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.
You don’t need to keep six vehicles. Keep at most 3. Keep the i3S, since you just had to have it. Keep the running Jeep because you like offroading. Keep a project. Better yet, make your running Jeep a project and just keep two vehicles.
You obviously don’t have to take my advice (it’s rarely recommended that anyone does), but be sure to consider Elise in any decision you make. If she matters to you, think about what matters to her.
Elise is down!
And yes, nobody NEEDS six cars, but I definitely want them. I do think six is approaching the limit, however.
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!
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!
There’s so much sage advice in the comments here. We’re not just the peanut gallery, we like you and want to see you do well in life. You don’t need to hoard vehicles to be a respected automotive journalist; cut them loose. The ones you drive most or dream about are worth keeping. My shortlist to keep is the gold BMW, the YJ, the ugly Jeep (if you really love it), & the Mustang. Maybe keep the ZJ as your rock-crawling offroader (the YJ isn’t quite suited for it and the ugly Jeep won’t get there without massive mods). The J10 is a good looking truck, but it rarely fills your need for “truck stuff”, so I’d let it go.
I’m not worried about what people think; I led Jalopnik to its highest traffic ever, started a car website and got it bigger than Road & Track in <2 years, I’ve written elite-level technical deep dives, and accomplished impossible wrenching projects. I’m not buying cars to impress anyone.
I’m just a car collector with some cars that don’t drive. Just like most car collectors, really. Just living the dream.
I’m sorry if I sounded judgemental. The fact that you’re pondering how big a garage you need demonstrates responsibility. I had just watched a video from another site where the author was flexing how many non-running vehicles he owned, and it wasn’t a junkyard. Seems like an easy trap for enthusiasts to fall into.
Not a worry; no offense taken!
Your list of “cars I should keep” pretty much aligns with mine. I have no interest in keeping cars for multiple years if they don’t run. Been there, done that!
Thank you for commenting and just being part of this community!
There’s so much sage advice in the comments here. We’re not just the peanut gallery, we like you and want to see you do well in life. You don’t need to hoard vehicles to be a respected automotive journalist; cut them loose. The ones you drive most or dream about are worth keeping. My shortlist to keep is the gold BMW, the YJ, the ugly Jeep (if you really love it), & the Mustang. Maybe keep the ZJ as your rock-crawling offroader (the YJ isn’t quite suited for it and the ugly Jeep won’t get there without massive mods). The J10 is a good looking truck, but it rarely fills your need for “truck stuff”, so I’d let it go.
I’m not worried about what people think; I led Jalopnik to its highest traffic ever, started a car website and got it bigger than Road & Track in <2 years, I’ve written elite-level technical deep dives, and accomplished impossible wrenching projects. I’m not buying cars to impress anyone.
I’m just a car collector with some cars that don’t drive. Just like most car collectors, really. Just living the dream.
I’m sorry if I sounded judgemental. The fact that you’re pondering how big a garage you need demonstrates responsibility. I had just watched a video from another site where the author was flexing how many non-running vehicles he owned, and it wasn’t a junkyard. Seems like an easy trap for enthusiasts to fall into.
Not a worry; no offense taken!
Your list of “cars I should keep” pretty much aligns with mine. I have no interest in keeping cars for multiple years if they don’t run. Been there, done that!
Thank you for commenting and just being part of this community!
Soooo LS swap the Jeep truck right?
Even replacing it with an EFI Jeep 4.0 would be a huge improvement.
Booooooo!!!!! Shun the LS swaps!!!!!!! Long live the AMC straight six!!!!!!!
Soooo LS swap the Jeep truck right?
Even replacing it with an EFI Jeep 4.0 would be a huge improvement.
Booooooo!!!!! Shun the LS swaps!!!!!!! Long live the AMC straight six!!!!!!!
Saw the headline and assumed this was a rerun article for Fathers Day.
Saw the headline and assumed this was a rerun article for Fathers Day.
Dude, you have to stop, or open a car dealership so you can buy and sell until your heart’s content. You need to keep the J10, one of the flat fenders, the new I3, and get rid of everything else. If it were me, I would keep the mustang, but you don’t love the mustang. You are a jeep guy, and you need to thin the herd.
Women are cool with your obsession to a point, but everyone has a breaking point. Whatever you do, don’t allow your car issues to become relationship issues.
Very true. My fiancé also owns a vintage vehicle, and even then her tolerance for shenanigans with mine is very short. It needs to function, and be comfortable for us to ride in, or else it’s simply a pretty financial burden.
Dude, you have to stop, or open a car dealership so you can buy and sell until your heart’s content. You need to keep the J10, one of the flat fenders, the new I3, and get rid of everything else. If it were me, I would keep the mustang, but you don’t love the mustang. You are a jeep guy, and you need to thin the herd.
Women are cool with your obsession to a point, but everyone has a breaking point. Whatever you do, don’t allow your car issues to become relationship issues.
Very true. My fiancé also owns a vintage vehicle, and even then her tolerance for shenanigans with mine is very short. It needs to function, and be comfortable for us to ride in, or else it’s simply a pretty financial burden.
Dude. Why did you buy this? Isn’t the YJ already your ‘fun weekend cruiser’?
Sell everything other than the Gold i3, the YJ, and ONE functional project car- The Cat Piss Chalice, J10, WW11, or this new CJ-3
Why do you need two i3s? Sell the old one with its documented replacement battery. That’s gotta be worth something. If you loved it so much, you wouldn’t have just bought a newer one.
Why are you keeping a Mustang for somebody who lives on another continent? It’s a nice gesture and I’m sure they appreciate it, but dude they’ve probably moved on. If someone told me they’d keep something for me with very little effort on my part… Yeah id probably take them up on the favour. It would be a different story if I had to organize that storage myself.
David, your ratio of “Car hoarding Angst” articles to “Project Progress” articles is seriously out of whack. I suggest you set yourself a limit of one project car at a time, and work on it until it’s substantially complete. You may have been Rust Belt Wrenching Jesus in your prime, but now you’re a mere mortal with your own business, a partner and adult responsibilities. One project is more than enough! I seriously want to read an article where something gets accomplished, between you and Mercedes these hoarding articles are more depressing than fun sometimes.
Id say sell the J10, but you’re actually driving it and using it, which is pretty sweet. It’s frankly awesome how much you can accomplish with so little horsepower.
Dude. Why did you buy this? Isn’t the YJ already your ‘fun weekend cruiser’?
Sell everything other than the Gold i3, the YJ, and ONE functional project car- The Cat Piss Chalice, J10, WW11, or this new CJ-3
Why do you need two i3s? Sell the old one with its documented replacement battery. That’s gotta be worth something. If you loved it so much, you wouldn’t have just bought a newer one.
Why are you keeping a Mustang for somebody who lives on another continent? It’s a nice gesture and I’m sure they appreciate it, but dude they’ve probably moved on. If someone told me they’d keep something for me with very little effort on my part… Yeah id probably take them up on the favour. It would be a different story if I had to organize that storage myself.
David, your ratio of “Car hoarding Angst” articles to “Project Progress” articles is seriously out of whack. I suggest you set yourself a limit of one project car at a time, and work on it until it’s substantially complete. You may have been Rust Belt Wrenching Jesus in your prime, but now you’re a mere mortal with your own business, a partner and adult responsibilities. One project is more than enough! I seriously want to read an article where something gets accomplished, between you and Mercedes these hoarding articles are more depressing than fun sometimes.
Id say sell the J10, but you’re actually driving it and using it, which is pretty sweet. It’s frankly awesome how much you can accomplish with so little horsepower.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.