Budget Rescue –’43 GPW #121189

[Outlier]

I’ve been sifting through information on this forum for a while now, so I guess it’s about time that I jump in with my own story.

This is the basket-case I started out with: Got it for $800 two years ago and flat towed with my brother from Boise ID to Provo UT, where I was putting myself through school at BYU.



It ran fine, had good tires, new steel wheels, no brakes to speak of, dripped multiple types of fluids uncontrollably, and had a gangly uncoordinated and insect-like presence that was immediately endearing. And it had an “ooga horn.” First stop was O’reillys, for a trailer wiring kit to hook its taillights into my brothers trailer socket… I’d owned the thing for 5 minutes and we had already been to our first parts store together

My brother and I have a tendency to push each other into “projects…” and we’ve always loved ww2 jeeps. He spotted this one on Craigslist, and did some research on it. We’d been joking about getting one, and had even looked at a few… it’s a slippery slope! It wasn’t long until he had a pile of his own jeep things, his write-up can be found here: http://www.g503.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=96&t=201910" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



I consider this a rescue story because the jeep was rapidly devolving into a high schooler’s poorly conceived rock crawling dream. Vestiges of its military history and service were nearly gone, except under the hood. The tub was/is in sorry shape, so I have not really focused on it. I console myself by thinking, “someday when I have money and restore it…” Disclaimer: This is not yet a restoration, but more of an effort to preserve a piece of history, have fun, find an outlet for expression of mechanical inclination, and drive!( I have a fascination with dirt roads: “I wonder where this road goes…”) I also love seeing the expressions on peoples’ faces as they realize what they just saw as I spin past. My goal is to have it pass convincingly to the uninformed, general public as the ww2 veteran that it is.

Most notable purchased characteristics:


Post-war T-90 and matching TCase. Slips from second gear going down hills, as is typical for these when they are worn. But 4 Wheel drive works like a charm!



Very sad, no data plates. Why must things like that be removed?!

This was funny... the battery had been moved UNDER the passenger seat... and yes, the underside of the seat had metal springs that stretched width-wise across... I immediately pulled it out, and moved it back to the engine compartment soon after!

In this picture you can also barely see the metal plate that supported the front of both seats. It had been welded straight to the top of the door sill, stretching all the way across the tub interior. The driver-side wall was actually collapsing, accordian style, from the weight and stress.

Post-war radiator, I think its a cj-2a. Electrical converted to 12 volts, older alternator and ford-style regulator/solenoid. Much of the rest was original, I was and have been very happy with how well it runs. Smokes more and more everyday, but this jeep was actually my daily driver within a month of picking it up.


I bought it shortly before thanksgiving, and drove it exclusively while working on it for the next 4 months. Those months included Jan, Feb, and March, which in Provo mean temps below freezing, rain, snow and WIND. Huddled behind the gasketless windshield on the way to work at 6 AM, with my ski goggles on, a scarf over my face, hoodie beneath my carhart and blanket wrapped around my knees, clutching that skinny steering wheel through wool lined leather mittens, I had to keep things in perspective... The bike alternative had no windscreen at all!

Sidestory: My bike was not an ordinary bike either, so the fact that I started driving this crazy jeep was no surprise to my friends... but the jeep never once left me stranded, has always jumped right to life. I was forever persuading the bike to cooperate. Incidentally, my bike and my jeep had the same top speed


The front shocks were creative to say the least. one thing is for sure, they had lots of travel!

This was a heart-stopper when I realized that the "shock tower" had been welded right where the frame is typically stamped... by some miracle, the weld did not cover the numbers, and I was able to read them. 121189, with the "GPW" and stars to boot!

Historical clues... any help on these would be greatly appreciated! As far as I can tell, my jeep was in the LA area, perhaps as a naval jeep in Seal Beach. There is most certainly a gray layer of paint, right on top of the original OD, (and beneath several other more exotic colors.) I gather that the engine is from 1942, and was installed/rebuilt in 44, a year after my frame was delivered. I have no guesses on DOD, or where it was made, etc. Help please!




Other suspension bonuses:





So, there you have it. That was the start of a good time, we'll break this up into several posts.

[Halsey]

I've seen a lot worse restored on this site, so all in all, its a darn good find!! And for what you payed for it, definitey worth the money!!!!

And it looks like you may have some good clues to its history as well. Always fun to find out where your jeep has been.

Congrats on a good find, and have fun!!

