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Restoration of my 1942 Ford GPW Jeep


zepher11
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Now for the dreaded transfer case. I wasn’t looking forward to this project, but everyone indicated that it was well worth a rebuild while it was out. Therefore, I went for it. Fortunately, the gears were in pretty good shape and only needed a minor parts kits. The hardest part was taking the darn parking brake drum and yoke off. I have a number of pullers, but nothing would fit due to the cupped design. I finally made up a Rube Goldberg type device that succeeded. Overall it took me close to three hours just to get that one yoke off! Here’s public enemy No. 1:

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The two jaw puller bent under the strain:
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Nope:
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Solution:
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It fought me every step of the way:
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Success:
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The drum is a bit warped from heat. Likely the cause of why it didn’t want to come off:
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Part of the problem was that the bolts had been welded on the inside:
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T-case disassembly continued:

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This took me an hour to remove. I didn’t know if it was tapered and only came out one way, so I didn’t want to ruin the shifter pin:

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Mr Ford wasn’t taking any chances that one of his parts would fall into enemy hands without some credit:

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Etched and ready for paint:
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Started the assembly of the T-case with seeing which speedometer gear I wanted to use. The lower one is a bit worn, so I went with the upper one:

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This was a real workout getting this snap ring in. It just looked so easy before I started:
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Checking end play with another Rube Goldberg device. I almost felt like I knew what I was doing, but I quickly go over that:

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Using copper gasket spray on the shims used to set the end play on the mainshaft:
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New thrust washers ready for the installation of the intermediate gear:

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Cage bearings inside the gear:

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Intermediate gear shaft installed and locked into place:

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A tad of sealant on the shaft to help prevent leaks:
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Output shaft oil seals:

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New yoke is in order due to grooving and rust. They are about the same price as a speedy sleeve. If it was F marked, it would be worth saving:

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Now I am pondering bolting the transmission to the transfer case.

Thanks for looking!

Zeph

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Zeph,

 

I know zero about restoring jeeps but I LOVE to look at your progress. It is amazing how much you accomplish in such a short amount of time. It would take me months to do what you can accomplish so quickly. It looks like you had a very productive couple of days off work. How do you know what to do for the restoration? Are there manuals to work from? Have you worked on other jeeps in the past so you know what to do for this one?

 

Thanks for posting the pics.....Kat

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Zeph, you're doing an amazing job! Keep up the good work, stay with it, and you'll have your surprise for Kelly come Veterans Day.

 

I really enjoy your posts here - thanks for putting them up!

 

Steve

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Cobrahistorian

I keep going back through this thread and learning more. Zeph, your work is incredible!

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Zeph,

 

I know zero about restoring jeeps but I LOVE to look at your progress. It is amazing how much you accomplish in such a short amount of time. It would take me months to do what you can accomplish so quickly. It looks like you had a very productive couple of days off work. How do you know what to do for the restoration? Are there manuals to work from? Have you worked on other jeeps in the past so you know what to do for this one?

 

Thanks for posting the pics.....Kat

Hi Kat,

 

No, I have never worked on a Jeep before, but I have always tinkered around with maintaining cars over the years. Believe it or not, I am an accountant by day and a shade tree mechanic by night. ;) Most people at work have no clue that I am at all mechanically inclined. I think it all started when I had my first car and I took it in for some work. After I heard the cost, I figured that I could buy the tools and the manual, figure it out myself, and still be money ahead. After 30 something years, I still have never had anyone other than myself work on my vehicles.

 

I actually had never even laid eyes on a WWII Jeep until I picked up this GPW last year. I am really hooked and when I put my mind to something I get after it. Plus, my wife knows I'm a nut job and lets me go for it. I also spend a lot of time on the G503.com website. The wealth of the member's knowledge there is incredible, and everyone there is very helpful in answering questions. There is also a section on the site with most, if not all, manuals related to all things WWII Jeep. And of course, I have copies of most of the original US Army technical manuals that I use extensively.

