mmerc20 Posted October 21, 2013 Share #1 Posted October 21, 2013 They do exist. Or at least this is the closest thing to one. After talking with the owner today, he said other than the wheels and what looks to be an old bumper attached, this has never had any other parts bolted to it. He said it came from Belgium in a crate but it is obviously no longer in one and it sits covered up in his back yard. You can see it has the original primer color and apparently there isn't a single bit of rust anywhere. I hope to convince him to let me see the whole thing sometime. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Brick Posted October 21, 2013 Share #2 Posted October 21, 2013 I remember seeing something on facebook about a crated jeep and seeing this picture. http://militarymashup.com/search/37102c92cdd4a998bc04e9b495e12597 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted October 21, 2013 Share #3 Posted October 21, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted October 21, 2013 Share #4 Posted October 21, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted October 21, 2013 Share #5 Posted October 21, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m151mp Posted October 21, 2013 Share #6 Posted October 21, 2013 They do exist. Or at least this is the closest thing to one. After talking with the owner today, he said other than the wheels and what looks to be an old bumper attached, this has never had any other parts bolted to it. He said it came from Belgium in a crate but it is obviously no longer in one and it sits covered up in his back yard. You can see it has the original primer color and apparently there isn't a single bit of rust anywhere. I hope to convince him to let me see the whole thing sometime. Mike looking at the shape of the corner, and the opening for the tail light, combined with the holes pre-drilled, i think what is shown is a tub for an M151A2. i saw one at portland in july, at the mvpa meet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knd643 Posted October 22, 2013 Share #7 Posted October 22, 2013 Man. I wish I could have been alive when that offer was around. $50, I'd buy it in a heart beat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyCanteen Posted October 22, 2013 Share #8 Posted October 22, 2013 Man. I wish I could have been alive when that offer was around. $50, I'd buy it in a heart beat. That is actually a 'gag' image of a fake ad. Hence the address given in the 'ad' of "Dept BS". The rumor mill (for at least the past 20 years) is that you could buy a complete WWII jeep still in the crate for $50, the problem is even used beat-up jeeps sold for surplus for over $100 on average. The story of the $50 crated WWII jeep appears to be more myth than reality. While some were sold in crates, I don't think anyone has been able to find evidence that they actually sold for only $50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbtcoveralls Posted October 22, 2013 Share #9 Posted October 22, 2013 The "Jeep in a crate" myth is just that. The Army did crate jeeps, but just as quickly uncrated them overseas. After the war, the Army surplussed used Jeeps but by korea was so desperate for Jeeps that they were salvaging pacific war battlefields for them. If the Army was overhauling Jeeps left on Saipan and Tinian, why would they sell new Jeeps in the crate? The Jeep in a crate adds started appearing in the 1950s and were just a scam. You sent for the information and the company got your address and the sold that and all you got was a list of government auctions. Merrill Madsen, a Jeep collector from Minnesota, has offered a huge sum of money to anyone who could deliver to him an original WWII Jeep in the crate, or proof that such a Jeep had ever been purchased from the Army. To this day nobody has ever collected. Everybody says that "a freind's uncle's Brother in law bought one" or some such but nobody has actually claimed the prize. It's just an urban legend. Tom Bowers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted October 22, 2013 Share #10 Posted October 22, 2013 Just like crated Spitfires! Re the spoof ad I posted above, the address quoted..."Splott"...is actually a district of the city of Cardiff, near where I live! However, I did not create the ad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmerc20 Posted October 22, 2013 Author Share #11 Posted October 22, 2013 I know of the urban legend, that's why I titled the thread that way. As "unused" as this jeep is, I think it's the closest thing to a crated one without having the crate anymore. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andersun Posted October 23, 2013 Share #12 Posted October 23, 2013 looking at the shape of the corner, and the opening for the tail light, combined with the holes pre-drilled, i think what is shown is a tub for an M151A2. i saw one at portland in july, at the mvpa meet. I thought the same and here it is...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgt norway Posted October 23, 2013 Share #13 Posted October 23, 2013 picture 1 its a ford mutt a2 tail gate. cheers from ken,norway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Willaert Posted October 23, 2013 Share #14 Posted October 23, 2013 At an MVPA convention several years ago, there was a (retro-)crated WW2 Ford GPW Jeep on display Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1SG_1st_Cav Posted October 23, 2013 Share #15 Posted October 23, 2013 The jeep with the round corners and hood looks like an M-38. It definitely is not and M-151. I drove both models while is was in the Army. