What do Mork & Mindy and Salem's Lot have in common?

SUMMER FUN! NANU NANU STYLE

Alright you Mork & Mindy superfans their Jeep was an earlier model than this but you get the point. How else would I set the stage for this post? Salem's Lot?

Without further Shazbot:

This is a 1985-1986 Jeep CJ-7 Renegade in Ice Blue Poly. Everyone knows the Jeep as the basic design carried over from WWII. Unlike the Beetle the Jeep made his way into the 1980s without forfeiting its soul (the Beetle didn't even make it to the decade in the States).

This is how I want to see or remember a Jeep; roof and doors off in warm buttery sunshine. These days the trend is to make your modern Jeep super aggressive and loaded with testosterone (one of the most popular aftermarket customizations gives the headlights frowning eyebrows so your Jeep looks angry!). That's not my Jeep fantasy. Mine is pure hilarity; the possibility of pulling off the road at any time whether onto a beach or into the mountains.

Yeah dude I'm a RENEGADE!

This is such a freaking improper name for a vehicle with clear military roots that I'm at a loss for words. A definition from Google:
noun
1. a person who deserts and betrays an organization, country, or set of principles.
synonyms: traitor, defector, deserter, turncoat, rebel, mutineer 

"he was denounced as a renegade"
Can you imagine if there was a Hummer named The AWOL?

Our hero has slight munchy rust nibbling at the edges but overall it's in great shape for a 30+ year old Jeep. I love the homemade padding on the roll bars. It's there to protect the cloth top when it's raised but also for folks standing up in the back while screaming on the beach.

The CJ-7 was introduced in 1976 to be sold alongside the smaller CJ-5. The 7 is a full 10 inches longer than the earlier models which in turn makes it a bit more car like. From that emblem under the license plate we can see that this Jeep has never left Long Island (I found this parked in a lot on the North Fork).

Just in case a blue Jeep on the North Fork wasn't stereotypical enough there are a couple of lacrosse stickers on the glove compartment door.
This dashboard, while modernized, retains its primitive roots. The speedometer is a big gauge in the center of the vehicle with a couple of smaller gauges just placed wherever. That padded dash fulfills the safety regulation but looks like the tacked-on afterthought that it is.

Rust is showing up around the windshield in troubling ways. Like every CJ the windshield folds forward and can be secured down flat on the hood. However the hinges provide a bit of purchase for the salty air to take hold.

Well there we have it; the perfect beach cruiser probably caught on a beer run. These rides are as fun as they look and remain pretty common. The mechanicals are dead basic so repairs are a piece of cake. When shopping for any Jeep the #1 thing to look for is rust. It will have rust, it's just a matter of how much and if it's structural. Be wary of any fancy looking diamond plate or chrome added to the corners of the body as they look flash but probably conceal rot.
Because I mentioned it I felt compelled to leave this link to the intro to More & Mindy.
And of course some Salem's Lot stills:

For no particular reason here is a glossary for all the known Orkan language ever spoken on More & Mindy.  

Dogged, rugged, loyal donkey

DOGGED, RUGGED, LOYAL DONKEY

I've been walking Brooklyn neighborhoods scouting for potential places to move and have encountered some cool vehicles on the way. This rough and tumble beast was roosting on an overpass above the BQE at the edge of Bay Ridge recently:

This is a half destroyed wreck that continues earning its keep after decades of abuse and neglect! More specifically this is a 1962 Willys Jeep Truck in President Red (how presumptuous and sadly true at the moment). 

Here is its face which has probably been covered up since the '80s. This has a current inspection sticker in the windshield which really pushes the envelope as there are no turn signals at all! I've gotten an inspection sticker with broken reverse lights and a horn that didn't work but you could always claim they just went out if you were pulled over. When there isn't even a signal housing present it shows faith in the local cops.

These hardy beasts grew out of the standard Willys-Jeep CJ in 1947 to widen the market in the post war vehicle shortage. They sold well to returning G.I.s and the general public alike. In the late '40s Jeep as a company was regarded fondly as another U.S. soldier who helped win the war. Luckily the durability matched the patriotic enthusiasm.

