WWII Jeep in a Crate? Apocryphal? True?

[Phantomfixer]

>>BROKEN PHOTO LINK<<

ok maybe it was 1942 and not 50.00 but hey they were in a crate...and it stands to reason that somewhere out there, there is still at least one jeep left in a crate waiting to be found. Be it a warehouse in England or a motorpool in Turkey.....

 

[Peacoat]

Jeep in a Crate

Or you could do like a friend of mine does, rebuild it from the ground up. He buys old Willys jeeps, takes the engine and transmission out, and strips the body. The body is the first to be restored, with a primer coat applied. Then he takes the transmission apart and repairs any damage he finds there. The last to be restored is the engine, which gets a complete rebuild. He is able to fabricate most of the broken or missing steel parts himself, and has developed a good source of parts for those items he can't, or doesn't want to fabricate, such as clutch plates, generators, headlamps, etc. He has a sandblaster for taking parts down to the bare metal to ensure no rust pops up years later. He keeps everything original to the model, except that he does convert the 6 volt system to a modern 12 volt system. And I think the original tires are no longer available, so he gets a modern tire as true to the original that he can find.

The last thing he does is his paint shop work, and then he reassembles the engine, transmission, chassis and body. When the process is finished, it looks as though the jeep had just been removed from the crates in the photos above. The process takes about six months to a year or so, depending on how much time he has to work on it and how many major problems he runs into. It is truly a fascinating transformation.

 

[Phantomfixer]

Jeep tires

Hey Peacoat,

Here is a link to coker tires
http://store.cokertire.com/tire-styles/other/military.html

They have the 16x 600 NDT tires for the old jeep. I converted a 46 Willys CJ-2A into a Willys MB. Turned out ok. It took me a year to build/repair the body. One of these days I will rebuild the engine. Leaks a little bit of oil. Always a hit in the July 4th parades. If I can drum up some digital pics I will post them. Good thing about flatfenders are that there are no computers to tell you to check your engine. :eusa_clap
Does your friend have a website with his finished jeeps?

 

[storman113]

Maybe there's a couple in Warehouse 13 or the same place they keep Indy's Ark!!!

Question is, could it be worth more staying in the crate or removed and assembled? I wouldn't be able to resist, it would be built!

Like you said, sure there is one or two somewhere in a warehouse long forgotten.

 

[Peacoat]

Hey Peacoat,

Here is a link to coker tires
http://store.cokertire.com/tire-styles/other/military.html

They have the 16x 600 NDT tires for the old jeep. I converted a 46 Willys CJ-2A into a Willys MB. Turned out ok. It took me a year to build/repair the body. One of these days I will rebuild the engine. Leaks a little bit of oil. Always a hit in the July 4th parades. If I can drum up some digital pics I will post them. Good thing about flatfenders are that there are no computers to tell you to check your engine. :eusa_clap
Does your friend have a website with his finished jeeps?

I couldn't get the link to open; I'll do a Google for in a little while. I'm sure he knows about Coker Tires as long as he has been interested in the old Jeeps. I went with him when he got his first one over 40 years ago up in the mountains in Tracy City, TN. We had a lot of fun with that Jeep. I don't remember it having any heat, but surely it had some sort of bleed air system like we had on the jets and the recips?

No, he doesn't have a website. He usually builds for friends and friends of friends. Painting is the last step to make sure the buyer doesn't change his mind before he takes delivery. My favorite color is OD, as is probably yours, but you would be surprised at the different colors people want. I guess I can understand it on the CJs but the military ones should only be one color. Next time I am over there, I will try and remember to take my camera if he has any that are finished, or almost finished.

 

[Phantomfixer]

The only bleed air that I have is a hole in the firewall lol
yeah OD all the way

 

[Nemesis7485]

It's always been my dream to own a WWII Willys Jeep. When I win the lottery, that's the first thing on my "to get" list.

The serial numbers often seen painted on the bonnet/hood of wartime jeeps, do they correspond to the chassis number? If so, can an individual vehicle's service record be traced in the same way as an aircraft's? I.e, what unit took posession of it and by extension, where it was likely to have been used?

It would be really great if you could buy or find one of these puppies and then be able to research it's history.

 

[Phantomfixer]

S/N

I think I read that the serial number on the hood was applied at the factory to correspond to the gaining organization not the chasis number.
http://www.olive-drab.com/
This site might help you out

 

[MPicciotto]

Maybe there's a couple in Warehouse 13 or the same place they keep Indy's Ark!!!

Question is, could it be worth more staying in the crate or removed and assembled? I wouldn't be able to resist, it would be built!

Like you said, sure there is one or two somewhere in a warehouse long forgotten.

If you ever found one, it is my estimation that it would be worth well over 30,000 and left in it's crate. The value would be it being in it's crate. Otherwise it's just the supreme example of NOS parts

Matt

 

[MPicciotto]

It's always been my dream to own a WWII Willys Jeep. When I win the lottery, that's the first thing on my "to get" list.

The serial numbers often seen painted on the bonnet/hood of wartime jeeps, do they correspond to the chassis number? If so, can an individual vehicle's service record be traced in the same way as an aircraft's? I.e, what unit took posession of it and by extension, where it was likely to have been used?

It would be really great if you could buy or find one of these puppies and then be able to research it's history.

Not sure the answer to that. But THE definitive website is www.g503.com They would know there.

Matt

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I cannot see the second image.

