What do you say when they invoke "jeep in a crate?"

If you have an unrestored WWII jeep, we would like to see pictures, and hear your comments. NO EBAY or COMMERCIAL SALES.
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Billl
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What do you say when they invoke "jeep in a crate?"

Post by Billl » Tue Dec 07, 2021 2:03 pm

my jeep by Ben Carlson.jpg
my jeep by Ben Carlson.jpg
Say, whenever I display my jeep I am faced with at least one or two people whose father/grandfather/uncle/friend bought a jeep in a crate for $50 in 1946/47/48/49/50. You know, there were thousands of them in crates when the war ended, etc... (It's never "I bought one," it's always "someone I knew..."

How do you guys handle that? I used to try to explain the truth to them, but it always leads to an awkwardness, or worse. They just won't believe me.

I tried taking printed material about that myth, but they don't want to read a flyer at a show.

Lately, I just smile and say "How interesting."

Would love some suggestions.


70th Division
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Re: What do you say when they invoke "jeep in a crate?"

Post by 70th Division » Tue Dec 07, 2021 2:29 pm

Hello Bill,

Just ask if they have any pictures of the crate and the jeep 🙂🙂


The US Government did in fact sell crated jeeps, here in the USA.
They did exist, and people did buy them.

There was a G member that posted the paperwork on his jeep that had all the auction information, and papers on his particular jeep that notated that it was new, and crated.

viewtopic.php?f=144&t=289307&hilit=crate+jeep

A lot of the public knowledge about them likely was from the advertisements in old Popular Mechanics Magazines, that every kid had seen in the old days, advertising crated jeeps, GMC CCKW trucks, etc.

A great dream of many, but very few actual crated jeeps .

But people did buy them, and they were real .


Best Regards,
Ray

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Re: What do you say when they invoke "jeep in a crate?"

Post by Humvee1 » Sun Dec 19, 2021 2:49 pm

I’ve bought several brand new never driven army Jeeps but they were in racks, not boxes. Also, they were newer!

Mike's GPW'S
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Re: What do you say when they invoke "jeep in a crate?"

Post by Mike's GPW'S » Wed Nov 09, 2022 8:18 pm

In the early 70's My best friends dad had a mint condition 44 willys, the thing looked brand new. Fast forward a few years and one eveing I was visting with my friends father and the willys came into the conversation, He told me he purchased the jeep new in 1946 from military surplus. He could not recall what he paid for it, but said it was not much and that it was on a pallet or some kind of crate. He then disappeared into his shop and came back with one photo of the jeep when he brought it home. There it was a jeep basicly on a wood frame pallet ,inretospect it may have been a crate that had the top and sides already removed. It was setting on a single axle flat trailer pulled by a 46 Oldsmobile. Looking very much like the pictures we all have seen, tires stuffed underneath, windsheld stored etc.

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Re: What do you say when they invoke "jeep in a crate?"

Post by 70th Division » Thu Nov 10, 2022 5:58 am

Mike's GPW'S wrote: ↑
Wed Nov 09, 2022 8:18 pm
In the early 70's My best friends dad had a mint condition 44 willys, the thing looked brand new. Fast forward a few years and one eveing I was visting with my friends father and the willys came into the conversation, He told me he purchased the jeep new in 1946 from military surplus. He could not recall what he paid for it, but said it was not much and that it was on a pallet or some kind of crate. He then disappeared into his shop and came back with one photo of the jeep when he brought it home. There it was a jeep basicly on a wood frame pallet ,inretospect it may have been a crate that had the top and sides already removed. It was setting on a single axle flat trailer pulled by a 46 Oldsmobile. Looking very much like the pictures we all have seen, tires stuffed underneath, windsheld stored etc.
Hello,


A neighbor stopped by the other day as I was working on my jeep.
He told me his dad bought 8 crated jeeps after WW2, when he was a teenager.
He said they couldn't get them uncrated fast enough as the demand was very high and they sold everyone of them.
He also said they got several Army motorcycles.
They were in the car business.

Now, he saw these crated jeeps, and worked on assembling them as well.

So, I asked the question ..... did you happen to get a pictures of the crated jeeps back then, and he thought for a minute, and said that they did take
pictures of them, and that he should have the pictures somewhere, but he would have to search for them.

So hopefully he can find them, and I can post them if he does.

:D :D :D


Best Regards,
Ray

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mstokes
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Re: What do you say when they invoke "jeep in a crate?"

Post by mstokes » Wed Jan 11, 2023 9:25 am

Like you said just smile and be humble. That’s what I do. I’ve also had people tell me their grandpa’s Jeep was shipped back from Europe after the war then they show me a picture and it’s a CJ. Same thing I just smile and compliment them on the Jeep.
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Re: What do you say when they invoke "jeep in a crate?"

Post by rogerse » Wed Jan 18, 2023 5:02 pm

For some reason, our jeeps draw a lot of attention. The $50 jeep in a crate was tremendously popular in the 1980’s when so many of the Greatest Generation were around. I wish now I had written more of their war jeep stories down. It always seemed there was an adjacent listener to the Vet’s story who was waiting for the opportunity to chime in with his “crate story.”

It is tough to smile, which is best to do, while you are thinking of all the time, sweat, and money you have in your OD jeep friend as some yo-yo thinks you bought it for a song.

I have a harder time with, “yep, this jeep was in D-day” when the jeep sits in the Midwest USA...

Anyway you look at it, remember, you own a jeep!

Tim Shanteler
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Re: What do you say when they invoke "jeep in a crate?"

Post by Tim Shanteler » Thu Jan 19, 2023 7:15 am

Amen!
Tim

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