Man am I glad I don’t live in Troy, Michigan anymore, because if I did, I’d probably already have the U-Haul car-hauler hooked up, and I’d be headed northwest to pick up this Parmley Jeep. Here, allow me to show you this fantastic aftermarket fiberglass contraption that looks a bit like a frog.
The Big Rapids, Michigan Facebook Marketplace listing isn’t just for this incredible two-owner (allegedly) Parmley Jeep, it’s also for a donor Jeep CJ-5.
Check it out:
Before we get too much into this listing (note that the top photo of the two above contains a 1997+ Jeep Cherokee XJ grille for some reason), let’s take a step back and talk about Parmley. You can think of it a bit as a Jeep version of a VW Meyers Manx dune buggy. Like the Manx (and its clones), the Parmley came as a kit that one could buy; it included the fiberglass body, a Dodge windshield, hood hold-downs, wiring for the lighting, a wiper system, an optional spare tire rack, and more. I know all this because the original Parmley brochures, published in the mid 1970s, discuss it all:
As you can see, Parmley was an LA-based company, and in fact, according to my go-to flatfender-Jeep shopping resource, ewillys.com, Parmley is a family name. From the Jeep-loving website:
After wrecking his CJ-5 in the early 1970s, Californian Tom Parmley, a machinist by trade, decided to build himself a better body for his still-good chassis.  He wanted the body to legally accommodate  wider tires, a dash box with more room, a hood that was lower, and other features.  So, he built and tested his dream body with great success.  Along the way, he received so much positive feedback that he created a kit so others could easily install a Parmley body on their CJ-5 Chassis.
Believe it or not, this humble operation made it to the front page of Four Wheeler Magazine:
ewillys even has this look at an originally Parmley Engineering Co., Inc price sheet:
Anyway, while I realize it’s little more than a fiberglass body on a CJ-5, I still love it. The fact that it was one man’s brainchild, that he put these bodies into production, and that so few of them ever sold just makes this one even cooler to me:
“I have a one owner, (besides me), 1970 Parmley bodied CJ5 Jeep,” the listing reads. “Own a piece of rare history. Only 30 ever made. I’ve only seen one other ever for sale. Fiberglass body in good shape, except the gell coat is crazed.”
The listing goes no to discuss the parts Jeep. “They came with the Dauntless engine with an Offy intake and Holley 4bbl carb. Dual exhaust this Dauntless has a bad cam. Green Michigan title from 1970,” the post continues. “I have a complete running 1969 CJ5 with a Dauntless to go with it for parts. Two jeeps in this deal. The Parmley has a top and crappy doors. A great project that im just not going to get to soon. $4000 cash. Avaliable for pick up in the Big Rapids MI area.”
I don’t know that I’d drove four big ones on it, but there’s just something about this Frog-looking, narrow, goofy Jeep (it actually says “FROG” on the top of the windshield) that screams fun to me. So I just thought I’d share that, as this is my very first time even hearing a Parmley Jeep, and its joyous appeal made my day about 10% brighter.
That’s not what “one owner” means!
What on earth is happening with those tires? Is the front larger than the rear? Is it a fancy photographer’s perspective trick? Did I take too many crazy pills?
There was one on CL in San Diego East County for about 2K as of a month ago but gone now.
It’s only got 1 owner (besides the next 5 guys who bought it)…
That Four Wheeler photo looks like it was shot at the set for Gilligan’s Island.
I thought of a back-lot jungle somewhere in LA.
DT, you’d better get it now because it won’t be an option for you in two weeks. And it’s not just one Jeep, it’s TWO Jeeps! Go halfsies with JT. He gets the Parmley and you get the CJ.
It desperately needs some larger, wider wheels and tires.
If this was on Copart, would you buy it???
100%
I’m a bit surprised you aren’t seriously looking at it as a wedding vehicle.
It’s probably less work to swap the engine in the Parmley than it would be to finish cleaning his YJ – assuming that the whole wedding saga isn’t a setup to drive clicks, as it increasingly appears to be.
What do you mean? Are you suggesting that I’m not using my YJ for the wedding? That I’m not getting married? That I don’t own a YJ?
I mean, maybe the me-getting-married thing is a little far fetched, but come on… none of this is implausible.
The frenetic pace of contemporary life keeps us from knowing what we can believe anymore, especially when we see a YJ that, while filthy and showing only new ventilation control knobs as evidence it’s being spiffed up for your alleged wedding, seemed to have intact floor pans. In your fleet that’s less plausible than the whole purported engagement thing.
Indeed, it’s completely rust-free, which is amazing.
The photo showing the Parmley’s rear end has real “we have the Jurassic Park Ford Explorer at home” vibes…
So, it is pretty ugly with the hardtop, but not quite so awkward without a top. The tube bumpers on the one for sale do it no favors, though.
Do you need a special Kermit to drive one of these?