Newbie looking for WWII Jeep seeks advice please

1941 - 1945, MB, GPW, Wanted jeeps or parts... list your needs.
Dingocooke
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Newbie looking for WWII Jeep seeks advice please

Post by Dingocooke » Sat Jul 08, 2006 2:54 am

Hi
I guess like all good things there is going to be more than one answer to this question, but here goes!

Im looking to buy a WWII Jeep, for fun use at weekends.Although Im very mechanically able, and have a good workshop etc, time with work and other projects means I intend to buy a very condition usable restored Jeep.

Ive ordered Rons book as it looks like a good place to start learing, but any other pointers would be most appreciated, my location is Nottingham England.

Cheers in advance

Steve
Learning about WWII Jeeps before I buy one!!


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ken clay
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Post by ken clay » Sat Jul 08, 2006 6:46 am

:D Budget ??

:D Willys ??

:? Ford ??

:D Hotchkiss ??

It's a very open question you pose.

Do you want a WW2 jeep ? correct matching S/No's etc etc .

How much work can you stand doing, how much is to much ??
As you may be aware with any old vehicle they are ...tinker tinker fix fix ..unlike your modern car.

Will Hotchkiss do ?

don't be in a hurry to buy, have a look at everyone you can ( for sale and not for sale/ go to shows ..Beltring /kemble etc ) to get an idea as to the general condition of jeeps.

I'v seen jeeps( hotchkiss ) from one of the dealers for £12k + that a private seller would sell for £7000 + ( Im in the final stages of restoration of a 44 ford that will be for sale ). Most of the best Hotchkiss jeeps have been sold long ago so the dealers only have whats left over ...the rough ones.

Hotchkiss jeeps were better built and as a every day ( frequent drive ) may be a better option .
WW2 jeeps used to command a better price but that's not quite the case ( I.M.O ) now .
Keep your eye on www. milweb. com or . co.uk ????
are you a member of MVT or IMPS both have websites and advertise jeeps for sale.

Do you know anyone with a jeep ? have you driven it ?. If you know someone , can they come and look at a vehicle with you, they will have a more objective eye than you and will also be able to compare ride quality , smoothness of the Box and sound / power of the engine etc with their own jeep...

Dont know if this hels .. I feel like im rambling a bit ...Sorry

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Post by Derek Eddlestone » Sat Jul 08, 2006 7:11 am

Steve,

Ken's covered all the main points but in a couple of weeks the War & Peace show at Beltring will give you the opportunity to see the biggest range of jeeps and dealers in the world......... all in one place. (Do a Google search on it). All your questions can be answered and a huge range of opinions are on offer. Be very careful if you are offered a vehicle for sale here because it's not nicknamed the War & Greed show for nothing :( :( :(

Derek.

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Post by Charlie » Sat Jul 08, 2006 8:40 am

Hi Steve,

As well as Ron's book, you could read All American Wonder by Ray Cowdery. Lots of good advice and a great reference book.

Do you know anyone with a jeep? If so, take them along if you can when you go and see a jeep.

Private sales usually get you a better bargain, but dealers (Galliers, Dallas Autos) may offer you a bit of post sales back-up, though with old vehicles like these, its gonna be pretty limited.

I completely agree with Ken and Derek's advice, don't be in a hurry and I've never seen a bargain at Beltring, though a mate picked up a Hotchkiss for a song a few years back, you can never tell!

Good luck!
Charlie

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Post by REG » Sat Jul 08, 2006 1:38 pm

If you want to take a risk, check out www.ebay.fr.

Every week there seems to be something new for sale.

Instead of £9,000 UK try €9,0000 (about £6,000)

But I'd say that it's not a risk worth taking for the 'newbie'. A few months browsing topics here, listening and looking through the archive of posts will set you up for your first purchase.

No one here would like to see you ripped off and everyone is more than happy to offer help and advice, no matter how simple or 'stupid' you might think your question is.

Welcome and good luck.
REG
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Re: Newbie looking for WWII Jeep seeks advice please

Post by Nikko » Sat Jul 08, 2006 11:33 pm

Hi Steve

Weelcome to the world of J E E P S
Feel free to ask ennything about jeeps


Cheers From The North
Nikko 8)
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1949 Spen 1/4 t trailer S/N 158
and a lot of nuts and bolts :-)

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Post by Dingocooke » Sun Jul 09, 2006 5:52 am

Hi Eveyrone and thanks.
Ken Clay covered a lot of ground-Thanks!!
To answer some questions, I guess Id prefer a Willys or Ford, although Im not 100% on my reasoning on that one, its more a 'I want a war jeep' rationale.

