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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 14, 2016)
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2016 C AR C HRONICLES — Jeeps — part one: Old Jeeps B Y C AL A PPLEBEE Special to the Siuslaw News I was nearly half-way through my car collection before I acquired my first Jeep. Probably like a lot of kids and car nuts, I’d always had a fascination with Jeeps but just hadn’t gotten there yet. At the time, I was entrenched in VWs and when Jeeps started catching my attention, I actually was researching a kit-car approach. Someone offered a “Veep” — a Jeep body mounted on a VW chassis. During that process I came across my first Jeep, a 1969 DJ5A. The dispatch Jeep may be familiar with a lot of folks as the mail jeep, which many of them were in the 1960s and 1970s. But Kaiser, who owned the Jeep marquee at the time, actually produced the first dis- patch Jeep in the 1950s as a CJ3 variant, used a lot by service stations, pharmacies and other businesses as deliv- ery vehicles. They sported hard tops with sliding doors, conventional left-hand drive and three speed transmission but were offered only in rear- wheel drive with a solid front axle. The second generation, based on the CJ5 platform, came with a two-speed auto- matic power glide transmis- sion and four-cylinder engine out of the Chevy II. My first DJ5A was a lot of fun. I removed the sliding doors, cut off the top and mod- ified the body to resemble an M38A1 military version, painting it Navy grey, of course. I found two more DJ5A’s and picked them up and when I moved from California back to Oregon in the mid-1990s, I brought them all. Just prior to that move I had also acquired my first military vehicle, a 1954 M38A1 — but it didn’t survive the move or the divorce. The first generation of mili- tary jeep was built by three companies — American Bantam Car Co., Ford Motor Company and Willys/Overland in response to Government contracts for World War II. From 1941 through 1945, over 646,000 military Jeeps were built, primarily by Ford and Willys, and in post-war years, while Ford went back to focusing on civilian cars and trucks, Willys capitalized on the iconic Jeep and continued production. Over the years since my first acquisition, I have owned and re-built several CJs and military Jeeps, and have enjoyed not just the joy of completing the project and driving them, but also greatly enjoyed the interaction with others for whom those vehi- cles invoke memories — par- ticularly veterans. One of my favorite project Jeeps came just a couple years ago after a particularly stress- ful Rhody Festival. I decided it was time for another project and started the hunt, which is always a fun part of the process. Not finding any worthy can- didates in my price range, I decided to simply take all the left over parts from past proj- ects and start there, filling in the gaps via shopping on Craigslist, swap meets and restoration catalogs. When I finished the Jeep it had both CJ and military parts ranging in age from 1944 fenders to the front bumper from a 1969 DJ5A mail Jeep. When finished I christened it “Phoenix” — like the leg- endary bird who rose up from the ashes to fly again. This Jeep rose up from the junk pile to drive again. At the Oregon Coast Military Museum, we current- ly have on display a very unique WWII military Jeep on loan from a veteran who restored it with the help of a close friend. This 1942 Ford GPW is one of only about seven percent of what are considered Very Early Production Jeeps and further has the distinction of being one of four 12-volt radio Jeeps that served at Camp Young in California when General George S. Patton served as its first commander in 1942. There are several features on this jeep that make it a part of that unique class, including the 12-volt system from the factory, “Ford” script stamped into the rear panel, and the fact that it is a Ford body mounted on a Willys chassis because Ford hadn’t yet started manufactur- ing their own frames. Not content with just my Wrangler daily-driver, I just brought home yet another old Jeep, a 1948 CJ2A that has a lot of promise. That brings the total number of Jeeps owned up to 25, and the total number of vehicles owned — at least up until now — to 97. Who knows — by the time this series ends, we may just hit that century mark. Travel Safe! Local stables announce return of horse club Area equestrians can once again be part of the C&M Stables Horse Club, which will be starting up again this Friday, Sept. 16, for kids ages of 6 to 18. Horse Club meets every Friday during the school year (except for school holidays) from 4 to 5 p.m. until the end of May. Each week, the club builds on the skills learned in the pre- vious weeks and uses hands- on techniques to help partici- pants learn safety around hors- es, grooming and riding. The program also reviews horse and tack parts and pro- vides written handouts on the major parts of the program. By the end of the year, the goal is for the kids to have learned the basic fundamentals of horsemanship, how much fun it is to ride and what won- derful animals horses are. To sign up for Horse