This truck is so basic it might as well have been built in the 1920s. The body consists of stamped steel bolted to a sturdy frame. Along with this pickup body it could've been ordered as a station wagon, flatbed, or just a cab on the frame ready for you to complete however you want.

Somebody has been painted black rust proofing wherever it emerges. There has also been a replacement piece of metal welded onto the rocker panel below the door. Random moments of Bondo are also visible in some precursor to restoration.

Rugged durability was what they were selling with this vehicle and its existence in Brooklyn after 55 years is proof that it has fulfilled its promise.

Everything you need to know about this ride is in the above pic. The gas cap is duct taped on to a fuel filler neck sporting brown tape of its own. The taillight is a cobbled together mess with two hand-twisted pieces of soldering wire replacing the lens as protection for the naked bulb. The tires are in great condition but everything else is well worn.

This side of the bed is collapsing in the front due to a fatal amount of rot. Seriously - take a look at the line of the bed where it meets the cab compared to the cab accent lines! Some might ask what's the point? Our intrepid owner has more immediate fish to fry such as the missing passenger side window.

Not entirely missing actually as a piece of plexiglass is resting across some of the opening. I peeked around the protected baggie to snap a quick interior shot. It looks like this was originally painted Foam Green which was an awesome aqua/teal color. The three gearshifts you see are the transmission, the transfer case to engage 4WD, and the rear end for High and Low.

Well that's where I'm leaving this hardy little trooper who seems perfectly content to be a plow donkey. These are as much utility appliance as vehicle; meant to work hard for a living and ask little in return. There is an identical truck to this parked in front of the famous Sunny's Bar in red Hook. Stay tuned for that at some point in the future!

WORLDS MOST POPULAR DJ!

WORLDS MOST POPULAR DJ!

I was heading back from Bed Stuy towards Flatbush Avenue when this little lunchbox caught my eye:

Talk about taking things for granted! These were once so ubiquitous that you could stare at one and not see it. However like so many common things you don't know what's all around you until it fades away. *Cue Don't Know What You Got (Till it's Gone) by Cinderella* 

 What we have here is a 1983 AM General postal delivery vehicle in primer. When it was introduced in 1955 it was known as the Dispatch Jeep. Most people know old Jeeps as CJ or YJ. This was actually the Jeep DJ!

 The reason the vehicle in front of you is an AM General instead of a Jeep is because in 1982 French automaker Renault bought a controlling interest in AMC (the then-owner of Jeep). U.S. regulations forbade defense contracts being given to foreign governments, and Renault by partially owned by the government of France. AMC had earlier made AM General their "General Products Division" which made commercial and military vehicles. This division made both the postal Jeeps like this one as well as the original Hummer known as HMMWV. As a result AM General was sold off to the LTV Aerospace and Defense Company. Boring I know!

In a post-Jeep world AM General continued manufacturing these stolid no-frills worker bees for just one year. AMC built other postal cars for a brief moment as well like these Ambassadors but they are mostly forgotten now.

 This is a tiny vehicle that can hold a lot of mail due to its tall, almost perfectly square shape. An oversize sliding door hanging on tracks allows for stepping in and out with a full box in your hands.

 These rugged little donkeys were used every day of the year (except Sunday) in all types of weather, in every climate, mostly by people who couldn't care less about treating it gently. As a result they are about as rare as old police cars (I'm not talking about the too-shiny "tribute" cop cars where somebody paints the door and puts a light on the roof. I mean real-deal, used 24/7 cruisers that are driven to death and then cannibalized for parts).

Big shout-out to the 1983-only AM General stamping on the rear door!

The DJ was never meant to be an off-road vehicle and as a result it was the 2 wheel drive Jeep. 

 This is the final year for the DJ (or whatever AM General was calling it by then). It also has the dubious claim of being the last light duty automobile to have front drum brakes.

Creature comforts can be summed up with lines like "you're lucky you even have a job" and "go to hell". LOOK BEFORE BACKING is about as much common sense as Employees Must Wash Hands Before returning to Work.

