1942 Ford GPW Jeep Restoration - Well I've gone and done it.

[Brandon]

Wow, what a jeep. Make sure you take lots of pics. I see a few posts now and then of guys that bought or took stuff apart during the restoration and then have no idea how or where it goes. Are you going to run the thread here or on the G? Did you get the combat wheels that were on it when Zane purchased it?

 

Brandon

[Cobrahistorian]

Wow, what a jeep. Make sure you take lots of pics. I see a few posts now and then of guys that bought or took stuff apart during the restoration and then have no idea how or where it goes. Are you going to run the thread here or on the G? Did you get the combat wheels that were on it when Zane purchased it?

 

Brandon

 

Pretty sure the combat rims that were on it are now on Zane's Willys. It's got good rims though and I'll get new ones when I can. I'll be running the thread here and on the Gee. I've been photographing EVERYTHING. Took probably 150 pics so far today. Lots more to go!

 

Jon

[Brandon]

Jon, great glad to hear it!! Keep us posted!! I just finished installing the crash pads on mine a little bit ago! Its always a work in progress, lol

 

Brandon

[ikar]

Good luck on your project. I hope it turns out well. Keep us posted.

[strayduck230]

Great starting point! :thumbsup: I have seen much worse turn into great rigs. Love the unrestored finds that are out there!

[Ronnie]

Join the MVPA (Military Vehicle Preservation Association). You need them and they need you! You will get some great publications, The Supply Line (you're really gonna need that) and Army Motors (great old and new photos). We just completed our 2012 Convention and I gotta tell you, your jeep would have been a big hit there and in just the condition it's in now!

It's a great jeep just the way it is with a few adjustments, but it truly deserves to once again be the "Race Horse" it once was. Bring her back to life!

RDarby

[zepher11]

Jon, your project looks great. It does look to have a lot of the original parts, and I agree that the patina it came with looks nice as well. It's great that it doesn't have the 6 or 7 coats of paint usually found on these Jeeps. Looking forward to more photos!

 

Zeph

[Dirk]

Jon- Just want to echo everyone else's comments...what a great find and congrats and wishing you success of such a cool project!

[Cobrahistorian]

Thanks guys! Spent a long time working on her today. Pulled the hood, worked on getting the gas tank out (fuel line's frozen) and spent over an hour getting the glove compartment latch back in working order (full of dirt!). I'm afraid that the tub is in worse shape than I originally thought. The entire floor and a significant chunk of the sides will have to be replaced. They're just too far gone. Now the good news is, I hit the whole thing with a light mist of WD40 and it brought back that original OD color beautifully!

 

I'm going to bring the first round of parts in to work tomorrow morning to blast and prime. She's gonna need a completely new windshield too, but I think the seats are usable. I've already learned a heck of a lot about this beast and it's really only day 2.

 

Out of curiosity, what do you guys do when you've got a stuck bolt or screw? I've got 3 screws and a bolt that are giving me fits right now.

 

J

 

Bedded down for the night. End of day 2:

 

Rear view (the white on the bumperette is chalk. I was trying to pull out the bumper codes):

 

More name/graffiti kinda stuff. Looks like it says "Camp Cha?????" Could be Camp Champs or something like that...

 

Glove compartment latch. It was completely frozen when I pulled it out. Should have it back together shortly.

 

And... the rust monster....

[zepher11]

Ouch, I see what you mean about the floor. It is a bit rugged. :pinch: I am going to replace both of my floor panels. I have them, but I am not looking forward to that little project.

 

As far as stuck bolts. There are those that can be soaked in PB Blaster and will eventually come loose, and there are those that are beyond that and need to be cut off or drilled out. I had the one in my frame where the captive nut broke off inside the frame and was rusted to the bolt. I had to cut that one off. Another captive nut in the frame had the bolt snap off. I drilled it carefully and re tapped it to the correct thread size. I also cut a number of bolts in order to remove the tub. They were like welded inside the nuts with rust. It is very frustrating. Soak for a few days first to see if you can get any results before taking drastic measures. Good luck! :thumbsup:

 

Zeph

[willysmb44]

I think all of us Jeep owners have seen much worse Jeeps turned into fine rides after a lot of work, cash, and cursing getting into it in the first place.

Documetation is key, you're gonna want to have it all written down later in case something comes up. I got my MB running but I keep a detailed log book of every time I fure it up, where it went, what the odometer says and how it ran. I just put an entry in it 2 hours ago from when I took it out for a short hop to make sure everything looked decent for the 4th of July parade this week.

One thing I've noticed about Jeep owners, they can tell you ever nut that has been turned and when each part was put on and how she ran each time she was fired up, but probably can't recall the last time they changed the oil in their normal car or if the tires are inflated well or not.