Chris

[Ethan L]

Hi Outlier,

What a great collection of pictures. There are a lot of mods to your jeep that I don't remember, or I hadn't seen yet. I don't remember it having a wartime engine in it (I didn't even know the difference 2 years ago). Had I seen/known that I would have picked it up for the engine alone.

had a gangly uncoordinated and insect-like presence that was immediately endearing.

I truly believe that Jeeps have an ability to find the right owner. I had looked for 3 years for a jeep. I never had a "good" feeling when I would go see one. Then, when "Hoot 'N' Nanny" found me, it was love at first sight. I knew she was going to take a lot of time (reads money), but so was every other jeep I found in my price range. However, "Hoot 'N' Nanny" was the first Jeep that I just had to have. I've never regretted buying it, but I've had quite a lot of time thinking, "What did I just do?"

I have a fascination with dirt roads: “I wonder where this road goes…” Anybody else on this forum have that problem?!)

Sadly, I find myself driving all over Southern Idaho thinking, "This would be a great road to drive my jeep on." Or, "I wish my jeep was done, today is a beautiful day."

My bicycle was not an ordinary bike either, my bike and my jeep had the same top speed

That bike is an impressive piece of modding as well.

Thanks for sharing your progress. I look forward to seeing more on your thread.

[Ronnie Guin]

I own GPW 122825 with original matching motor. Close to your serial number.

[rondo]

great find on this jeep. saw this on craigslist as well and thought a few times about buying it but the wife gets a vote; her 99% to my 1 and it wasn't meant to be. I have a parts GPW...let me know if you need anything.

[918jeeper]

Congrats on your new jeep! You have a great attitude keep it up and have fun with it!

The battery under the seat reminds me of the Iran/Iraq war vinatge Mercedes tractor trailers I drove during Desert Storm for the USAF, hauling bombs to the FOL's. Every time you would hit a bump the seat springs contacted the battery terminal and shot out sparks. That along with rotted out floor boards made for some interesting convoys hauling explosives!

[Halsey]

Yikes!! Talk about a "Hot Seat"!!!!

Bad enough having the gas tank under the drivers seat....




Chris

[Outlier]

Thank you all for the responses! Ronnie Guin, what do you know about your GPW and its history?

I decided to give first attention to the rolling parts of my jeep. By the time we got it back home, the left rear wheel looked like this… and braking was a joke.

This was clearly an indication of something not being right, so I took it apart. The brake drum was full of fluid, and the more things I dismantled, the more fluid I found. Eventually I found myself in the rear differential, the inner axle oil seals (made of leather!) were toast. I bought replacement seals from Napa – incredible, they stock parts for a jeep that’s 69 years old?! – then tried to put them in. They are an interference fit, and I couldn’t hammer them in straight without damaging them. I found a piece of brass, and using a lathe, made a little tool that fit inside the seal groove, yet stuck out enough to give me something to hammer.

With things back together, my brother and I took it for a spin to check for more leaks. We promptly ran out of gas on the next block. I didn’t know it at the time, but this was a pattern that would continue with embarrassing frequency. With no speedometer/milecounter, and no fuel gauge, the “empty” condition was only predicted by looking into the tank with a flashlight, or signaled by a choking motor.

The next most pressing matter was the lack of stopping ability. The jeep was fine in the “go” department, but things suddenly feel very large, heavy and fast when there is no “stop” option. The first time I drove to campus and back, I left the hydraulic emergency brake lever on and never noticed. The brakes were only marginally present, and I found myself doing lots of down shifting and strategic slowing before intersections.

The master cylinder had been replaced by the previous owner, so I ignored it and took all the slave cylinders from each wheel apart… I just realized that this has been my reaction to every jeep problem I’ve ever had Only the front right cylinder would move. I cleaned, scraped, and sanded with very fine sandpaper, until they all worked again. Fortunately, all the rubber parts were still intact. Then I spent HOURS adjusting the brake shoes… they are a pain! It looked to me like nobody had correctly adjusted them for a very, very long time.

Several inches had been cut from the bottom of the rear body to expose the tires and keep them from rubbing under heavy articulation. That became my next project.