That gearshift is a floor mounted automatic; the legendary cast iron Chrysler Torqueflight. The strength of this transmission is enough to handle the likes of Hemi musclecars of the '60s and '70s. There's only a straight 4 cylinder engine powering this beast it starts and stops constantly for a living.

Well this is a properly beat-down example of a faithful work vehicle. Much like farm tractors only meant to work forever they are beloved by those who know them. Aftermarket parts are unbelievably easy to acquire since this is an old Jeep under the skin. Right hand drive takes a bit of getting used to but you'll have plenty of time to learn as these probably top off at around 55mph. 

Out of curiosity I did some searching and found several for sale in running condition for under $2,000 so it would be an easy, quirky classic should you want one. However keep in mind that this is the only small Jeep that has a fixed roof but rusts just as readily as the CJ. You could drive around with the big doors open in summer I suppose but be ready for them to slam shut when braking hard!

Let the Eagle soar!

LET THE BROWN EAGLE SOAR

I was poking around the furthest backwaters of Central Pennsylvania near a nuclear power plant when I passed by what seemed to be an forgotten old gas station of repair shop still stocked with vehicles. I parked very conspicuously in an attempt to not come across as a vandal and started exploring. Stuck in the side of a tree was this old brown dog:

This is a 1979 Jeep SJ Cherokee in Alpaca Brown Poly with the Golden Eagle trim package. Rough and abandoned as it is I bet you could get this running with a battery, some gas, and 20 minutes tinkering. This is a utilitarian beast!

The Cherokee was the 2 door version of the Jeep Wagoneer which debuted as an instant classic in 1964. Both the Wagoneer and Cherokee shared most components and were produced in tandem from the Cherokee launch in '74 through '83 when the models separated.

This beast is loaded to the gills with late '70s Malaise-era styling cues: big decals with both lettering and imagery, square headlights, not to mention it's brown as can be!

Look at this vaguely tribal Golden Eagle on the hood like an off-road version of the Firebird from Pontiac! Motion lines surround the outer edge in '70s colors. I was snooping pretty hard in the parking lot of a long-closed repair shop by a busy country road otherwise I would've held those branches back for a better view. I was half expecting to be run off the property any second.

AMC had a penchant for using lower case letters in this gentle font. Even the Gremlin had only a capital G when most automakers either use all caps or frilly script. I'm afraid golden eagle has seen its fair share of salty winter roads from the tattered rocker panels.

Oh yeah that's it; LAST CALL for this wheel well which is poised to become an open door to the inside any second. Those '70s Wagon Wheels are great for rugged off-road trucks of this era.

Inside it's not really discernible but the upholstery is tan Levi's denim along the lines of the Levi's Gremlin I posted recently. To the right of the3 radio you can see a small black rectangle which is the clock. Below that is the large centrally-located glove compartment. 

The tailgate's either been replaced or spray painted over as it's missing its wicked striping. That chrome ball sticking out of the drivers side rear was likely a CB antenna which was all the rage in the late '70s.

The cardboard headliner is crying out for some good old fashioned duct tape.
We'll leave this eagle in its nest at the top of a mountain in PA. Old Jeeps are like the original VW Beetles; they rot away to smithereens given half the chance but chances are you could get this thing fired up and drive it away if you wanted to. This era of larger 4x4 hasn't really taken off in the collector market yet so there are bargains to be had. The mechanicals are identical to trillions of AMC products spanning several years so keeping one going would be a piece of cake. Find a decent frame & body and you're off!
Oh and by the way you're very welcome

Vehicle as rugged appliance

VEHICLE AS RUGGED APPLIANCE

When I was visiting my sister in Oregon I snapped so many cool old rides that I've been doling them out slowly so as not to have an Oregon Month (not that that's a bad thing but I'll let some proud Oregonian take that on). Today we'll focus on this beasty:

This is a 1960 or newer Willys Station Wagon (officially listed as model 6-226) in what I believe to be the faded factory color Redwood. 

