Less Clothes, More Six
I have to tell you, as fun as it is to read complaints I really just want to hit the people who send them in. You're absolutely right about not being able to make everyone happy all the time, but for all those people who are never happy about anything you guys do, why even bother picking up the magazine in the first place? Take Mike Herbert, for example, the dumb SOB knows where you stand on Libertys (along with every other non-panty-wearing individual out there), so why even bother sending you the e-mail proclaiming to cancel his subscription. Does he think he's going to convince others to join his Liberty cult, as well and go read some *%$@# mag (except for 4-Wheel & Off-Road, I like that one). I guess I can't really dog on him too much, this e-mail that I'm writing you now is pretty lame and, quite frankly, has no other purpose than to merely entertain me for a few minutes at work. As far as Bree goes, tell her that I'm disappointed in her. Not that she wears too little clothes but that she wears too much. Shame on her.
Oh, one quick request. My favorite project you guys have right now is that Hatari! CJ-6. I don't see too many of those (I'm lying, I don't ever see them), so could you give a little information on them. It's slowly becoming my favorite Jeep.JoshVia e-mail
The CJ-6s were offered domestically as '55-'75 model years. There were export versions built from '76-'81. The CJ-6 has an extra 20 inches of wheelbase over the CJ-5 and a good deal more cargo space. The 6s could be ordered with every CJ-5 option, including the Tuxedo Park and the '72-up V-8 option. A military version of the CJ-6, the M-170, was also produced. However, less than 2,300 of them were built for the military between '53-'55, so they are a little hard to come by.
Jeep Trucks
Is there any information on the new Jeep trucks? I would really like to see a 1-ton Cummins-powered Jeep truck. They could call it the J-30. I own a '78 J-20. I use it regularly to tow my CJ and travel trailer. I love it. I believe Jeep is really missing out on the high-profit pickup market. Instead, we get the Compass and Patriot. Makes me want to puke.Nick GravesOverton, Nevada
Back To School
Willie Worthy has the perfect name to be doing the "Old School" articles on Willys. I wanted to share some more information about Willys performance enhancements. The six-cylinder Chevy carb discussed in the article was used more for the float design than the performance design. The YF carb that Willys used had a flat spot when the Jeep went around corners (there is a factory fix for this) and stalled out off-road (usually at the most inopportune moments). The float on the Chevy is sort of a doughnut shape and is a great off-road carb...however, the version of the carb that should be used is the one found on the four-cylinder Nova, Chevy II, and also used in some '70 and older Postal Jeeps with the Iron Duke four-cylinder. The six-cylinder carb will wash the cylinders with gas and cause other problems from too much fuel pouring into the manifold. The real performance for Willys comes in the form of superchargers and turbochargers, the 134 L-head motor, the L226 six, and the 327 Vigilante V-8 are the only factory motors in America that were built strong enough to take a super or turbocharger without any modifications to the inside parts. The supercharger used was from the '54 Kaiser Manhattan and was a factory option on that car (I can send a photo of an L226 Willys truck with this modification). I am sending a photo of a Perkins Diesel turbo from a refrigeration unit that was modified to power a '49 Jeepster with the 134 L-head motor... a real beauty.Walt Mikolajcik Fairfield, California
Where Four Door?
I was just reading your article about the new JK on jpmagazine.com and I too was expecting a four-door version. The four-door version has been seriously looked into because we did some preliminary work for the expansion at TNAP (Toledo North Assembly Plant) that included process layouts for a four-door Wrangler. We did not get the job; some Michigan firm got the job to design the plant. I don't believe the expansion is up and running yet, so we may still see a four-door Wrangler this year. There has been a lot of issues with DC using more supplier supplied parts on site, so there is less work being done by the UAW. Pair that up with construction issues, and you end up with what is probably why there has been a delay in starting the plant up and possibly why the four-door Wrangler has not been revealed. In the existing TNAP, they already built Libertys and Wranglers side by side, so something is going to be going in there, and I believe it is the Nitro, a four-door vehicle. Could the four-door Wrangler be built side by side with the Nitro?Matthew BedeeSandusky, Ohio
We expect the four-door reveal by the time you read this. Rumor is it will be called an Unlimited. However, with a rumored wheelbase of 119 inches, it will be quite a bit longer than the current Unlimited.
We're Lonely. Please Send Us Letters!
Apparently we've scared off all of our pen pals. How come no one writes us anymore? We'd really like some friends. Tell us we suck. Tell us Christian Hazel should wear a wig you made from tennis-ball fur. Tell us to do an all-Bree bikini issue. Tell us anything; we're desperate for attention! Write to Jp Magazine, Be John's Pen Pal, 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048 or e-mail john.cappa@primedia.com.