I didn’t consider it critical enough for attention so soon, but I didn’t have a choice. A policeman pulled me over within a few days:
“Son, you need some mudflaps. There is nothing around your tires, and they stick out too far.”
“…Umm I think you also need doors. And seatbelts. And windshield wipers. And (noticing the huge hole in my dash) a speedometer. And (remembering my arm waving…) blinkers. And a top, and a heater (joking now, because it was into December and cold already, and I was bundled like an Eskimo), and, well, hey what is this thing anyway?!”
At that point he really paused to look at my registration and insurance card. He decided he didn’t know the regulations for old war vehicles, and after warning me to avoid the HP on the interstate, ( ) he re-affirmed my absolute need for something to cover the back of my tires, and let me go. I assume I made a very funny conversation topic when he went home for dinner that night.
The floor in the back of my jeep is rusted very badly, and someone had covered it with some 16 ga steel sheeting. I pulled it out and used it to extend the rear body panels, and had enough left over to weld a piece over where the tailgate had been cut.
This pic shows the rear of the jeep.

Side note: There is an advantage to driving this type of vehicle in the winter. I could arrive to school late and still find a close parking spot on top of the snow piles… reserved parking!
I really enjoyed the snow piles. Axle travel was very good, and I never rubbed. Notice the ski goggles hanging from the mirror.

One thing I appreciate about these old jeeps is that anyone who sees or rides in them enjoys the experience. People wave, smile, and elbow each other when you drive by. Later, when I had the jeep looking more military-like, I had several high-schoolers early one morning stand at attention and salute as I passed them on their way to school. I risk personifying an inanimate object to say that I think the jeep is flattered when it is honored like that
These are little brothers enjoying more snow piles and creating jeep memories, while learning to drive a very easy stick shift. There is something about driving a jeep with the windshield down that is irreplaceable… I think I finally understand why a dog will always stick its head out of a car window!

While in Spokane over thanksgiving, I had picked up a gallon of OD paint. It’s a shade from 1944, but that was okay. I had been unable to use it due to cold weather, but finally had an opportunity. I used a HVLP sprayer and some Xylene thinner, and was happy with the result.

I had to do very little sanding. I figured that in the places where there was no rust, and no flaking, that the metal was well sealed and protected. A scratch test under the hood and on the body proved that there were at least 5 coats of paint, all different colors. I didn’t feel too bad about adding another!
To complete the paint job, my brother did some research and came up with a number that he said would have been about right for my hood. (We were unable to recover the real ones, because the outside of the hood had been stripped prior to the 4th paint job) He carefully made some stencils using shelf paper.

This is great stuff for stencils! Its sticky on one side, and comes in wide rolls for a few bucks. Using a razor blade, we cut the numbers and star pattern, then stuck the paper to the body. After spraying with white paint, we peeled the shelf paper back. It turned out great! We both liked the way the invasion star looks with the broken circle, so that’s what we did. I guess he’ll do the same on his jeep, because I’ve kept the stencil.

I didn’t like the taillights that the jeep had, so I picked up some trailer lights at Autozone for a few dollars. They fit the original light holes perfectly.

I also built a bracket out of some steel plate to hold a spare tire on the back, because it simply needed one for visual balance.


I had met a CJ2a guy with a parts jeep that he was trying to sell. He needed a lot of sandblasting done, which I could do, so we worked out a deal where I would sandblast his fenders, wheels, grill, hood, etc., and he would let me take parts from his second jeep. (Another jeep would not have been welcome at the place I was staying) He said I could have anything I wanted, as long as it rolled when I was done. I added my roll cage to the deal, and came away with five fifteen inch wheels, a complete set of cj2a springs, shackles, acceptable bearings, hub washers and nuts, and a gas pedal, along with a few other items.
At this point, a friend made a comment to me that “playing Jeep” as I referred to it, was highly similar to playing with Lego’s. All of the components are individually simple and interchangeable, while application locations are infinite and varied. I seemed to be constantly swapping, switching, unbolting and re-locating everything on my jeep. Before I realized it, the jeep had a nickname. “Lego.”

None of my springs matched. Every single one was from a different car. It took some sweat and blood, but I got all the springs removed from both jeeps, and re-installed on the other. Thanks to my brother’s monstrous ratchet set and lots of penetrating fluid, I only had to buy one new U-bolt.

All this with no jack stands and a jack with a screw-driver handle…

The real hard part was where the shackles hook in. measuring, I discovered that the two front ones had been welded in the wrong places, so after cutting them off with a grinder, (along with nearly 15 pounds of other unnecessary steel) I purchased two new ones and bolted them on with bolts from less critical places. The rear pivot brackets had bushings pressed into them. I tried for a long time to pound them out but gave up and used a hacksaw blade.


