3B brought Jeeps to more countries around the world than any Jeep up to that point. Obviously, the World War II Jeep created the brand and made its way all around the globe, but the CJ-3B was a true globetrotter that brought huge volumes of 4x4s to every corner of this planet.
Look at old Mahindras or Mitsubishi Jeeps, and you’ll see that those vehicles were able to build their names thanks to license-built CJ-3Bs. Motor Trend discusses this in its article about the first “ugly-Jeep”:
Licensed CJ-3Bs were built by Mitsubishi of Japan until 1998, and Mahindra of India was still building them in the ’00s, making the CJ-3B style the longest-running Jeep model of all time. The CJ-3B was a popular export-market Jeep, and militarized versions were exported as the M-606. You may think it’s ugly as sin, but the CJ-3B was a pivotal part of Jeep history.
Anyway, this one here was for sale near Pasadena for $7,000. I managed to get the price down to $5,900. It doesn’t run, it’s missing a rear bench, and the body appears to be a bit of a bastard-child of other Jeeps (the spare, for example, should be mounted of the rear quarter panel; that tailgate is likely from an M38 Willys — also, I’m fairly sure that’s a nazi jerry can on the back). But otherwise, the Jeep is in amazing shape. The body is rock-solid, the front seats and shifter and steering wheel all looks nice, and a number of the underbody components appear to have been refreshed recently based on their new paint.
You may notice in the photos above that there are four shifters. One is for the T90 three-speed manual transmission, one is for 2wd/4wd, one is for low range/high range, and the rear one pointing straight up and down? That’s a PTO drive.
The PTO can be used to power a number of implements mounted to either the front or the rear, but in my case, it’s just used to power a Sears winch mounted between the front bumper and grille.
To pick up the Jeep, I had to use my Jeep J10, since I have no other vehicle with towing capability. I snagged a U-Haul trailer from Van Nuys, then drove about 25 miles east on the “134” highway (which is incidentally the displacement on the Willys’ “F-Head” motor in cubic inches) until I reached the Jeep. Loading the Willys was easy, since it’s the seller’s driveway was a bit elevated above the street, meaning all I had to do was park the trailer on the street and extend the ramps onto the driveway, and then the path onto the U-Haul was largely flat. A bit of a shove with the seller’s help, and the relatively lightweight Willys was perched on the trailer, ready to head back west.
The drive from Pasadena to Van Nuys involves some long, steep grades. They’re not Rocky Mountain-esque, but they’re significant, and that’s a problem because the Jeep J10 can barely propel itself down the road, much less itself plus a 2,200 pound trailer and a 2,300 pound Jeep. Add a 300 pound axle in the bed and probably 200 pounds full of tires, and my Jeep was having to move 4,200 pounds worth of its own weight plus 4,500 pounds worth of stuff.
To give you an idea of why this is a problem: My Jeep J10 makes 112 horsepower. Yes, it also makes 210 lb-ft of torque, but it’s horsepower that gets you up a grade (though low-end torque lets you do it at reasonable RPMs). 112 horsepower moving 8,700 pounds is absurd; a tiny Hyundai Accent has more horsepower than that!
To go up a certain grade with a certain trailer at a certain speed in certain conditions requires a certain amount of horsepower. That horsepower figure is calculated via a process known in the industry as “gradeability.” It basically takes into account the steepness of the grade, the weight of the vehicle and trailer, and any friction working against the power of the engine — friction like aerodynamic drag and rolling resistance.
The friction factors are represented by what are called “coast down coefficients” or “ABC coefficients,” and to establish them for an unladen vehicle, you just drive the vehicle at a certain speed, and then you put the car in neutral and watch the velocity versus time curve. This will give you a good idea of how much friction acts against the car.
Anyway, the exact nature of the grade, the ABC coefficients of both the vehicle and trailer, environmental conditions, and more all go into establishing how much horsepower is required to ascend a grade with a certain load at a certain speed, and I can tell you straight up: Going up those Pasadena grades in my J10 at 70 mph with 4,500 pounds worth of junk requires more than 112 horsepower.
I know this because, in fourth gear, the Jeep wouldn’t accelerate at all, and if I did get the machine to 70 mph in fourth on a downgrade, the vehicle would decelerate once I hit an up-grade. The insanely tall 2.73 gearing meant that the engine was spinning really slowly when the vehicle was driving quickly, and at those low RPMs, the machine just wasn’t making nearly enough power to get the vehicle up the grade.
Downshifting into third brought the vehicle closer to its 112 HP @3200 peak at 70 mph, but even then there was just no way to sustain 70 mph.