[Cobrahistorian]

I'm having a blast so far, and tonight was a big discovery! The remnants of the bumper codes are there and after hitting the bumperettes with some WD40 and giving them a good wipe down, I noticed some paint starting to flake off. Lo and behold, after just a little bit of work, clear as day the HQ Company letters were completely revealed! Also, the 4-delta 37-delta is MUCH clearer and measures EXACTLY to the order specs (3" letters with a 1/4" stroke)

 

In fact, it looks like there are 2 codes on each bumperette. The first one has two 4-deltas! My hunch is, since it was originally named "Stinky", it more than likely started out in the Service Company, 37th Armored Regiment, (which would explain the two codes) and was then transferred to the Recon Company/Platoon (depending on timeframe) where it was rechristened "Race Horse". If you look to the left of the 4, there's another smaller triangle and a smaller 4 to the left of that. I also didn't extend the bottom of the 3 far enough when I was trying to trace it (what happens when you're trying to draw a curve in paint!) but you can clearly see it just left of where my drawing stopped.

 

 

[Jeeper704]

Camp Chaffee?

 

It's really interesting seeing the progress on your and zepher's Jeep.

Thanks for taking the trouble of posting photos, guys.

 

Erwin

[Cobrahistorian]

Erwin, you may be on to something, although the timeframe doesn't quite match up... but we'll see. From the Fort Chaffee website:

 

"Combat training was initiated at Camp Chaffee in 1941 and most of the major buildings on the site were completed in 1943. From 1942 to 1946, Camp Chaffee was also used as a German prisoner of war facility. For several years after World War II, Camp Chaffee was placed on inactive standby status until the advent of the Korean War in 1950, which resulted in its reactivation as the Headquarters for the 4th Armored Division."

 

http://www.usaprojecthost.com/Chaffee/Chaffee%20History.htm

 

Veeeeery interesting....

[Jeeper704]

Could it be the Jeep was used by another unit in WWII and after by the (re-activated) 4th AD at Camp Chaffee?

Just a guess but it would explain the two different markings on top of each other.

 

Erwin

[BEAST]

Jon,

 

This is a great thread to follow. I feel however, that you will upset many of our wives and girlfriends, because as we watch you restore this beauty, we will feel the desire to buy and restore one ourselves!

[Cobrahistorian]

Erwin,

 

I thought about that, but I've got the original bill of sale from when T/5 Jim Jerry Decker bought her surplus in 1946, so the codes have to predate that.

 

Erick,

 

Simple solution: Tell her you'll put her name on it!

[Johan Willaert]

Erick,

 

Simple solution: Tell her you'll put her name on it!

 

I did, and then I changed girl friend... :crying:

[Cobrahistorian]

I did, and then I changed girl friend... :crying:

 

 

Ah yes, but you kept the jeep!

[RustyCanteen]

I think the reason for the "Chaffee" name not matching up with the 4th is that your gpw was held as a training vehicle there until being assigned to a unit that ended up with the 4th, or some vehicles from there may have been sent to a training area where units from the 4th were and they got it there.

 

I don't see any indications it was assigned to an armored unit in 1942, that would indicate it was being used for something else until 43-44. Perhaps it was assigned to a completely unrelated unit and was picked up in the ETO.

[Cobrahistorian]

Finished dismantling the windshield tonight. It's salvageable, but the corners right by the attachment points are shot. Fortunately it's just sheet metal and should be replaceable. I've sanded most of the rust down to bare metal on the interior side, so it'll be ready for primer and paint shortly. I need to wet sand the front side, since it looks like there may be something painted there. It'll be slow going, but if there's something there, I'd rather find it than always wonder whether I missed something.

 

The windshield latches are pretty badly pitted, but they're useable, so I'm gonna blast and paint them. I need to get a new windshield pad for the bottom of it too. That thing just crumbled!

 

Stay tuned for more!

 

Jon

[Cobrahistorian]

Feeling a little discouraged tonight.

 

Spent the better part of today realizing just how much of the tub is just gone. It's bad. Salvageable? Probably some of it. Gonna be a lot of patches though. The floor is completely gone around the fuel tank well and up into the side wall and its bad up into both fender wells. The rear panel has two significant spots where it completely rusted through.

 

What I'm seeing is good ol' Oklahoma dust would get into the recesses, get rained on, turn to mud and then seep further into the cracks. It would then swell there, push adjoining pieces of metal apart, and keep moisture on them, probably for decades. There's a ton of dirt on this jeep.

 

I think I may just grind out the entire floor, get replacement floor panels (something I'd always intended) and patch where I can on the rest of the tub. It'll be ugly, but it'll be as original as possible.

 

We'll see...

[Jeeper704]

Keep up the good spirits.

I'm sure when it is all done, you'll be VERY proud of owning (and driving) this Jeep.

I hope you can salvage most of it too. :thumbsup:

 

Erwin

[Cobrahistorian]

Drivin on!

 

Been pricing floor panels and I know what I've gotta do. I'm going to try to patch the side panels as best as I can and replace the floor. Now it's just a matter of affording it...

 

Jon

[earlymb]

Don't forget that off-the-shelf replacement panels will require work to make themfit properly, and most you may be able to make yourself and save some money. It can be done with some basic tools, practice and patience! :thumbsup:

 

Have fun!

 

Greetz

 

David