Comments for Answering the Oggian Whatzis

Answering the Oggian Whatzis

2009-07-10T11:47:36Z

[Dons protective gear]

Bumper pad. That's what it is. Bumper pad.

~~Rivrdog actually got the closest, and I suppose gets constructive credit, when he started talking about using the rope for recovery purposes~~. [Fishmugger got the closest first, with Rivrdog coming in second.] That is indeed why the ropes were on the jeeps, and the troops figured out pretty quick that you could store them on the bumpers and they served a secondary purpose of being a pad for pushing vehicles. Sisal is really pretty tough stuff.

I'm waiting on my stencils. I've decided to model the Castle Technical after a gun jeep in the Berlin Brigade in the '50s. The M38A1 spent most of it's time as a Cold Warrior, being introduced as Korea was winding down, and being replaced by the M151 as Vietnam heated up, so that seems appropriate. Fort Leavenworth hasn't had a local tactical warfighting unit since 1905, and the warfighting unit it had during the Cold War, D 5/55 Artillery, a Nike-Hercules anti-aircraft unit operational from '60-'69, was a fixed strategic asset and didn't have jeeps. They had heavy trucks for moving their missiles around from storage to maintenance to the launcher magazines, but the battery commander had a staff car. Which, talking to some of the greybeards around here, really chapped some of the Colonels that over-populate this place, who had gone from being brigade commanders with fawning staffs to just another eagle wandering around Bell Hall. Seeing that Captain motoring off to the Olathe Naval Air Station (where the battalion headquarters was located), for Commander and Staff Call, while they had to drive themselves around... ah, the wounded dignity.

The other local unit of note, the 35th Division, had no wartime roles between WWII and it's deployment for Bosnia, and later, Iraq. So, the Berlin Brigade seemed a good choice - especially since I have some pics of the jeeps, both in parade and field mode.

Comment from Boquisucio on 2009-07-11

2009-07-11T14:32:48Z

Ah - Kinda what happened with my Rottweiler, Karina. The Durned breeder took ~~forever~~ two years in forwarding us her pedigree, so we couldn't register her with AKA until much latter.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-07-10

2009-07-11T02:11:15Z

Because the title didn't get here until yesterday, and I can't go ~~pay the scam fee~~ get the VIN checked until Tuesday, so I can't get it registered before then.

Comment from Beth Donovan on 2009-07-10

2009-07-11T00:56:25Z

Those Missouri plates were on it when we brought it home. John has not yet purchased the Kansas Historical Vehicle plates for it.

Comment from Boquisucio on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T22:54:55Z

[Snerk]

Missouri Plates!!! Shouldn't that Pony be principally garaged on the other side of the river?

[/Snerk]

Comment from BillT on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T22:09:46Z

Whoa -- a triple echo!

Speaking of buying by the ounce...

Comment from Maggie on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T21:42:48Z

Yeah, but how much are you paying per *ounce*?

My Darling Chief....it's rope, not hemp.

Comment from Fishmugger on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T19:57:24Z

Oh Great and Noble Red Leg fear not for the Fishmugger, who in other lives ran a Flea Market for charity with about a third antiquers and now helps run a beerfest in Oct with an Antique Car part with the National Guard showing up to market recruitment's with some very nice equipment. I'll have to talk to the Captain with the WWII Jeep with extra parts in his basement.

If he shows up this year I'll get his email for you. I think he said it was his fathers Jeep. Oh well...I now have a mission...just can't sit around drinking beer all day.

Comment from og on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T19:13:32Z

"only good tow rope is made of metal."

Not tow rope. Recovery rope. And metal is a horribly bad choice.

Comment from og on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T19:07:03Z

No worries. But if it had been manila, I might have guessed bumper pad/recovery rope. I'd have never associated sisal with that. /nitpick off.

hey, I think it looks like a hoot. I'm very happy for you. And perfect authenticity/cleanstreeters be damned, it's yours, do with it what makes you happy!!

Comment from Grimmy on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T19:05:19Z

"And if I ever have to snatch that jeep it will either be with the towbar on the front, or a good chain or cable."

Glad you said that. When I'd read Og's comment recommending manila, my first thought was "huh? only good tow rope is made of metal."

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T18:39:34Z

Hey, Prestonius - how much effort d'you think it will take to get your M37 running?

I do hope you took the batteries out!

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T18:37:00Z

So, Fishmugger - that means you only shop at surplus/second hand stores?

Or are you farb, too? ;^ )

Og - while rope predates my time in service, I suspect we were using manila. And if I ever have to snatch that jeep it will either be with the towbar on the front, or a good chain or cable.

Not rope, manila or otherwise. That rope on the bumper is for just what I said it was - a bumper pad.