I had to climb the grades at about 40 mph in third gear (which has a 1.46:1 gear ratio vs fourth gear’s 1:1). This required less horsepower than climbing the hill at 70mph, and luckily it brought the engine RPM close enough to the power peak; I did have to downshift into second (2.29:1) a few times when speed dropped below 30, and that wasn’t great. That AMC inline-six under the hood does not like to rev, and when it does, it sounds like an animal is dying. It screams!
I am a man with a lot of mechanical sympathy, so to hear that motor cry out for dear life was tough, especially since I’m fairly sure doing so exposed some kind of engine or transmission mount problem. Under heavy load, the Jeep made a weird grinding sound, almost as if the engine’s fan was rubbing against the shroud or something.
I held that shifter with a sweaty palm, feeling the vibrations through it, listening to that grinding noise append a screaming motor, and watching California traffic blast past me on the left as I slowly ascended the grade. I watched my temperature gauge like a hawk, but it held steady. I’d replaced my entire cooling system myself back in 2020, and I’d rebuilt the transmission and filled it with good, heavy-duty fluid. The engine oil I had changed a year prior, but I’d only driven about 1,000 miles. I knew the Jeep could take the abuse, but my god was it slow and violent. In some ways, that was a good thing, because the brakes are terrible and could really use a rebuild.
If you could only keep six of these, which would you keep?
-1985 Jeep J10
-1966 Ford Mustang
-1954 Willys CJ-3B
-1991 Jeep Wrangler YJ
-1994 Jeep ZJ 5spd
-1958 Nash Metropolitan
-2011 Nissan Leaf
-1942 WW2 Jeep (w/dead motor)
-2021 BMW i3S Galvanic Gold
-2014 BMW i3— David Tracy (@davidntracy) June 12, 2024
In the end, it was hot and stressful, but the ol’ machine dragged its grandpa from Pasadena to Van Nuys, where it now sits. Once I get it running, I’ll park it behind my BMW i3S in my Santa Monica garage. None of my other vehicles fit, so this CJ will give me a chance to have a fun weekend cruiser along with my excellent commuter.
Fascinating article! Glad for the information about the engineering and physics involved in towing plus some more information about the history of Jeep (the biggest bit of info, though, is that DT actually refers to consulting a Jeep historian, that is, implying that he isn’t actually a Jeep historian himself…astonishing, to say the least.)
Speaking of history, geez, that gas can, if it’s indeed an actual nazi artifact, then what to do with it? Maybe just puncture it a bunch of times, stomp it flat, and put it in the metal recycling bin? Goodness knows there’s plenty of documentation and memoribilia out there about the nazis, so it’s not like there’s such a pressing need for preserving that particular artifact if it’s indeed legitimate. A while back the YouTube algoirthm suggested a video where somebody restored a decrepit nazi gas can (ugh…the algorithm isn’t perfect but I watch a lot of restoration videos and I’d just watched a good video about the history and evolution of gas cans including the jerry can of WWII) and I said thanks but no thanks. And I occasionally used to order from a mail-order catalog from an antiques dealer specializing in vintage items of optical and/or mechanical nature, such as telescopes, binoculars, cameras, and typewriters, and genuinely old American and European military surplus (a memorable listing was for French WWI flashlights) but then they started listing a few German military items from the 1930s and 1940s “for historical interest” and now I just toss the catalog straight into the paper recycling bin. So there’s still unfortunately a market out there for such things and the question is whether to feed into that with that particular gas can or to remove it from circulation, so to speak, by disposing of it with a vengeance…
Thank you! The Autopian always delivers premium editorial content, even if it is the result of an ill-advised purchase!
Haha right on David glad the Golden Eagle money went to what looks to be a really clean but fun project that shouldn’t take much to get back up and running. I am glad I have more impulse control and a fiance that would not allow me to just buy new hoopties off Facebook marketplace as there are so many times I see something that I would want well at least when it comes to vehicles purchases when it comes to car upgrades, Legos, computer upgrades and new guns yeah my impulse control yeah not so great there but hey those are cheaper purchases (until they add up to the price of the hoopties I would buy on facebook market place haha)
Right? The unreliable, hard to work on, hard to find parts for project replaced by a sensible, solid, easy to fix project.
Now THAT’S progress!
Yeah and if the Hurricane in this one doesn’t work out I wonder how hard would it be to throw in a diesel from a Roxor in this?
Congratulations David! I’m surprised and not surprised at the same time. Another Jeep- awesome! Maybe the real DT is back? I enjoy reading about these adventures anyway
Oh, I never left!
I’m so happy this popped up, I lost track of Mr. Tracy and his Jeep tales after he left that other site.
Looks like things are going well, not pulling postal Jeeps out of the junk yard anymore!
That’s right! Clean machines!
I warned you before you moved that clean California cars would be dangerous for you.
‘Mint’ condition vehicles are everywhere.
To be fair, like most older pickups, the J10 was never designed to maintain 70MPH up a steep grade with a heavy load. Gearing down and winding up at 35-40 MPH (or less…) was expected. You would have tucked in along with the other, larger, trucks doing exactly the same thing.
