UPDATE – This Willys popped up back in September of 2020, but apparently didn’t find a new owner, as it’s been relisted. It’s still in Salt Lake City, Utah, but this time the seller has included a few additional photos of it. You can find it here on eBay where it’s already bid up to $19,000. It’s being offered without a reserve, so hopefully it finds a good home this time around!
FROM 9/23/2020 – There’s something special about WWII-era vehicles. I’m filled with pride thinking about “The Greatest Generation” storming the beaches of Normandy, conquering Europe and The Pacific in Willys’ just like this one. According to the ad found here on eBay, this 1942 Willys was delivered in January of 1942 but there’s no mention of it seeing any service overseas. It has a current bid of over $17,000 and the reserve hasn’t been met yet. Currently located in Salt Lake City, Utah, the seller says it has been in storage for the past 50 years! Have a look at this awesome Willys and check out that grille… There’s something special about this one!
The seller doesn’t include much information in the ad, but it sounds like this Willys is all-original and hasn’t run since it was stored in the 1960s. The seller points out the “slat grille” as being a pretty rare feature that only made appearances in 1941 and 1942. It has the original 6-volt electrical system. The 4-cylinder engine looks like it hasn’t been messed with. It also features a 3-speed transmission and high/low transfer case. These things will climb just about anything if you can keep traction.
The interior is about as bare-bones as you can get. Everything is painted sand-tan and there are no creature comforts. According to the ad, the odometer reads less than 20K miles. I’m not sure if this one should be restored or just fixed up mechanically and driven? What do you think?
Overall, this is a really cool ride with a ton of potential. It could be used as a parade vehicle or restored and be driven. It could be driven as-is or even made into an off-road beast. If this was your project, what would you do with it?
We should get all teary eyed seeing this, it represents freedom. IDK about the “greatest generation” schtick, but our dads went through the toughest conflict we ever saw as a nation, and many were blown to smithereens. I was lucky, my old man, who fought in France after Normandy, was injured and flown home, otherwise I might not be typing this now. We simply can’t forget that.
I highly doubt this particular Jeep saw any conflict, more than likely a “stateside” Jeep, as I learned, returning home from overseas, ALL military vehicles and weapons were dumped in the sea. I didn’t believe that, until a friends dad told me he personally helped push dozens of these overboard, coming home from the Pacific. The remainder stayed back in places like this. One time I’m not going to complain about the price. How can you put a price on freedom, and these buggers made it happen,,Salute!
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/402650022919831975/?nic_v2=1a2of2oqS
A friend of mine’s dad drove a Sherman tank during the invasion of Normandy and lived to tell the tale. When he passed away some years back quite a few ancient warriors, some missing arms, legs, or eyes; many in wheelchairs, attended the funeral. It was a humbling experience just being around those guys.
While I can’t comment on what happened to army surplus in the Pacific, however in Europe the massive stockpiles of vehicles and ammo left after the conflict would be handed over to US allies. It was part of what later would be known as the Marshall Plan and this assistance was crucial to help refit Western European armies. It was probably also a very cheap solution to both build stability in the region AND get rid of excessive amounts of army surplus made with yesterday’s technology. Shipping all that surplus back and dismantle it would’ve been a fortune.
Literally THOUSANDS of Jeeps, WCs,GMC 2 1/2 trucks, White Scout Cars,Ward LaFrance wreckers, .50 cals, M1 Carbines, Garands, M24 Chaffees, M101 howitzers not to mention mountains of ammo were donated to build up new armies. In some countries many of these vehicles and weapons were in second line service into the 90s. I’m educated as an M109 Howitzer Commander but as late as ’97 my battery utilized M101(built ’42) with live ammo for practicing shooting drills and my piece’s .50cal was also a WWII production
Well said, Howard. These little devils helped us win WW2. The Greatest Generation. This looks so unmolested it makes you cry.
Good luck and happy motoring.
Cheers
GPC
I know this is only vaguely related to this vehicle but the other day I got the chance to tour the WW2 submarine USS Cod which is once again open as a public exhibit here in Cleveland. It was a very informative and well maintained exhibit which gives one a pretty good idea of what those who served on her went through on a daily basis and what tight quarters the crews which numbered from about 75-95 men worked in. No additional openings have been cut in the hull so you have to go up and down the original ladders to enter and exit the sub and duck through through the doors separating the watertight compartments on the bow to stern tour. Luckily at age 62 me and my slightly younger girlfriend were able to make it through. It’s an excellent deal at $12 for adults and $10 for us seniors and I would highly recommend it if you’re in decent shape and not too large.
