1945 Willys MB Restoration Project

If you have an unrestored WWII jeep, we would like to see pictures, and hear your comments. NO EBAY or COMMERCIAL SALES.
Post Reply
70th Division
G-Lieutenant General
G-Lieutenant General
Posts: 5638
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:29 pm
Location:

1945 Willys MB Restoration Project

Post by 70th Division » Thu Jul 28, 2022 4:33 pm

Hello,

Well I have been talking about it, and I have been thinking about it, and wanting to try it, so
in my quest to better manage time, and increase my WW2 Jeep restoration productivity, I am starting the restoration on my
1945 Willys MB !!
Here we GO !!!
This jeep will be worked on now, along side the restoration of my 1943 Ford GPW !!!!
Dual restorations !!!
I love it !!!
So now this jeep will have its own restoration post, along with the current 1943 GPW build from spare parts !!
I know Ron will appreciate this, as I have already been buying parts from him, for this jeep, and will now be buying more great JMP parts from him to support this restoration effort !!

I want to thank Jeff, aka " JAB" here on the G for the giving me the incentive to do a dual restoration , as that is exactly what he is doing on his jeep restoration efforts now :D :D .

Well, I figured I best join the club and up the production efforts !
This is America , we are people who get things done :D :D :D

These jeeps don't get restored sitting around, waiting for someone to restore them, someday ..... they get restored by pulling them out and actually restoring them !!!
So this is what I am doing :D :D !

I have 5 new Combat Rims for her already from Ron, along with 5 new Goodyear tires, flaps, with South Korean inner tubes and a new WeeBee canvas top !!
I have all 3 seats, in great shape, and a new US Made top bow, directly from Ron's open house, that my brother attended, and drove back to Florida with a couple sets for me !!
He said it was a great trip, and plans to attend the next one !

Here she is, the 1945 Willys MB :

Resized_20220728_195909.jpeg
Resized_20220728_195148.jpeg
The right front frame rail has a little bend in it, by the gusset that I will get straightened out.
Resized_20220728_194620.jpeg
The windshield frame has many holes drilled it it that will need repair !
Resized_20220728_194611.jpeg
The jeep has ugly lock out hubs that are being removed, and the axle will be restored to normal !
Resized_20220728_195140.jpeg
The front bumper was welded to the gussets and will be carefully removed.
The gussets will be restored and a new US made front bumper that I got from Ron will be added.
The steering stabilizer is going to be tossed on the scrap metal pile :D
I do have the radiator as well.
Resized_20220728_195124.jpeg
Look at the beautiful step, not rusted away or damaged, the other side is the same.
Resized_20220728_195114.jpeg
Resized_20220728_194831.jpeg
Here we can see some of the many drill holes that will need to be welded up !
Resized_20220728_194838.jpeg
We can see how nice the passenger side is on the jeep as well.
Also, the steering wheel is a "small" wheel and will be replaced by an original spoke wheel I have in the barn.
Speaking of the Jeep barn, some jeep in there is going to be relocated elsewhere, to make room for this jeep !
Resized_20220728_194644.jpeg
The rear panel has some dents in it, the jeep has a few dents and many extra drill holes on it,and the rear cross member is bent outward a little.
This will be repaired !
I also have the cast pintle hitch for the jeep !

The leaf springs all look good and are MB ones, the frame has zero rust on it.

This jeep is an early 1945 MB.


Best Regards,
Ray
Last edited by 70th Division on Fri Jul 29, 2022 6:36 am, edited 13 times in total.


70th Division
G-Lieutenant General
G-Lieutenant General
Posts: 5638
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:29 pm
Location:

Re: 1945 Willys MB Restoration Project

Post by 70th Division » Thu Jul 28, 2022 4:56 pm

Hello,

In this picture we can see the rust that developed along side the side wall hat channel.
I do like that late war dark olive drab poking out :D :D !
Resized_20220728_195107(1).jpeg
This is the main area that needs repair on the entire jeep.
There is a little rust through as can be seen
there, and also in the gas tank well itself.
I am confident that the gas tank well can be repaired .