But that was a different time. Prior to the national 55MPH limit, drivers just expected trucks on grades to be slower. Then during the double-nickel years, there wasn’t much interest in designing trucks, especially pickups, with a whole lot more speed capability until the age was over. The best you could get in pickups was something with a rear end geared for loads, and then you had a truck that could climb most hills at 50-55MPH, but on the flat or unloaded at best could do 65 MPH without feeling like you were flogging it. If you wanted faster truck on the highway, then the gearing choice meant slower climbs while loaded.
You used to just gear down, put your left foot in it, and sit back with one hand on the wheel and the other on the windowsill, occasionally waving some fool in a hurry to just pass already, and otherwise just lazily ride your way uphill — although with one eye on the temperature gauge. You’d get over the top when you got there, eventually. No big deal.
It wasn’t until the 90s really, with more and more highways raising speed limits and safety advocates more aware of speed differences in traffic being an issue, that there was a real need for higher-horsepower trucks. Until then, torque and relative fuel economy had been the only major design goals.
We’re spoiled in the 21st century. And we have modern drivers with modern vehicles who just expect everything on the road to keep up, which makes driving an older truck a bit more of a nail-biting experience than it would have been originally.
Man, this is such a great comment.
My 78 F-150 with a 400 had no problem towing a 6000 lb load right up the steepest part of I-40 east of the Rocky Mountains (climbing the Blue Ridge near Asheville) and was in fact passing cars while doing so. It also had a granny low 4 speed, 3.5 gears, but 35″ tires; which compared to stock tires would give an effective ratio of 3.0.
Cleveland/Modified heads are a bit of a cheat code– and one that I’m jealous of– but I would’ve loved to have seen and heard that. A proper 400 torquer before the 351M unfairly took their shared reputation into the dirt.
This. Dad had a stake body F350 with a 4-speed and (probably) a 390 he dropped a pickup camper on top of that we used to cruise America in the summer of 1981. My sister and I laid on the big bed over the cab and watched the miles go by, and I do remember spending time in the right lane on the West Coast grades grinding it out.
I do wonder though, was it the raising of speed limits that forced the need for higher-horsepower trucks, or was it the trucks being designed as passenger cars and thus more power that forced the raise of speed limits?
I think it is “trucks as daily drivers” that was the change. There was no appetite for compromise. And then of course came the bros who want to drive their pickup like a Ferrari.
Of course today, you have Toyota Camrys that can run with a C4 Corvette. Horsepower is everywhere more so than any era, even the “muscle” days of the late 60’s.
This is why I rarely drive my 1972 Super Beetle on the highway. When my car was new (21 years before I was born) Bugs were everywhere, and like David’s Jeep, they don’t really like to climb long grades at speed. Like you said, you’d just downshift and move over and go with the other people who had to do the same thing. Same with acceleration, the Beetle does 0-60 in ~18 seconds. Acceleration that slow, on American highways today, does not feel safe in such a small, light car. That was probably pretty slow in 1972 as well, but there were lots of other vehicles that were nearly as slow, and I suspect average highway cruising speeds aren’t what they are today. The Beetle has enough power to keep up with traffic around town with no issues, but the highway is not a fun place to be.
If you put your left foot in it, all you’re going to do for certain is put wear on the throwout bearing. Trying to climb a grade, reverse progress is a possibility.
Technically, all jerrycans are German as they were invented for the German army in the mid 30s. Hence the name: Jerry is slang for German.
The Allies began to use them during WW II after capturing them from German forces and discovering how superior they were to anything available to their own forces.
Coincidentally, just before the war outbreak, an American and German friend were assembling a car that could survive a transcontinental journey from Europe to India. They didn’t have an easy or reliable means of carrying extra fuel. The German knew of, and had access to, jerrycans (not called that by the Jerries) stored at Templehof airfield near Berlin. He procured three of the fuel cans, plus a copy of the manufacturing plans to his American friend.
Subsequently, the American brought the plans back to the US where he sought to sell the idea to the US military. At, first he received no interest, but after the war started, he worked with both American and British governments to set up production.
The US modified design used X-shaped indents on the sides of the can to impart strength and rolled seams versus the welded seams and cross-shaped indents of the German original. These weren’t as strong, but were cheaper and quicker to produce and generally strong enough. There were also differences with the capping mechanism, but basically the cans were the same as the German.The British versions copied the German design.
Jerrycans were one of the most critical war supplies and produced in huge numbers. Fuel shortages for truck and tank convoys were more frequently caused by a shortage of jerrycans than the fuel itself. The Allies lost 3.5 million jerrycans in one month in 1944, which gives a good idea of how many of these things were made.