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andersun Posted October 23, 2013 Share #16 Posted October 23, 2013 The jeep with the round corners and hood looks like an M-38. It definitely is not and M-151. I drove both models while is was in the Army. If your talking about the jeep pictured in the 5th post from the top, it's an M38A1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m151mp Posted October 23, 2013 Share #17 Posted October 23, 2013 The jeep with the round corners and hood looks like an M-38. It definitely is not and M-151. I drove both models while is was in the Army. hi top---i was referring to the jeep in the very first pic. i think that one is a M151 A2. i drove one in the army as an MP and own one to this day as a hobby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted October 23, 2013 Share #18 Posted October 23, 2013 Someone posted this .pdf file a while back so I downloaded and kept it. It is the list of the War Asset Administration sale in September 1946 in Jacksonville, FL. As you can tell from this screenshot, there were no $50 Jeeps.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyCanteen Posted October 23, 2013 Share #19 Posted October 23, 2013 And not every one of them was roadworthy when surplussed either. I think another list included some which were listed as damaged or incomplete. RC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldabewla Posted October 24, 2013 Share #20 Posted October 24, 2013 I know a Korean War vet in Decorah, Iowa that has a WWII uncrated Jeep out on his farm. His came out of South America in the 1990's with a few others and he used to restore military jeeps back before everyone was doing it. Yes he is one of the senior members of the MVPA. no bull! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daniel griffin Posted October 24, 2013 Share #21 Posted October 24, 2013 I wonder what makes one Jeep $609.44 and one $612.44 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyCanteen Posted October 24, 2013 Share #22 Posted October 24, 2013 I think they rated them based on condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbtcoveralls Posted October 24, 2013 Share #23 Posted October 24, 2013 I know a Korean War vet in Decorah, Iowa that has a WWII uncrated Jeep out on his farm. His came out of South America in the 1990's with a few others and he used to restore military jeeps back before everyone was doing it. Yes he is one of the senior members of the MVPA. no bull! Key to that is WWII "uncrated" like I said, the Army did crate jeeps, but they never sold surplus Jeeps in crates. So yeah maybe he bought the jeep in South America but did he buy it from the Army as surplus in the crate? Certainly not. A lot of us old time Jeep guys just got so tired , through the years , of hearing the "jeep in the crate" story, that whenever someone would look at my lovingly restored MB and ask if I got it from the Army in a crate, I just started saying "sure whatever". And thus a legend continues Tom Bowers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldabewla Posted October 24, 2013 Share #24 Posted October 24, 2013 Tom, What's the difference? if it is purchased from the military or not? The US Government does not sell direct to any body anyway I have friends that deal in military surplus. The Gov. uses a contractor to do the selling for them. Many lend Lease WWII US military item leased to other countries and were never call back home to the USA again it used to come up for sale back not too many years ago. The lend lease British garand never issued sell for big dollars they were featured in NRA magazine imported in the 1980's and no one wanted them now a hot ticket item. Ten years ago when I was in London I went to the Imperial War Museum they have hanging from the ceiling a brand new WWII US P51 D Mustang the curator explain to me it was a lend lease P51 to England and never was used in the war. It just sat in a hanger and after the war it was donated to the museum and also the neat thing about it the US marking are on it. Our Government after WWII left tons and tons of military oversea and lend leased from new to used it's what ever they didn't want it back just wrote it off as a loss or gave it to small counties that really didn't have money for a military to keep the cold war going and commies out which some of it was never used and left that way for 70 years! PM me and I'll give you the guys name and phone number it you want it? he said these jeeps were lend lease also remember back in the 50's people didn't have the vast net work media as we do now or 25 years ago. OldAbe WLA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m1ashooter Posted October 24, 2013 Share #25 Posted October 24, 2013 To this day I remember the $50 in a crate ads in the back of Boys Life magazine. I always wanted one but paid $750 for a 63 Willys in 1974. She was my first ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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