It is a very open question I posed, but thats because Im at the start of doing my research, so Im really at the 'Ladybird Book of Jeeps' stage (oh if only there was one!!)

Id really like a WW2 jeep, and correct matching S/No's etc etc would be nice but Im a realist.

I can stand doing any amount of work, but would prefer something finished , in terms of how much is too much, having done loads of restorations myself (both car and motorcycle to concours standards), its clear that if you buy one thats been done right (and thats the tricky part), its usually a lot cheaper than doing the whole thing yourself, but I dont really have the time for a full resto on a jeep at the moment.
Ive owned and driven cars and bikes from the early 1920s era so Im aware of the drive..tinker tinker fix fix ..drive etc scenario very well!!

Will Hotchkiss do ? Dont know is the honest answer, quite probably in one way, if I ignore the 'I want a WWII Jeep' desire for a moment.

Ken, you said youre in the final stages of restoration of a 44 ford that will be for sale, if you could pm or email me with more info that would be nice.

Im interested to hear that Hotchkiss jeeps were better built and as an frequent drive may be a better option, and wondered why. Im guessing I'll do around 1,000 to 1,200 miles a year which is what I seem to do with any non daily driver 'boys toy car'

I think I keep going back to a WWII Jeep because of the romantic idea of it being a war jeep, the notion of the history and all that.

Ive been asking around and I may know somebody with a Jeep, not sure what yet, waiting for a friends reply on that, but no not driven one, although I cant imagine a Jeep can be any worse to drive than an Austin 7 Ulster which I owned until 3 years ago, or a Model T which was even more different in many ways.

The replies so far have been a big help, feel free to keep rambling, Im all ears/eyes!!

Thanks again,

Regards,

Steve
Learning about WWII Jeeps before I buy one!!

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ken clay
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Post by ken clay » Sun Jul 09, 2006 10:37 am

:D PM sent ..
Hotchkiss only made 25,000 + jeeps in a little over a decade unlike the wartime production of 650,000 + jeeps .
Hotchkiss had the ability to rectify many of the problems of the ww2 jeep, and also to build to a higher spec.
take a look at this site http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepage ... #Hotchkiss
will give you a good overview.
ken

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Post by TOPSGT » Wed Jul 12, 2006 12:56 pm

Steve
I just bought my first jeep about two months ago (45 MB), so from one newbie to another heres my take on it.
Like you, I've always wanted one both as a hobby and to own a signifigent piece of military history. I toyed with just buying a fully restored vehicle, I've seen them here in the states for around $12,000 USD. But considering I also intended to use it for WW2 re-enacting I decided that if I had one of these musuem pieces I'd be too affraid of getting it dirty and scratched up. Instead I went with an almost complete and running '40 foot wonder'. Thats a jeep that from 40 feet away it looks perfect but up close it needs work. Mine has mixed matched MB, GPW and CJ parts thrown around and in need of a little body work.
Advise. Theres no point repeating all the great advise that all the other 'G' men gave so I'm going to give you my spin on it.
1. Decide what you want to use it for and to what extent you'd like to take the restoration.
2. What ever that decision is, plan on going one step further. Once you start seeing other guys jeeps and those on the 'G' your going to want to make yours better.
3. Plan on spending almost double what you budgeted for. I orginally thought that I would leave it just like I bought it, but low and behold two months later I've already spent another $1000.00 in parts.
4. Plan on using twice the space in your garage that you cleaned out, because your going to need more.
5. Start working on ideas to smooth over your wife and girl for all the time and extra cash spent on your jeep and not her.
6. Lastly, be prepared to get hooked on the 'G' and your new jeep, because owning a jeep turnes out to be more than just a hobby and new vehicle, it becomes an obsession !!! :shock:
Bob
p.s. Your going to meet some great guys and have alot of fun !! :D
MB 418133 - DOD 3/15/45

Looking for a great way to play with your jeep?
Check out http://www.ww2rps.com/

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Post by Rich Saylor » Sat Jul 15, 2006 8:08 am

All of the above. Your best bet is to do the reading research (All American Wonder I & II) and more. The manuals are invaluable; here they're available on CD for $20 plus shipping from Military-Media.com; they cover everything from WW2 through the vietnam era M151, Jeepwise. Go to some meets, ride in some if you can, to get the feel of them. Remember steering, acceleration and braking are more prewar than modern, and forget about comfort. I'm 6' 5" so I fit the postwar M38 better, as the windscreen- and thus the hood -(top, here in the USA) are taller.

