There was a '48 at a swap meet in my neck of the woods probably 10 years ago, that had been painted bright red, and had a 283 shoved in it a very long time ago. I sure walked by it a bunch, but didn't pull the trigger.
I know from reading that the island has almost all climate zones. I'd imagine that driving is mostly lower speeds (no autobahn) and handling curves and light off road capability are requirements. I can picture a Woodie, early van and other compact but roomy choices being useful.
Man what an odd pairing! I’ve got a buddy who had, I believe, a 455 olds in his. there were a hand full of similar builds in the very early days of the H.A.M.B. I believe.
Having a '57 Willys 4x PU, I think Willys are kool. I remember a couple of nice renditions of sedan delivery/panel truck Willys hot rods.
I remember looking at one back in the 70’s when I was a teen that had a Studebaker V8 in it. I always thought they were cool. My first drivable vehicle was the later Jeepster Commando convertible, had the top done all the time.
'67/'68, my brother had a yellow and black one. Named it Mellow Yellow after a popular song of the time. Put a 265/Powerglide in it and a set of Chrysler wire wheels on it. Stock rear, nothing much could hole shot it, shifted half way across the intersection and topped out at 60. After the rear broke, a junkyard 9" civilized it.
A friend of my dad had one. He never had the top up rain or shine. The early ones were all 2WD. They revived the nameplate in 1966 but it just doesn't have the right look - they were all 4WD.
In 2019, at the Hot Rod Hill Climb event in Central City, CO, a fella was selling a decent running Jeepster he'd recently pulled out of a garage. The drivetrain was all 50's V8 Olds, perhaps all pulled from one donor car back in the day. I came within $500 of buying it.
This is one of the cars Ive always liked but when I was ready to buy one I couldn't find a decent deal and went another route. Of course after I went another route that is when the decent deal popped up. Maybe someday?
Went to look at one many moons ago. I wanted an off-road truck where you could remove the entire top. Drove 3 hrs one way with my wife to see one the seller said was in good shape (he had just sold one he had listed) but told me he had this one. Guy lived out in the middle of nowhere. Saw my first moose on his property. Had a small log house with a vintage motorcycle sitting in his living room. Took use out to his various “out” buildings. Showed us a beautiful vintage wooden boat with a 413 in it. Then an old Mercedes-Benz with a rare V8. Then finally, he and I walked out into a field past more buildings filled with stuff (one being a RHD drive Jeep postal vehicle). Finally, he shows me the Jeepster. I say “where”? It was covered in weeds with no top, and weeds growing through the floor. I said “we’re leaving” turned around, grabbed my wife all the while he was rambling on about how he had a good body man. She was really confused at first, then when I told her what I saw, she was none too happy for wasting her time for nothing. Haha! Ended up getting a 73 & 74 Early Ford Bronco.
There are 2 of those in Central Oregon, both modified. One has been a daily driver with a SBC in it for years. The other belongs to a friends mother that he has built it up for her. He is also a HAMB member. Dave
In the 1960s,my Sr High School buddy Sam Kerr ,had a Jeepster,we put a 51 Ford flathead V8 in./ White with red trim. In late 61 he got broken Austin Healey { ****** dead},tryed to fix ******,parts were too hard to fined. He found a SBC Chevy n powerglide,an put that in it. Very little room{ was 4cly model }so had to custom do EX ,but crazy fun with SBC...
On American Graffiti Toad made the statement to Candy Clark, that in addition to his custom Chevy, he had a Jeep. What you have identified in this thread is the picture that always popped into my head. And yes, I would definitely buy one!
Mine was a 68 convertible, not the roof like the one 29 sleeper posted. It’s off topic they can delete it if they want.
Local guy here has a red one. I ***ume it's stock, never been close. He pulls it behind his motor home when he goes to south Texas for the winter.
Saw this one in Hardin Montana a few years back, as a Willys guy i would have liked to have taken it back to NZ. JW
Had a '67 in my youth as my daily. When I got it, it had been ridden hard and put away wet. Biggest piece of **** I ever owned. Stock Buick V6. Very poorly engineered. Unstable and top heavy. Nearly rolled it on a curve once. Immediately welded in a roll bar. It seemed to know when payday was because it always broke down just as I cashed my check, requiring all my weekly pay just to get it running again. Hated that freaking thing. Andy
I had an experience with a 47 that my Dad bought at the auto auction we went to every week in Omaha. NE. I rode back to central Nebraska with one of the guys who went with my Dad to drive cars back home that he bought. We stopped and got a six-pack of beer, and my driver, Buddy, had them down by the time we stopped for dinner. More drinking at dinner, and then we started home. After about ten miles, I asked my Buddy to stop and let me drive. I was just 13 then, but had been driving since 10 years old, it was a thrilling drive in a top-down rig!
The early ones have a charm that's hard to describe. They definitely stand out in a crowd. There's a couple around here I've seen, look like a ton of fun. But around here, strictly a summertime ride.
