Who needs four-wheel drive? Offroading in the Golden Era.

[79CJ]

I see you're from CA, is this some sort of trip you can take over in France, rent a Jeep and drive it around to the Normandy invasion sites? If so, I'm having a hard time thinking of a cooler vacation.

Originally Posted by StraightEight

Our favorite (and first) vintage 4wd trip. The GPW has a pretty crude 4wd system by modern standards. Three modes: 2 hi, 4 hi, and 4 low. The front hubs are locked so the front axle is always turning, even in 2 hi. There is no center differential so 4wd is for off-road use only. Front and rear diffs are open. Still, it's pretty capable owing to its light weight and high gear reduction. We only got it stuck once, in a ditch near the drop zones west of Sainte-Mere-Eglise, when we pulled over to let a convoy pass.

[StraightEight]

Originally Posted by 79CJ

I see you're from CA, is this some sort of trip you can take over in France, rent a Jeep and drive it around to the Normandy invasion sites? If so, I'm having a hard time thinking of a cooler vacation.

I don't know of any company that rents jeeps, but perhaps there are. It definitely be easier than what we did.

Our trip was a complex logistical operation that started seven months in advance. We bought ours from a guy near Stansted, UK the December prior through a website called www.Milweb.net and stored it at a friend's place near London. I made a trip over in February to drive it down to Kent to have it serviced and made ready for the trip. In June, my wife and I went over and did the trip. In August I re-listed it on Milweb and sold it to a guy in Arnhem, Holland who was doing the whole Bridge Too Far thing. I had considered shipping it home to LA but the jeep had shot up in value owing to a crash in the dollar, so the head won out over the heart. We're planning to go back in 2014 in a Dodge WC54 ambulance. I'm scoping them out now though it's a bit early to pounce on one.

You can have a lot of fun in Normandy with a jeep doing time portals like this one: Carentan's Rue Holgate, then and now.

[79CJ]

That's too bad you sold it, though it sounds like it worked out for you. I'm also dissapointed that you weren't on some sort of package you can purchase. You're right though, I wouldn't be suprised if there was.

Originally Posted by StraightEight

Our trip was a complex logistical operation that started seven months in advance.

The 1st time they sent the Jeep over there happened under similar circumstances... Great pictures though, it's always fun to see places old pictures were taken and to see them relatively unchanged.

[Hopson 1928]

One thing to remember about early Fords is that they were built for a county that did not have a huge number of paved roads. They were made to handle bad roads. Part of the reason for the ground clearance. Add to that the fact that they were simple to fix. Jay Leno drives one to work and talks about how it handles potholes that send modern cars to the curb with bent rims and flat tires They are tough. They still make every part for the cars today.

[DanielJones]

That's real neat with the then & now pics. Nice to see a lot of the original buildings are still there.

Cheers!

Dan

[Mr. Godfrey]

Well I drive a Land Rover but should I ever have the money or get divorced then my off road of choice would be a VW Kübelwagen
I love the style of these cars and seeing them drive offroad!!! GREAT.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7UfmZhmhSc

We are talking about a 60 year old car here.





I have often wondered how the likes of John Wayne would manage to jump out of a Willys Jeep. I am a large portly chap but then Mr Wayne was a tall chap too. I found it hard to get in and out of due to the steering wheel and the gap between the seat. It's a sort of legs in and slide, I could not jump out as they do in the movies (I am sure they use a smaller steering wheel) but would be grateful if any Jeep owners could tell me if there was a standard size wheel or size variants?

[Mojave Jack]

It's certainly been my experience that it is more about the driver than the vehicle.

Earl and Ann Morris, archaeologists who worked in the Southwest during the '20s and '30s, drove Old Joe, a Ford Model T, all over the Southwestern deserts, packed like this:



Not that it never got stuck, mind you.



Ralph Bagnold and his crew also tooled around the Libyan Desert in Model Ts, in search of the Zurzura Oasis. In the process he invented, amongst other things, the radiator overflow tank. Roy Chapman Andrews explored the Gobi in Chrysler touring cars.



Here's my preference for exploring the desert:



Mine is the CJ2A, and the Land Rover belongs to a co-worker. I recently had a custom surrey top made for the Willys, but haven't gotten the right buckles for the straps that run to the footman loops, so I can't use it yet. I got a little tired of getting sunburned! Still working on getting those zebra stripes on it...

[John in Covina]

I have driven on the dirt roads in the Mojave and off onto what are just trails or two tracks. I have a 2wd Nissan pickup that did well except when we got to a few places where it was too steep to simply drive. An experienced desert rat would be able to take a 2wd in pretty much all places that a 4wd can go but there are a few situations where 4wd is necessary.

An interesting note is that most of the major offroad races are given a prior run thru by the competitors and even other team members in 2wd trucks. These 2wd trucks were set up for the race but only as 2wd. These pre-race trucks were and are the basis of "Pre-runners" and "Fore-runners" you see sold today at Toyota and Nissan.

As an aside, driving around in the desert in Spring with the wildflowers blooming is one of the most wonderful things you can do. The views tend to be breathtaking.

[NelsAnderson]

Originally Posted by Mojave Jack

It's certainly been my experience that it is more about the driver than the vehicle.

Earl and Ann Morris, archaeologists who worked in the Southwest during the '20s and '30s, drove Old Joe, a Ford Model T, all over the Southwestern deserts, packed like this:

I wonder how much of the difference is just a matter of attitude...the early adventurer being more accepting of getting stuck and the need to dig out. Today we expect our vehicles to get us through (all too often with little driver skill!).

Another big difference is in the ease of getting dug out. A Model T Ford was a pretty light vehicle, somewhere in the 1200 pound range. Getting something like that unstuck is a lot different than any offroad vehicle we drive today.

[John in Covina]

I got to see one of the offroad jacks use like a winch to pull a stuck truck out and was amazed. Slow but it worked.

Skill and attitude definately takes you further than when they are lacking.