So, if yours has an X indent it’s probably American, whereas a cross indent could indicate British or German. That’s assuming it’s not a commercial postwar version, in which case, all bets are off.
This is an incredible bit of history! Thank you for taking the time to put that here on this fine website of ours!
(Mine is a Nazi jerrycan; have a look at the photo I added!).
This video, from Calum on YouTube, about the history & evolution of gas cans is highly informative & quite interesting: https://youtu.be/XwUkbGHFAhs?si=ziP5g53vhNkVrlwP
Among many interesting videos Calum made this fascinating video about the surprisingly numerous stock (Scandinavian-spec) VW Beetles being successfully used by scientists in Antarctica in the early to mid 1960s https://youtu.be/hqr7t7nBIVA?si=jOa-B8j9RGXuXFR_ which includes a lot of resources including interviews with some of those scientists and some of the people who have replicas and some of the actual Antarctic Beetles.
Here’s a pretty charming photograph of one of these Beetles with some penguins:
https://www.clubvw.org.au/assets/images/austhistory/Antarctica11.jpg
Commenters like you are what make this site interesting. Imagine having so much knowledge of a gas can! Thank you for sharing it with us.
THIS, THIS is a David Tracy article!
Yes ha ha YES!
Of the list, though:
1966 Ford Mustang
1954 Willys CJ-3B
1958 Nash Metropolitan
2021 BMW i3S Galvanic Gold
1942 WW2 Jeep (w/dead motor)
1994 Jeep ZJ 5spd
…but then finally buy an RX-7? Alternately, have you also considered a parsh? I’m just here to suggest good ideas.
And the Hoardening begins anew.
Get rid of one i3, the Nissan Leaf, the Jeep with the dead motor and one other Jeep. Fix the Nash or get rid of it. Stop buying new junk until you finish a project.
The solution to this is marriage. She has no “legal” say until then.
Keep the gold
bugBMW, the Mustang, 1 jeep – probably the YJ, but “Elise” might prefer a finished ZJ if you wanted to take her with you on an offroading adventure – and maybe an older project jeep, and that’s it.Six cars is too many.
What would you do – as I’ve asked before – if you suddenly didn’t have access to galpin’s facilities to store your hoard of hoopties?
The J10 enables your hoarding. Get rid of it.
The Nash would be better owned by a more fervent enthusiast.
The Leaf is apparently gone/going.
The black i3 is redundant.
This new purchase is redundant, though the PTO winch is kinda cool. Shouldn’t have even bought it, and that price seems insanely high for what it is. Admittedly as not a crusty rusty jeep enthusiast, my perception may be different, but for that money you could have paid a professional to thoroughly clean and sterilize the ZJ, and put an entirely custom new interior in it. You could have “holy grail” pattern cloth made and put as the seats and headliner for that much dough (or less) and it solves a problem, it doesn’t introduce more.
Stay off of marketplace and Craigslist. Block them on your browsers if you must.
Focus on continuing to build this lovely website, and sock away “extra” money for a potential future life with “Elise” (or just for yourself for retirement or whatever). See what other successful EICs drive around the industry, and model a bit of your vehicular collection after that, perhaps.
You clearly don’t have time for projects as you did before.
LA and the surrounding area is less forgiving of these old slow junky jalopies that you seemingly have an unhealthy fetish for.
Admire those “treasures” from a distance, cherish what you truly love, and have a hobby car for when you need a break from the daily grind and for when you want to have vehicular fun. Your vehicular ownership lifestyle shouldn’t be a slog, especially with your age, situation, and resources.
Naaaaah. DT forging his own identity is far better than imitating what others are doing.
Your other advice is pretty sage, though.
We didn’t build this site by emulating anyone. We’re not going to start now. This site is an enthusiast’s community run, in part, by an engineer who loves to buy and wrench on cars. It is what it is!
Also, the new Jeep was a great deal! $5900 for a clean ‘3B? Awesome.
I’ll admit that I’m still understanding what I can and cannot spend time on, as new obligations have led to a different wrenching situation than before. But it’s a flatfender; parts are plentiful, and it’s bone simple. It’ll be a fun Santa Monica runabout.
As things settle, I’ll wrench on certain vehicles, maybe I’ll part with certain machines as I find I cannot spend the time to fix them, etc etc. I’ll figure it out, just as I did with the Golden Eagle. Lots of stuff happening at the same time for me at the moment, but I’m a sucker for a deal!
Most important, my focus will always be on building this business while keeping Elise (who sorta encouraged this purchase!) happy, so don’t worry too much about that ;).
As I said in another post, $hit or get off the pot.
Paraphrasing Box Rocket here: “_____ would be better owned by a more fervent enthusiast.”
Right now that applies to all of you projects.
So, which project are you ACTUALLY enthusiastic about?