This reminds me of the rumors you used to read about, where old warehouses were rumored to be stacked full of old WWII Jeeps, covered in Cosmoline and ready to be shipped out.
Hi Jason, that’s all they were, rumors. The “Army Jeeps” for $75 bucks, what you got was a list of auctions where you could allegedly buy them. There are stories of people that somehow did get Jeeps in a crate at auctions, but generally, the govt. didn’t sell surplus machinery to the public.
back in the 70’s you could still buy them, but one of the conditions of the sale is to mutilate the body per military specs, which meant cutting 2 diagonal swaths to the body and frame, or to run it over with a bulldozer. Seems a civilian bought one, flipped it, pinning him under it. These little babies flipped over easily. Once your uncle got wind of these, they pulled the plug on anything useable. The story of the crated jeep for $75 is a good one. One of the items you could buy right after the war were Glider planes, the people bought them for the lumber they crated them it. My father told me the woods were full of the gliders. One enterprising Hot rodder, Pat Bilbow, used to see out the glider frames, as they were made out of Moly tubing, and build dragsters out of the material. Lyndwood dragsters were made in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Everything recycles!!
Cheers
GPC
The Vietnam era Mutts were known to roll over easily ,and those were the ones that were not to be sold as a driving vehicle, not the Willys/Ford Jeeps of WW2. There is an old junkyard in the woods in RI. that had a stack of crushed Mutt bodies in a pile and a pile of destroyed windshield frames in another just sitting rusting away in the woods. These Jeeps were sold to the public in auctions ;my cousin still own a 43 Willys he bought decades ago.
I don’t know about land-based equipment, but many aircraft returned stateside after the war. There’s film of hundreds of combat worn B17s and B24s lined up in desert boneyards awaiting stripping for parts or scrapping.
Howard Hughes used an out-of-the-box idea to save his TWA Airlines beaucoup bucks by buying many, many war surplus aircraft.People thought he was crazy (an idea which has never really been resolved) but what he knew that they didn’t think of was ingenious-every plane was filled with avgas and oil so as to be ready for the next time it was used. He drained the fuel & oil then sold the rest for scrap metal…
Crazy smart? Maybe just crazy but it was smart.
A man I knew, J.W. Duff in Denver, was a surplus dealer into this century. He is actually mentioned by name in the aviation Smithsonian magazine, as the man who bought 100+ B-17 bombers at Kingman, AZ, and sold the avgas in the wings for more than he paid for the airplanes. RIP, JW.
gaspumpchas,
You are correct as to the scrapping of Jeeps. I used to attend the Surplus auctions at Ft. Meade and the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland. Jeeps WERE notorious for flipping over if driven too fast for the terrain, so at least by 1973 all scrapped Jeeps [M151, both A1 and A2 versions], were already cut into 4 main sections, frames and body. Most of the large parts like drive train & suspension were already removed for rebuilding by Army subcontractors.
With the Viet Nam war winding down, there was a huge surplus of trucks. Dodge 3/4 ton military trucks [especially ambulance versions], the Willys 5/4 ton trucks, and the larger 2.5 & 5 ton trucks were often sold as complete units, many of them capable of running once batteries were installed.
I was in the Military Police at Ft. Meade, and I knew which of the civilian AMC Matador police cars were worth buying, and the ones I wanted, I usually got, because before we towed each one over to the salvage lot, I pulled the ignition rotor button out, so it wouldn’t run. I also wrote “Tow to lot” on the windshield!
We had a very nice 2.5 ton truck, a 1962 Studebaker with a retro-fitted multi-fuel vehicle [Kero, Diesel, Gasoline, etc]. I wanted it badly, so when it came time to tow it to the lot, I filled the crankcase with 2 more quarts of used motor oil, and wrote “Cracked block” on the windshield. Other buyers would pull the dipstick, see all the oil and think the bottom of the crankcase is filled with water. I bought it for $75. Changed the oil, put batteries in it, and drove it away.
I’m no expert on these but my dad had one similar but it was made by Ford…
That would be the M151 “Mutt”, like this one:
https://barnfinds.com/military-barn-find-1965-ford-m151a1-mutt/
Ford made almost 278,000 GPWs during World War II.
I’m not 100% positive but I do believe you are correct about it being the Ford built one. The MUTT came in the 60s I do believe.
Believe it or not, MOST of the World War II Jeeps were built by Ford, by a large percentage.
The “slat grill” was the original design of the Bantam Company.
