last updated - - 10th December,  2011, click here to go to the bottom of page>> ... New Bumper Gusset plates ...

   "Ruthie"    

82AB  320-F          C-3

9«  435TCG  «  75SQ   3

First, this is not a "Jeep", nothing in 1942 was called "A Jeep", it is a

1942 Willys MB, 1/4-ton truck, 4x4,

command reconnaissance vehicle, G503.

but, for the rest of you, we shall call it a "Jeep" to stop confusion

Second, GP does not stand for General Purpose !!!

G = Government number (G503)

P = vehicle with 80" wheel base

My US WW2 Airborne uniform collection

More pics of us Jeeping about in the mud and rain.

So, this is my Willys "Jeep" project. Always wanted one, and now the Mustang is nearly all done, the old "Must Have" set in. This one was bought from near Bristol (UK), so a long journey of 500 miles in a Land Rover, trailer and a bag of cash, it arrived back on a windy and rainy night, about midnight, November 2002, as shown in pic left.

Some of the original numbers were found on the MB.   i.e.   82AB  and the C3.

82AB being the 82nd Airborne and the C3 being 3rd vehicle of "C-Charlie"  Battery or Company.

1943     and     2003.

So the only pic I have found with 82AB is above, of 2 GI's about to drive out of a CG-4A Waco glider, with the 320 field artillery,  so why not remember a lesser known unit, it is a bit different. The other pic as we are today

Now, as I see this, and researched it, the 320th field artillery used "Jeeps" with the 82 Airborne during  and after D-Day landings, so, with a small degree of artistic license, that is the numbering I will use.

I hope they won't mind, here is a link to the history of 82AB  320 Field Artillery, it gets very impressive, and well worth a read.

http://www.ww2-airborne.us/units/320/320.html

********************************

So what happened next in the long running saga.......

First thing was to repair behind the drivers seat, which had been cut-away to extend the seat back for the previous owners ample frame. (Sorry Ray). This was welding in a steel panel and filling to match. I am no welder but it seems ok. A brand new seat for £65 from Dallas Autos, good value I thought.

Old seat as it was, with extended seat rails and inner wheel arch cut into, and no back foot rest.   Pic with the offending panel removed.

My new home made panel welded and filled, and a new foot rest, different from the other, don't suppose that matters on a war time vehicle. Actually, this is a Willys or Hotchkiss foot rest, the other side is a Ford type, Then I finally painted in a quick coat of OD. A proper respray will come when I have finished everything else.

Second, all the lights and wiring was checked, repaired and re-wired where necessary, all lights now work, as does the fuel gauge. Since it was converted to 12v from 6v, to make the fuel gauge work, just but in a ballast resistor from a coil I had lying around, and hay presto. Glove box door repaired, sprayed , new button, spring and lock, and new data plates. I have since learnt, that the little shipping plate on the dash, should not be on, they came on  late 43 models I think, shipping weights should be stencilled on the right hand body panel, behind the front right wheel. but I like it, so don't copy a car that has been restored, it might be wrong....

These are the original serial number data plate off the glove box door. Note the publication section at the bottom has 2 un-stamped sections...This was common on Willys MBs, Ford GPWs seem to stamp all theirs.  Also, the original plate , on the Maintaining vehicle line (1st stamp), says QUARTERMASTER CORPS QMC, where as the new one says ORDNANCE  DEPT. Unfortunately, all repo plates say Ordnance, .....ORDNANCE  DEPT took control in mid '43, but I will check that out, don't quote me on that.

With a bit of simple research, I found the correct Hood number, with help from this web site www.wwiijeepparts.com .

20231795   S

The 'S'  means the 'Jeep'  has been tested OK for radio suppression and interference.  A 'W' at the front of the number just means War Office, and was dropped early 1942...

Also restoring the dash. New glove box button and data plates. The hole where the glove box button went in, was welded over, WHY! the button was only £10. The gauges painted the original way, mask them up, and spray the lot. Switches and buttons have been painted black with white writing.

Under the dash goes this (left) don't know what it does, but, it is a Ford Radio Noise Filter, it came with the box of bits, but can't find the holes where it went, any body have any idea !!!!!!

NEW FRONT STENCILS.

Front bumper as it is now. Modern day NATO green I know, but It will get repainted when I do the rest, just testing my home made stencils. Big old rope from work and some new painted shackles.  I have learnt, that the nearest font to WW2 military stencils is Helvetica, I have been using 'Arial Narrow' in bold, quite near, but not quite there. 'Helvetica' is common on Apple Macs, but can't find it for PCs, unless I want to pay for it. No Way!