Club, stop by C&M Stables at 90241 Highway 101, eight miles north of Florence. The stables are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. C&M Stables was estab- lished by Jeff Chastain, a Florence native, in 1981. For more information, call 541-997-7540. Brought to you by this newspaper in partnership with PUBLIC NOTICES Always in your newspaper: Now in your inbox, too. CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK 8 B I f n o b o d y k n o w s w h a t ’ s g o i n g o n , n o b o d y c a n d o a n y t h i n g a b o u t i t . That Th T h at at’s ’ s w hy ’s y w e ke e ep e p sa s ay a y in ing g y ourr l loc ocal al and sta tate te g ovv er e nm m en n t shou sh h ou o u l ld d k eep e e p ee p u bl pu b is ishi hing ng g t the heir ir p pub ub b lil i c no noti ticess in n t the he n newsp spap aper er.. No N o w yo you o u ca c an st t ay a y inf i nf n for o rm or me d AND med me AN N D k ee e p th h o s e pu pub b l icc n ot o t ic c es e s in th t h e n e ws ne w pa p a pe p er. r Wine tasting to highlight new boutique winery The Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris wines of Campbell Lane Winery will be the featured attraction at the fourth annual “Wine, Women and Who Knows What?” scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 16, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Florence Events Center, 715 Quince St. “We are lucky to be the first to introduce the fine wines of Campbell Lane to connoisseurs in the Florence area,” said event co-chair Paula Becker. A private preview event with the winemakers from Campbell Lane will begin at 4 p.m. and will include a visual history of the winery and a blind tasting of 2014 and 2015 Pinot Noirs. Located near West Linn, at the north end of the Willamette Valley, Campbell Lane has been perfecting its grapes for 30 years. “We think we grow some of the best Willamette Valley Pinot Gris grapes and that affects the wines that we craft,” said winemaker Andy Parks. “It’s not only our 30-year-old vines and the conditions they’re grown in. It could also have a lot to do with the courage and hospitality that has gone and continues to go into five featured wineries at the main tasting beginning at 5 p.m. Food pair- ings for all wines will be prepared by the culinary arts students at Siuslaw High School under the direction of instructor Kyle Lewis. In addition to the tastings, a silent auc- tion will fea- ture many local artists and an extrav- agant collec- COURTESY PHOTO tion of themed The flavor of fine Pinot Gris builds in the gift baskets. cellars of Campbell Lane Winery. “It’s the perfect place to start your the maintenance and care for Christmas shopping,” said our Willamette Valley Pinot event co-chair Susan Johnson. Gris grapes, as well as our A ticket that includes both Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.” the private preview and the In addition to the private main tasting is $30. A ticket for preview tasting, Campbell the main tasting only is $25. Lane will also be one of the All proceeds from the event go to provide scholarships, loans and grants to local women pursuing higher educa- tion. To purchase tickets, call 541-991-3099 or 541-999- 9082. J Ju u st t g o to o p u ub b li i cn n ot o tic t i ceads ds.com ds o /o /or, sig gn u up p f for or t h he e f fr re r e e Sm m a ar r t tS S e ea a rc r c h se e rvic rvv ic c e, e , an nd ge get e t al a l l o of f t hi hiss p pa a pe e r r’ ’ s pu bl b l lic i c not ic n ottic i es s d del e iv el i er ered ed t o you yo o u vi v i a em m ai ail.l publicnoticeads.com/or Deadlines for press releases and news items are by noon Mondays and Thursdays. Email them to: P RESS R ELEASES @T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM . Subscribe to the Siuslaw News, or renew your subscription by Oct 1, and be entered to win a City Lights Cinemas Movie Mogul Card— FREE MOVIES FOR A YEAR! One lucky winner will receive a year’s worth orth of free movies! A random drawing will be e held on October 1, 2016. MOV IE M OGU M CITY LIGHTS CINEMAS OFFERS THE BEST HOLLYWOOD, INDEPENDENT, INTERNATIONAL and DOCUMENTARY FILMS ON THE CENTRAL COAST Good f admis or one reg ula sion p er vis r rable. Perfo it rming (Not Tr ansfe WE ALSO PRESENT PERFORMING ARTS IN HD and UNIQUE LIVE EVENTS Arts n ot incl Expire uded) s: Siuslaw News Autho ri zed by: Photo Gallery NOW SHOWING THESE GALLERIES AND MORE Power of Florence Fourth of July Celebration Florence Green Fair View at www.thesiuslawnews.com Photos available for purchase* 5x7 – $5 00 • 8x11 – $7 00 Rhododendron Festival Rhody Court Showcase Oregon Dunes Triathlon Purchase at 148 Maple St. 541-997-3441 *Photos online are reduced quality – Actual photos purchased are high resolution, high quality. city Time s & tic kets ligh tsci nem Mo vie 54 1- : line 30 : 5- as.c om 00 14 Siuslaw News 148 Maple Street, Florence OR, 97439 Call 541-997-3441 to renew, or visit thesiuslawnews.com The City Lights Movie Mogul card provides free admission for one year for all regularly scheduled films--some restrictions apply (will be marked “no passes” in our listings.). Card is not transferable and good for one admission at a time. L