Willys won the Government Contract, but as a small Company, could not keep up with demand. Ford was tasked by the Gov. to build a “Licensed” copy of the Willys MB, to help meet production numbers. Ford’s ‘jeep’ was very similar to the Willys.
Willys and Ford started production both using the slat grill.
It was made of multiple pieces of steel that had to be welded together.
To make one was labor intensive and time consuming.
Ford had been utilizing stamped parts, and designed a grill that could be quickly made from a sheet of steel stamped into existence.
The Gov. liked and approved of the method, and demanded that Willys do the same.
The famous, in fact Trade-marked, Jeep grill, that became popular the World over, was designed and first made by Ford Motor Company.
Late ’60s we had a ’42 Ford that we needed drivetrain parts for. Found an Army transportation unit in Detroit that had been there since during WW2 and had shelves of cosmoline protected parts still wrapped in heavy waxed paper that they couldn’t unload on us fast enough. Can’t imagine there isn’t still some of the old National Guard transportation units that have stuff like that sitting around collecting dust.
The ‘Greatest Generation’ ? Absof**kinglutely in my mind. It wasn’t just the 18y/o boys trained and shipped quickly to the other side of the world, many to never return but the greatest of the greatest were the millions who changed their lives and worked to back them. Building that arsenal of state of the art and superior ships, airplanes, weapons and the food to feed the millions who needed all of it to defeat the awful element our world had produced. And they did it in no time and never complained but silently worked proudly. My grandmother who died at 72 because she worked in factories as a machinist during the war was so proud that she worked in a top secret area finely machining the parts for the new Norton bomb site. Not only did she do that saying “our boys need the best to help protect our country”, she opened up her home in Des Plaines, Illinois as a boarding house to young girl factory workers. Indeed the greatest generation. I still miss her, she was awesome.
Hey Gregg, it was quite an accomplishment, I wonder if we could muster up that kind of spirit today. My grandfather was too young for WW1 and too old for WW2, which was a shame, because a more patriotic guy, you’d never find. We think he bought a post war Packard because of their contributions to the war.
Indeed Howard, the Packard wartime V-12 engine alone was an incredible manufacturing accomplishment in the numbers needed…………my father, turned 18 in 1943 and was drafted into the Army and went to the Pacific theatre where he received 3 bronze stars. He never talked about the war. I believe his experiences haunted him.
My dad was in France, but my late ex-father-in-law, was in the Pacific. My ex-wife said he too, never spoke of his service. My dad told us “war stories”, but her dad never said anything. It wasn’t until we got married, and at family gatherings, him and my old man started talking, and for the 1st time in 40 years, Gene started opening up about his experiences. How he even made it, was nothing short of Divine intervention. I heard stories, that while no war is fun, many GI’s had some wild stories about their service in Europe, but it was no picnic in the Pacific. The Asians were ruthless fighters, I think the Europeans had a shred of compassion.
In case some younger readers don’t know, ( or even bother reading this) Packard made a version of the British aircraft motor, Merlin. It’s why I’m such a supporter of British engineering, as without that motor, I wonder if we would have won the war?
I recently watched a you-tube about the Merlin and couldn’t believe the complicated and fine machining that made it so durable and powerful. They used 3 in every PT boat and the P51 Mustang was so successful as a fighter plane it turned the war near the end. They ruled the sky. Howard do you know any other applications they were used in?
As a long time Packard fanatic [I’ve had about 300 of them, 1930s thru the end in 1958], I have delved deeply into the Packard-Merlin connection [I’ve also had quite a few Rolls-Royces as well].
The Merlin was, and still is, an incredible piece of work. It was the first aircraft engine that was truly reliable, and didn’t require an overhaul after only a couple of sorties. Problem was, it’s a very complex work of mechanical art, made to the highest standards that one can imagine Rolls-Royce was capable of.
When the British government realized they needed more than 10 times the number of Merlins as Rolls-Royce could produce, and that to ramp up production in England was going to take months, not weeks, they began to search for an organization that could quickly produce the Merlin, at unheard of levels of production.
Only Packard was willing to accept the challenge. In record time they opened a full production facility, and all thru the war, they consistently broke production records. While they kept the same basic motor and design, whenever possible they streamlined the number of parts needed, along with ways to reduce the huge amount of labor time involved in it’s production.
The ability of Packard to manufacture the Merlin engine in record numbers, was one of the deciding factors in the allied victory in WW2. And all the time during the war, the company still produced thousands of Marine and transportation motors for the war effort. The US War Production Board wisely realized that Packard’s abilities to produce high quality motors in large production, so they decided Packard should concentrate mostly on motors & transmissions.