Resized_20220728_194801(1).jpeg
The floors are in great shape, but the rear floor has some dents that need straightening out !!
The shock absorber covers also need dents removed, as can be seen.
The tool box bottoms are in perfect shape !
I will start this jeep restoration in reverse of the GPW.
I will first dismantle it, and start with the frame and work up from there.
The dismantling will be done this week.
I had to do it the other way around on the GPW 😁.

The good news on this jeep, is that the body is in pretty good shape, the fenders will need a little repair and dents straightened.

I have a brand new wiring harness here already for the Jeep, as well as a new, beautiful, JMP wide mouth gas tank, and many parts from Ron.

I am looking forward to this restoration, and it will take a lot less welding repair than my current GPW project.

I also have new JMP rear bumperettes, and spare tire holder and base.

This jeep has a good T-84 transmission in it, but it has a Willys Industrial engine.
The engine will be removed, and a rebuilt 1945 MB engine will be dropped in when the frame is ready !!!
A full set of correct gauges also have arrived.

Best Regards,
Ray

70th Division
G-Lieutenant General
G-Lieutenant General
Posts: 5638
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:29 pm
Location:

Re: 1945 Willys MB Restoration Project

Post by 70th Division » Fri Jul 29, 2022 6:48 am

Hello,

I removed the 2 front fenders.
They are in need of some repairs, but overall they are in good shape.
Here are pictures of the passenger side fender and the damages that need attention .
Resized_20220729_094821.jpeg
Resized_20220729_094844.jpeg
Resized_20220729_094831.jpeg
Resized_20220729_102718.jpeg
Resized_20220729_102928.jpeg
Resized_20220729_102934.jpeg
Here we can see the tab that connects the fender to the frame has been broken off, a very common occurrence.
Resized_20220729_103040.jpeg
Here we see that the bump out for the battery has been banged up pretty good.
Resized_20220729_102813.jpeg
Resized_20220729_102832.jpeg
Here we can see that the fender hat channel is getting some rust through from the inside. This is an easy repair :D
Resized_20220729_102921.jpeg
The hat channel for the fender is in great shape, the battery bump out will have to be banged back into position, and worked back into good shape.

Best Regards,
Ray

70th Division
G-Lieutenant General
G-Lieutenant General
Posts: 5638
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:29 pm
Location:

Re: 1945 Willys MB Restoration Project

Post by 70th Division » Fri Jul 29, 2022 6:56 am

Hello,

Here are some pictures of the driver's side fender and areas that will need attention.
Resized_20220729_095344.jpeg
Resized_20220729_095359.jpeg
Resized_20220729_102031.jpeg
This fender to frame mounting tab is broken off as well, unfortunately the pieces are not still on the jeep, so i will make new tabs to weld on these areas.
Resized_20220729_102037.jpeg
Here we can see the vent openings are dented up and will need to be straightened out and tapped back into position.
Resized_20220729_102735.jpeg
A little bit of this, and a little bit of that, and the fenders will be looking great :D :D :D !!

But the heat this summer is ridiculous :shock: :shock: :shock:
I better move under a shade tree, or set up a big tent against the sun and heat !!!



Best Regards,
Ray

70th Division
G-Lieutenant General
G-Lieutenant General
Posts: 5638
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:29 pm
Location:

Re: 1945 Willys MB Restoration Project

Post by 70th Division » Fri Jul 29, 2022 7:50 am

Hello,

I want to get the bend out on the frame rail.

Obviously I will have to get the oxy-acetelyne torch out to heat the kink to straighten it out..

Here are some pics with using a hydraulic ram, and hammer.
I got a little of the side dent out, but the metal is too strong for the press.
Resized_20220729_113112.jpeg
Resized_20220729_113108.jpeg
Resized_20220729_113112(1).jpeg
Resized_20220729_113724.jpeg
Resized_20220729_113103(1).jpeg

Once it is heated up, the press should be able to overcome the kink.
I will also remove the front angle iron bumper, as that will take pressure of the frame rail while trying to reform the shape.

I will remove the bumper now by grinding the welds away !

Best Regards,
Ray

conrod6
G-Captain
G-Captain
Posts: 749
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2016 9:30 pm
Location: teignmouth Devon UK

Re: 1945 Willys MB Restoration Project

Post by conrod6 » Fri Jul 29, 2022 9:09 am

Hello Ray - I would probably cut the top bent section out straighten the side and weld it back in - thats just my suggestion , no need to take it on board !

