CJ-4 Mail
You are correct: the picture in Drivelines (Nov. '98) is indeed a Bobcat, or BC, from 1953. In that year, Willys attempted to build a lightweight vehicle from existing parts. It weighed only 1,475 pounds and had a top speed of 63 mph. It didn't go into production. I just happened to read about it in Jeep the Unstoppable Legend by Arch Brown.
Rod Olney
Norco, CA
Concerning the Bobcat (CJ-4), a book called U.S. Military Wheeled Vehicles by Fred W. Crimson says that it was an experimental vehicle built for the military in 1953. Willys called it the Aero Jeep or the Bobcat. It was based on the M38A1 but used the M38 L124 engine to save weight. It weighed 1,540 pounds (compared to 2,665 pounds for an M38A1) and had a 70-inch wheelbase. In addition to the windshield, other weight-savers were magnesium wheels and an aluminum body.
Bill Lagler
via e-mail
We're finding more obscure early Jeeps all the time. We just saw photos of a '46 CJ-2A with a tow-truck package. It had a tow boom attached to the mid section of the floor, a unique windshield frame with swing-out glass, a column-shift three-speed, and recessed marker lights but CJ-type headlights.
Repower Ugliness
I'm writing to respond to "Classic Repower" (Nov. '98). First, I agree with the part about nothing turning heads or making truck freaks go weak in the knees like a classic from the '40s or '50s-something you can't go to your local car dealer and buy. I also think the swap was fine; there was no driveline, so why not run modern drivetrain? However, I looked on page 154, and there's a photo of a giant B&M shifter! What the heck is that? Then I see your butchery of the dash and addition of custom gauges-more foo-foo hot rod stuff. This doesn't fit the scheme of old iron. It looks out of place, not fitting with the military history of the truck at all.
Kevin Wiesnoski
Petoskey, MI
Personally we're with you, and you'll notice that we pulled a later-model steering wheel out of a '46 vehicle this month and replaced it with the Greyhound-bus original. However not everyone enjoys the old stuff, and it takes a lot more effort to make cool, old gadgets work compared to just buying new ones, so we show both sides.