ALL NEW CANVAS.

Left . Pic of the new winter hood from Worthings UK, it is fabulous, with all the correct stencilling on, inside and out. I had to move all the screen hood top fasteners as somebody had repositioned them too far down, sometime. So welded up the holds and drilled new ones. I seem to have got them right. Used the hood in anger quite a few times now, very cosy, but you do get very wet arms! If you wear a GI helmet, your head stays very warm.  There are also a new complete set of seat canvas, front and back, got rid of the horrid Hotchkiss ones, pic soon.  New canvas half door are on, these don't half keep your legs out of the draft !  Just completed the full doors and side curtains from Worthings UK,  very nice now.

Right, is a big bonnet bag to keep all the new doors and sides in when not being used. I know it is not original equipment, but it beats getting the doors and sides crushed to bits in the back of the jeep when not in use. Easy to take off and on, straps round bonnet / hood.

  New Anti-Decapitation device (Left) built out of some old 'T' iron, and welded together.

2 bolts onto the bumper, and one existing bolt either site, easy to take off and on.  Also the new bridge plate is on. This would have indicated to the bridge master the max weight of the vehicle. i.e.  2 ton max without trailer, 3 ton max with trailer.

BRAKE OVERHAUL. and Superwinch Hubs....

All the brakes were badly sticking on, making the paint melt and bubble on the drums, so all new break linings were installed on the old shoes. All new wheel Cylinders were installed, new rear copper tube made and installed, and a new back and front flexi pipe. All done  now. The "Jeep" will now roll back on it own on a hill, something it would never do before. How the previous owner drove so many miles with seized breaks I will never know. The rear drums would get as hot as the exhaust ! There are also a set of Superwinch Lockable hubs now on the front. This makes driving so much easier, as the front diff is not turning all the time, reducing the breaking friction on the front end. It makes a big difference.

M31  Pintle machine gun mount, with .30 cal Browning M1919.

This is the early mount, (see pic on the right) nearly the same as the M31C in every aspect,3 support legs and full adjustable transport bar. fits a treat. The top bracket is not the right one as it is an old pic. There is a Browning M1919 .30 cal on top now.  Looks the business !!!!!!!   Since my visit to the War & Peace show(2005), I now have a proper .30 / .50 cradle mount with ammo tray fitted instead of this top bit, photo below. Also I bought an early ammo cloth belt and about 55 dummy rounds, which look great. Every year I go to the Beltring Show, I buy another 10.

TRAILER !

I now have a trailer, since going to shows and camping with the ever increasing amount of stuff, tents, sand bags, cooking stuff etc etc, I needed a trailer. This one is a near match to a WW2 one, but is in fact a Dutch copy. 1950's. The end panels are wrong, but it is in good condition, and restored real well, with loads of paint on. I will repaint it my colour scheme.

This is the finished trailer, "Ruthie 2", painted with "Tony Sudds" special OD. Lights now work to my Willys socket, brake and rear lights only.

 10" stars and USA numbers on. Numbers are an educated guess for mid to late 42 .

HEAVY CLUTCH.

The job just completed, Jan 07, was to re-adjust the clutch. It seems I have a heavy duty set-up. For some reason there is an extra set of springs inside the standard ones, remove these and the clutch should be allot lighter. Picture on the Left is of  the smaller spring and cap, which went inside the main clutch spring, and then sat in the cup. This is why the clutch was so damn heavy.  The clutch pressure plate has now been correctly adjusted to 27/32" with a vernier gauge, so all 3 clutch fingers and at the same height

Also found out, that the old clutch plate was an 8" one,  but the  pressure plate is 8 1/2",  so a new 8 1/2" plate is back on. So with all this, I am hoping for a good working clutch when I am finished.

NEW RING GEAR....

The main reason for taking the clutch to bits, was to inspect the ring gear, as it was making some horrible noises when trying to start. I bought a new ring gear at Beltring War & Peace show, and a local garage installed it for me. It is very easy with a big gas torch, do not try it yourself.  Below pics show the new ring gear on, compared to the old gear with some of the obliterated teeth. Not good !!!  I also had a local motor electrician inspect the starter. This would have packed in any day, so he renewed some contacts and insulators, and it is super now.  So everything is oiled and greased up, clutch set up as in the book. Clutch feels wonderful and engine starts with no problems noises at all.