Many, many well-known car collectors have loads of cars that don’t run. I’m comparatively good about ditching cars once they’ve been sitting a year or two (plus, I actually take mine on adventures vs just having them sit in garages); Golden Eagle was a special circumstance, but it’s sold. The Nash is getting there, but I’ve got plans for it!
Anyway, it’s wrenching time for this lovely ’3B!
I know. I was posting on a day with a negative/cynical mood.
That said, I stand by the question, “What projects are you ACTUALLY enthusiastic about?”
I kind of seems like none right now. You have several waiting, for a long time (!) but instead you’re buying new projects; you’re looking for something more interesting, more exciting. Something worth your time to work on.
So if they’re not interesting enough to find time to work on, sell them (i3, 1942, ZJ, nash, etc). The only ones you seem to “take on adventures” now are the YJ and the gold i3.
Just my perspective. One from a random stranger on the Internet…
What have you done to this poor woman? I guess it’s not called Stockholm syndrome unless you’re accumulating Volvos and Saabs, so let’s call it Toledo syndrome.
I noticed that you rented a U-haul transporter. Next time, rent their pickup truck, which has a beefy V8. It’ll cost a little more, but might be worth it. I rent one from time to time even though I have a full-size SUV. There are somethings that will not fit like 10 foot trees and 12x6x2 decking boards. Cheers.
This is totally the wise move. This J10 tow mission could have gone sideways in so many different ways, lol. On the other hand, I applaud DT for actually driving the JT, and writing about it. Makes good content either way.
I’ve done a fair bit of towing with older vehicles, and it’s impressive what you can accomplish with so little power. I do own a pickup now, but I always like to remind people that smaller vehicles are capable of waaay more than most people give hem credit for.
100% this. I get that DT making bad choices is part of the schtick, but the J10 clearly was not able to safely tow this and was also damaged in the process (with repair costs probably exceeding the $100 or whatever it would have cost to rent a pickup for a few hours). If he had to downshift to second because it couldn’t go more than 30 on a freeway, that is literally illegal and is very unsafe for himself and everyone around him.
Actually, the J10 was safe, and nothing was damaged. It’s a tough truck, and I maintain it well.
I’d say get rid of any vehicles that don’t bring much to the table or will take too much time or work for you to realistically get them across the finish line.
Here is my list to get rid of:
Great list! That’s the plan!
Truth is, I can’t do an EV conversion until Galpin EV is up and running. An EV conversion in a crowded parking lot ain’t happening.
Compulsive car buying coupled with available storage space is very dangerous
… there’s a reason behind why tow dollys and tow bars are made & available in the marketplace.
So many projects have long passed “$hit or get off the pot” stage.
Either do the work, or sell to someone else who might. At this point you’re just depriving other enthusiast of interesting vehicles by hording them but not actually fixing them.
What if there was some young kid, a newly burgeoning enthusiast out there, desperate to own his own flat-fender Jeep, and he was able to scrape up $5800. He convinced his parents to let him use the garage, he’s read every relevant forum. He’s so excited. Finally! One listed for $7000… Maybe he can talk the guy down? This might be it!!!
Nope! DT needs another dead car he won’t work on. Better luck next time kid!
Reading about someone buying junk is not nearly as interesting as someone actually resurrecting something from junk.
And for today’s cynical post:
Keep the YJ and the gold i3, sell everything else.
Those are the only two you actually like enough to actually use.
(You only use the J10 to haul other dead cars, so once the dead cars are gone, you wouldn’t drive it either.)
Makes me wonder if I shouldn’t write about my almost done Datsun 280Z restoration.
I’d read it!
Eh, you can say this about any car collector, most of whom have way more non-running cars than I!
Define “non-running” – does parked because it won’t pass the smog inspection count as running or non-running?
Seriously, though, car collecting is an illness, but a very good one. I just picked up my 5th convertible… does anyone really need 5 convertibles? But it’s pretty nice – a ’53 MG TD replica on a Karmann Ghia platform… and the price was very reasonable.
Never too many, but sometimes not enough space…
This is just a patriotic manifestation of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Haha!
And how is it going with the 1942?
Here the standard maximum towing speed is 50mph, but if both your newer car and newer trailer are up to it, you can get a 62mph approval. Seems reasonable.
I haven’t read the other comments yet, but let me point out that in Kalifornia, it illegal to tow at speeds over 55mph (right 2 lanes only, please). I realize that many people tow at faster speeds, but you were undoubtedly exceeding the tow rating of the po’ old J10 (the crap drum brakes are a further indication of the speed you should be towing at). I’m betting that the trailer didn’t have its electric brakes wired into your brake light circuit, so, unless the trailer was equipped w/ surge brakes, you really had your a$$ out in the wind.
U-Haul trailers, and in fact pretty much all rental trailers, do not have electric trailer brakes for this reason. Every single U-Haul trailer uses surge brakes(if it has brakes).