 

I'm getting close to working on the tub (body) and the electrical. These are not my strong suit and will slow me down, but I will power through the best as I can. I'm afraid that it will get a little frustrating.

 

Thanks for the kind comments, and have a happy 4th!

 

Zeph

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Zeph, you're doing an amazing job! Keep up the good work, stay with it, and you'll have your surprise for Kelly come Veterans Day.

 

I really enjoy your posts here - thanks for putting them up!

 

Steve

I'm hustling to get it done, and I have my fingers crossed. Just posting the project photos gets me pumped back up! ;)

 

Thanks,

 

Zeph

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I keep going back through this thread and learning more. Zeph, your work is incredible!

Thanks, Jon. Looking forward to tracking your progress as well.

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Zeph, you are truly an artist with that Jeep. Looking good!

 

Now what was that truck peeking out from under the tarp in the one picture... I bet it has been feeling neglected of late... :)

 

So why DID Ford mark all their parts? Government requirement in the event they had parts failing and wanted to know who from? Or just ford pride, or what???

 

MW

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I'm getting close to working on the tub (body) and the electrical. These are not my strong suit and will slow me down, but I will power through the best as I can. I'm afraid that it will get a little frustrating.

 

As for the wiring, check 'Vintage Wiring of Maine', they make complete wiringsets for jeeps (original model or modified to your specification) from the correct materials for a decent price. The set comes complete with an installation manual. I have no personal experience with them, but heard good things about them.

 

Greetz ;)

 

David

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Cobrahistorian
As for the wiring, check 'Vintage Wiring of Maine', they make complete wiringsets for jeeps (original model or modified to your specification) from the correct materials for a decent price. The set comes complete with an installation manual. I have no personal experience with them, but heard good things about them.

 

Greetz ;)

 

David

 

Thanks David!

 

Good to know. Zeph, I've just been dealing with tub rot while unbolting my jerry can mount. It's UGLY.

Have you done anything with your tub yet? Can you post some pics?

 

Thanks!

 

Jon

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Zeph, you are truly an artist with that Jeep. Looking good!

 

Now what was that truck peeking out from under the tarp in the one picture... I bet it has been feeling neglected of late... :)

 

That's my '42 WC-54 Ambulance. I pulled it out to run the engine a little and figure out where to attach the new license plates. After some 30 years of being MIA from the DMV system, as well as 5 trips on my part to the California DMV; it is now titled and registered as a 1942 WC-54. I told the guy at the DMV that I felt like I was registering the space shuttle! :pinch:

 

It's not too neglected. I just picked up a set of rear benches for the back compartment which are really rare and hard to find nowadays. I'll post some photos of those under my WC-54 thread later.

 

So why DID Ford mark all their parts? Government requirement in the event they had parts failing and wanted to know who from? Or just ford pride, or what???

 

MW

 

That's a good question. :think: I really don't know, but I find it fascinating. It makes me wonder if other Ford models had F marked bolts before or after the war. I have never seen or heard either way.

 

I believe that the military asked that Ford and Willys discontinue stamping the tail panels around number 30,000 for Ford. This is why Ford "Script" GPW's are more desirable to some MV collectors.

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As for the wiring, check 'Vintage Wiring of Maine', they make complete wiringsets for jeeps (original model or modified to your specification) from the correct materials for a decent price. The set comes complete with an installation manual. I have no personal experience with them, but heard good things about them.

 

Greetz ;)

 

David

 

I have heard good things about Vintage. I have a new wiring harness for a '42 GPW that came with some other parts I bought of a guy. I am a little worried as it has hand written instructions. :pinch: I hope I can figure it out and be able to use it. I haven't taken a real close look at it yet...but I will...

 

Zeph

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Good to know. Zeph, I've just been dealing with tub rot while unbolting my jerry can mount. It's UGLY. Have you done anything with your tub yet? Can you post some pics?

 

Thanks!

