Jim Goodwin is a new member of the Georgia MVPA. He toured Director Jack Coyle’s Jeep collection and was encouraged to join the MVPA. Jim has a 1943 GPW that was modified to an Ambulance Jeep by the Marines in late 1943. He has retained the Jeep as a USMC Jeep with the original hood numbers but has not restored it to the “Holden” Ambulance Jeep modifications. Yet, all current evidence of the modifications remains on the Jeep.
A couple of years ago I was interested in purchasing a Willys Jeep for my property. My friend, Matt, overheard me talking about it and said his dad has had one in a barn in Indiana for over 30 years and might be willing to let it go. Matt said he thought it was a 1946 CJ-2A. He and a friend had it running last when he was a senior in High School over 30 years ago. They had no seats and no gas tank, so they sat on buckets and ran a hose through the dashboard into a gas can. Matt drove up to his dad’s place in Indiana last March and brought the Jeep down to me. As he rolled the Jeep off the trailer, I could tell it was not a CJ but a WWII-era Jeep. I then noticed the straight U shaped crossmember indicating it was a Ford GPW. I used my finger to rub the center of the crossmember and a nice clear F emerged from the dirt and grime.
I started the process of cleaning up the Jeep right away. I removed a roll bar that was welded on. I replace the whole brake system, fuel system, exhaust system, plugs and wires. I replaced the windshield with the correct WWII split window style. I sanded all the paint and rust and repainted it. While removing the paint on the driver’s side of the hood I unveiled the original USMC and hood number. I did not personally serve in the military, but I have two sons in the Marines. This was a very special moment for me. At that point I determined to keep this as a USMC Jeep, and I started to research any information I could find on it. Through forums, data bases and Facebook groups I was able to determine the date of delivery and that it was manufactured in Dearborn, Michigan. While scanning pictures on a Facebook group page for Navy/USMC and Ambulance Jeeps, I noticed several things that had been question marks in my mind about my Jeep. I took specific pictures of my Jeep, posted them on the group page and said: “I might have an Ambulance Jeep – what do you think?”. I received several replies indicating, “Yes, you 100% have an Ambulance Jeep”. At that point everything that I was questioning about my Jeep made perfect sense. I thought it had a bunch of civilian modifications, but they were actually a result of the Ambulance mod. Through further research I found documentation from 1946 stating that my serial number Jeep was put in storage with the 6th Marine equipment at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and given a surplus value of $326. You can read about the USMC Holden Ambulance Jeep Modification at:
https://www.militarytrader.com/military-vehicles/holden-ambulance
Kaiser Willys Jeep Blog Story – James Goodwin
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How about a pic of the engine?