Drum brakes aren’t crap, and they’re not crap for towing either, semis use them for a reason.
I suspected that they had surge brakes, just because Joe Blow w/ his 20 yr old pickup and a tow ball on the bumper probably doesn’t have an integrated brake controller. OTOH, DT admitted that his J-10 had poor brakes (before he hooked up 4,000# of trailer & Jeep).
Semi’s have drum brakes because the pattern was laid out 75 yrs ago and everyone buys the same components. Anyone who works on a big rig can buy components and figure out the adjustments. The determined *can* order disk brakes on a big rig, but the benefits don’t always outweigh the extra cost and ongoing service hassles. A further problem is that Owner/Operators pull a variety of rented/borrowed trailers, all equipped w/ drum brakes. The downside of drum brakes for the big rigs are visible in the presence of a 45mph maximum speed on the downslope of The Grapevine on I-5 for big rigs and Jake Brakes on most of the big rigs.
There’s a big difference between heavy duty drums in good shape and dilapidated, 40-or-so year-old, base model half-ton drums.
I’m disappointed by the lack of rusty Jeeps you’ve bought in California, but on the bright side that’s good!
If the J10 still has a fan connected to the fan belt, replace it with an electric fan setup. It will give you a marginal increase in hp, will definitely give better mpg, I’ve done this in the past. If the J10 is going to be used primarily for towing, give it a diff to suit that.
I’m a mech-fan man, but agreed.m, shorter gearing would help. I like the 4spd, though, so to preserve highway driving capability, I’ll just fuel inject my motor. 4.0 time!
So I was just going to keep my thoughts to myself on this one…but have to tip my hat at the statement “it’s horsepower that gets you up the grade”. Doing god’s work!
Well, now might as well share some of the thoughts. I think you could have written basically the same article without purchasing the Jeep. Substitute “my J10 would have struggled” you get the idea.
But the way you did it? You got that sweet content AND a line of credit on free time destruction. And the Jeep I guess
Sell; Metropolitan, Leaf, older i4, WW2 Jeep (the electric Jeep isn’t going to happen if it hasn’t yet).
Definitely Keep: Newer i4 (daily), Wrangler (running fun car), Mustang (made it to LA from Detroit under its’ own power so that has to be something).
On the bubble: J10, CJ3B, ZJ. Make the pick based mainly on content potential.
This was easy.
Keep:
-1985 Jeep J10
-1966 Ford Mustang
-1991 Jeep Wrangler YJ
-1994 Jeep ZJ 5spd
-1942 WW2 Jeep (w/dead motor)
-2021 BMW i3S Galvanic Gold
Sell:
-1954 Willys CJ-3B
-1958 Nash Metropolitan
-2011 Nissan Leaf
-2014 BMW i3
No Father’s Day posts today? A member berries type of post re: best car ride would’ve been great. Not sure if there was Mother’s Day post, but same thing!
I honestly thought this was a repost of a previous article. About 3 paragraphs in I realized this was in fact new, however I couldn’t really comprehending what I was reading. When I saw your list at the end is when it finally clicked. You bought a jeep that is different than this WWII Jeep. https://www.theautopian.com/how-i-bought-a-world-war-ii-jeep-for-only-85/
I wish you the best in all your endeavors with this one, and I’ll read everything written about it, but please find the time to wrench. Buying too many Boomer aged Jeeps with no motors and no follow up may not be the best direction to go.
All the way from Pasadena to Van Nuys, huh? You poor thing.
I haven’t necessarily selected an exact six, instead opting to give my thoughts on each individual entry. As always my opinions are worth exactly what you paid for them…
-1985 Jeep J10
I’ve seen this beast in person. Keep it, it’s cool and worth working on.
-1966 Ford Mustang
We all know this isn’t on the chopping block under any circumstances and that you’re keeping it. So really, it’s list the other vehicles and decide which ones you keep.
-1954 Willys CJ-3B
It’s cool and all, but why did you buy this? I’m not sure what purpose it serves for you.
It won’t be your electric conversion since the motor is perfectly good.
-1991 Jeep Wrangler YJ
Keep it. It’s a fun and capable off-roader/convertible.
-1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ 5spd
I had two ZJs and loved them both. But the simple question is, are you going to do the build and get some articles out of it or not? That determines whether you keep it.
-1958 Nash Metropolitan
It’s a super cool car but unless you’re going to do the electric conversion I thought you had found a worthy new home for it. I think you should find a good new owner to bless with this gem.
-2011 Nissan Leaf
Hopefully you got a business write-off with a funny article or two. At this point it’s worthless to you and should be sold immediately with prejudice.
-1942 WW2 Jeep (w/dead motor)
Since it has a dead motor if you’re going to use this as the basis for your electric conversion project have at it. Otherwise sell it and give it another good home.