Mr. McCoskey, Thank you for that information, that’s what I love about this site. Even though sometimes opinions and personalities run wild (it’s a forum- what would you expect?) I learn new things everyday. I am very interested in Packards, I considered buying an early 50’s 6cylinder convertible awhile back. It was not one of their high end models but looked to be high quality and durability. What experience with them can you share?
On and On,
I’ve owned many post war Packards, especially the 1948-50 models, and I currently own a 1948 Super convertible.
If you were looking at a post war Packard convertible, it had to be an 8 cylinder car from the factory, as the 6 cylinder Packard convertibles were pre-war only.
Packard managed to maintain a high quality automobile even with the “junior” models like the 110 and 120 versions for 1935 to 1942, and again with the Clipper 6 and Eight cars, even the 1953-56 Clippers.
Packard was known world-wide for their reliability. Even 20 years after the company discontinued building cars in Detroit, the factory in South Bend still supplied parts.
In 1970 my best friend and I, both Packard owners at the age of 18, drove from Maryland to South Bend to buy parts. We came back with his dad’s 1969 Imperial LeBaron loaded to the gills with parts, literature, and more. The trunk and back seat area were so full of parts that when hitting bumps on the interstate, the suspension would bottom out!
While there we both raided the factory for brand new Packard owner’s manuals, they were available for only $1 each! I bought about 40 owners manuals, should have bought many more, but being on a college student budget, that didn’t happen.
If you are serious about buying a Packard, I suggest joining the Packard Club. [ https://www.packardclub.org ] The club’s website alone has an incredible amount of info on the marque.
I remember now the car I was interested in was a 1952 Packard Mayfair convertible. Was nice, clean and lowish miles. Had a leather interior. I believe it was a strait 8.
No tailgate. A Ford maybe? Nice old jeep.
No military jeeps came with tailgates except the Korean War era M38, which was based on the CJ3A. Even their tailgate was bolted closed. This one is definitely a Willys though as only Willys made the slat grill.
The first jeep-Bantam Pilot-September 21, 1940 had the slate grille. Bantam first jeep passed the Army field testing and was making visits to various Army bases before Willy’s first jeep-Quad-even arrived for field testing. Only to have broken three engine rods during its initial testing. Willy’s and Ford had subpar pilot jeeps and needed revisions to match what Bantam achieved.
The easy way to tell if it was a Ford jeep is to look at the bolts . Rumor has it that Ford really didn’t want to make copies of the Willys but the government insisted , so just to be different, he had a Ford script “F” on the head of every bolt. We restored a 43 Willys in the early 80s . I’ve only seen one true Ford Jeep .
Don, Ford did indeed do that -and got royally reamed out for doing it. They stopped doing it but the desire to obtain those headbolts drove the price up among Jeep restorers. They also put a script ‘F’ on the rear panel and Uncle made Ford stop doing that as well.
Who knows if this Willys ever saw combat, but it had to have been used by one branch of the service. No civilian Willys were made until after the end of WWII.
It does look like a pretty original slat grill MB (MB is what Willys called their Jeep). The original front bumper’s been replaced with a tow bar, and the rear seat is missing, but other wise it’s all there. Besides the slat grill, it also still has an original early no glove box, Willys script body. One thing that does seem off though are the wheels. It has two piece “combat” wheels, which I don’t think were ever installed on slat grills.
My brother’s storing a slat grill 41 Ford GPW Jeep in my garage. My father (a WWII vet) and brother collected military vehicles. At one time they had about a dozen WWII vehicles, including 2 MB’s, the GPW, a half track, a 43 Chevrolet crash tender (fire truck) and a Stewart tank.
Ford built Jeeps under license from Willys, because Willys didn’t have the production capacity to meet the Government’s needs. An interesting note on the WWII Jeeps. Ford designed the one piece, stamped steel grill that replaced the heavier and more expensive to make, welded together slat grill. So Ford actually designed the grill, that’s now the Jeep’s trademark!
Even more obscure, ironic trivia – The first (“very early production” in jeep collector lingo) Ford Jeeps’ bodies were stamped out (including THAT grill) by Budd. Budd Body made many interesting things, from the first all steel Dodges, the war time Dodge WC trucks (Great grandfathers to the power wagon)the Chrysler / Desoto Airflows, was a consultant in the late ’20’s on the BMW ‘Star’ pressed steel framed motorcycles (many of which,R12s’, were used by the German military. But most interestingly, at the same time as the WC’s and GPWs’, they were building the bodies for the Opal trucks in Germany. I wonder if an biography of this guy has ever been written?