The most important things to look for are the correct match of tub and body, plus their condition (the less rust, the better!). A CJ tub on a military frame has little intrinsic value, for instance. Philipino tubs abound, so learn the differences between their repop tubs & original ones. Even if that's OK with you you should only pay for what you're really getting.

The correct military equipment on any Jeep contributes greatly to its value, or else (the lack of it, that is) to the cost of making it correct. Here's where having read the AAW books & checked out the parts manuals comes in!

WW2 Jeeps are all 6 volt; postwar military Jeeps are all 24 volt.

There are great differences in WW2 Jeeps, depending on year of manufacture and manufacturer (Willys or Ford). Also great differences in value, particularly when it comes to the VERY early ones (like slatgrill Willys, "script" Jeeps, etc.)

Take you time & as they say, "know before you buy". That way you won't be disappointed or regret your choice.

BTW there are other vehicles out there, as well....Pinzgauers, Command Cars, and on & on. Check them out, too. Even if you really really really want a Jeep the others are fun to look at & have fun with as well.

And...I can't help but wonder why so many of you guys in the UK are so fascinated with Jeeps when the range and easy availability of Land Rovers- both civilian & military- is right at your fingertips, for far less than they cost here in the USA. Forward Control landies are pretty cool, especially decked out in full military garb, canvas, etc.- and are a lot less hassle to keep going than the redoubtable Pinzgauer, with its very complex rim drive setup- but I digress. After all you did say you really wanted a Jeep. Sorry.

Good luck, the hunt's the best part!
Rich

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edwillys
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Post by edwillys » Tue Jul 18, 2006 3:43 pm

Hello Steve,
I just got my 44 GPW last Saturday, 15th. It's a project Jeep that's well underway already. I have to admit that it's fun and already nerve racking. The G helps out a lot so keep these guys in mind. The help is enormous. From engine color to Shrader tire guages, you will find it here. By the way, a WW2 Jeep is the way to go. Living history and such are too much to pass up. All of what these guys said is true and I'm a very fresh newbie. I thought of M-38s, M-151s and others but the true american wonder won me over. Certainly do not rush. I took almost a year to figure out what I wanted that would fit my budget. Even that was a fun process. Enjoy the hobby. The thrill of hunting parts (correct ones, that is) is very good too. Fun all the way around.
Cheers,
Glenn

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Re: Newbie looking for WWII Jeep seeks advice please

Post by Dingocooke » Sun Apr 02, 2017 10:15 am

2006, phew, well it took a while longer than I expected. I looked at a few Willy's and Ford GPW's, and some where along the way while learning what was what, I found out an irrational preference for a Ford GPW.
Of course nothing in life is simple, and a few little snags got in the way, closing a business, divorce (ouch!), and a couple of house moves later, I finally had the essential money/space/time combo, and started the search anew.
Of course in the intervening 11 years since I first posted, prices have more than doubled, but that's life.

So this Saturday I finally found 'my' jeep.

I've bought a very nice, March '42 Ford GPW chassis 6024 (24th March 1942), and have a lot of its history from 'birth'
The seller was a really nice guy and I ended up with a lot of spares thrown in (including two gearboxes with good cases)
Now the journey begins!!

Cheers for your help so far, I'm sure there will be more questions, and hopefully less of a delay between posts...is 11 years a record??!!!!

Steve

Nottingham England
Learning about WWII Jeeps before I buy one!!

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Re: Newbie looking for WWII Jeep seeks advice please

Post by Dingocooke » Sun Apr 02, 2017 10:38 am

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Re: Newbie looking for WWII Jeep seeks advice please

Post by Dingocooke » Sun Apr 02, 2017 10:42 am

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Re: Newbie looking for WWII Jeep seeks advice please

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