I've picked up a GPW...
 

I recently picked up a Ford GPW - it was sold to me by a farmer who was clearing stuff belonging to his Dad who passed away about two years ago. I bought it more or less sight unseen - it was a bit of a lucky dip - the farmer thought it was a Willys, but on arrival it turned out to be a GPW. He didn't know how long his Dad had had the jeep, only that it had been a farm hack all his 48 years - he sought-of-thought his Dad bought it around 1960. In any case it hadn't been started for more than 25 years. It came with all the accessories - square tyres, pigeon poo, rat poo, dirt, a bit of rust - but it is very straight - except on the bumper gussets - and hasn't been fiddled with. It still has the grease-gun bracket under the bonnet, has - surprisingly - no rust on the window frame, still has the straps for the axe and shovel etc. just a couple of questions for the brains trust - there are a few odd/intersting bits 1. there's the remains of a sticker on the bonnet about not leaving the vehicle in gear when transporting -has anyone seen this before? Is it something to do with army auctions perhaps? 2. the rear reflectors and stop light. Are these actually military or aftermarket?Many thanks if anyone has an idea. (BTW - when I brought the jeep home, we got it running within about 25 minutes. It's a beauty!)

A few more photos...

Nice find
 

Hi Warren

Nice find, reminded me of my find on a farm and tucked away. I look forward to following your restoration on MLU and I hope you post lot's of photos for us "Jeep"" lovers. I note your MB Jeep done up as a LRDG vehicle. That is what I did with mine. See Attached photo. The tail light does look wrong as it should have the blackout light, the reflector also looks different to what I have seen, see attached photo. I have not heard of the sticker you refer to. Good luck with the new project.

Cheers

Tony

Rear lights
 

Hi Warren

Sorry mate forgot the photo of the lights in the last post.

Cheers

Tony :no4:

Nice find, and with the hallmarks of a post-war operated 'Truck 1/4 ton' - the two bolt heads in the lower windscreen frame right side being a good indicator (no pun intended....)

Now what about the nomenclature plates and the chassis number? Are the former still fitted and what do they tell you (ie us)? What is the GPW chassis number and the engine number, please?

Mike C

Jeeps done up as lrdg & sas
 

LRDG and SAS are very interesting configurations but here in Canada the biggest problem is that we cannot get the Vickers G.O. guns (aka Vickers "K" Guns - deactivated or replicas) and in Canada we not are allowed to make replicas, even out of plastic and wood!

Ironically if they would make them in AirSoft - those would be legal!

I had a 1942 Willys MB-BRT and was tempted to restore it as a desert vehicle but all I could get would be deactivated Brens, Browning M2HB and Browning Mk. II .303 aircraft guns (the Brownings are few and far between here). I did look for the original markings but only a few partial numbers from the USA and British WD number remained. :-( I had so hoped to find an intersting history. There was a hole for a General's staff flag in the leading edge centre of the hood (bonnet to our UK friends).

In the end I sold the MB-BRT, bought a Ferret Scout Car, sold that, bought another Welbike Mk. II ... you know how it goes.

Colin

Rope on jeep front bumper.
 

Nice looking jeep done up as a desert one. A minor point. The rope's coil wrapping around the front bumper tends to be the American method. Brits tended to wrap it as a "Figure 8"
:)

Hi Warren,
As Mike says, signs of post war use. The reflector looks like the usual die cast local replacement and will probably have D/I\D cast on the rim. The tail lights I have seen on old civvy vehicles, the Army seemed to be more inclined to use the Heller lights with full diameter lens, no bezel as a replacement. I suppose it depends when they were replaced and by whom. Those lights would have pre-dated the Hellers

Dave

Colin,

You didn't mention the post-war .50 cal box on the front mudguard (oooops- fender). I dare say that Warren would be hard pressed to legally 'arm' his SAS jeep in Australia with 'dewatts' or replicas, such are the draconian firearms rules prevailing, especially in NSW.

Still, a nice looking example and no doubt lots of fun! The new acquisition is an example to desire: lots of originality just in need of some TLC....

Mike C

Thanks everyone! Wow - what a response! Little Jo - thanks for the tip - I've been following the life story of your jeep for some time - and it's an inspiration. Mike - thanks for your knowledge - at this point I need to crawl all over it and jot down everything I can find - sadly the glove box IDs are missing - but i'll get the engine and chassis IDs this weekend. I had my little bloke (6 years old) with me last weekend - and he needs ten times the attention of an ageing GPW. And thank you for your interest - I haven't given you any numbers for the White Scout Car or the Blitz as you've previously asked - flat out like a lizard drinking lately. Colin M/S - I don't think we're any different with our gun laws - if I follow right to the letter of the law I can probably do something about Vickers K deactivated or replicas but I need to deliver my grandmother to the firearms registry as surety. And Dave M - interestingly, the jeep has had at some point a coat of paint - at least in parts - of a green with a touch of blue in it - something like that USMC colour used in The Pacific series you were involved in with your GMC. I can see OD - the original under the toolbox lids - and I think bronze olive and another coat of drab and then this blue green colour. It's a bloody Picasso.

