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Collecting WW2: Following is an article on buying and restoring a WW2 Jeep. The vehicle that this article is based on was originally restored with US Marine Corps markings and is currently being modified to appear at NWHA events as a British Airborne Jeep. |
Buying & Restoring
A World War 2 Jeep
By: Tony S., 3rd Para Bde.
This article will be a basic primer to buying and owning a WW2 Jeep. I have owned and restored both WW2 and M series (postwar) vehicles as well as winning First Place with my 1944 Willys MB at the 1996 Portland MVPA convention. There are some basic rules to remember when you think about buying your first jeep. First, condition is everything, it is much better to pay more to get a better jeep than pay $500.00 for a piece of junk. I know of a MV collector who purchased several $400-$1000.00 jeeps and still was looking at a reproduction body, and didn't have one that ran good. Second, get what you want, don't settle for buying a postwar jeep and "converting" it. You will spend more money in the long run converting it and still have a postwar jeep, which will probably be worth less after you are done "converting" it. Lastly, do research, you have purchased several books telling you what type of tunic you would wear during the X campaign why not buy some books on Military jeeps?
Now, you are ready to start looking for your jeep! You will of course look in the obvious places; newspapers, little nickel want ads, etc. But don't forget to tell your friends and relatives to keep their eyes and ears open for you. You may be surprised by what they find. Going for a drive out in the country? Keep your eyes pealed for jeeps! You may find the fabled "jeep in a barn for fifty years". Several years ago I spotted a patch of olive drab canvas half hidden by stuff in a carport, the patch of canvas turned out to be an extremely original 1944 Willys MB that I later purchased, restored and took to the MVPA convention.
You may be lucky enough to find a jeep that is very complete and in good condition. These jeeps are rare and command a premium among collectors. More commonly the jeep will be missing some of its original parts and accessories. Try to familiarize yourself with what the original parts and equipment looked like.
The first items to look at are the wheels, standard (other than prototype) WW2 jeeps came equipped with "combat rims". These were special bolt together rims that enabled the vehicle to run on flat tires due to shrapnel or other objects. These combat rims are getting very hard to find and are among the first things civilians removed. Reproductions are available but at $200.00 each a full set would cost you $1000.00. 
The next thing to look at would be the drive train. Many WW2 jeeps have had the original engine removed and replaced with any multitude of engines. I have seen every kind of postwar jeep engine, a Studebaker Six cylinder, Ford Pinto engines, Continental Industrial engines, and of course the dreaded V8 conversion put into the poor WW2 jeep.
The quickest way to tell if the jeep has the original engine is to look for the engine serial number, this is located on the passenger side of the engine block in the front, under the oil filter bracket and cylinder head. A Willys jeep will have a serial number that will be MB XXXXXX and a Ford jeep will have GPW XXXXXX. If the engine has been replaced you will be missing many of the original engine accessories and chances are the transmission has been replaced or modified as well. If the jeep you are looking at were lacking the original engine I would hope that the body/sheetmetal is in excellent condition for you to consider purchasing it. Of course obtaining a WW2 jeep engine is not impossible but again plan on spending about $1000.00 purchasing and rebuilding it not including the other parts to convert it back.
The next item in the drivetrain is the transmission; I have seen some jeeps that have had the original T84 type transmission replaced with the postwar T90 transmission. This modification will allow the jeep to reach higher speeds, but that will put a serious strain on the rest of the drivetrain. Again it can be converted back to original but I would hope that the rest of the jeep was in excellent condition.
Now lets turn our attention to the body and sheetmetal. There are several spots that are prone to rust; the wheel well toolboxes, front fender steps, and the gas tank well. The bodies have U-shaped "hat channels" reinforcements underneath the floor, these also are prone to rust. Make sure to check out all of these areas and don't forget to check for bondo! Check to make sure that the windshield is the correct split type, this is another item that is commonly removed and replaced with a postwar type.
The frame is another problem area, it seems that postwar civilian users loved to pull and or jump stumps with their jeeps. Take a close look at the front frame rails forward of the grill, hopefully they are nice and straight with the bumper gussets (brackets) intact. The original bumper will most likely have been replaced hopefully without too much modification. Reproduction bumpers, and gussets are available, however you will need to straighten/rebuild the frame rails if they have been seriously cut or modified.
While you are looking at the front frame rails if you suspect that the jeep is a Willys look on the side of the drivers side frame rail in front of the grill, hopefully you will spot the frame serial plate. This number should match the number on the dash data plate. The rear crossmember of the frame also suffers from civilian abuse, check to see if it is straight and unmodified. Many civilian users tried to pull stumps with their jeeps and were shocked to see the rear cross member buckle and tear from the strain.
Now you should turn your attention to the interior of the body. Look for the original seats, gauges, and of course the dash data plates mounted on the glove box door, all of these items can be very expensive to locate and in the case of the data plates are very important for the value of the jeep.
When you look for the serial numbers on your jeep remember there are some differences between the Ford and Willys jeeps. Ford jeeps came from the factory with all of the serial numbers matching, the engine, frame (located on the drivers frame rail in the engine compartment), and data plates all had the same number. Willys jeeps had the frame and data plate numbers match but the engine number did NOT match the frame and data plates. These serial numbers will strongly affect the value of a jeep. A jeep with "matching" serial numbers will have a significantly higher value than a jeep that had a mismatched or non-original engine, frame or body.
The first thing you do after you've brought your jeep home is to start taking pictures! Document your restoration as much as you can. This will not only help the value of your jeep but will help you reassemble the parts and pieces.
Whenever I have talked to new jeep owners they usually ask, "how do I find out the history of my jeep?" there is no easy answer to this. You can't just write to the army and ask for the history of GPW XXXXXXX, they don't have the records or the time. The best thing to do is to carefully sand down the hood looking for the army registration numbers, these are basically the army "license number" sometimes this can be used to trace a vehicle. Another place to look is the bumper and rear bumperettes and the sides of the body, you may be lucky enough to find remnants of original unit markings. These are your best bets to discover the history of your vehicle, good old fashioned detective work and elbow grease.
Now you have your jeep all finished and ready to take to the next event, I look forward to seeing your new jeep!
