010: Dave Boehmer’s 1944 Willys MB
My family and I are very proud of this Jeep. It’s a 1944 Willys MB that was ready for the crusher. My father in law who is a car dealer saw it in the junk line at an auto auction and quickly called me to see if I wanted it. It was a basket case – it had numerous coats of paint, tons of holes, many parts missing and obviously had seen duty on a farm and many hunting trips! I decided to do a frame-off restorations down to every last nut and bolt. Everything was repaired and rebuilt. The body was chemically stripped and I welded up over 200 unwanted holes in the body tub alone! My young sons even got their hands dirty and helped me! They are now 10 and 12 years old and we use the Jeep in many veterans events including our Town’s local Veteran’s recognition luncheon, musicals, numerous veteran’s days parade and even a couple BBC documentaries! My sons love riding with Veterans in Parades and has been able to connect with many of them and their sacrifices through first-hand interaction. I spent years locating all the original military parts to bring this back to WWII condition. I even have a non-firable Browning M1919 .30 cal machine gun on a rare M48 dash mount. A local WWII veteran has lots of stories about his Jeep configured exactly the same way in WWII as a forward reconnaissance patrol for a Tank Destroyer outfit through France, Belgium and Germany!
“There’s a ton of story behind the restoration and use of this Jeep.”
Dave Boehmer
Gilbert, AZ
Get Connected. Stay Inspired. Build Your Willys.