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

Jeeps in the wild

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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.