Barrie
GPW 101005 DOD 3-2-43 20207773 (actual) Louisville

70th Division
G-Lieutenant General
G-Lieutenant General
Posts: 5638
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:29 pm
Location:

Re: 1945 Willys MB Restoration Project

Post by 70th Division » Fri Jul 29, 2022 9:17 am

conrod6 wrote:
Fri Jul 29, 2022 9:09 am
Hello Ray - I would probably cut the top bent section out straighten the side and weld it back in - thats just my suggestion , no need to take it on board !

Barrie
Hello Barrie,


Thanks !!

You are exactly right, that is what I will do, as it can then be hammered smooth and rewelded back, and then ground down.

I am working on removing the welded on bumper, but have to come inside to the ice cold ac, every 5 minutes or so, as the sun is directly overhead !
Sort of like the Siestas in Spain :D :D :D
It is a real sizzler out today !!

Here is what I just did, but now have to get the welds on the inside bottom of the gusset cut.

Resized_20220729_120818.jpeg
Here we can see the weld to the gusset.
Resized_20220729_120809.jpeg
Resized_20220729_130743.jpeg
I ground away the heads on the non original bolts, and tapped them out.
Resized_20220729_130750.jpeg
Resized_20220729_131807.jpeg
Here I cut the welds with a grinder, to separate them from the gussets.
Resized_20220729_131813.jpeg
Resized_20220729_131830.jpeg
Here is seen the underside weld, I will use my little rotary tool grinder to cut these on both sides.
I am glad they only welded one edge !!

Keep in mind, I could fry a dozen eggs on this jeep in the sun !!!

The original bumper gussets are in great shape, just bent up.
These will restore very nicely , and look great :D :D !!

Best Regards,
Ray

70th Division
G-Lieutenant General
G-Lieutenant General
Posts: 5638
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:29 pm
Location:

Re: 1945 Willys MB Restoration Project

Post by 70th Division » Thu Aug 04, 2022 5:15 pm

Hello,

Tonight I was able to get a little time used wisely, and started working on the passenger side fender.
Resized_20220729_103030.jpeg
Resized_20220729_102921.jpeg
The main damage in the fender was the battery bump out area.
It appears to me that bubba decided when replacing the battery he put a much bigger one in, that didn't fit, so he banged the crap out of the bump out to force it in.

Well, I banged in the opposite direction and it has now come out pretty good.
Resized_20220804_205938.jpeg
Not rounded anymore :D :D
Resized_20220804_205859.jpeg
Much straighter, and will be an easy task to get it perfect now.
Resized_20220804_205841.jpeg
The shape has been restored, and with a little more hammering of the flat areas tomorrow, it should be back to normal.
I will also spot weld a few spots that were popped when it was hammered out of shape.
Once all the dents and dings are flattened out, and the cracks welded up, I will carefully cut out some rust damage on the hat channel, and weld in some small repair patches, and make a repair piece for the rear frame tab that was broken off.
Then it will be ready to blast, prime, and paint, and be put in the loft.

I also did some more cutting of welds on the front bumper, and have a few more to do tomorrow.
Also some chisel work, but it should be off tomorrow !!

This is going to be a fun jeep restoration, and fairly quick as there is so little rust to repair !!

Best Regards,
Ray

70th Division
G-Lieutenant General
G-Lieutenant General
Posts: 5638
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:29 pm
Location:

Re: 1945 Willys MB Restoration Project

Post by 70th Division » Fri Aug 05, 2022 9:12 am

Hello,

I removed the original hood hold down latches. Both are in excellent shape and have the one flat side.

What is nice, 1 latch had 2 original CTR bolts holding it down.
These appear to be original, and are in great shape.
From what I understand these were used on MB jeeps on the hood latches.
Resized_20220805_111754.jpeg
Resized_20220805_111809.jpeg
Resized_20220805_111724.jpeg
Resized_20220805_112412.jpeg
Resized_20220805_112928.jpeg
Resized_20220805_112943.jpeg
Resized_20220805_113252.jpeg
Resized_20220805_131328(1).jpeg
Here is the configuration used to attach the hold downs :
Bolt, washer, lock washer, nut.


These will clean up nice and look great restored.

