Bottle openers on jeeps.

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GI.
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by GI. » Sat Dec 09, 2017 9:38 am

Stingray,
Thanks for that great photo, It sure look's like it has been there for some time.
I was looking through some old Army Motors #102 [mail call page 67] and found another pic. of a bottle opener on a 1942 GPW that came direct from the Montana National Guard in the mid 60's, I am still not saying that it was common to have a bottle opener on WW-2 jeeps, just saying it was possible that some could have had one. :wink:
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by hell-fire » Sat Dec 09, 2017 12:46 pm

When I restored my Jeep I found 2 holes in the dash covered with the previous owners body filler, the coke opener lined up perfectly but that is all I am saying.

But there is a guy in our club who makes the crates so I filled it with WW2 Coke bottles and filled them with modern coke and capped them with period caps I got off the auction site.



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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by GI. » Sat Dec 09, 2017 1:18 pm

hell-fire,
What a great idea, a crate of coke's in the back seat and a bottle opener on the dash, plus one good looking jeep, thank's for the pic's.
I think their's a reason were seeing more and more coke bottle openers on some of these jeep's
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Mark Jesic » Sun Dec 10, 2017 4:26 am

John, that looks really neat. :D

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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by twinflyer17 » Mon Dec 11, 2017 7:39 am

I think that the coke openers look awesome and are definitely conversation starters. Personally, though, I wouldn't want to drill fresh holes in my original body to mount one, or anything else for that matter.
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by HankII » Mon Dec 11, 2017 2:14 pm

Impressive collection of openers FS on Re-enacting forum - viewtopic.php?f=33&t=290555

New additions & price.
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Chuck W. » Mon Dec 11, 2017 3:13 pm

I know it's not a WW-II vehicle, but on a whim, I mounted a bottle opener on the spare tire carrier in my 1953 Navy CJ3B. Almost everybody notices it and has something to say! Most common comment? "Look! A bottle opener!" So the kids DO know what it's for!
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Joe Gopan » Mon Dec 11, 2017 3:39 pm

We used to carry a Beer Can Opener ("Church Key") with our tool sets to on maintenance trucks open Quart Cans of OE-30.
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Chuck Lutz » Mon Dec 11, 2017 3:47 pm

I guess I'm going to have to mount a Coke bottle opener on my jeep. I already have a P38 on a key ring for the ignition key. So I think I'll just mount the opener on a dog tag chain somewhere. That should do it....food and drink openers accounted for!

Here it is:
WIRE Coke Bottle Opener.jpg
WIRE Coke Bottle Opener.jpg (110.86 KiB) Viewed 2202 times
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by HankII » Fri Jan 05, 2018 1:36 pm

SigCorps121844.jpg
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Mark Jesic » Sat Jan 06, 2018 2:09 am

Nice one, Hank. :lol:

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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Frank USMC » Sat Jan 06, 2018 4:34 am

Hank.....that is one of the greatest posts I have seen it years!!!!!
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by GI. » Sat Jan 06, 2018 12:57 pm

I'll bet that Gen. Patton had a bottle opener on the dash of his command car. :wink:
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Joe Gopan » Sat Jan 06, 2018 1:58 pm

Resist the urge to drill your Jeep full of holes it never had. Take some time off from the hobby if need be. :wink:
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Re: Bottle openers on jeeps.

Post by Chuck Lutz » Sun Jan 07, 2018 10:14 am

http://joelhousman.com/blog/2014/1/26/a ... tle-opener

Just make sure your mountable Coke bottle opener does not say "Made in Germany" or "Made in West Germany"

It should say "STARR X" and have either the early patent number on it or the "newer" patent number granted in 1943.

Interesting read that Coca-Cola put a "bottle opener" (of an as-yet undetermined design) in each case of Coke delivered to the troops.

I can hear them discussing this in Atlanta..."Should we toss in one of those plain hand-held openers in each case or should we include one of the mountable types? If we send them the mountable type, do we send them a couple screws and a screwdriver as well? What if they are in the desert with nothing to mount it on? Maybe we should include a drill to put holes in vehicles to mount them? Should we include a generator to power the drill to mount the opener also?"

Occam's Razor....as well as Mr. Spock would probably come up with the correct answer, being the most obvious: Include the hand-held version as it need not be mounted and since we are including an opener with each case of coke, why do they need to mount one on anything besides the coolers Coca-Cola was including anyway?

Leaving this with one thought....is it POSSIBLE that one jeep in the front lines had a dash-mounted original WWII Coke bottle opener mounted on it?

Sure, but the proliferation of them nowadays ranks right up there with the percentage of G503s marked up for the 101st A/B.

Hmm...I wonder if Joel remembers seeing Coke bottle openers mounted on jeeps at Dow when he was growing up and G503s were still around?
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GPW 17963 4/24/42 Chester, PA. USA 20113473 (USA est./Tom W.)
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