I finished the spring swap, put the small tires on, and pulled out into the street. I immediately realized that I couldn’t turn left… and backed right back into the garage. The drag link had been lengthened to work with the lift I had just removed. The pitman arm was at maximum lock position with tires straight ahead.

I cut the draglink and removed the bends, then welded it back together. I had been working part time as a welder for the previous three years and was pretty confident in my abilities, so doing this didn’t worry me too much. While I had the welding stuff running, I also removed two inches from the CJ2a windshield.

This did not work as well as I had planned, I will most likely put a whole new front on it at some point, chiefly to get rid of the willys lettering.
I sold the 33 inch tires and steel wheel s for 400 dollars, which gave me money for some Deestone 15x700 bias ply tires from TDS in Provo. I also cut the tops off of the seats, because they stuck up too high for the right “general look.”

The jeep was starting to give bystanders a more believable impression of its true identity, and I was enjoying it more every day. The smaller tires and more reasonable suspension did wonders for the handling. It was nimble and quick, and actually performed better on trails.

[thidisbogus]

Outlier,

Great work on your jeep. What a difference some OD and normal size tires make! It is a blessing you saved it from the "high schoolers".

I think your hunch about it being a former naval jeep may be correct. Unless bubba added them later, those hooks you see on your front end circled below appear to be the type that only came on Marine Corps jeeps:

[Outlier]

Thank you Rodney! The difference was startling. Friends assumed it was a different jeep, and were surprised when I confirmed that it was the same one.

Those hooks had chrome on them before I painted them green, would that indicate a Bubba addition?

I took a look at your GPW restoration link from your signature, I must say I'm impressed!I'd like to follow a similar track someday, except I will most likely be correcting my OWN uninformed modifications

[thidisbogus]

You are more than welcome Outlier. And thank you for taking a look at my thread and the compliments. It is always good to encourage one another regardless of what type of work we are doing.

If those hooks had chrome on them then I bet they are a bubba mod.

[Outlier]

Chapter 3…

With my war hero looking more the part, he attracted a lot more attention. About this time, I was involved in the Amateur Radio Club at the University. We were providing radio communications for a 5k – 10K run in support of cancer treatment, and someone had the idea to use the jeep as a backdrop for Net Control .



I was elsewhere on the course, but the club put a homemade antenna in it and people loved it. So much so, apparently, that I began to become a little protective of my jeep.
With a metal loop on the steering column, I started using a padlock with a long shackle to lock the steering wheel. The shackle goes through the loop and around one of the steering wheel spokes.



Top bows were next. I was tired of getting wet, so I did a lot of looking on this forum at pictures of peoples jeeps with tops. I sent Ron a few bucks and he emailed me the drawings with dimensions for the bows. A friend was recycling an old laundry cart with one-inch tubing, and I convinced him to give it to me instead… all the radius’ seemed right! I cut, welded and smashed things with a vice until they looked right. A little unconventional I know, but I welded two nuts straight into the tubing in positions where they would hold the bows in both the up and down positions.
I still had some of the sheet metal left that I had removed from the rear floor for patching the rear panel and fenders, so I cut and bent it into brackets, just guessing how it should go based on pictures I found and existing holes in my tub. I realize now that it should have been heavier gauge, but it still does the job.




I don’t have any sewing skills at all, so my jeep is canvas-less. BUT… I bought one of those 10 dollar camo tarps at Harbor Freight, turned it inside out so that the solid olive green showed, and put aluminum eyelets into it in appropriate places, and cut a window in the back. The windshield already had hooks all the way across, and I used 12-inch bungee cords from my set of tire chains to strap it all down.



I also made some wooden hood blocks, so that I could lay the windshield down without putting things underneath to prevent scratches. The holes were already in the hood… in fact, thinking of it now, I have holes everywhere in my jeep. When I want to add something, I just take my pick! They cant possibly all be legitimate, but I definitely never have to drill any new ones


Wiring was the next step...

[lowbonnet]

I like your style you are doing great! Thumbs UP

[thidisbogus]

Outlier,

I am impressed at your ingenutiy! Smart, functional and looks good, not jury-rigged. I appreciate you taking the time to post the pictures. You are doing great on your jeep. Keep posting....

