In an industrial park in Bristol, PA, there is a small parts house called Army Jeep Parts. It’s owned by George Baxter, a close friend from my SCCA racing days. When we met, George was just completing a first-class, ground-up restoration of a 1953 U.S. Army Jeep. George did his first Jeep restoration while still in school, but it looked so good that after a few local appearances, he was offered commissions to rebuild other peoples’ Jeeps. Thus a business was born, but I wondered how anyone could make a living from vintage military vehicles. How many people could there possibly be in this world with such an interest?There’s something almost reverent about unwrapping a brand new part that’s been packed in Cosmoline for 60 years. I began learning the answer when I drove his customer’s M29 Weasel, a tracked amphibious snowmobile that looks much like today’s ski slope vehicles. It was built on a shoulder-high, four-seat hull with a canvas top and a Studebaker powertrain. The straight-six engine is mated to a standard three-speed transmission and a two-speed solid axle. The differential steering uses two long levers that operate brake bands inside the axle. Pulling the right lever applies the right brake, so the differential drives the left axle shaft to make the vehicle turn right. To stop, push the clutch and pull both levers. After just a few minutes of wrestling this thing around the parking lot, I understood the appeal of these old war horses. But how many are really out there?As it turns out, vintage military vehicles, and the shows where they appear, are only slightly harder to find than antique cars and car shows. In addition to the occasional parade, owners drive and display them at club events, ‘maintenance days’ and rallies all over the world. And like vintage car shows, gatherings are often family events with rides, entertainment and of course, food. Flea markets and swap meets abound, and owners get a chance to drive their vehicles in re-enactments and other history demonstrations. With just a little bit of research, I learned that my friend George is part of a large and very active international community.When I visited Army Jeep Parts last week, the shop looked like a motor pool, with six Jeeps in various stages of restoration or refit. George told me the basic vehicle was often field-fitted with accessories or upgrades, like blackout lights or a snorkel kit or a radio package that includes a huge 24-volt generator. That day he was installing a hot-water heater (as opposed to a gas-fired heater) in a customer’s Jeep. With enough parts, military vehicles can be kept alive almost indefinitely, and there are plenty of used, reconditioned and high-quality reproduction parts readily available for each model of Jeep made (there have been at least nine different military Jeep chassis since production began in 1941 and ended in 1978). Wandering among George’s partsroom shelves, I saw almost everything that was ever bolted onto a Jeep, including an impressive inventory of military surplus new-old-stock parts still in their original boxes. There’s something almost reverent about unwrapping a brand new part that’s been packed in Cosmoline for 60 years. And there’s something kind of romantic about the smell of O.D. green. I started thinking about how much fun it would be to rebuild and drive my very own little piece of history. George said he knows where I can get a good chassis at a good price, and it would be easy to …
Don’t anyone tell my wife about this.
Don’t anyone tell my wife about this.