 

Jon

I haven't started on the tub yet. I built a rotisserie for it and immediately rolled it to the back of the garage. I'm afraid it will be rolling out soon. :unsure: The floors are really bad and the hat channels are almost nonexistant. All the side panels need help as well. When I pull it out, I will post some pictures before I start on it.

 

Zeph

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  • 2 weeks later...

I’m still plugging away on my project. I have been mopping up some loose ends and digging into new areas. I thought I would post up some more progress photos. It keeps me motivated documenting the progress. I finally rolled the engine out for a little rattle can action. This is the engine that came with my project and runs well. It has a secret, however. It’s a Willys…shhhhhh. Although I have a pretty rugged GPW engine for rebuild, I thought I would get this engine in there to aid in meeting my timeline. It will take me awhile to figure out how to get the GPW rebuilt if it is able to be rebuilt. Anyway, here are some photos.

I’ll start out with the F marked dip stick. Ol’ Henry didn’t let any part escape:

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This was my favorite. The dipstick says empty. I was thinking it should say “Too Late.” Most I have seen only say Full:

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GPW engines came from the factory Ford Grey as did the bell housing and transmission. Everything else was OD:

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I found a period NOS generator and a couple of NOS Willys of France volt regulators:

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Now there is no mistaking where this bolt came from:

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The generator bracket is set up to allow the easy removal of the fan belt when entering deep water:

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Here’s another view of the generator bracket. The T is used to pull up on the bracket which allows the removal. The upper bolt of the generator is not tightened. I didn’t have the sleeve that the bracket channel sits on, so I made my own:

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I then moved on to the flywheel. I replaced the pilot bushing and then made sure it actually fit on the transmission. Nothing more disappointing than almost having the engine in except for that last 1/2 inch!

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I then worked on the e-brake or hand brake. It’s truly amazing how much work and parts and pieces went into this one aspect of the Jeep. I first had to get a new drum. It was all shiny, so of course I had to shoot some OD on it:

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And the pad:

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Here are some of the parts that make it happen. These are all the original pieces:

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Test fitting the drum and pad:

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Passenger side adjustment on the e-brake pad:

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Some more pictures of the assembly:

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All down…whew!

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Next I moved on to getting the propeller shafts installed and then the bell housing etc…but first, I had to remove my steering box and take it apart due to it leaking at the sector shaft seal. Most put grease instead of oil in the steering box due to this issue. Well, I couldn’t stand it. I ordered a new sector shaft, bushings and a double lip seal to see if I could deal with it. Another issue I noticed is that the first brass bushings I installed had the oil groove go the whole length of the bushing. I didn’t think it was right, but I figured the seal would do the trick. Nope. The new bushing has the oil groove as intended stopping before it gets to the oil seal. Anyway, I took it apart and did the job over. It has been a few days and it isn’t leaking. Whoohoo! It’s the small things in life:

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The new “old’ bushing is on the left and has the oil groove going from stem to stern. The one on the right is the newest bushing where the groove stops short not allowing the oil to read the seal end of the sector shaft. I don’t know if that is a big deal, but this is how the original WWII bushings were:

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New double lip seal:

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Now onto the fun stuff. The installing of the propeller shafts, bell housing and other Jeep things:

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So close now. This was difficult. I never have anybody to help me, so it was a little tricky getting the engine to move back while guiding the transmission shaft through the clutch disc and into the pilot busing as well as getting the bell housing to engine bolts lined up:

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All is right with the world as the engine is back in:

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Some glamour shots:

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I also ordered two “Firestone” NDT tires. I wanted to check them out and see how I liked them. I figured I would use them on my 1943 Willys MBT trailer and order more if I liked them. However, I just heard that there may be some “Ford” script tires being made that should be available this fall. Now those will be worth waiting for. These look pretty good though:

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I have been avoiding working on the tub and the wiring, but it looks like I will be forced into it soon. Body work and wiring are not my strong suits. Of course rebuilding the transmission and transfer case weren’t high on my resume either.

Thanks for looking!

Zeph

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