I checked the hood, and all the catches also have the CTR bolts, as well as the windshield latch bolts.

The latches were missing, but bolts were returned to the holes.

I thought that these should EC bolts, but maybe they used both ?

I will have to check some other MBs.

Best Regards,
Ray

70th Division
G-Lieutenant General
G-Lieutenant General
Posts: 5638
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:29 pm
Location:

Re: 1945 Willys MB Restoration Project

Post by 70th Division » Sat Aug 06, 2022 9:55 pm

Hello,

Today I started some repair work on the driver's side fender.

I will note that even though there is olive drab paint on the inside of the fender, there is not any trace of any tinning. From what I understand most of that went away when the radio suppression system was upgraded in 1944.

There was a little rust through on the inside of the fender over the hat channel.

I marked an area around the rust making sure not to cut outside of the limit of the hat channel.
I marked it so the cut would be in the middle of the flat edges of the channel, so a new patch when welded in could not be seen from below.
Resized_20220806_165645(1).jpeg
Once the cut out was marked and removed, I found that the entire hat channel was packed with clay, mud, and small stones.
Resized_20220806_165917(1).jpeg
Resized_20220806_165952(1).jpeg
Resized_20220806_170045(1).jpeg
I even found the original rubber grommet in the mud, preserved really well, and still pliable .
Resized_20220806_170431(1).jpeg
Resized_20220806_172733.jpeg
Resized_20220806_170715(1).jpeg
For you geologists out there, Here are some of the stones that were also in the mix of clay and sand.
I picked this jeep up from a seller in northern California, just below the Oregon border .
He got it from Oregon, and it has an Oregon title, so that is likely where the rocks and debris came from.
I have no idea how the dirt material could fill it up so completely, but it did !!
Once I got all the gunk out of there, I tapped out the rust chunks on the channel and blasted it clean.
Resized_20220806_171141.jpeg
Resized_20220807_105945.jpeg
There are a few pin holes in the channel that were uncovered, but I will repair the channel by cutting out 2 small patches and welding them in with new metal.
Now if I can get motivated in the Florida heat, I will blast the entire fender then start the metal repairs and welding.

Best Regards,
Ray
Last edited by 70th Division on Sun Aug 07, 2022 7:05 am, edited 2 times in total.

70th Division
G-Lieutenant General
G-Lieutenant General
Posts: 5638
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:29 pm
Location:

Re: 1945 Willys MB Restoration Project

Post by 70th Division » Sun Aug 07, 2022 6:36 am

Hello,

These look like original Willys type wiring clips, at least they match what MV Spares has as reproduction ones.
Resized_20220806_112245.jpeg
Resized_20220806_112253.jpeg
Resized_20220806_112302.jpeg
Here we can see the original bakelite wiring junction block connector bar, and the headlight hold down wing nutted bolt.
The top of the threads have been "crimped", and I think that was a feature on the later jeeps to keep the wing nut on the bolt .
Resized_20220806_112324.jpeg
There is a crack on the upper fender area that I will weld up.
I will use the rotary tool to trace it out just a little, before welding.
Resized_20220806_112331.jpeg
Here is another crack at the bottom of the fender.

Best Regards,
Ray
Last edited by 70th Division on Sun Aug 07, 2022 10:31 am, edited 2 times in total.

70th Division
G-Lieutenant General
G-Lieutenant General
Posts: 5638
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:29 pm
Location:

Re: 1945 Willys MB Restoration Project

Post by 70th Division » Sun Aug 07, 2022 8:43 am

Hello,

Here I have marked out the bad metal area to be cut out.
Resized_20220807_115237.jpeg
I want to point out, that I marked it in a way, that when new metal has been added in, and welded into position, the repair won't be seen after careful grinding of the welds.

The factory seams will look correct, as they will still be in position.
Resized_20220807_120416.jpeg
I will trim a little more out from the left side of the opening to provide a good "shelf" to weld in the patch, to the remaining small edge of the original hat channel.
When welded in from both sides, the repair will be very solid.
The new hat channel side tabs are not exact the same width as the originals on Willys or GPWs.

I have a reproduction fender hat channel, seen above, that I will cut sections from, to repair the original channels.
Both driver's side and passenger's side will need some small hat channel patches.

