My Experiences in Rebuilding a World War II Jeep

1942 Ford GPW Jeep

When I was I junior (or maybe I was a sophomore) in high school, my brother purchased a surplus World War II Jeep. The body was in pretty good shape, but the engine and transmission were shot and Clyde asked me if I would like to attempt rebuilding it. If so, he would pay for the necessary parts. Naturally, I jumped at the chance, not realizing just how much work would be involved in this project. The Jeep was subsequently towed and placed in the backyard of my parent’s home on Highmarket Street in Georgetown.

My first step was to learn a little more about the Jeep. I noticed that there was a placard located either on the dashboard or in the engine compartment which identified the company that manufactured the Jeep. In this case, the company was Ford. I believe it was manufactured between 1942 and 1945. Although it was designed by Willys, they were unable to keep up with production needs during the war, so Ford was directed by the government to also produce the vehicle. For all practical purposes the Willys and Ford models were essentially the same. See http://www.4wheeloffroad.com/thehistoryof/80558/index.html for additional info on Jeep history.

I immediately purchased a Jeep Maintenance Manual. I can’t remember which manual it was (probably a Chilton), but I do remember that it was extremely detailed. I also found out that there were a number of mail order auto parts suppliers that specialized in parts for World War II Jeeps. These sources still exist today.

It was obvious that the engine would have to be pulled in order to rebuild it. The question was – how was I going to accomplish this? I pondered this question for a good while because I didn’t have an A-frame or a hoist. I finally decided to roll the Jeep under a limb on one of the pecan trees that were in our back yard. I then borrowed a come-along and some chains. One of the chains was then attached to the limb which was pretty much parallel with the ground and another chain was attached to the front and rear of the engine. The come-along was able to lift the engine to a level which allowed me to push the Jeep out of the way and lower the engine to the ground.

Thinking back on this process makes me realize what foolish things we do when we are young. It never crossed my mind that the pecan tree limb wouldn’t support the weight of the engine. Thankfully – it did!

After getting the engine on the ground, I was able (with some help) to drag the engine over to a little shop beside our garage (It used to be our wood shed). I stripped the engine block and took it to a local machine shop to have the valves ground and seated. Once that was done, I brought it back home and proceeded to rebuild the engine; installing new piston rings, crankshaft bearings, seals, gaskets, etc. 

I won’t further bore anyone with the details of overhauling the transmission, transfer box and clutch assembly. Just believe me when I say that it was another challenge to get the transmission out and back in without having a lift.

I must say that I learned a lot from the process outlined above. The major lesson was – don’t ever try something like this again! The other major lesson was – the most insignificant things can cause you the most problems. After all the heavy lifting chores described above, I finally reached the point which I thought would be the easiest and most enjoyable part of the rebuilding effort. This was installing the spark plugs, distributor, spark plug wiring and making the necessary adjustments such as setting distributor point gap, and setting the timing. However, when I tried to start the engine I found that the engine was too tight for the starter to properly turn the engine over. I had been told that this may occur, so I was prepared for it. I asked a friend to pull the Jeep with his car. We attached a rope between the two vehicles and once we got up to speed, I would pop the clutch and the engine would roar to life. Well, the theory was good, but the engine would still not start. How depressing was this?

I fiddled with the engine for a few days, but finally conceded that I needed some professional help. So, my friend and I pulled the Jeep to Parrish Motors which was located on Orange Street with an entrance on Front Street. I picked Parrish Motors because my parents had dealt with them for a number of years. I left it there for a few days and finally received a call from them saying it was ready. The big day had arrived… or was I going to get some unexpected bad news?

I hurried down there wondering what had I missed?  Was it a significant problem or what? Upon arriving, one of the mechanics asked me if I wanted to sell the Jeep. Of course I said no, but it was certainly reassuring to be asked the question. He went over to the Jeep, started it up and the engine roared to life! IT WAS A SWEET SOUND. Of course, I asked them what they had found and the answer was that I had connected the spark plug wiring in the wrong order. I couldn’t believe it - I had screwed up the firing order! How embarrassing! However, I soon got over the embarrassment when I drove the Jeep home. What a satisfying ride it was.

I’ve searched high and low for a photo of this Jeep and I just can’t find one. I had it for at least 2 years and find it unbelievable that I (or anyone else) never took a picture of it. The photo accompanying this article is another 1942 Ford GPW which is identical to the one discussed in this article. Perhaps I can Photoshop it and turn it red with cream wheel rims. Yep- those were the colors. Maybe I can even place myself standing beside it or in the driver's seat. We'll see.

I’ll cover a few of my experiences with the Jeep in a future blog.