My Ford GPW 1/4 ton jeep

derk derin · #1 28-11-09, 06:56

If you look at the back of the jeep where the pintle hitch should be,you will notice the pintle hitch and the piece of frame it was bolted to is gone! It might as well been used to pull stumps.These poor old jeeps tried to live up to the reputation that they were given as indestructible and could go through anything and so they were abused until their reputation was proven wrong!The story goes the previous owner before Jack had the jeep stuck in a bog and tried to pull it out with a skidder and ripped out the hitch and frame! I asked Jack if he still had the hitch but it was gone when he bought the jeep.That is when I asked if he had any other pieces left and I pointed to where the bumpers would have been bolted on and he said no you don't want them,they are too flimsy,you want to make your own out of something heavier.That is when we went looking in his back yard for them and I spotted one in the grass and weeds so in pulling the bumper out of the grass pile it latched onto the second one and out they both came.They are both F marked and saved me looking for 2 items.It never hurts to ask!
Derk.

jim fraser (RIP) · #2 28-11-09, 07:13

hi.Minor detail derek.if you see some of the jeeps here in ontario that had plows on them you would count your blessings.that is a mighty fine jeep you got.not all jeeps are bad out east here but the majority that saw salt are pretty rotten.regards jim.

derk derin · #3 26-09-10, 05:20

My intentions were to restore my 3 ton Ford CMP ambulance this year but after making the trip this summer to Topeka,Kansas for the MVPA convention and buying alot of the parts I needed to start the restoration of my Ford GPW,I pushed the cmp to the side and started stripping down the jeep.There were alot of holes drilled in it that had to be filled in.I am now getting pretty good with the mig welder now! Once that was done,I continued to collect parts from local collector friends that helped me out with parts and now I am at the stage where the bad spots need work.

derk derin · #4 26-09-10, 05:21

The fenders are a little rough with cracks and holes torched in them but nothing the mig can't fix.At least the jeep is mostly original with the "F" marked parts still there.

The hood was the roughest part of the jeep.The only good thing on it was the hinge.I bought another hood from one of the local Prairie Command members that was in nice shape but the hinge was completely broken away and beyond repair.I had the idea to drill the spot rivets and swap hinges to the good hood.That is when I realized that Willy's hinge was manufactured differently from Ford's.I will somehow find a proper way of fixing it.Anybody have any suggestions on how to go about this?

Like all jeeps,the first thing to receive damage are the fenders and grill.My grill was damaged on the left side and with alot of fine tuning (pounding with a ball pein hammer!) I managed to get it fairly straight and what I thought was the worst part was the bottom center where it bolts to the cross member.There was a bump that I thought was caused by previous damage so I straightened it out.Then I went over to my friends house for measurements from his GPW and then realized that it was supposed to be there! Now it's back to the fine tuning to put the bump back!

derk derin · #5 26-09-10, 05:22

There are spots on the jeep that will require repair from rust damage but I am up for the challenge and will have lots of practise using the welder when I am finished this project.

The front of the frame was fish plated and stuck out like a sore thumb and with it on,I couldn't mount my new hardware brackets and bumper so I stripped all of it off and found many cracks that will have to be welded up to give it strength again.One side had a piece of metal welded solid I left in as it would not interfere with the mounting of the hardware and was afraid that removing it might weaken the whole front of the frame.I saw at the convention that they reproduce the front of the frames to repair problems like this.For now I am just cleaning the jeep up to where it is presentable to use and later on when my other projects are done,do a proper restoration of the jeep and fix the frame properly.

derk derin · #6 26-09-10, 05:22

I also now have the parts to put the original springs back onto the rear axle.The springs on it now are from a 61 Valient and are wider than jeep springs so the hangers were changed.These springs are too stiff and caused the jeep to have a rough ride to it plus it didn't look right.I also picked up a GPW driveshaft to replace the MB one that is on it now.

More to come.I am running out of nice weather so not sure how much more I can get done this year but will try!
Derk.

derk derin · #7 27-04-16, 06:41

I guess it's time to update this post of my stretcher jeep project. I have over the last few years been going to the MVPA conventions in the US picking up the required parts to restore my jeep. My intentions were to clean it up cosmetically and get all of the original parts back on it so I just ground the old paint off of the outside,welded up the damage and rust holes and repaint it but of course when I climbed underneath and saw all of the rust,dirt and issues underneath, it didn't take long for the whole jeep to be taken apart and do a complete rebuild.