I’m 67 and remember those shows well. Thanks for the memories!
Later, Budd made the stainless steel RB-1 Conestoga cargo plane. Twin-engine, it pioneered (get it, conestoga-pioneered) several features of today’s giant C-5’s. It had a high wing and the nose lifted up, and the “tail-gate” lowered, to provide drive-thru loading. Sorry to get onto a tangent, but for mechanic-heads, WWII manufacturing is like King Solomon’s mines.
Looks like the one Pat Brady drove on the Roy Rogers Show on
Saturday mornings just before Sky King and My Friend Flicka.
…Happy trails to you until meet again.
Clearfield, Utah, north of Salt Lake City, had an Air Force base, Hill I think. Could be from there.
I purchased about 19 NOS Dodge truck steering wheels. Hubs wrapped in cosmoline.
Found loads of heavy duty steering components also in cosmoline.
My Mom was also a machinist. She did the landing gear for the P38, Lightning.
Still alive and runnin, at 96 years old. Stopped in August to take her to breakfast in Alma, Arkansas. Of course, Cracker Barrel.
“Slat Grilles” that aren’t rusted out can be a challenge to find. This is a very nice one. About 25K were produced before transitioning to the standardized one-piece stamped grille. Per the dash tag placed above the factory data plates, this jeep underwent a government rebuild in 1945. That might explain a few items not correct for the production date of this MB:
—Tandem wipers, rather than two individual wipers, were added in 1943.
—The hood is a likely replacement as it has a lube chart holder on the underside. This wasn’t added until late war.
—When produced, this jeep would have used an ignition key. This one has a ignition turn switch as used in mid- to late-war production. Probably was changed during the rebuild.
—As noted above, this would have been equipped with solid disk wheels at production. The combat wheels may have been retro-fitted at the rebuild.
Some incorrect pieces, if the new owner wishes to do a factory or even 1945-rebuild level restoration (which would be a wonderful way to honor this historic artifact and those who operated her):
—Lock out front hubs should be removed; incorrect for any WWII jeep.
—Replace modern temp gauge with correct unit.
—Speedo is right, but appears to have a missing needle.
—Tail lights are civilian units instead of correct WWII style
—Civilian style, likely CJ2A, sidesteps should be removed.
—Side grab handles have the right look, but should not be chrome (don’t want shiny things on a combat vehicle).
—Not sure why that horizontal steel bar behind the seats was placed there?
—As noted above, find a replacement rear seat.
Contrary to the seller’s description, this jeep would have been painted O.D. green at the factory. It may have been painted the current desert tan once assigned to a unit, or during the 1945 rebuild.
Also, Ford did not build WWII jeeps under license from Willys. Ford was awarded its own contracts to build jeeps using the accepted standardized Willys design (with some Ford features incorporated such as the stamped grille). Hence the “W” in the model’s name: Ford GPW.
A nice slat grille that appears to be pulling healthy bids. Hope the new owner brings it back to its original glory.
D.
Rat Patrol!!!!’
My Grandfather serves during WWII having volunteered for service on June 17, 1942, the day he turned 18, My Great Grandmother would not let him enlist until after he Graduated High School at first he wanted to go in the Navy, like his Father, but because his older brother was in the Navy, he decided to go in to the Army, after basic training at Fort Meade, he shipped out to Casablanca in early February 1943, and was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. We found out after he passed away that he started out in the same platoon with a young boy from Texas name Audie L Murphy, yes the same most decorated Soldier in WWII. After he was badly inured during the battle for Sicily, he was shipped back to the US, hospitalized for over a year for his wounds, by the time he was fit enough to return to action duty, he was reassigned to England to the Quartermaster Corp.. He would tell stories about how they would try to tear these Jeeps up, but they couldn’t. These were about the only stories he would talk about, but never about any battles he fought in or who was his friends anything, he would change the subject and talk about some of the stuff he did with the Quartermasters, like I said we didn’t know until after he had died that he had been in the same unit as Audie Murphy, we found a picture of the company taken before Sicily, and it had a circle around him and Audie Murphy, and on the back was written some of the other guys he fought with.
After the War was over Gramps as we called him some how wound up with a couple of Jeeps I believe a 43 and a 44, that he used on his cattle ranch in Montana. I can remember as a kid back in the 60’s getting to ride and drive them old thing, of course they were pretty beat up by then, but they would go just about anywhere you wanted them to go.
