What jacket(s) are you wearing at the moment?

[Smithy]

I had to dash off to the shops earlier this evening to pick up a couple of beers and threw an A-2 on for the first time in about 2 months. What a joy - I'd missed the old buggers. Of course I would have frozen to death within 10 minutes if I had to have stood around outside in the thing but it was bloody nice to wear an A-2 again, albeit briefly.

 

[crism1]

My Aero pre-war Irvin finally arrived. Oh God it's beyond awesome, I'll make sure to post some fittings tomorrow

 

[ausreenactor]

First impressions are I like it. Thankfully ...

Always a great start to a jacket's life. Looks great!

 

[ausreenactor]

My Aero pre-war Irvin finally arrived. Oh God it's beyond awesome, I'll make sure to post some fittings tomorrow


View attachment 31214View attachment 31215

Well done Sir!

 

[Artie]

B-3 redskin today

 

[busdrivermike]

Oh my +3c or warmer, at least today’s +3 certainly felt warmer so
I went with my branded G1, glad I didn’t sell it, once I source a good
Solid waist band and seal up the hand warmer pockets this beastie will be even nicer

 

[mulceber]

Damn fine jackets, both of you. Artie, did you use some kind of camera filter to take that shot? The photo looks like it's about 30-40 years old. Really neat effect, whatever it is.

 

[Artie]

Damn fine jackets, both of you. Artie, did you use some kind of camera filter to take that shot? The photo looks like it's about 30-40 years old. Really neat effect, whatever it is.

I did just one of the filters on my IPhone

 

[D97x7]

Mostly the same as the last pic I posted but with a different jacket

 

[Artie]

Mostly the same as the last pic I posted but with a different jacket View attachment 31226

Is that a 42 or a 44. Love those btw

 

[D97x7]

It's a 44

 

[Imuricecreamman]

Feels like spring today.

 

[Smithy]

+1 here and no wind. Took the nippers for a toddle up to the shops and managed it in an A-2 with a RN submariner jumper. Snowed a bit on the way there and back but I was perfectly toasty.

 

[Micawber]

My God we've had three days in a row without rain! As the roads are dry and I needed an excuse to pop out to pick up a last small gift for my other half tomorrow, I thought I'd use filling the Jeep as an excuse as it hasn't had a run since before Christmas. A chilly and windy day so I wore the ELC B-3, A-10 gloves [not shown] and what on my ugly mug passes for a smile

Officer Dibley note: No B-2 this time!!!!

 

[Lord Flashheart]

Mostly waxed waistcoat and Barbour jumper etc this morning out in the woods but ELC Star this afternoon. None the worse for its sober pub crawl last night. Feels about right so it has been awarded an Acme whistle for good behaviour.

 

[mulceber]

My God we've had three days in a row without rain! As the roads are dry and I needed an excuse to pop out to pick up a last small gift for my other half tomorrow, I thought I'd use filling the Jeep as an excuse as it hasn't had a run since before Christmas. A chilly and windy day so I wore the ELC B-3, A-10 gloves [not shown] and what on my ugly mug passes for a smile

That gorgeous B-3 is being completely upstaged by a beautiful piece of machinery. How does that Jeep handle on the road, compared to other cars you've driven?

 

[Micawber]

That gorgeous B-3 is being completely upstaged by a beautiful piece of machinery. How does that Jeep handle on the road, compared to other cars you've driven?

How long do you have lol! I've been driving for a number of decades and in that time have owned, worked on and driven lots of different cars ranging from veteran / vintage through to present day machines. The wartime Jeep is a nippy little beast with good synchromesh - but it's not a racing gearbox so like many old machines you need to take your time and let the gears slip in, not force them. There are 3 forward speeds, one reverse plus two speed transfer box. Drive is to the rear wheels but you can engage the front axle by shifting one of three gear levers.
The original pattern bar-grip tyres can be interesting in the wet, hydraulic drum brakes are adequate when well adjusted and in good order. Heavy braking will often see the vehicle pull to one side - this is a result of having the steering lever mounted on the axle itself - brake hard, the axle rotates a bit causing the lever to pull the track rod. This was such a problem with early production vehicles that they added an extra leaf to the spring on one side to counter the torsion steering effect. Quite a few accidents were caused by this steering quirk.
The short wheelbase means a choppy ride, leaf springs mean a choppy and firm ride so stay braced when off road. A narrow track and firm suspension means they could flip over fairly easily if they hit a bump on one side, cornering too fast - or get hit by another vehicle. Steering when in good order is precise enough but obviously heavy by today's standards.
In terms of ride - similar to an 80 inch Series One Land Rover but they would be since the LR prototype was based on so many Jeep bits anyway.
What is noticeable is the amount of space the driver has between the seat and the steering wheel - they were not designed for today's larger & taller frames in mind! It's been 20 years since I last owned and regularly drove a WW2 Jeep and in that time I swear the space between the seat and steering wheel has shrunk
Compared to some other vehicles of the era the Jeep is much easier to drive for a person used to modern vehicles. They can keep up with modern traffic in town but I wouldn't contemplate busy fast roads. Cammo olive drab*, small size and a cruising speed of 40-50mph and hand signals only among modern fast cars and trucks and their many idiot drivers can make for dangerous conditions. Pootling along old style country roads is far more relaxing.
One more thing - the aircon is first rate but dream on if you want heating too!

Forgive any typos etc, I just typed as I thought of things. Hope it's of interest.

*One reason why I've added white to the ends of the front bumper and sprayed both rear bumpers white as was done to make the vehicles show up in UK wartime blackout conditions, is to make t6he vehicle a bit more visible to your average modern driver!

Photo of the last Jeep I owned 20 years or so ago. 1942 Willys MB....

 

[mulceber]

Wow - I did not expect that level of a detailed response. Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences - I’ve always thought the original Jeeps looked like fun cars to drive.

Did you just get your current one recently?

 

[Smithy]

Mostly waxed waistcoat and Barbour jumper etc this morning out in the woods but ELC Star this afternoon. None the worse for its sober pub crawl last night. Feels about right so it has been awarded an Acme whistle for good behaviour.

Looks the part with the whistle now. The pub crawl will have done it a world of good. Next step, get caught in a decent downpour and wear it when you do something physical like fixing the fence, carting around some firewood, that sort of thing does wonders at wearing a jacket in and especially those veg tanned jobs which can be on the stiff side to begin with.

 

[Micawber]

Wow - I did not expect that level of a detailed response. Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences - I’ve always thought the original Jeeps looked like fun cars to drive.

Did you just get your current one recently?

My pleasure. Yes, I bought this one in the summer last year.