A few other photos...

Hi Warren,

Great find on the jeep! Please post more and more photo's of her. These original jeeps are the ones which, while they might have been through an army rebuild, can share so much to jeeps which are being rebuilt due to being in parts or rusted beyond repair.

If you can, please DON'T restore it. There are too many original jeeps like this that shouldn't, especially be restored which are, and as you well know, once restored, it can't be original again. It's great you got it running though!

While it has a little bit of rust (which it only seems to), if that's the worst thing, you are laughing! That rust on the side panel at the fuel tank could be easily fixed and reprinted to match the current paint/patina.

If you do want to restore it, please let me know as I would gladly buy it from you in its unrestored state to keep it that way.

Cheers,
Ian.

Ian - I'm so glad you said this. The thing that has stung me about this jeep is its originality. I've only ever really seen jeeps renovated - ie: green with a star on the bonnet - or beautifully restored - or ready for the wreckers. I don't have an urge to strip it down even though I have a complete - ready-to-go body with bonnet, windscreen, tub, grille, I bought thru Darcy Miller many years ago. There's something lovely and fascinating about this old jeep.

So - can I ask -If I want to preserve/conserve the jeep - where do I start? What about staving off further deterioration?

Hi Warren,
A very lucky find you have there, well done. If it were mine, I would do a thorough inspection of the vehicle for wear, leaks, cracks, rust, etc. and of course all the necessary light strip inspections, such as brakes, where you would be able to visually inspect components. From this you will be able to see how much dismantling is necessary. I like to see an original body, with their little weld repairs and dents, rather than changing for a modern replica. Get all the roadworthy and reliability items sorted out and then enjoy it for what it is.

regards, Richard

Thanks Richard! I think i'd just like to get it operational - starts, stops, steers. At this point, I don't think I'm intending to get it registered - just cleaned up. But how do I clean it? I have two concerns - firstly damaging the paint - I'm worried a Gerni water blaster might obliterated the paint and secondly - the rust - do I just neutra-rust what's there or do I get it cut out and repaired? I want to conserve the jeep warts and all - but rust never sleeps as they say....

Jenolite, Metaphos, Rust kill, There are lots of names. Most of them are phosphoric acid based solutions. They neutralize (kill) the oxidizing process of rust.
You buy it at a hardware shop, paint it on, it goes black and dries. Then you can paint over it. Follow the instructions on the container.
A very nice find. Good luck with your efforts.

Agreed on respecting the original as-found condition of this vehicle. As much as it might look like a junkyard find, it is a remarkable survivor. In some circles, you have found the equivalent of the lottery prize.

My suggestion would be to make it safe for the road and serviceable to run, but do as little as possible to the externals. Imagine yourself as a theatre makeup artist or set designer. Do nothing that will draw attention to your modern work. I don't know what can be done to arrest the surface rust and peeling paint. Maybe just acknowledge the forces of physics and try to keep it dry.

Thank you for the advice Lynn and Terry. I'm contemplating how best to clean it having vacuumed all the charming rat 'deposits' out of it - and even though the rat poo looks like it was dropped sometime before the American Civil War - I don't want it to be a health risk. The jeep is locked up completely out of the weather so it's not going to get wet unless I wash it - yet I know at the National Museum of Australia - with some of the vehicles they have conserved they've left dirt on them. Any ideas?

This weekend's been the first chance I've had to have a good look at the GPW. Mike - I have the serial numbers! - Engine - 247591 and the chassis 222230. I've looked the numbers up in 'All American Wonder' and it seems the engine was built for the contract of 29DEC44 and the chassis AUG44. Does that sound right? I spent Saturday carefully cleaning it - the paintwork is a bit of a mystery. Original factory OD under the toolbox lids, then it's had Bronze Olive at some stage and then - this green with a touch of blue in it - and then OD flat on top of that. The OD on top is so chalky rubbing will wear it off so I've pretty much left it. The odd green colour has been very carefully applied - professionally I'd say - the 'cardboard' (whatever that stuff was - malthoid? Dunno) lining sheets on the inside of the firewall are still there and they're painted this colour too. It's very well done. The jeep has never been painted since the farmer got hold of it - circa 1960. Any ideas anyone?

That seems a bit extreme. Do they know at what period the dirt was deposited, wartime, during service, after service? And are they worrying about the coat of 2013 vintage dust gathering on top of it all?

I support removing the rat deposits - even a "healthy" rat can leave bad shit for humans in their shit and the acid in their piss can't be doing any good for your paint or sheet metal either.