just got new purchase home.(need advice on what next)

have you ever seen axles with no hubs to lock in. any info on this. the rear diff cover is straight on both sides. how do you lock it in 4X4

thanks for all your help, i hope it turns out to be a good little project,

 

Heh. Don't take this the wrong way, but man you are really green. You bought a great project - a piece of history.

Locking hubs are a civilian invention - you don't really need them. 4WD is controlled by the levers on the floor. Normally there are brass plates on the dash that tell you how to shift it. You can probably get reproductions.

The rear differential on a WWII Jeep is different from any civilian model - a full-floating Dana model 23, IIRC. The whole drivetrain is different from the civilian models.

I'd suggest you get reprints of the army manuals on this Jeep - please hang around here and keep us informed of your progress... but the G503 guys really know these vehicles backwards and forwards.

You are going to have a tough time with them though unless you plan to do a restoration - in modern times, this is a parade vehicle IMO. You don't want to break it if all the running gear is sound now.

 

thanks

 

You found a great jeep and a piece of history,I have restored 4 WW2 jeeps to date my 1945 Willys MB,a 1944 MB and a GPW,and a F-marked numbers matching 1942 GPW.Take your time and be patient and fixing this old jeep will make some wonderful memories.Here are some pics of my 1945 before and after.Enjoy and yours can look that good too!

 

Congrats on the MB! We have a '45 MB that we are working on. We are not doing a full on restoration. The body is dented and welded and we are going to shoot it Olive Drab and enjoy driving it- both on and off road.

 

What to do next? Well this is what I would do… Research, research, research. Then some more research. Don’t cut, change anything, throw anything away – nothing. If I had your rig I’d restore it. Find out its history and bring it back to what it looked like then. It looks like a great candidate and as previously mentioned – could be worth some money. If I was looking for a trail rig, I’d sell that rig to someone who wants to restore it and buy something I didn’t feel so bad about making non-original. Just my thoughts.

Congrats on your find. I’d be ecstatic to come across something like that. I ran across an old GPW in the Austrian alps 10+ years ago. Looked to be a relic from WWII that had been left behind. I was beside myself. I even tried to locate the owner (with no luck), just to talk with him (I wish I would have had the means to buy and send stateside). I can still picture that rig in my mind. At least in my experience, these rigs don’t come around very often.

You have a great find. Have fun with it, and preserve it.

 

nice jeep. looks like mine when I brought it home. I would agree with it being an mb, accept that most mb's have a marking on the tub- says willy's on the drivers side next to the taillight. you will have two differnt ID tags, one on the frame rails- open the hood and look down just behind the grill mounts- i think its on the pass. side but not possitive i;d have to go look at mine. the next ID tag is on the firewall, pass. side close to the top. that is a rivieted tag, the numbers on the frame are stamped. research the numbers and you will find out if you have an mb or GPW- I found that I had both- ford frame(GPW) and MB body(Willys) also look for symbols and stamps on brackets, and bolts. both ford and willys had stamps- mostly and "f" (because ford made willy's parts) and the style changed every year or two- that will also help you determine what year things are on the jeep- ie if its all original or replaced. the front axls (original shafts) are very unique and not replacable (as far as i know) they are a form of a knuckle- three steel pieces that fit together like a puzzle- pretty cool actually. if you dont have those- then they've been replaced.
good luck restoring it! there will be some things that cant be brought back to stock with original pieces...least with mine there were...somethings are jsut to far gone (rusted out)
keep us posted!

 

You are close lilredbuggy42 but not quite the early 42-43 MB/GPW had script on the left rear of the tub but not after that the government wanted all of them to look alike so they cut out the script bodies.The ID tags will be found on inside the left front frame horn,the body number will be stamped on the toe board gusset under the left drivers floor board,and the actual vin number will be found on the data plate on the glove box door that number will be the same as the tub,and the engine number will be on a machined boss right behind the oil filter.If you are very lucky all three of these numbers will be the same,but on a Willys I highy doubt it as the willys assembly line pulled parts during war time to send to the theater of occupation for repairs.Ford did not pull parts off the assembly line so off the assembly line the bodys,engines,and frames matched but in the last 60 some years parts kinda get mismatched .The front axle shafts are one of three types Bendix(most desireable),Razzeppa,OR Tracta which is the one you were referring to looks like a (chinese jigsaw puzzle)all would be correct or like mine a mixture of two types one razzeppa and one bendix.During manufacturing they also did not interchange parts from Ford to Willys in the feild was a different story though.Ford stated he would never install Willys Parts on a Ford that is why the F-stamped parts exist.If you want to know when the Jeep was built pull both the diff covers and look at the date stamped on the ring gear that will tell you exactly when the jeep was built.And fmf421 every part I mean every part is being reproduced so you can do a complete restoration if that is the direction you want to go.Any Information you need feel free to PM me and I will get back to you as soon as possible!Good Luck

 

just got it running, drained the oil and time to replace.

can i run reg 10 30 or does it have to be non detergent oil????

also how do i check the tranfer case tranny lube, I see 2 fill plug when im under there but there are in a tight area. can i just unscrew and add lube is there any drain plugs

please help

found some numbers
on engine serial # 67897

inside of frame on front MB455063

 

I found your post over on the Gee and responded.

There is a drain plug on the t-case and fill plug. I have the convenience of a lift which makes getting underneath easier!

The first thing I would do is buy the reproduction Gov't manuals. You can get the powertrain, chassis, and parts list all combined in one book. Check Portrayal press or any of the repro parts guys. Ron Fitzpatrick (owner of G503.com) I like RAPCO, Brent Mullins, Midwest Military and several others that elude me at the moment.

I highly recommend a subscription to Military Vehicles Magazine.

Edit: I just updated my info on my user CP to show my location, it would be great if we had an idea of where you were as well.

 

Ok i think this jeep is a MB
the frame # was MB 455063

I looked at an identifcation site it said it was a 1945 model

It has dana 18TF
Dana 25 front end
Dana 23-2 rear

were can i get the best manual from. anyone

 

Go to www.g503.com/forums they will help you with everything MB

 

Subscribe to Military Vehicles Magazine! Money well spent.

As I said in my earlier post, you can get the WWII manuals combined in one from most of the Jeep vendors. Buy from Ron at G503, Brent Mullins in College STation, TX. Definitely get the GI books. They tell how to fix everything not like Chilton's which says "replace entire assembly" or "take to dealer.

Portrayal Press prints TONS of Govt. manuals so you can buy from them. Other vendors include:

Army Jeep Parts
Beachwood Canvas
Brent Mullins Jeep Parts
RAPCO
G503 jeep parts
D&L Bensinger
Kaiser-Willys Auto Supply
Midwest Military Inc
Peter DeBella Jeep parts
Surplus City Jeep Parts
Walck's Four Wheel Drive

 

thanks i will try to gt some of the manuals