One look tells you everything you need to know about this rig. Your first impressions probably go something like this: "dirty, big, old, sturdy, truck". Exactly!

This beast is actually the first all steel station wagon ever produced with all previous wagons having rear bodies made at least partially, and many times entirely, of wood. Today we would think of this as an SUV but 70 years ago when first introduced it was closer to a car than a truck. This really is the first crossover as well.

Pinpointing the date on utilitarian rigs like this can be tough to do. Sometimes a change will be made mid-year with no real announcement. Other times a change might be made for one market but not the other. Things I'm going by when declaring this as a 1960-1965 model ('65 was the end of production) are the 3 horizontal grill bars (down from 5 in 1954), single windshield (from a split unit in '59) and the large back window which definitely wasn't around in the '50s yet seemed to remain optional for a bit while 2 smaller rear windows remained available.

I can tell you that this is not a Deluxe model as there would've been a fat chrome stripe following that horizontal belt line that bisects the door. *I want to point out that shelf located just behind the front fender which is replicated on the other side. These are for spare gas cans. The owner of this rig is ready to head off on epic adventures away from society and it looks like they already have!

This design is a stroke of genius by industrial designer Brooks Stevens. His landmark design achievements are numerous but let's just highlight the fact that he is responsible for the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile!

Everything about this says rugged and capable. It has big wheels but not huge and the tread is pretty well worn from use. The back window is long gone, being somewhat replaced by wire fencing material. I don't know what that grate would protect against besides a bird or racoon invasion (though it looks like something got in on the left side).

The true genius behind this design is the body itself, what it consists of, and who made it. In 1946 when the first Willys Station Wagon was released automobile bodies were in very high demand. WWII halted auto production in the States from 1942-1945 and the pent up demand for vehicles combined with the glorious national mood of victory meant everybody wanted a new ride now. Brooks Stevens with his background in Industrial as opposed to Automotive design came up with a matter-of-fact solution: the body would consist of metal typically used for household appliances that could be fashioned and assembled by sheet metal fabricators. This truck is therefore more of an appliance than a passenger vehicle which is fitting for such a no nonsense ride.

Let's give a shout-out for how beautiful an Oregon summer day can be! It was almost exactly 100 degrees this entire week though which was blowing the minds of the locals.

We can see from this angle that the quaint original taillights have been replaced with small red lights screwed directly into the body. Small mailbox reflectors have been added to the tailgate and rear quarter panels.

Even though this is the first steel bodied station wagon the design of the body mimics that of a wooden bodied car. The dark painted panels in the door illustrate this well; if you were to paint the recessed rectangles brown and the raised portions more of a blond tan color it really would look like wood. Painting the roof a dark color would also approximate the cloth tops of the wood frame wagons. In a more practical sense those ribbed portions add rigidity to the body side which would otherwise be vast sheets of metal prone to warping.

You've gotta love the interior of this simple beast!
A centrally mounted gauge contains only the speedometer, temperature, and fuel level. Below that you have an ashtray (of course!), and knobs for choke, lights, and the wipers. That fan mounted over the right shoulder of the driver tells you all you need to know about climate control.
*Dashboards with central gauge clusters are a stroke of genius for vehicles meant for the worldwide market. All you have to do for this to be registered in New Zealand is move the steering wheel and pedals to the other side as everything else is the same.

Here we have either a charming lie or a thorough owner who is updating their emblems as the vehicle evolves. When first built this truck had a 4 or 6 cylinder in either flathead or overhead cam design. The 327 is a Chevy small block V8 engine introduced in 1962. With the trailer hitch and signs of modern use I'm guessing there is a 327 under the hood.

Well that's where we'll leave this eager mongrel. The Willys station wagons are some of the most widely available "ran when parked" classics out there, usually advertised with caveats like "haven't tried to start it" or more threateningly "please understand that this is a classic project and if you think you'll just buy it and drive across the country don't waste my time!". To see one on the move is extremely rare which is a shame as their basic makeup and legendary capability make it a cool cruiser. The ultimate version of this is the late '40s Willys Jeepster which is a 2 door convertible with the same front end as this ride. Regardless that fact that this thing could be 40 miles off road in the woods somewhere even as I type this makes me smile.

