My 1943 Willys MB

[Halsey]

Looks like some hippy's overactive dream from back in the 1960's!!
Ha!

Yep, definitely looks like Marine numbers there. Very very cool!

Sand carefully and you may find more.

Slow and careful, wet sanding may bring out more.

Good luck!

Chris
Cortland, NY

[Michigan45MB]

There is so much paint on her.

[Fred Coldwell]

Hi Michigan45MB:

Congratulations on acquiring your mom's jeep. Two other features suggest it might be a Marine Corps radio jeep. First is the incorrect hinges on the exterior of the glove box door. Factory-built radio jeeps originally had glove box doors without any hinges so the door could be removed to hear the speaker mounted inside the glove box. Look for an oval hole in the bottom of the glove box itself. Second is the large areas from behind the removed data plates to the left of the glove box door. Those large areas look like the size of the larger data plates added to radio jeeps. Now that you have found them, have someone scan those data plates and post their images in this thread. They will help further identify your jeep. Again, congratulations and Welcome to the Gee!

[Michigan45MB]

Just checked the glove box. Didn't notice an oval hole, but then I noticed a piece of sheet metal had been placed in there. There is a decently sized hole in the bottom of the glove box. I'd say it's about 4-5" by 8-9".

[Fred Coldwell]

Just checked the glove box. Didn't notice an oval hole, but then I noticed a piece of sheet metal had been placed in there. There is a decently sized hole in the bottom of the glove box. I'd say it's about 4-5" by 8-9".

That's it! Welcome to the world of Marine Corps and Navy radio jeeps! You can find a lot of information about these jeeps in the "Jeeps used by: USMC, USN, USCG" subforum. Check it out.

[pgcf]

This confirms what I said in my earlier post, you have a former USMC jeep. This corresponds to the cut out in the hood for the fording pipe and I think the data plate on the dash are post war fording instructions.

[Mark Tombleson]

Welcome to G503.

Here is a 5 page thread on the topic, in the forum Fred mentions.

http://www.g503.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=84&t=107382

You will find photos of the oval hole as well as a lot of other odd features of the Navy/USMC radio jeeps.

Oh, here is what your numbers look like.



Don't feel like you are the only one with lots of paint. Here was mine... 10 coats of paint.

[Halsey]

Very very cool! Now you not only know its a Marine jeep, but a Marine Radio jeep to boot!! who knows what you might find under all that paint, you may even find out what group it was originally with....

Discovering the origins of our jeeps is half the fun!

Good luck and have a great day!!

Chris
Cortland, NY

[Mark Tombleson]

Hi again Michigan45MB.

We need a body number to further identify your jeep (and for my records).

Here is mine and yours may look similar with a very low 4 digit body number.



As you can see it a square gusset on the driver's side down next to the steering gear and brake master cylinder.

[Michigan45MB]

Can I get a bigger picture of where to look? I looked briefly, but couldn't find anything close to the picture.

[Mark Tombleson]

Here is an article showing the later composite tub with the number on the front instead of the side. Note how it is rounded instead of straight.

http://www.1944gpw.com/a-38-G503_WWII_1 ... umber.aspx



Here is a photo of my radio jeep gusset on the passenger's side... note how they attach to the engine side of the firewall.



Here is anothe photo from below. each gusset has 5 round holes in it.



Oh, also notice in the last photo the area behind the transmission has a rectangular hole 3 or so inches by about a foot wide. Does your jeep have this cut out in the floor or a cast mount there?

[Michigan45MB]

Pretty sure the number is 2260. The last number is hard to see.

[Mark Tombleson]

Very good, that fits right in with the earliest numbers.

Now, I sure would like to see a photo of your front frame area and the front bumper gusset where the frame tag is.

It looks like this.



Are you sure the frame tag reads MB-206988?

[Michigan45MB]

[Mark Tombleson]

Well, Michigan45MB, I'm going to stick my neck out here and tell you your MB appears to be a late January 1943 MB, possibly a complete MB-NOM-12 to be exact, but only more investigation will determine that. It would be helpful if you found and posted a photo of those MIA data plates, specifically the nomenclature plate that has you jeeps infomation stamped on like this one from Dinos! site:



MZ radio jeep owners are scattered all over. Is the jeep still in CA or is it now in Michigan?

I can help you out with items specific to the radio jeep. Here is mine.



If you have technical questions about your brakes and fuel issue ask them on the Technical board. For items on the radio jeep post them on the USMC/USN forum.

Oh, you need to get some manuals and a few books, Ren's WWII Jeep Guidebook is the best place to start.

Ron Fitzpatrick, the owner of this site has any parts you will need...

Finally, you need to drain the gas tank, there is a plug that is accessable from the back. Your fuel lines have been changed from original so you may just need to change that plastic fuel filter