I’m in Australia if anyone stateside interested I have several jeeps in need of restoration all seen service in the pacific a couple of dodges as well, I would sell for the right offer
Hello Tony, I would love to see your Jeeps, send me a ticket.! Will they start and drive to Calif ? ? LOL ! Friends have Jeeps in Sweden, I have ridden in them there, on forest roads. The real reason for writing:: ” Sorry to hear of all the past fires and animal losses.” I had hoped to visit Australia sometime; is post -fire not a good time ? I am interested in motorcycles and vintage cars and caravans and admire those Down Under ! Hope you and your family are safe, good luck with your Jeeps, be safe ! David in Fresno and Sonora, CA
Any Bantam Jeeps?
And it still has it’s rare two piece wheels – that sold it !!!!
Our ’42 had the one piece wheels, one windshield wiper, no tailgate, and the stamped grill. Had the Ford stamp but don’t remember if the bolts had the “F” on them.
On the Packards, a neighbor has a couple beautiful oldies.
The 39 that was used by the Japanese Embasy in San Francisco and the other, a red roadster, about 34 ish.
Baltzaar is the last name.
They brought the roadster to our car club breakfast this morning.
Was told it was the mayor of Denvers car. Not sure.
They rotate driving them and a 29 Rolls Limo. A 59 Rolls.
I got to drive the 39 Packard a couple years ago. That was real work. No syncro and no power steering.
Like a Peterbilt I drove in 1964
Thank you gentlemen for the education and for sharing memories of loved ones service to this country.
May they all rest in peace
As my dad had flown a Waco CG4A glider into Sainte Mere Eglise 4 hours before the troops hit the beachheads in Normandy, he was part of an obscure group of pilots that would get together every year. We went with him when we could. During the Invasion of Europe one of the more famous pilots landed in wrong part of France because they took some shrapnel from a AAA round. As the glider skidded to a stop the cockpit (which was hinged at the top for loading) flew up with the pilot and copilot still strapped to their seats!! As the mortar rounds started landing around their “plane” the soldier in the cargo area undid the cargo straps of the Jeep inside and came racing out as fast as it would go!! The pilots scrambled out and met up with some lost paratroopers then eventually made their way back to the beaches.
At every convention the pilot would tel, the story and the two of them would always ask the newcomers if they had heard about or knew whatever had ever happened to the Jeep driver!!
Amazing story, nevadahalfrack! My father fought in the Pacific in the Navy and I will never forgive myself for not attempting to write a book about his experience there, even if just for our family. He joined the Navy in January 1942 a month before his 17th birthday, was an Naval aircraft mechanic for 35 years after the war, and raised 6 strong children with Mom. He passed away in 2011 and I am still waiting for the day when the pain passes as well.
Write the book BZ. I am now 82 and only one year ago I finished writing my life story so that when I am gone if any of my family want to know how lived my life, and how I loved every single one of my family, all they have to do is to pick up the book and read. I wrote it purely because I had so many unaswered questions re my family members after they had died and could get no answers. Even today I want to ask my Dad or Mum a question only to realise that they have been gone for many years now. Do youself, and your family members a favour and write it NOW!
Have a must read, The Complete History of World War II.
Given to me years ago by Moms Husband who was a Navy Frog.
It has about 10 pictures of Military Jeeps.
One blown up in the Philippines, several are partial apictures, couple good and one group on a landing craft.
Author: Ann Woodward Miller, copyright 1948, by A. W. M.
Otherwise, a fascinating book.
Have been reading for over 30 years.
This jeep looks wonderful! It’s a keeper — I hope the new owner loves it as much as the original ones have (to keep it in this condition).
Ours is a 1946 post-war civilian jeep. Largely unmolested. We still have the original 1946 canvas. If not for that jeep I’d definitely be bidding on this one.
Wow look at all these comments!! $20,300 now, with 5 days left.
When I went into the army in 1961, I took training in LVDC, light vehicle driving school. That was from deuce and a half, 3/4 ton weapons carriers and 1/4 ton Jeep’s. The Jeep’s were all WWII era Jeep’s. The one I was assigned to was built in 1944. I remember thinking, did this one serve in combat? I know now that it didn’t but the vehicles we trained on were vintage WWII. And that was 1961! They were all in good condition and we did our best to punish the heck out on them. They took all we could give them. Eight years later I saw some at different bases still in service. Built tough!
Several comments here re the Merlin engine made by Packard under licence to Rolls Royce UK, however, none mention that it was initially built in 1933 for the Schneider Trophy Air Race winner, a Supermarine Swift which became the immortal Spitfire, and initially produced nearly 1000 hp but by the end of the war produced over 2000 hp. According to Wikipedia Rolls Royce produced over 150,000 engines and Packard 50,500. Lots of British and American aircraft used the Merlin i.e. The Merlin engine was used in forty aircraft during World War Two, initially in the Fairey Battle, but it is primarily associated with the Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane, Avro Lancaster bomber and the de Havilland Mosquito. The Merlin was also used to upgrade the power of the previously underpowered P51 Mustang used by the USAAF. Ken Tilly. UK.
