Restoration of GP 8546

Create a thread to track the progress of you MB/GPW restoration progress. Previously a General Discussion board.
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Rory Grenier
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Re: Restoration of GP 8546

Post by Rory Grenier » Thu Jul 21, 2016 6:43 pm

Yes that will help a lot. Now it will run like a top !!!


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Re: Restoration of GP 8546

Post by 1947cj2 » Sun Jul 31, 2016 6:26 am

Danby, you are leaving me in your dust. I am really impressed with how far you have come, and I am just as impressed with your gp. Let me know how it is going. I hope to get back on my gp real soon. Have a Blessed day.
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Re: Restoration of GP 8546

Post by DannyP » Sun Jul 31, 2016 3:54 pm

Thanks Alan! It is getting close. Now if I can just get it to run better. Hopefully I can figure out why it is running so crappy. Going to try again tomorrow. I need to give you a call soon and catch up after the Normandy trip.


Well I her mostly back together this morning. Everything seemed to go well. Connecting the exhaust pipe to the manifold sure is a pain in the bottom. The manifold looks like it fits a lot better now that it has been milled flat. All new gaskets everywhere too. I doubt the manifold will leak anymore. We will see what goes wrong next!

Here it is

Image

Cross your fingers it runs a lot better tomorrow!
Danny
1941 Ford GP
My restoration thread viewtopic.php?f=144&t=241570

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Re: Restoration of GP 8546

Post by DannyP » Fri Aug 26, 2016 3:30 pm

Been away for awhile. Went to the MVPA convention in Pleasanton also spent a couple days seeing the sights in San Fransisco. Never did have any luck getting my GP to run any better unfortunately. Talked to a bunch of other GP owners in CA. Found four that were also having similar problems with their GP's running the Solex. I decided to call in some professional help. Hopefully my GP will be picked up this weekend and whisked away to someone that knows what the heck they're doing.

Even though I was defeated by carb issues I have made some other progress,and got some new parts!

First off I have to thank David Pizzoferrato from Weebee webbing for getting the canvas to me. It looks really good as far as I can tell. I still haven't figured out what I need to get in the way of fasteners yet, or how it all fits together. I'll do some searching tonight and hopefully figure it out. Anyway here are the front seat cushions sat into place for now. There is a flap on the bottom cushion I don't know what to do with, and also not sure how to attach the side cushions. I do think they are supposed to be filled with horse hair.

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You can also see in that pic that I now have new seat supports! The guys at Joe's Motor Pool made me a set, and they will soon be making them for everyone. They also made me a W shaped rest for the passenger seat. They look great and fit perfectly. Really appreciate Rory Grenier letting me borrow the original set until I could get these. Here is the rest.

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Also got a new reproduction fuel pump from the guys at Joe's. It looks great. I am not going to connect it yet though. They also had the New GP fuel tanks at the show. Mine is on the way and once I get it I'll take apart the fuel system hopefully for the last time and install the pump and the tank. Here it is for you to see. Even has the "correct" brass fittings.

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Finally I due to the help of a source that would like to remain anonymous I received some help with how to wire my light switch. It seems to be quality information. I don't have working headlight bulbs. The originals are still in my buckets and they have been submerged at some point. You can see where there is dirt inside them from being full of water. I thought I would have been able to pick up a couple at the convention in CA, but no luck. I need to figure out if there is some modern day bulb that will fit in there until I can get original Seelites. The blackout lights work though front and rear! Also the red light works on the back. I'm not 100% sure if the brake lights work or not. I was by myself and couldn't push the pedal and see the light at the same time. I wish I would have thought just to pull the wires off the back of the switch and hold them together while I walked back to look....next time. This is more progress than I had got before though. Here are some probably really boring pics of the lights. I was still excited though.

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So bright they could probably light up Berlin from the beaches of Normandy. Truthfully I can't see how these could have lit up anything.

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Danny
1941 Ford GP
My restoration thread viewtopic.php?f=144&t=241570

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Re: Restoration of GP 8546

Post by DannyP » Sat Aug 27, 2016 4:13 pm

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There she went. She is now in the hands of a real professional mechanic. Hopefully he knows more than this Indiana farm boy hick as I'm often called. I bet is will be something simple with the timing or carb, but I wasn't getting anywhere with it so instead of beating my head into the wall I called for help. Hopefully he will have it back in a week and I can take it to the Indiana MVPA convention!
Danny
1941 Ford GP
My restoration thread viewtopic.php?f=144&t=241570

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Re: Restoration of GP 8546

Post by zepher11 » Sun Aug 28, 2016 6:48 am

Looks great Danny. That's good to get some help. It is usually something simple. I only know enough to be dangerous with engine stuff, and I will be struggling through getting the engine started in my project soon...I hope...

Pleasure meeting you at the MVPA event. It was an enjoyable event.
Zeph

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Rory Grenier
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Re: Restoration of GP 8546

Post by Rory Grenier » Sun Aug 28, 2016 8:54 am

Hi Danny,
She looks great !!! Maybe it is the nut behind the wheel. Good luck with it and rember I am always here to help. Ha ha :D
Rory

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Re: Restoration of GP 8546

Post by DannyP » Fri Sep 02, 2016 4:54 am

Well I have been meaning to give an update here since Monday. Apparently the problem is that the condenser is bad. It was brand new I would have never thought to check it. Hopefully it will be back in my barn this weekend! Really glad I sent it off to have someone else look at it. In fact I wish I would have done it earlier!