-2021 BMW i3S Galvanic Gold
The i3 seems to genuinely excite you, but you don’t need two i3s, and for a number of reasons this is probably the one to keep.
-2014 BMW i3
Nothing against this car, just that it’s redundant and at this point I think you can get as much or more than you paid for it with the brand new battery adding to the resale value. Take the money and put it towards other projects (or a very nice engagement ring – it seems like you have found “the one”)
Final tally by my reckoning is four definite keeps and then deciding which you are going to take on as projects.
Dude, why.
Car buyers affliction
Here’s my 10¢:
-1985 Jeep J10
Keep – this is your most reliable workhorse, and you’ll regret selling next time you need to deliver a Changli (which could be any day).
-1966 Ford Mustang
Sell it – you’ve been dragging it around for years, but apparently your brother has no plans to reclaim it so unless it’s a car you love yourself, let it go to someone who will actually drive it.
-1954 Willys CJ-3B
Even you admit this was an impulse buy. Too bad you probably can’t return it for a full refund.
-1991 Jeep Wrangler YJ
Keep – for playing in the woods/desert.
-1994 Jeep ZJ 5spd
This is the cat hotel, right? Either finish the build or give it to someone who will.
-1958 Nash Metropolitan
You got it for free, you lose nothing when you let it go. Maybe a collector will appreciate the extra parts.
-2011 Nissan Leaf
I actually think this would be a great candidate for a series of articles on whether worn-out EVs can be revived. Could you try to swap in a Tesla pack, or at least find a dirt-cheap replacement battery to see if you can get the range back into double figures? If not, can you upgrade the motor and get a sub-10 quarter-mile out of it (assuming the battery can hold enough charge to make it that far…)
-1942 WW2 Jeep (w/dead motor)
Maybe this should be the EV restomod candidate?
-2021 BMW i3S Galvanic Gold
Daily. Stop babying it and just enjoy it.
-2014 BMW i3
Sell it to me so that I can daily it.
This is exactly how I would do things.
Hey, how about focusing your use of FB marketplace on parts?
That Willis with a blown engine? Find another engine, then enjoy open top wheeling.
Whatever parts the ZJ needs? Buy ’em used, fit them and give us that holy grail!
You could even use FB to sell that useless Leaf or redundant i3 to pay for said parts!
It’s kinda dispiriting to see you waste time and resources on an ever growing list of project cars when none of the current ones are making any progress.
Seems like what we are seeing all over again is just what was happening in Michigan and I have to say it’s not particularly interesting.
Yeah. Come to think of it, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a Tracy project get finished unless it had a stupid arbitrary deadline (Moab, the friend’s wedding with the Mustang, Cactus …)
Seems like every other project gets an introduction (I’ve bought the cheapest whatever and it’s broken in many a way), a few wrenching sessions (off-road ZJ, electric FC…) and then end up in project car purgatory.
I understand that out David has more responsibilities and less time now, so crazy builds aren’t in the cards anymore. However, buying some cool RUNNING gear and getting some non-wrenching content out of it IS an option.
It’s not collecting if half you fleet is in disrepair, it’s hoarding. And that’s not a good look, especially after that Golden Eagle article.
It follows the ‘I’ve gotta buy a craptacular vehicle in order to write a story to make a buck’ model.
I never buy cars solely for content; I buy cars because I love them. I mean, nobody was asking for diesel Chrysler minivan content. Or manual ZJ content. Or CJ-3B content. But I love them, and I’m buyin’ ’em!
I have no idea why you’d even say that.
Completed project.
Completed project.
Completed project.
Completed project.
Completed project.
Completed project.
Completed project.
Completed project.
Completed project.
I could go on and on and on. I set a goal, I create a schedule, and I get it done. Just because the car isn’t pretty when it’s done doesn’t mean the project isn’t complete.
The only projects I haven’t completed have been a result of, well, creating a big car website from scratch. I get the criticism, though; you see me mention a project, you want me to complete it like I have before! But times are changing, and I’ll just request a bit of patience as I figure out this new life.
All of those do count except the FC whose initial goal was to have it be EV converted I’d say. Most of them fit the description of “arbitrary deadline got it running” though, as I said. I didn’t mean to imply that a finished project has to be a prestine vehicle.
I get that you have a new life to figure out, I’m so grateful for this website and I can only imagine how demanding your new responsibilities must be. But while you’re figuring it out, why accumulate project cars? You know how time consuming and trench footy it can be. If you can’t make time for the ZJ, why could you for the ZJ and the CJ? (And the Nash, and the Willis…)
Sorry if I sounded harsh, it wasn’t my intention. I’m mostly pissed because it feels like just a few days ago you gave us a great piece about the Golden Eagle sale and how you’re maturing and getting in a serious relationship, just to buy another non runner moments later. It makes you sound like an addict who’s giving us the “I can stop whenever I want” speech for the tenth time before falling off the wagon yet again.
