Rebuild of GPW 238336

Create a thread to track the progress of you MB/GPW restoration progress. Previously a General Discussion board.
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sjalbert
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Re: Rebuild of GPW 238335

Post by sjalbert » Sun Aug 25, 2013 5:11 am

Transmission date code C1545D = March 15, 1945
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Re: Rebuild of GPW 238335

Post by hell-fire » Mon Aug 26, 2013 1:05 am

I'm looking forward to seeing how you with this. Good luck.
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Re: Rebuild of GPW 238335

Post by 1942ford » Sat Sep 21, 2013 2:22 pm

Best of luck with your GPW rebuild Fabrizio, from the other side of the Channel! :)

Keep up the good work - myself and gpw-sam are currently restoring a pair of GPW's...mine is a '42 Script & Sam's is a July '45 with Deep-Mud Exhaust...GPW272270.

Sam's Jeep was bought as his 21st Birthday present - funnily enough, its his 24th Birthday today and like you, he'd also like to have his one finished for Normandy 2014 - if you do get yours done and you go to Normandy in it, drop us a line and we'll try to meet up and buy you a celebratory beer!!! 8)

Kindest Regards - Guy. :)
'If its Old, Green & Smells Funny - I'll probably like it!


GPW-45259 - June '42 (Dearborn) built 'Script' GPW. (DoD: 7.2.42)
MB-347283 - late-June '44 built MB. (DoD: 7.3.44)
& GPW-272270 - Sam's June '45 (Louisville) built 'VLP' (DoD: 6.12.45)

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rondo
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Re: Rebuild of GPW 238335

Post by rondo » Fri Mar 14, 2014 7:35 am

awesome project and enjoyed the read on what you've accomplished so far. great!
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Re: Rebuild of GPW 238335

Post by RoyC » Sat Mar 15, 2014 10:49 am

Good luck and bring him back to live! 8)
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Andrew OBryan
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Re: Rebuild of GPW 238335

Post by Andrew OBryan » Thu Mar 20, 2014 7:52 am

Good luck and have fun, I did 224803 and 229997
812obryan@gmail.com (812)-455-9056
1944 GPW 224803 winner of the G503 award
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Fabrizio
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Re: Rebuild of GPW 238336

Post by Fabrizio » Thu May 14, 2015 3:09 pm

Hi everybody,
Almost a year since the last update, sorry!
The jeep is still waiting for its hour (I'm finishing other cars in order to get some free space in the garage!).

But I have spent a lot of time researching both data and parts for my GPW.

Tanks to Tom I now have a quite narrow dod estimation ( 5 or 6 december, 44), Plant (Dallas TX) and hood number estimation (2058xxxx or low 2059xxxx).

I have found F marked cast pedals, a F marked grill that will need some work, a correct late type Ford hood, and two nice fenders that turned out to be very early GPW ones, so I'll be likely selling/trading them.

I also bought two nice SW gauges and a purulator oil filter.

Not that much done in a year, but my knowledge of jeeps is dramaticaly higher than last year, when I didn't know what a GPW was, thanks to you all !

Some pictures:

I recovered the original shipping plate under the bubba paint:
Image

Very nice sample of original untouched paint under it:
Image

I also restaured the only glove box data plate that is original to my GPW: I did it "just for fun" as I won't be putting it on the car, it's steel, it has a nasty hole, and anyway I'll be needing the others two to be custom made.

Here is how I found it: nice isn't it? :oops:
Image
After bead blasting:
Image
Ready for paint:
Image
And done!
Image
Image

The plate being made of steel, I first tried to use a cold blueing fluid (I use it with great results to restaure guns), the result was very sexy, but sadly was very fragile, any rubbing with 00000 steel wool would take the finish away, so I went to the classic paint and scratch process!
Image
GPW #3606 “LIBBY”
"Jeep is America's only real sports car." - Enzo Ferrari

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Re: Rebuild of GPW 238336

Post by Fabrizio » Thu May 14, 2015 3:20 pm

I also found remains of a stencil in the inside of the WS lower panel, behind the rifle holder.
Well, you have to have a good imagination, or to trust me, but I see a "--SSU-- 25 --" that certainly was a "TIRE PRESSURE 35" or "TIRE PRESSURE 35 PSI", or TYRE, or PSI, or whatever.
If anyone has a good wartime picture of a similar one, that would help me a lot to replicate it!
Image

This picture, found here on the G (sorry but I can't remember who took it) shows a british made stencil that looks very similar, look at the shape of the 5:
Image
GPW #3606 “LIBBY”
"Jeep is America's only real sports car." - Enzo Ferrari

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Re: Rebuild of GPW 238336

Post by Navarre » Fri May 15, 2015 11:13 am

Hi fabrizio.

