'44 Willys MB - Work in progress

[Gary Linger]

I acquired my 1944 MB in June of 1996. Since then I have done a little bit of this and that, mostly taking parts off and slowly getting the new parts that I need. I went for a long time without doing any work and then decided that time is getting ahead of me and I want to finish her before I have run out of time. I have most of the various parts (mechanical and body) that I need. Now I just need to do the work. In the attached pic you can see that I did a 'dry' fit today to make sure everything is right before I start welding. You can see in the foreground the cowl section which will need to be welded to the rest of the tub. When I got this 'gem' it was sitting in a boat shed, exposed to weather and salt water (Chesapeake Bay area of Maryland). It was also being used by ducks and geese and who knows what other critters for their latrine. Needless to say, the tub was in terrible shape and not repairable. I've become one of Ron's better customers!

I'll be asking a lot of technical questions as I really get into the assembly.

More to follow (hopefully)...

Willys MB.jpg (89.57 KiB) Viewed 995 times

[S McIlwaine]

Looking good, now your making progress try and keep at it!! even it just a little each day, one screw a day and before you know you'll be riding round in it. Mine took 14years with young growing family and full time job commitments but this summer saw me driving it on the road for the first time it feels good when you get there.

[ghiltgen]

Glad to see your able to save the front of the tub with the toe board gussets as the drivers side one will have the body serial number stamped on it. Too often when the tub replacement is needed that number is gone forever. Its not that difficult to remove the original gusset and place it on the new tub or at least cut off the piece with the serial number and weld it into the new gusset. I see the glove box cover is gone, did the jeep come with data plates or an original frame tag? Also the hood looks like it still has paint where the registration numbers would have been painted on, don't forget to try to resurrect these, it might help you find out more history on the jeeps service.

Greg

[Farrell Fox]

[Post Deleted By Author]

[Gary Linger]

The hood that is shown in the picture is a GPW hood that I acquired as a spare. It is set in place as a 'rain shield'. A previous owner had replaced the original engine with an F head and cut a hole in the original hood to allow for the extra height of the engine. I have made a patch and will try to weld it in place. If it doesn't work out I'll then resort to using the Ford hood.

The DOD is 02-15-44, Serial # 305528, Body # 9380 (yes, I plan to remove the gusset and put it on the new floor if I can without doing any damage), Hood # S 20484179 (found on original hood as well as the rear panel). I found a GPW engine, Serial # 114982 that is in it now. I'm doing a 'motor pool' restoration. The glove box door has the original data plates and is set aside in a safe place for attachment when everything else is complete.

I have been very lucky to have found the numbers that I have. I just wish I had the original engine!

[Mark Jesic]

Looking good Gary, help is always available on here, i would love to see a few more photos.

[Gary Linger]

Did some pressure washing, rust conversion and dry fitting again yesterday. Photos will be posted this weekend. I'm ready to actually do some welding! I also found a hole in the transfer case pan - new topic posted on that subject.

Making progress, slowly but surely!

[twinflyer17]

I'm excited to see the progress you're making! Also, as the others have said, it's great to see you were able to save some of the original tub. Too many people get rid of their original tubs that could be saved without even thinking about it.

[Gary Linger]

Here are more pics. These were taken Thursday and show me dry fitting again but with the cowl attached. I think I'm ready to start some welding. I'm going to have to pull out the cherry picker so my wife doesn't have to keep carrying and lifting!

[70th Division]

Hello,

Very nice set up for welding the jeep sections together !
You are doing a great job, please keep pictures coming as you weld the parts together !


Best Regards,

Ray

[Gary Linger]

Spent the weekend welding, grinding and fitting. I also removed the skid plate and replaced the transfer case bottom pan. My welding leaves room for improvement.

[Gary Linger]

I had a little trouble getting the driver's side seams together (where the indentations for the shovel and ax met). I used c clamps and welding clamps but it still had some gaps. Finally I used a pneumatic chisel with a punch bit and that closed the gaps nicely. Now I need to clean up the welds and get a nice straight line seam. The passenger side went together easily but because of rust I don't have a straight line to work with so need to go back and try to fill in with weld and then grind the line, if that is possible.

I also began removing all remnants of the old front floor pan and was able to salvage the gussets so I can have the original tub serial number left in place.