Like the ads in the back of comic books back in the day, the back pages of Popular Mechanics and Science carried a ton of ads for all manners of fantastical things. Some that you would see were seemingly come-ons for military surplus and the requisite jeeps for sale in a crate and some were for add-ons or modifications for the newly surplus MBs that were cropping up all over the place as well as the new CJ. Now you could find everything from scale models of the famous MB to reconditioned L-Heads from J.C. Whitney for under 200 bucks. Also note the proliferation of ads for PTOs, do it yourself dually kits and surplus items like jerry cans. But now you also had new retailers who were specializing in jeeps like the famous Berg’s of Chicago who carried a full line of jeeps and parts for them.
Apparently he was located on the south side of Chicago in a not so nice area of town, but had an extensive, though crowded selection of jeeps and parts. An old press photo shows customers pouring over what many of us would drool over today, Ford GPs and the rarest of the rare Bantam BRC-40 and yes, BRC-60s! At the time they were just work trucks and scrap parts, but wow! Berg’s wasn’t the only one in the business as the 1949 ad for American Auto Parts in Kansas City shows. MB tops for under $40!
So, check out the new section of the Pop Mech/Sci Ad section where I’ll be adding new ads soon. Thanks for hanging in there last week as well. I’m not sure what I’ll be moving onto next week, maybe some new post-war Popular Mechanics stuff or maybe something else! In the meanwhile check out the This-Old-Jeep.com Zazzle marketplace. I’ve created lots of new things for you and the jeep lover in your life from new ornaments, holiday cards, mugs, t-shirts and the all-new 2013 This-Old-Jeep.com calendar! There’s still plenty of time to get stuff in time for Xmas! Come back for next week for more from the wide world of This Old Jeep!
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