Recently I met up for lunch with my good friend Matt. He brought his new 2014 Jeep and I drove my ’58 CJ-3B. Just for the heck of it I said park next to mine so we can get some comparison pictures. He drove straight in and parked next to my Jeep. This is Matt’s third Jeep in as much as three months. A tree fell and wiped out his first Jeep (see next picture). Thank goodness he was not hurt! He was indeed quite lucky, a few inches further back and the tree would have made Matt history. WOW!!!
He was able to get a “real” Jeep with his settlement and was wiped out by a High School student rushing to graduation a few weeks later. His latest Jeep is pictured below with my 3B. As we walked around and snapped pictures from many angles you can appreciate the differences in the Jeeps but also the similarities…….. after 56 years! His wheels are bigger and the wheel-base is a bit longer. My Jeep is 80”. Overall length goes to the new Jeep too. From the front you see the most salient of Jeep fixtures — the grill seven slats for sure. Matt’s Jeep has a wider track, I am sure with that track and the longer wheelbase it has a nicer ride on the highway. I guess we were lucky that his Jeep was black too. Mine was originally the Jeep green of 1958.
His hard top is nice and his Jeep has all the creature comforts never thought about (or invented) back in 1958! Overall height looks like a tie with the roll-bar pretty much as high as his hardtop. You can see the differences in wheel base pretty nicely in this photo, his Jeep is all the way up to the curb in this picture. Here is another nice comparison shot of the two Jeeps. Both with outside spare tires. My Jack Rac is patent pending…… Here is the last shot, with a bit more of a close up perspective….. WOW… 56 years apart! Most might see the differences, I guess we see the similarities between the two Jeeps, pretty amazing after all these years…. don’t you think?
Have fun and be careful!
Kaiser Willys Jeep Blog Story – Peirce Eichelberger
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I too, have a high hood and a JK. But your high hood is in much nicer shape than mine, after many years of trail use. Thanks for the pics!
Thanks Guys
Glad you took the time to park them together and take pix…..A Jeep is a Jeep is a Jeep is a Jeep.
Great story. Glad Matt is still w us.
Great story and pics Peirce. Co-incidentally, I own a JK 4 door and I’m restoring a ’58 3B!
“Thats not a Jeep”, Thats what I told him. LOL
Nice jeeps. The jack rack is a good idea.