Saturday I transferred the title to me. I wanted to do it Friday, but there was a problem. Actually, two problems. First, the plates are personalized: JEP1946. I needed a signed statement that the seller would allow me to have the plates. Okay, they were on the Jeep. The guy pointed them out to me and told me how he wished he didn’t inadvertantly send the original yellow plates back to the state. He knew they were there. He knew they were included with the Jeep. Ah, California Bureaucracy! The second problem was that he signed the title under “new registered owner”. After I pointed out to him that I’m the new registered owner and he needs to sign on the front. When he signed the front, I signed the back under his name, and crossed his name out. He wondered why I was doing that and I showed him that it said “new registered owner” (again). He was like, “Ha! Why did I do that? It says “new owner” right there!” Ayiiiii! So I had to get him to sign a “statement of error” because my crossing out his signature wasn’t good enough.
Next problem: Where to find a AAA office that A) is open on Saturday, and B) performs DMV functions. I found two; one in Burbank and the other in Woodland Hills. (You’d think that AAA would have a full service office in L.A.!) The Woodland Hills office was about 26 miles away (farther than the Burbank office), but I figured it would be easier to get to. The fastest way to Burbank would have been up Laurel Canyon Blvd, and I didn’t want to take an unfamiliar, antique vehicle up on a winding two-lane road. (No way I was going to take the thing on the freeway!)
The trip to Woodland Hills was uneventful, although it took an hour to get there. There was a long line and I was scanned in with my AAA card. I waited for a long while and I saw the couple ahead of me get called. I’m next! Well, I thought I was. When four other people were called ahead of me, I went to the counter. Hm. I’m not on their computer! (I guess the scanning computer wasn’t on good speaking terms with the system.) I was helped immediately…
…By someone whose mind was still running on a 286 chip. Yes, I know they’re personalized plates. Yes, I want to keep them. That’s why I had the guy sign the statement saying that he’s giving me the plates. I don’t care if I have to shell out another $40 to keep them. No, I don’t need new plates. No, I don’t want generic plates. (Actually I don’t much care for vanity plates, but they fit the Jeep.) Yes, I know I’ll have to shell out another $40 to keep them. What do you mean they’re not in the computer? They’ve been out of registration for so long they’re “gone”? The registration is valid until November, 2001! No, I don’t want generic plates. Yes, I know I’ll have to shell out another $40 to keep them! Look, lady! I just want to A) Transfer the title to me; B) Keep the plates that are on the Jeep; C) Pay my money and get the hell out of here! (No, I didn’t tell her C – at least not so bluntly.) After she called a supervisor and looked up the VIN, I finally got out of there.
Now for the trip home. I’ll wager not many people on this board have had the pleasure of driving a Willys Jeep. Let me clue you in on something: The brakes suck. The brakes have sucked on every original Willys Jeep I’ve driven. It’s just the way it is. The problem is that traffic lights can be very perverse. They don’t turn yellow for long enough to let you slow a 55-year-old 4x4 down before they turn red, so you have to go slow. No problem with going slow, but I seemed to be hitting every light. At one point I literally had to stand on the brake to stop in time (I should have just gone through). I had the windscreen opened (not down – it’s hinged at the top for ventilation) and I started to smell something. Several miles later someone told me one of my brakes was smoking. I managed to avoid using the brakes much by going way slower than the other traffic. I was concerned that the brake might heat up the hub and blow a tire. But it eventually quit smoking and I made it home. Note to self: Think about getting the 11" brake modification. Originality is fine, but when you live in a place with a lot of traffic lights you have to think about safety.
I assembled the top bows. A top came with the Jeep, but it was so old and shrunken it no longer fits. The windows are yellow and barely transparent. I wanted to get a BesTop for it, but from what I can see in the photos it won’t work with the original hardware. I’m going to call an upholsterer to see how much it will cost to have a new top made. They can use the original top as a pattern. The way it goes on is fun. Eight pieces, as opposed to the single-piece top I had on the MGBs.
Don’t think I’m ranting about my new toy. It’s a blast! I love the little thing! I knew how the brakes were, and I knew I needed a top. It’s all part of the game. 
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