One other bit of Packard trivia is that the Packard V-12s installed in PT boats was a Packard 3A-2500 V-12, a marine engine. So Packard was producing two separate lines of V12s.
JoeBob,
That reminds me of my only dealing with Packard 2500 V12 marine motors.
In the summer of 1973 I was at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland, buying various military surplus items. I found 6 stacks of large gray steel storage containers, each stack representing a single lot of 10 containers. A few of the containers were open and displaying large V-12 motors, complete and ready for install in PT boats, or for other final uses. On closer look, I noted the info stenciled on the container lid: they were genuine Packard-built 3A-2500 motors, 1 per container. The stenciled info showed the supplier info: PACKARD MOTOR CAR COMPANY, DETROIT, MICH.
I wanted one of the motors. Actually, I wanted all 60 of them, but the reality was, not only did I not have any room to put them, if I was to be the high bidder, they had to be gone by 5pm that same day. Of course that involved having a forklift and a flatbed semi trailer & truck to move them.
By the time the Packard lots came up for bidding, I had only managed to buy one lot of 27 stainless steel and glass pie and cake display cases, the type often found in diners and restaurants. The total cost for the lot of cases: $7. Not per case, that was $7 for all 27 cases. So I wasn’t worried about having enough cash.
But I had failed to find someone willing to help me move the Packard motors. Even worse, I had no location to store them.
The first lot up for bid ended at $500. That meant the individual motors sold for $50. The other 5 lots ended up with the same bid, as only 2 people were bidding. I met with the guy who bought them, and offered to buy a couple of them. He gave me his card and told me to call him the next day. His salvage company was located in Dover, Delaware about a 45 minute drive from the sale’s location.
I called him as soon as I got off work at 4pm. My hopes of buying one or more of the motors was quickly dashed when I was told the price of individual motors, the same ones I had seen sell for $50 the day before. The price now was a whopping $5,000 EACH.
Within weeks of our conversation, I saw ads in various surplus equipment periodicals, advertising the same motors for prices varying from $5,000 to [if I remember correctly] $8,000, per motor. When I returned from a tour of duty in Europe in late 1975, I noted he was still offering the same motors in the same price range. one of his larger ads noted he “Only had 5 dozen left”. Yeah, that’s right, he hadn’t sold a single motor. I never knew what happened to them, but after his death in the mid 1980s, I heard everything in the yard was sold to one buyer for scrap, and it all vanished.
The bittersweet part of this story is when I was looking at the motors before the sale, I found a brass ID tag at the bottom of one of the containers. I don’t think it had ever been installed on the motor, probably just dropped or simply thrown into the container, by whoever was supposed to attach it to the motor’s block. It bears the date of June 11, 1948.
I know the date well because I see it on a regular basis, as I still have it. for 40+ years I have used that plate as a reminder that anyone who wants to buy and sell vintage items, better have a place to keep and protect them from theft and deterioration. That’s one reason I bought a small farm with lots of storage buildings.
Would like set the record straight RE the RR Merlin. Packard was not the only company to step up to build it. As you correctly point out, RR could not make enough of these ‘ hand-built’ engines. My grandfather, Managing Director of Ford UK at the time, told the govt that if they gave him the facility, he could mass produce the engines in quantity. They built a new factory in Manchester and got the job done in tens of thousands. He crossed the Atlantic a number of times in bombers and provided Packard with his experience as to how best to build the Merlins. He was knighted by the King for his services. Grandpa was an amazing guy, and lived to be 100.
Looks like at least 10 suspect low feedback bids. IMHO, this beauty is worth all of 20 large. Good luck on this one!!
Cheers
GPC
I drove a 43 while I was in high school. I worked in a gas station weekends and they had one as a runner That was in 1953, I I would plow driveways in the wintertime. It was in Montreal, no heater canvas top often weather around zero degrees. Had a mechanical plow, no hydraulics, would go home with my arm arching but had $’s for my Saturday night date with some girl I don’t remember her name. With chains on all wheels itt would go anywhere no mater how big the blizzard.
My father was 17 when he joined the Navy. Yes, he lied to get in. He just passed at the age of 97 in May 2019. Buried in Arlington National Cemetary.