I'm getting this thing in parade shape, not beat-it-to-death spend a fortune on parts mudding shape. She survived decades of being an Army jeep and a volunteer firefighting jeep. She deserves a dignified retirement where she doesn't have to work too hard, or take too many risks. Heh. The same could be said for me.

It's interesting the view people take on jeeps. I get reverent looks from preservers and history types, and disgusted looks from people who don't understand having a jeep and not having it be in mud to your knees sitting in the body.

Oh, and disgusted looks from preservers who are miffed that the canvas is only NOS, and not original to the jeep. And who will never accept this jeep because the fire department dumped the dataplates, and even original plates from a different jeep are unacceptable. Yeah, I've had a guy tell me I might as well junk it if I don't have the original plates. I don't understand those guys, I admit.

This jeep is a couple of years older than I am - I'm going to treat it nice, and savor the moments in parades when people look at it with that look in their eyes.

You know - envy.

Comment from BillT on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T18:28:26Z

What's the going rate for Manila by the ounce?

Comment from Prestonious on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T18:25:50Z

Doh. You don't deinstall the original. You measure and quantify a duplicate, replicant, replacement or stand-in unit. Not sure the answer is even worth that modicum of effort tho.

Comment from og on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T18:16:50Z

OK, I'm gonna nitpick here, and it may be because I don't know wherefrom. Having driven a Land Rover around for several years, I can tell you, I would not have a sisal rope on anything requiring strength. When i went offroading, there were plenty of guys with jeeps, and they also knew not to trust their vehicles to sisal. The fibers are too short, and not resistant to sunlight. The only rope I ever saw wrapped around the bumper of a Jeep was manila. As was the rope wrapped around the bumper of my Land Rover. And they were all 1" or better.

So: Enquiring minds want to know. Did Uncle Sam in his infinite wisdom see fit to equip Yeeps with notably and demonstrably inferior recovery ropes? That wouldn't surprise me at all. And if it's for show purposes only, I suppose the sisal is fine.

If you ever want a real recovery rope, I have a local guy who has good manila rope. And I can long and short splice and crown end and eye splice it for you, though I suppose you've probably done plenty of that yourself. Whatever you do, don't stand between vehicles being towed or pulled with sisal rope.

Comment from Fishmugger on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T18:12:30Z

Oh wow...you have a real jeep just sitting in the garage? You have more will power then I. There would be a big need to go tooling around the ranch huntin coyotes and blasting Patton music in the background, and maybe packing a lunch and taking a certain lady for a picnic. Golly...a show Jeep. Who would have thunk it?

Aaah...that ain't antique rope. You put something new on an antique and it's a repro.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T17:37:40Z

Let's see - how much motivation do I have to unwrap the thing and weigh it in order to answer Bill's question...?

None.at.all.

Comment from BillT on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T17:15:01Z

Yeah, but how much are you paying per *ounce*?

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T17:11:34Z

'Mugger - since the jeep sits in the garage, gets driven onto a trailer, drives in a parade, gets driven back on to a trailer... I'm not so worried about it, eh?

And it's not like it's expensive at $0.25 a foot.

Comment from Fishmugger on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T16:57:09Z

Close enough Bill, but John wants to talk about rope. OK John, now that you tied up the bumper all nice and pretty like, you going to drive with it on and get it all dirty and yucky, or are you going to coil it up and stow it. Stuff will grow on it like that.

Comment from BillT on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T16:23:49Z

Fm -- Okay, so Trump had a two course dinner with you and the ladies, and there was white sand in the invitation to the USOpen?

Dadblast all this dust in the air...

Comment from BillT on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T16:16:47Z

Well, your comment about the thread still ties in with the rope, so it's knot totally unravelled...

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T15:21:23Z

Goodness, this thread veered off on to a tangent in record time!

Comment from Fishmugger on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T15:10:07Z

Hey Bill...Trump has 2 courses in New Jersey now with the new one in Colts Neck. Sat and had dinner with the ladies from the USO. If you ever quit fouling around out in the sand and want to play in real white sand, the invitation is still open.

Comment from BillT on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T14:09:54Z

Fm: Hey John...did you miss my post at 12:38 hours

JoA: Of course I did.

That confused him sufficiently to change the subject to *shoes*...

Comment from Fishmugger on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T13:40:32Z

Hey...blathering is one of my finer qualities. All this Whatzis stuff is hard on us Air Force pukes as we didn't get to touch guns but once a year and we were never allowed to get our shoes dirty.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T13:20:30Z

Of course I did. Whatever are you blathering about?

Comment from Fishmugger on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T13:08:07Z

Hey John...did you miss my post at 12:38 hours about the rope. It may not have been technically 100% but it sure was very close.

Comment from BillT on 2009-07-10

2009-07-10T13:01:29Z

So, it has a bandage function, rather than a bondage one, eh?

Stand by for instalanche from the trenchcoated set...