[Outlier]

Thank you for the encouragement!
The wiring in my jeep was a mix of original 1940’s cloth covered wires and other more random colors and thicknesses. Splices were everywhere. A yellow wire coming from the alternator, for example, turned green under the battery, went over the solenoid and became brown, then split and becomes yellow and red, they both go through the firewall but the red one turns yellow again too... I gave up trying to replace things wire by wire and just tore it all out and started again. I put in some good used wire that I had been given after helping with a building remodel.
The junction block had been moved to the front left fender, and changed to include fuses by the person that did the 12 volt conversion.

I made a new block and moved it to the firewall, but kept the fuse idea because I liked it.
Here is the wiring diagram that I developed… I’m no EE and I’d never wired a car before, so it took a few tries- I referenced this forum frequently and combined ideas from several other people’s efforts. So far, my battery has never gone dead and the jeep runs, so nothing can be terribly wrong… although the ampeter doesn’t behave like I feel is should

I tried to keep things logically colored and routed, but only had a few colors to work with. The most significant result of the wiring project was brighter headlights. Some of the old connections and grounds had become so corroded and broken that hardly any juice had been getting through. It was also nice not to see sparks when probing through wire tangles!:)
The best part of wiring this way is that it’s a cheap 12 volt conversion… old ford-style charging circuit, any 70’s era pickup found at Pull and Save will have all the components needed.

Because I flat tow my jeep frequently, I wired everything at the back just like a trailer: There is a 4-pin flat plug immediately below my firewall junction block. This leads to the lights at the rear of the jeep.
When I want to flat tow, I “unplug” the back of the jeep, and use a cable to go between the towing vehicle and the female plug leading to the rear taillights. Essentially, I completely isolate the jeeps wiring system from the towing vehicle. No mystery grounds, unexplained circuit connections, or strange light behavior! Perhaps a bit unnecessary, but I enjoyed doing it and it works like a charm.


I had an uncle that was getting rid of a homemade roof rack off a small SUV. He offered it to me, but seeing as how I didn’t have a roof, I declined. The rack had two off-road lights mounted to it however, which I did get a hold of… as part of the wiring effort, I mounted the lights on my bumper. The one closest to the camera in this picture has several feet of wire loom coiled behind the grill, and is held on with a wing-nut for quick and easy removal: I can remove that light, turn it on, and walk all the way around the jeep with it!


Way back when I traded some sandblasting for a go at a friends CJ2a parts jeep, I had grabbed an old speedometer. It was in sorry shape, had no numbers on it, no glass, no needle, and didn’t move. I tossed it in my tool bag and forgot about it. I didn’t feel the need for a speedometer because the “in-control-driving-speed” needed to feel safe was always lower than the posted speed limit for any given road. I had instead been keeping a water-bottle in the speedometer hole.
I ordered a speedometer cable from Ron, and opened the old speedometer up. I took it all apart, cleaned and sanded and got the insides moving again. I cut a circle of plexiglass from what I had left from replacing the windshield, I repainted numbers on the mile counter, and flattened the faceplate. I used a small paintbrush to paint lines and numbers on the face, and cut a “needle” from a piece of hard plastic. While reassembling, the spring that returns the needle to “0” kept breaking due to rust and age, but I finally got it together.

In this photo, I was actually doing about 30mph, but the shortened spring is a bit tighter and so it is off by about ten mph. I don’t mind, and it’s a good way of testing whether my passengers think critically and have a good feel for how fast they go. Interestingly, most people don’t pay any attention.
I have absolutely no idea how many original miles are on the jeep, so instead I tried to figure how many miles I’d driven since buying it, and set the mile counter to reflect that.

I had moved to an apartment closer to campus, and was doing all this wiring in the parking lot. My jeep was pretty hard to miss and attracted a lot of attention. Had there been a vote, it certainly would have won the “Automotive Character Award.” People liked to anonymously put things in it; I was “given” all sorts of random things. One morning I came out to go to work and found a small tree stuck through the steering wheel…


Classes were becoming steeper, and I was working more, so major jeep projects became more difficult to do. Instead, I only had time for small things, like making a plate to cover the hole that had been cut for my transmission:


And putting new “bumps” on my smooth pedals. (Pretty quick and dirty… I just used a wire feed MIG welder, with wire speed up and voltage down)


As my last semesters approached, I realized the jeep was too much of a distraction…

…so when my older brother moved to Washington, I asked him to tow it back to my parents house. I was sad to see it go, but my younger brothers and dad were happy to have it show up. Despite my mother’s protests, one of my brothers began driving it to high school. I was glad he was enthusiastic about it, to my understanding it was a distinguishing factor for him among other students and faculty.