It's time to honor a veteran who's making it in the private sector

CJ5 BY JEEP BY WILLYS

Out near the Home Depot on DeKalb Ave in Brooklyn I stumbled upon the most capable off-road vehicle I'm likely to see in the city (with the exception of that armored Military vehicle from May 12th), Behold!

This is a 1961 Willys Jeep CJ5 in Redwood Poly with the optional metal hardtop.  

Usually when a vehicle is relegated to snow plowing duties its life as a registered car on the streets is over. This one has all the gear to hook up a plow and start working but here it is showing off a current inspection sticker at age 55.

Meyer is still producing lifts and other snow plow equipment today.

Just about everybody knows that the Jeep was invented out of necessity for the military. In late 1939 or early 1940 it was becoming obvious that  the U.S. was going to be involved in the war. The Military contacted 135 different companies asking for a working 4 wheel drive reconnaissance vehicle. 2 companies answered, one of which was Willys-Overland.
With the exception of the headlights being larger and closer together and the formerly flat fenders having a bit of a curve this vehicle is just about identical to the Army version. 

If you can imagine this ride without any of the white hardtop and doors you can see how small and basic this thing is. With the windshield folded down the entire height is somewhere around 4 feet!

In between the windshield wipers there is a small clip. The windshield frame is hinged on the lower corners, allowing it to be secured flat against the hood. That clip will attach to the small ring protruding from the hood. I believe the larger tie down in front is for a strap that would further secure the windshield as you achieve the top speed of around 63mph!

Who says the passenger need their own door handle?
There is an indentation on the red body line below the rear quarter window that looks like a holster could fit in it. That is where you would attach a side mounted spare tire if you were so inclined.
Rust is obviously working its dastardly magic on the body.

The design of the top is function over form all the way; basically a metal box. However, in winter I'm sure it would save your life over a canvas top no matter how wimpy the heater is.

Taillights that double as turn signals is all you get; those orange spheres are just add-on reflectors. No reverse lights for this bad boy!

This stylized Willys stamp is just as it would've been on the 1945 model.

This beast has worked for living for sure. Not only does it have a plow, but the back has a trailer hitch + two ferocious hooks. If you have a farm or property at all this can do just about anything you want it to.
The original transmission is a 3 speed manual meant for torque and strength more than speed. All Jeeps were 4 wheel drive with a high and low setting. In first gear with the transfer case in Low you can basically pull a stump out of the ground. You could also get out and let it drive along a field and it won't outrun you as max speed in that setting is somewhere around 6mph!

I guess no cop has the heart to write a ticket for this thing being parked 3 feet from the curb! The front wheels are chocked so who knows how good the e-brake is.

This is a pretty small ride so it's not the worst city car parking-wise.

Look how basic the interior is! the dashboard looks like Fountain Green might be the original color, though that red is a perfect looking match for the factory Redwood. The steering wheel size should answer your question about power steering. That tiny center is indeed a horn button, just don't go slamming it in anger. The turn signal is a complete unit bolted to the steering column much the way the wiper motors (not shown) are attached to the windshield frame.
The one gauge in the center has the speedometer, water temp, and fuel level. The three gearshifts represent the trans, and one each for High or Low.

With the level of rot I don't know if I'd chance using that little step, but it's a charming touch.

Big shout-out to the player focused enough to tag Jeep rims!

This is old technology folks; if you want 4 wheel drive you leave it in neutral, get out and turn each of the front hubs to lock them, get back in and engage the transfer case, then drive. What, are you in a hurry?

I'll conclude with this close up. Cracked glass, rumpled metal roof that's pulling away from the windshield frame, and tiny T-Rex-arm wipers askew and looking altogether insufficient. Owning a Jeep like this mean all comforts are out the window. You buy this because you want a reliable and versatile appliance as opposed to a cruiser. While I've never owned a Jeep I did have a Scout when I lived in snowy Western Mass, and it was unstoppable in any weather.
Keep up the good work Willys!