Its a mid June (14th/15th) 1945, chassis number 272270.
She was in very poor condition when I got her, the front end had been seen to by bubba - front crossmember removed, blocks put inbetween the spring hangars and the chassis to raise it and various brackets and pieces of metal 'added' here and there.
I've completely disassembled her now for a nut & bolt rebuild. There was no engine present when I got it, or gearbox... or transfer box for that matter! But I now have a wartime MB block + GPW head to go in! It also had an m38A1 back axle, but I now have the correct axle to put back on it.
Brief history; Assembled so late in the war, it probably saw little/ no wartime service. Post war (1947ish) it was used by the US Navy (land based) and mounted with a mobile generator to start jets on the runway - it had a takeoff from the transfer box hence the holes in the transmission hump, also a rev counter mounted in the dash to keep a track on the extra generator! I've been told that if it still had the original hood, it would have a strange stamped 'bubble' in it. As a result of being an airfield jeep, it was painted yellow all over - chassis + body. I think it was then sold to a farmer in the 60's and was fitted with a chevvy V8, which stayed with the jeep right up untill it was shipped over here to the UK (the V8 stayed in the states).
Some pics as it arrived:
The MB engine:
Nice Ford head!