Full outside field re-spray !!! July 2007

This was about time.  Since doing the clutch etc, the only thing left was a re-spray. So one sunny day,  which turned windy, threatened rain, then went sunny again, I set too.   I sanded it all down, getting rid of all markings and rust spots, filler where necessary, primed in red, and everything I did not need , un-bolted and off. Then,  parked in a friends field, masked windscreen clocks, reflectors etc and with a compressor, spray gun, and 3 litres of "Tony Sudds" Olive Drab, the spraying began.

Before, masked up windscreen, light, radiator, clocks etc,                     and after....

As is at the moment September 2007.  Just need unit marking for 9th USAAF this time.  Hood numbers are 3", could have been much bigger I think. Also 24" invasion star, that too could have been bigger, but big enough. 6" stars on sides and under jerry can at the back. 4" star on front to go on. Yes, 4",  that is what my book says for front bumper star for Willys truck.  It all looks a bit too clean at the moment, but wont last long probably........

New Back panel.

Sometime in its life, probably by the Greek army, the mid section of the back panel was cut out. Then, later a bad reproduction panel was welded in, badly. There is also a large rust hole appearing in the bottom left, so that will go. You can see the crease lines in the photo to the left. So , I have finally bought a new, lovely flat panel from Jeeparts UK, and with hole markings from JeepDraw, all the correct holes are now being drilled.

This is the large rust patch, that will no longer be there when the new panel goes in.

The new, un-drilled back Panel from Jeeparts UK. It has all the correct bracing and reinforcements on the underside, unlike the old panel coming out. This will really be an improvement. All the holes for footman loops, spare wheel carrier and bracket, Jerry Can etc etc .. have all be meticulously measured and drilled, thanks again to the JeepDraw guys. Mr. Johnny Newbold is welding the panel in at the moment.

March 14th, 2010.  New panel welded in place. 99% of the holes drilled, grab handle holes get to be placed. Just awaiting a spray gun, and off to Andrew's field again to re-spray the back end and sides up to the door seam. Then spray the stars again, and refit all the bits and pieces. But looking good so far, apart from a slight weep on the rear diff housing... Which has now has a new gasket fitted, and some new oil.

April 9th, 2010.  The first decent day for spraying. So I left work early, and off to my mates house for a quick spray session. I think that there are 4 coats on, well I had a full spray cannister, was not going to waste any. I will wait a few days to let the paint harden off, then will start bolting everything back on.

Next is the 6 inch stars on the sides, and one on the back, under the Jerry Can, to the right a little, as in photo above. Not many people put them there, but according to the government manual, it says that every vehicle must display the star, on all sides, including the "Jeep". It is hard to stencil it there which is why not many people do it.

18th April 2010, Well everything is back on, and ready for the next event. I have yet to get underneath with the underseal for a bit of rust proofing. Just need to adjust the wiring a bit for stop and tail lights coming on as they should, and a new licence plate light, and move the plate up a bit.

Gusset Replacement

It is now December 2011, and next winter project about to start. Replacing the awful gusset plates at the front. These should be large and bolted to the bumper. In my case, they have been cut down and welded and bolted, and look a real mess. See photos below. The gray one is not mine, it is just to show what they should look like. So I have ordered new top and bottom gusset plates for both sides, new bumper and wood in fill, and a fixing kit. I am going to use button head Allan socket bolts instead of rivets, as I have no hot riveting tools. The plates that are on, are the original 1942 plates, with their original 1942 rivets, they are not as big as the repo gray ones on the left....

                    This is what they should look like,                             and this is what mine look like. A real mess....

Battered, welded, bolted, twisted, and terrible. Lets hope I can do something to make it look better soon.....

Old top rivets now drilled and punched out. Need to remove lower shackle to get at lower rivets in same manner. Front  bumper off by cutting through the old gusset at the top, and waggled and broken free at the bottom, could not get near to cut.

Top gusset now cut free of its welds, one small hole to fill in, not looking too bad at this stage. Lower shackles off next.

I could not get to the rivets to grind the heads off, so cut the side plate off for access. then off to Kendal Metal Works, who made me 3 for £3. Same gauge, just 2mm taller. but they go in.

Gusset horn plates, holes are for the serial number plate, lost in the mists of time. last screw can be seen in the right one.

The old bits, cut, drilled, grinded and twisted off....

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last updated - 23rd December, 2011