Thanks Rory and Zeph. I still owe you an email since the convention Zeph, Rory I'm hoping to invent time travel and unmeet you!
Danny
1941 Ford GP
My restoration thread viewtopic.php?f=144&t=241570

2/14Marine
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Re: Restoration of GP 8546

Post by 2/14Marine » Fri Sep 02, 2016 5:26 am

I'm glad to hear it was something simple. I had the same thing happen with my m38a1. I spent a month trouble shooting it to have it be the condenser.

The GP looks great. Sorry I missed the convention. I'm making plans to be there next summer. Hopefully you will have the GP there and I can talk you into getting a ride.

Javier
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1942 MB 121796, DOD 2-23-42, USMC 37141

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Re: Restoration of GP 8546

Post by DannyP » Fri Sep 02, 2016 6:05 am

Javier,

Really weird isn't it. The mechanic said it was actually fairly common for the condensers to be bad right out of the box? Bunch of China made junk I guess. I hear there are some new condensers coming out with tighter quality control soon.

I'll have my GP up at Cleveland next year. Come early and you can drive it yourself. Unfortunately the MVPA seems not to like the vehicles to move once they're parked at the show. That was one of the things I thought the Europeans did a lot better at the show I went to in England. They had the vehicles driving around in parade laps every couple hours. Was much more fun to watch them moving around than it is to see them all static like at our convention.
Danny
1941 Ford GP
My restoration thread viewtopic.php?f=144&t=241570

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Re: Restoration of GP 8546

Post by DannyP » Sun Sep 11, 2016 5:30 pm

Well mechanic broke the Solex elbow the other day. I went over there with my spare. He broke that one too! Ended up threading the hole with 1/8" NPT and threaded a hose barb into it. It doesn't leak but looks terrible. Oh well soon enough Joe's Motor Pool will have their reproduction Holley 847D done and I can throw the Solex in the garbage where it belongs. He changed the bad condenser and the advance weights because he thought the springs might be worn causing it to advance too soon. He also put a smaller jet in it. Seemed like it was running really well in his shop yesterday. I was excited. Today he dropped it off, and the problems kept coming. It ran like crap. Idles great, but as soon as you start messing with the throttle choking, sputtering and acting like it's dying. Let off the gas and it sits for a second idles smooth and sounds great again. I took out the plugs and they looked good. Sitting there scratching my head started jerking the throttle arm and noticed gas squirting out of the back of what I think is the accelerator pump. It's squirting out of the second screw where the red gasket is. Actually looks like it's squirting out of the screw itself. Here is a pic

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That's not good. I tried to upload a video but I never have luck with that here for some reason. Hopefully this is why it's running so crappy. I'll try and mess with it tomorrow. I just ran out after I watched my Colt's get their butts kicked. It's just driving me nuts. Time for it to run at least decent enough to drive around the neighborhood without choking.

I sputtered and puked it around for about half hour. Took it in the neighborhood across the street and in the yard. Speaking of the yard....

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Oops I guess it's a little wet out there!
Danny
1941 Ford GP
My restoration thread viewtopic.php?f=144&t=241570

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Restoration of GP 8546

Post by DannyP » Sun Sep 11, 2016 5:35 pm

https://vimeo.com/182337679

That still doesn't embed the video, but at least you can click the link and see the fuel fountain!
Danny
1941 Ford GP
My restoration thread viewtopic.php?f=144&t=241570

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Re: Restoration of GP 8546

Post by twinflyer17 » Tue Apr 04, 2017 4:45 am

Danny, I've enjoyed following your thread but realize it's been awhile since your last post. Any updates on your GP and fuel issues? Hopefully you'll have it in tip top shape for summer!
Sean

GPW 108175 viewtopic.php?t=267732
DOD 4/14/43 Louisville, KY USA20371070

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Re: Restoration of GP 8546

Post by DavidA » Thu Apr 12, 2018 11:46 am

Just spent this morning looking at all your posting and the progress on GP8546. It is the first time I really sat to view and put all the work together in your thread. You have done a spectacular job. Keep up the good work.
David Aro - USN SEABEES '66-'70
1941 WILLYS MB-104354
1942 WILLYS MB-131350

DannyP
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Re: Restoration of GP 8546

Post by DannyP » Mon Apr 16, 2018 6:06 pm

Thanks Dave and Twinflyer!

I don't think GP 8546 will ever really be finished. It runs and drives now though! I drove it around all last week while my truck was in the shop. Still have some wiring issues that I can't figure out. Gauges still going backwards. The restored speedo locked up and snapped the cable too. Little things but they need to be addressed.

The brakes aren't good either. Takes a full pump of the pedal to get them to work right. Been to all kinds of shops looking at them. Everyone says there are no air bubbles in the system. I was told to drive it and let the shoes wear in. It's been driven a lot now. Going to pull all the drums off and look in there see if something is wrong soon. Just waiting for time and some spring weather that's above freezing!

Here she was delivering some parts the other day before the freeze sat in again!

https://www.facebook.com/JoesMotorPoolU ... =3&theater
Danny
1941 Ford GP
My restoration thread viewtopic.php?f=144&t=241570


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