Best Regards,
Ray

User avatar
17thAirborne
G-Lieutenant General
G-Lieutenant General
Posts: 5847
Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 5:42 am
Location: Central TN

Re: 1945 Willys MB Restoration Project

Post by 17thAirborne » Sun Aug 07, 2022 11:13 am

Ray,
I am seeing the importance of saving every one of those clips, screws and other bits. If anything it provides a great forensic look into what the resto should look like in terms of hardware. I have a small bucket (cup)_of those and have been saving them. I wish I had recorded every location they came from. As always Ray, great work. You have a lot of irons in the fire and many more waiting to be forged. I need to get off my keester and start the next one.
Oz

Feb 43 GPW 98532 USA 20206257
Oct 70 Land Rover Series 2a 25334079G NZ16GF36
http://gpw.castraponere.com/ (My Restoration Page)

70th Division
G-Lieutenant General
G-Lieutenant General
Posts: 5638
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:29 pm
Location:

Re: 1945 Willys MB Restoration Project

Post by 70th Division » Sun Aug 07, 2022 1:46 pm

17thAirborne wrote:
Sun Aug 07, 2022 11:13 am
Ray,
I am seeing the importance of saving every one of those clips, screws and other bits. If anything it provides a great forensic look into what the resto should look like in terms of hardware. I have a small bucket (cup)_of those and have been saving them. I wish I had recorded every location they came from. As always Ray, great work. You have a lot of irons in the fire and many more waiting to be forged. I need to get off my keester and start the next one.
Hello Oz,
Thanks !
Yes a lot of irons in the fire :D :D
But I figure it is good to keep them all warm, and try to do a little on each as you can, and pretty soon you start getting them completed.

I am working on these fenders now, as I am waiting on the helicoil kit needed to repair the GPW bolt hole for the grease seal retainers on the front axle.

Once that gets here, I will finish that front axle and mount the leaf springs to it.
Then I will bolt it to the frame and finally have a rolling frame again, which will really start to speed things up on that jeep, as I can get the engine and transmission mounted and the body moving toward being placed onboard !!

But this Florida summer heat and rain is pretty ugly working out in the sun !!
It does slow you down, but we must keep moving forward little by little to win the victory.

Jeff is working on 2 GPWs now in Wisconsin, so I am trying to do 2 jeeps here as well, to make better production and use of time.
Time goes by whether we are working on the jeeps or not, so I want to keep working toward getting these jeeps restored.
Because as you know, we all have more projects that need restoring :D :D :D

I just bought another project today , a very rare in the USA, and super awesome, Dutch return Nekaf M38A1 jeep,
to go with the USMC CJV-35U I found last week :D :D :D
I didn't think any of those were even in the USA !!
I remember seeing them in service in Holland in 1989, or the early 1990's.

More irons in the fire, but I love it !!

I just need some helper troops to push forward :D :D :D

Keep up your great works in Tenn !!
I am glad you sold that GPW frame to someone who needed it !

Summer in the South, is a hard time to get motivated, but winter is coming with cool weather ....

For example, I got organized to sand blast the fenders, and even with separators, got tons of water spraying out, like paint, from the old style blaster.
I am thinking the water is condensing in the long air hoses as it arrives, but after it gets past the separators.

So I will have to set up the power washer media blasting again, just for the fenders, but it will get done then.
However, I like to reuse the glass bead, and it has to dry before it can be collected and sifted to reuse.
That takes time on the concrete to dry, but add it daily rain storms, and you get the picture !!




Best Regards,
Ray

70th Division
G-Lieutenant General
G-Lieutenant General
Posts: 5638
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:29 pm
Location:

Re: 1945 Willys MB Restoration Project

Post by 70th Division » Mon Aug 08, 2022 11:36 am

Hello,

I got some time and finished the removal of the bubba welded on bumper.
It was not an easy task with all those welds !!
Resized_20220808_151750.jpeg
Resized_20220808_151756.jpeg
Resized_20220808_151806.jpeg
Resized_20220808_151800.jpeg
Now that the bumper is gone, I can
get access to the frame horns to repair and straighten them, and to restore these original bumper gussets.

They certainly need it 😁 !!

Best Regards,
Ray


Post Reply

Return to “Original Unrestored WWII Jeeps”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 48 guests