Amazing work in the data plate, congrats

Regards
"Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition"
Ford GPW 86534 DoD 12-11-42...in progress!
Resto thread: viewtopic.php?f=144&t=198728

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Re: Rebuild of GPW 238336

Post by Fabrizio » Tue May 19, 2015 5:59 am

I've been doing a bit of "holes investigation" on the tub.

Found original first aid box braket holes, someone ground off the screws, so I guess there was one fitted:
Image
Also found fire extinguisher bracket holes:
Image
And decontaminator bracket holes with screws still in place, behing passenger seat:
Image

I know decontaminator mount was factory drilled in ACM2 bodies, was it the same for fire extinguishers and first aid box? I searched but couldn't find any clear consensus regarding ACM2s.

I also noticed I still have the "hinge" part of the inner windshield frame, very likely original to the GPW. I see 2 extra holes on driver's side for a wiper motor but I think my GPW should still have hand tandem setup, right? There is no hole in the cowl for a vacuum line. You can see that these 2 extra holes are not perfectly parallel to the frame, so maybe bubba/fieldpost-war add-on?
Image
GPW #3606 “LIBBY”
"Jeep is America's only real sports car." - Enzo Ferrari

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Re: Rebuild of GPW 238336

Post by Fabrizio » Tue May 19, 2015 6:14 am

Here are the two SW gauges I recently bought: the temp one will need work, as the sender has been cut.
Image
Also bought a spare tub in not-too-bad conditions, I think it's an early WOF, but with ACM2 parts welded, still a bit of a mystery (gussets are the 3 hole style but no serial, etc..)
Image
GPW #3606 “LIBBY”
"Jeep is America's only real sports car." - Enzo Ferrari

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Navarre
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Re: Rebuild of GPW 238336

Post by Navarre » Tue May 19, 2015 1:23 pm

Fabrizio wrote:I know decontaminator mount was factory drilled in ACM2 bodies, was it the same for fire extinguishers and first aid box? I searched but couldn't find any clear consensus regarding ACM2s.
Hi Fabrizio, as far I know, the holes for the fire extinguishers were factory drilled in every ACM2 and the holes for the first aid bracket were factory drilled around june 1944 onwards.
Fabrizio wrote:I also noticed I still have the "hinge" part of the inner windshield frame, very likely original to the GPW. I see 2 extra holes on driver's side for a wiper motor but I think my GPW should still have hand tandem setup, right? There is no hole in the cowl for a vacuum line. You can see that these 2 extra holes are not perfectly parallel to the frame, so maybe bubba/fieldpost-war add-on?
The addition of a vacuum wiper was a common field modification during WW2..

Regards
"Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition"
Ford GPW 86534 DoD 12-11-42...in progress!
Resto thread: viewtopic.php?f=144&t=198728

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Navarre
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Re: Rebuild of GPW 238336

Post by Navarre » Tue May 19, 2015 1:28 pm

Fabrizio wrote: Also bought a spare tub in not-too-bad conditions, I think it's an early WOF, but with ACM2 parts welded, still a bit of a mystery (gussets are the 3 hole style but no serial, etc..)
Well.......the WOF tub gussets have three holes but the shape of the bigger one is different comparing with the ACM2 one. The serial number in the WOF tubs is stamped in the firewall over the gasoline filter.

Regards
"Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition"
Ford GPW 86534 DoD 12-11-42...in progress!
Resto thread: viewtopic.php?f=144&t=198728

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Navarre
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Re: Rebuild of GPW 238336

Post by Navarre » Tue May 19, 2015 1:34 pm

Image

Image

Image
"Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition"
Ford GPW 86534 DoD 12-11-42...in progress!
Resto thread: viewtopic.php?f=144&t=198728

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Re: Rebuild of GPW 238336

Post by Fabrizio » Tue May 19, 2015 1:51 pm

I checked all these details,
Gussets are identical to my acm2 ones but without numbers,
Serial is on the wof location but 4digits without H
No holes for side curtains
No "slot" on the dash
Front inner corners of the rear wheel arches are the m201 style
Cowl reinforcement are curved not angled

Surely not acm2, might be early hotchkiss, maybe eskanor, but it is for sure a cheap and correct donor !
Floor is made of 3 poorly repaired sections, and lots and lots of filler everywhere, I don't feel like I'm ruining something valuable! Or at least, less valuable than my factory fitted acm2!
GPW #3606 “LIBBY”
"Jeep is America's only real sports car." - Enzo Ferrari


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