 

[Dixon Cannon]

Peacoat]Or you could do like a friend of mine does, rebuild it from the ground up. He buys old Willys jeeps, takes the engine and transmission out, and strips the body. The body is the first to be restored, with a primer coat applied. Then he takes the transmission apart and repairs any damage he finds there. The last to be restored is the engine, which gets a complete rebuild. He is able to fabricate most of the broken or missing steel parts himself, and has developed a good source of parts for those items he can't, or doesn't want to fabricate, such as clutch plates, generators, headlamps, etc. He has a sandblaster for taking parts down to the bare metal to ensure no rust pops up years later. He keeps everything original to the model, except that he does convert the 6 volt system to a modern 12 volt system. And I think the original tires are no longer available, so he gets a modern tire as true to the original that he can find.

The last thing he does is his paint shop work, and then he reassembles the engine, transmission, chassis and body. When the process is finished, it looks as though the jeep had just been removed from the crates in the photos above. The process takes about six months to a year or so, depending on how much time he has to work on it and how many major problems he runs into. It is truly a fascinating transformation.[/[/SIZE]QUOTE]

Wow! That has always been a fantasy of mine. I once started on a M38-A1 but ran out of time money ... and a wife! (Say no more!!) I love the M38 though!
-dixon 'jeep' cannon

 

[Dixon Cannon]

I remember when I was a kid, you could still order these crated Jeeps from the back of comic books! I often wonder if there are a few, still crated, in some garage somewhere. What a find that would be!

-dixon cannon

 

[Lincsong]

I forget if it was the late '70s or early 80's, but I had several Uncles working at Alameda Naval Air Station and I remember them saying these crated Jeeps were being sold for about $2000. I had one Uncle who was willing to buy one, but my Aunt refused to let him buy that toy. lol

 

[Dixon Cannon]

A little 'Jeep' trivia...

http://community.discovery.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9741919888/m/33719347101?r=33719347101

There are a lot of reasons a jeep would have its windshield down - but not all of them were necessarily sound.
- In airborne units, windshields often shattered when the jeep was dropped, so they were generally removed.
- Artillery blasts could send even laminated glass flying into faces
- Military windshield wipers (especially WWII era) weren't very good, and a dirty or smeared windshield made observation iffy.
- The glass of the windshield reflected the sun, and the glint could give away your position.
- etc., etc.

You usually found the windshields down in the most forward units. But for every unit that dropped thweir windshileds, many did not, especially in bad weather.

Not too many jeeps actually led the way on roads during an attack or an advance, so I doubt German piano wire was a big threat. Half tracks, tanks, TDs etc., usually led the way, so any wire probably would have been broken before a jeep came by. Probably. I suspect the more likely danger was simply poorly strung commo wire that often sagged low across a road. Anyone on a field problem has run into this. I don't recall ever running across an incident of Germans stringing piano wire; maybe I've missed it, but none come to mind.

Every unit I've been in that dropped windshields made it mandatory that a wire cutting bar be mounted on the front bumper, extending to above where the windshield's top would be. That kept any wire - German piano or US commo - from being a danger. Here's a good photo of a WWII era jeep with wire cutter bar. Note the canvas cover on the folded down windshield to prevent reflection. http://media.photobucket.com/image/jeep%20wire%20cutter/fmarron/e6-15-04001.jpg

I suspect the wire-across-the-road was a bigger danger in Vietnam, where any insurgent anywhere could string such wire and a jeep might wander by first. Folded windshields and wire cutters were extremely common in Vietnam.

-dixon cannon

 

[Lincsong]

Interesting points on the windsheilds. I just assumed they kept them down because it looked better. lol

 

[Widebrim]

Every unit I've been in that dropped windshields made it mandatory that a wire cutting bar be mounted on the front bumper, extending to above where the windshield's top would be. That kept any wire - German piano or US commo - from being a danger.

I suspect the wire-across-the-road was a bigger danger in Vietnam, where any insurgent anywhere could string such wire and a jeep might wander by first. Folded windshields and wire cutters were extremely common in Vietnam.

-dixon cannon

When I was in the Army, I believe that all of our jeeps had wire-cutting bars. Like you wrote, it was more of a problem in Vietnam than in WWII.

 

[Peacoat]

Wire Cutting Bar

That bar certainly looks as though it would eliminate any wire across the road. I will say that I flew a bunch of medivac missions in VN, and bringing out someone hit by a wire while in a jeep was not one of them.

Dixon, if you are ever in my section of Tennessee (the middle section) I can help you live out part of your fantasy. We can go by my buddy's shop, and I'm sure there will be a fabrication project going on that needs some hammering! Just let me know.

 

[Phantomfixer]

Peacoat, Next time I go down to Roane Mountain I will look you two up. I could use some pointers on the T-90 rebuild process.

I was told by several sources that there is a M-151 MUTT at the big hanger at Lakerhurst NAS NJ. Been there for years,used as a run around vehicle and then parked in a corner. Slowly it started being boxed in etc. Covered with junk. Supposedly it is off the books and long since forgotten about. .......

 

[Dixon Cannon]

That bar certainly looks as though it would eliminate any wire across the road. I will say that I flew a bunch of medivac missions in VN, and bringing out someone hit by a wire while in a jeep was not one of them.

Dixon, if you are ever in my section of Tennessee (the middle section) I can help you live out part of your fantasy. We can go by my buddy's shop, and I'm sure there will be a fabrication project going on that needs some hammering! Just let me know.

I just may do that sometime Peacoat - I've got a sister in Western NC!
Thanks for the invite!

-dixon cannon