This 1945 Willys MB has lived on a family ranch since the 1950’s. In the last 20+ years it was used only sparingly until about 4 years ago when the starter gave up the ghost. From then it sat until I was told to take it, get it going, do what else I want to it and then send it back “someday.” The 6-volt starter was rebuilt quickly and easily by a tractor mechanic. After that it started, but did not run willingly. A whiff of gas tank told me all about the old gas in the system, so that all came apart for cleaning. A later-model gas tank had been installed, with a hole cut in the side of the body for it’s inlet tube. That also left an empty tub space under the tank, which had been occupied by a population of rats. The tank was cleaned out, the rat hole sealed off from critters and the carb was rebuilt. It quickly became apparent this was not going to be a restoration, but more of a resurrection. As the result of a rollover there was a fiberglas hood and fender. I traded the trailer electrical outlet for an aftermarket metal fender and later model civilian hood. In the ranch garage I found a rifle bracket to attach under the windshield; this was traded for transportation assistance and mechanical help to be named later. The CJ2 windshield was sold off and a modified-MB windshield (one piece of glass) was installed. Remember, this Jeep is meant to return to the ranch and serve as a working vehicle. The passenger seat was a Ford model, so it was traded for an MB version in better shape to someone restoring a Ford war jeep. This has turned into a local Jeep-community project, with plenty of fun-spirited bartering. I am now at the point where I have replaced the worst of the wiring, one-by-one. I have cleaned up and primered the body and most of the interior. I am getting better at reworking dents and smoothing the rough spots, but I am realizing the next time this vehicle comes back here it will be for a body-off-the-frame clean up and reworking everything. So for now I’ll get it running better (carb issues, or maybe gas flow), put a coat of paint on, adjust the damn brakes and take it back to its home. I’ll post more photos when it is more of a sparkling, shining version of itself. By the way, it will have a custom (not legal) license plate on the back that says, “RECYLT”, recognizing the mish-mash of parts it has acquired over he years.
Update – 9/1/2016: The paint is on, the seat covers are being made and the Jeep is looking like a little princess! The hard part now will be get past the first scratch, but that will not take long on the back roads of the ranch. The interior is Sherwood Green, which was the original color of the Jeep. The exterior is Luzon Red, which is an improvement over the red it had before. Both colors came in a high gloss, which I recommend against; besides being a little gaudy, they show up all the imperfections underneath. But they work well together and went on very well.I have continued to find treasures in the barn: a front blackout headlight, the right blackout taillight and a complete engine (in pieces). Each trip back to the ranch ends up being quite an adventure.
An unhappy surprise when I got it back on the road is the 90 degrees of free play in the steering wheel: I’ll be rebuilding the drag link at a minimum, I don’t want to think about what it would involve at the worst. Either way, it will be heading back to the ranch this Fall.
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