The FC project changed as a result of Jalopnik no longer sponsoring the EV build. But watch that incredible feat of wrenching, and you’ll agree: it counts. Along with the other eight. And the Chevy Tracker. And a bunch of other cars.
That’s ten awesome projects, thousands of hours spent wrenching and writing, tens of millions of pageviews.
And just because they had deadlines they’re someone less of projects? I don’t understand the logic. I was literally resurrecting scraps of rusty metal and road tripping them thousands of miles. I ain’t about to let someone try to erase those feats in the comments of my own website.
As for me collecting more cars. Sure, it’s an affliction! But there are lots of folks like me. You should see the auctions at Pebble Beach; scores of people with 10x as many cars, many non-functional. Trust me, it could be a lot worse! And worth noting: I don’t lose money on my cars when I sell them.
OK David, you’re not focusing on my main point. I’m not criticizing your skill, which I admire and started me on my own wrenching path. I’m not criticizing the end result, sorry about that FC comment, I wasn’t aware your funding got cut.
I remember reading about the Postal Jeep and being genuinely worried about your safety. I also commented on my admiration for you for pulling it off.
My main concern is the uncontrollable “car collecting” you touched on last. I don’t know if you call it an “affliction” for effect but it sure starts to look like it’s a litteral one. I’m not bitching about it as a reader, I’m bitching about it as a weird friend through the magic of internet para social relationships.
Fixing cars is awesome, collecting cars is awesome, but when you first talked about “culling the herd” a long time ago, still on the old site, a lot of us commenters, me included, cheered for you because it seemed like the wrenching was taking an actual toll on your social life and health. I’ve seen you sell cars, vowing to keep a reasonable number of cars to keep the Michigan city off your back only to start amassing projects again.
Then you were to move to LA, which was herd culling #2 and you fleet ballooned back up.
Then you sold the Golden Eagle saying it’s about getting time with your SO (which I’m genuinely stoked for you!), and getting more time for the business. And now you bought a new non runner.
I may have been a little abrasive, I apologize, I have a shit time at the moment myself, but it’s really coming from a place of love. Take a good freaking look at your car buying habit, be honest about your ability to control it and what it costs you (time with the lady, time for the business, time for the existing projects). I think you’ll see the same sentiment I’m expressing throughout the comments, and I think you should hear our call.
Get the car buying craze under control, reclaim time, space and get rid of a source of stress (I know some projects have really taken a toll on my sanity). It’s not about the clicks, it’s about you dude. I don’t want to see you become the guy with the field filled with abandoned cars that had to sell 15 a week because it was declared an illegal junkyard.
I’m cool with a bit of tough love (grew up in an army family). I just wasn’t a fan of trying to take away credit for all those projects I’ve done over the years.
No worries, and I appreciate the concern! You wouldn’t comment if you didn’t care, and I appreciate that <3.
Glad we ended up understanding each other! Sorry I didn’t convey my point clearly earlier.
Take care of yourself David, I really mean that.
DT: “help, I can’t fit both of my i3s in the garage – I have too many cars!”
Also DT: “I just bought another car, but it’s OK because it fits in the space that my second i3 wouldn’t fit!”
I seem to recall doing shockingly well on the Detroit to LA fleet culling. I’m not expecting a repeat performance, but here goes anyway:
1985 Jeep J10: You actually use your truck for truck things like towing and parts hauling. Keep, but at least consider a more aggressive axle.
1954 Willys CJ-3B: You just bought it, so it’s clearly not going anywhere just yet.
1991 Jeep Wrangler YJ: Your one functioning off-roader at the moment, so that’s not leaving.
1994 Jeep ZJ 5spd: The holy grail cat shelter. The fact that you’ve (relatively recently) purchased the rare tire carrier and parts ZJ, yeah, this one isn’t going anywhere.
1958 Nash Metropolitan: Personally, would’ve loved to seen this project come together, but I suspect this one is the chopping block.
2011 Nissan Leaf: Barely adequate even for your needs. I guess the question is “Is the electrified WW2 Jeep project still a thing?” Then the Leaf still may still have some limited use. Otherwise, be done with it.
1942 WW2 Jeep (w/dead motor): See above.
The two I3s: You’re definitely keeping one, that much is certain. Whether you keep both, honestly 50/50, could go either way.
And intentionally left for last, the 1966 Ford Mustang: Tricky. If I recall correctly, you bought this for one of your brothers– who lives on another continent. If that’s still the mindset; if the Mustang isn’t “yours”, then I guess hold onto it. On the other hand, I have to imagine decent first gen Mustangs aren’t hard to find in southern California. This one’s another coin flip.