Love them. Had one lined up to hot rod with SBC but found rust had won battle. Gave up sold off. Love jeep rust buckets
In the early 90’s went to the 25th Yellowstone rod run in my 33 Tudor. There was a black early Jeepster from the Spokane area I believe was built by one of the Fruend brothers, a well known rodding family from that area. It was gorgeous! Really low, really black and really straight. I fell in lust with that car, and have wanted one since, but haven’t been able to find the right one for the right money. They have just the right amount of cool.
Interesting that this Jeep is a topic, due to the fun factor built in to it... My brother saw it as such and had plans... Hello, There was a time between the Willys Coupe adventure and the surf road trip adventures. The name Jeep came up. My brother did not want a hot rod for his next car. He already had a 49 VW slide back sunroof sedan. So, he wanted a 4 wheel drive car he could take anywhere. But, this Jeepster was a 4 cylinder bullet proof motor, but only a rear wheel drive. The style was all So Cal beach surf style. Drop the top and longboards could slide in easily with two riders. After a few days, if more folks had surfboards, a roll bar style attachment was on the drawing boards across the back seat area. Now, multiple boards could be strapped on top of the custom made rack. When the top was up, it would have covered the surfboard rack hidden underneath. But, the top never made the so called future purchase. It was all open style. It was a stock configuration model with no roll up windows, but, snap in windows. So, it was going to be noisy as we drove down the street Plus, it would take time to snap in and out. But, it would not provide security when we left the Jeep. We would just have to wear jackets while we head for the early morning waves or long pants and shoes on longer journeys down into Baja Mexico. But, continual visits to the local Jeep dealer in Long Beach, provided him with odds and ends in making his decision. On a test drive, he said it was fine and accelerated like other cars. Not, like the 58 Impala, but at this stage of his accident recovery, he was finished with high performance cars. Somewhat comfortable, with plenty of room for 4 folks. His idea for a roll bar like rack inside was genius. Now, he had the money to get one if he wanted to start a new adventure. But, dreams of going over dirt roads leading to the rough coastal Baja Mexico surf spots required a drive line that could take the ups and downs, creek crossings and paths with full power, like a 4 wheel drive model. This one was two wheel drive. Jnaki He almost bought a used one he constantly sat in and visited often. But, his choice was a surprise, a truck with a camper shell. It was a Jeep and already had a shell on the bed. So, mark off two advantages. The third was 4 wheel drive. that was the additional item to push the sale across. Now, he was the owner of the Jeep FC truck. Someone had traded it in on another Jeep vehicle and it was for sale. Note: We were right in the middle of our surf journeys all up and down the coast and especially, down into Baja California. The locations on the Baja coasts were close by, but yet limited as the h***le of coming to a foreign county and leaving, had its own problems for teenagers. Arriving during the early morning 2-4 am time period usually had the border check points free and clear. But, as we all went down there sight unknown, we did run into some inclement weather for a day or two, causing the vans to get stuck in small dirt ruts and slippery roads. Two wheel drive was good, but not so good. Then my brother decided that a 4x4 was the answer to “all things getting stuck.” The 4x4 would have the ability to not worry about small streams crossing a dirt path to the ocean. Or, getting stuck in high tide flat parking spots near the surf, and finally, being able to pull itself out of any rut or drainage channel by the side of the road. So, he bought a funky Jeep FC pickup truck with a homemade aluminum shell on the back. The Jeep FC was unique to say the least. No one had one, as other 4x4 vehicles were definitely more popular. So, for the next several months we trudged along with the hopes for inclement weather to try out the cool 4x4 drive train. Speed was not in the cards for this under powered 4x4 truck. It was slower than anything on the road and we were always in the slow lane. We did not qualify for the slow lane on the freeways as it could not maintain a 55-60mph range. Almost the condition it was in the far reaches of the back lot. It wasn’t the construction of the Jeep FC, as it was built like a brick. But, it was the noise, the slow power on the grades and just an overall “not so fast” at***ude during the flat land highway road trips. There was a time when we could have walked faster than driving this 4x4 Jeep. It was not the most enjoyable drives that we had taken, ever. Plus, it was the turtle speeds, we experienced, that drove us a little batty. At least, when going by a surf spot, we could actually see the whole beach at the speed we were going. So, he sold it to an older gentleman who was going to do the 14 day state park vacations. Park along the state beach camping areas for 14 days, then move to another close by state beach for 7 days and if one like the original campsite, then another 14 days was open. It was the long sandy beach along the Northern Malibu shoreline and had a huge sand slide on the inland coastal mountain. It was perfect for that going no farther than several miles at super slow speeds. The camper could sleep two with full length beds… So there it that… Note: To make it look fast, a long time ago, I drew a very old artwork for what the FC truck should have looked like as well as an SBC motor to move us along as usual. YRMV
The Jalopy Journal
