I ENJOYED reading about Robert U'Ren's M38 Jeep with its clever mechanical upgrades, but don't think he should get flak from others about it. Aside from the fact that people can do whatever they want with their own property, modified Jeeps have always been a 'thing'. The first V8 into a Jeep transplant was believed to be a Ford GP with a flathead V8 built by noted hot rodder Wally Parks (1913-2007) during World War Two.
Parks was the founder, president and chairman of the US National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). In 1938, he helped organise the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) until World War Two brought a temporary halt to its activities. After the war, Parks was instrumental in establishing drag racing as a legitimate amateur and professional motorsport and had modified a 1941 GP with a V8 while deployed in the Philippines during 1945, nicknaming it 'Sigue Na', which means 'gotta go' in Tagalog.