As for this vehicle, it was asked, restore or fix mechanically and drive as is.
This is history. Real history. Don’t restore, restomod or anything other than get it running and drive as is.
On another note, this countries government is so wasteful! People sacrificed to get rubber, gas and steel. When it’s all over, just push them into the sea? Disgraceful. What a waste
I was surprised at why they would do that too. From what I heard, they dumped everything in the sea, in case the ship was overtaken by enemies. Anyone?
When the war ended in the Pacific ,most PT boats had their armaments stripped off, were beached, lined up side by side, and burned .It wasn’t worth transporting them all back and with the war over, the government had no use for them
The cost to return now-obsolete and often damaged equipment back to the states was too high to justify the expense. We do the same “military triage” today.
Good points .. what ya gonna do with 1,000s of B-17s? To the chipping mill.
I have some photo negatives, taken by an aged aviation mechanic friend, of brand new P-38 Lightnings all bulldozed into a pit at Clark Field, Phillipines, and burned, then buried. These pics were taken in 1946. I think I heard about some expedition to find the pit and excavate, a while back.
My Dad had a surplus Jeep and in about 1952 bought a new Jeep, my Mum would take about eight kids to school in it
It’s over $20k now…that’s all the money for this jeep. Should be going to a new home.
MERLIN PACKARD
https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/classic-cars/a30763715/rolls-royce-vs-packard-who-built-a-better-merlin/
As a new AF 1st Lt in the late ’60s I was stationed at Jacksonville NAS. Right behind my office in the base ops building was an A6 rework facility. Got to know some of the folks there and learned they threw all the removed bolts, nuts and matching washers in a dumpster at the rear of our building. Wasting no time, the next Saturday my girl friend and I were in the dumpster loading everything into double grocery bags which went into the folded down back seat of our ’57 Porsche Cabriolet, several times, until we got everything there was to get. Years later we quit counting and matching as we had accumulated over 5,000 aircraft grade fasteners. The rest went into the big red coffee cans of the era. We’re building another race car as we speak and some of those nuts and bolts are on it already. Never did find out what the sum total was the but the 5,000 today will cost you 8 to 13 dollars per nut/bolt set. That’s real government waste. At least today all that material is recycled into non flying needs.
Had to jump in on the subject of Rolls Royce Merlin engines, Packard etc. Maybe your contributors are not aware that when RR declared that they were unable to keep up with demand, because these were ‘hand built engines’, the UK Ford Motor Co absolutely stepped up, and informed the UK Govt that they could mass-produce these engines. They set up a new factory in Manchester UK and manufactured tens of thousands of Merlins during the course of the war. I know this, because my grandfather was the CEO of Ford UK at the time. He and his team flew back and forth across the Atlantic many times, in RAF bombers, (“I have never been so cold in my life”, he said), to work with Packard to show them how Ford did it and to provide any technical assistance required. It’s really got nothing to do with BarnFind vehicles, but it’s a hell of a story! At least it was a car company manufacturing project. My grandfather was knighted by King George VI for his part in the project.
Love BarnFinds.
Bill McCoskey, interesting story. It sounds like the bidder who bought the salvage (new) 3A-2500s expected to sell them back to the government for about what they paid for them the first time. Either that or maybe he had an emotional attachment to them. A shame they went to scrap.
A jeep (a very cool one) that doesn’t run, needs a ton of work, and can’t drive on today’s highways, all for only 20 grand? You need to seriously consider that move. Especially in today’s financial environment. I agree with the statement of one of the “greatest generation” I saw on TV. He said the greatest generation was their parents. Think about that.
I’m not sure what you’re saying exactly, srg re: “Greatest Generation”…but with respect to this jeep specifically I do not seeing it needing a “ton of work.” Less is more in my book.
If it really “ran when parked” and factoring the external condition its in, the L134 GoDevil engine should get up and running again with minimal fuss. Clean plugs, fresh fluids, belt and battery. I’ve seen totally rusted out yard jeeps crank over and start up. There’s just not much to ’em.
Of course, one doesn’t obtain pre-1960s vehicles to supercruise on modern interstates. Remember, too, most modern cars cannot go where this jeep can (if it wants to). To each their own.
Clipper, if you dont know what I mean by the greatest generation, shame on you.
To clarify, I was addressing “srg”‘s comment: “I agree with the statement of one of the ‘greatest generation’ I saw on TV. He said the greatest generation was their parents. Think about that.”
I’m not sure what he meant by that specifically. I certainly know what the Greatest Generation means to me and highly respect them. Unfortunately none from my own family are still with us :(
Cool slat grill.