1943 Jeep Other

L-134 four cylinder

t90

# 263231

Clear

Gasoline

***WILL BE ADDING SOME MORE PICTURES*** ’43 WILLYS MB BACKGROUND The MA was Willys' prototype jeep. It won Willys the contract with the U.S. Government by besting the Bantam BRC-40 and the Ford GP Prototypes. Willys built approx. 1,550 of them, all in 1941. The Willys Military model B, the MB, became the mass production model known as the WWII jeep. Willys built approx. 361,339 MB's from late Oct. 1941 through late 1945. The first 25,808 MB's manufactured by Willys used a different grill than the stamped, pressed sheet metal grill, the one most people are familiar with. This "slat grill" was made out of flat steel stock welded together. The remaining stamped grill MB jeeps totaled 335,531 units. Flat fenders; no tailgate; rear mounted spare tire; split windshield with windshield wipers at the top. 1943 MB production started with serial number 200023 and ended with number 293232 – 93,210 total units produced that year. This particular jeep, Willy’s MB # 263231, rolled off the production floor of the plant in Toledo OH., on September 10th 1943, WHERE’S HOME? I purchased the jeep in Utah in the Fall of 1995 We moved to Bothell WA in the summer of 1997 and lived there through the summer of 2005. The jeep is and has been in Gilbert AZ, and has not been driven, since mid 2005. I found this jeep in Lehi, Utah, in September of 1995. I’d seen it advertized in the newspaper for $1500. My 10 year old son Ben rode down from Salt Lake City with me to see it, and we took it for a test drive around the block. The transmission whined - rather screamed - so loud that the previous owner had fitted a foam cover over the floor to try and deaden the noise. I was very skeptical but Ben told me, as we drove home to Salt Lake, that he loved it. I needed time to finish getting the cash together, so we returned to Salt Lake without the jeep. A week later, My wife and 3 kids drove down to pick it up and we drove it back to town on a warm Fall evening. Roaring (and screaming) along the frontage road on the way back to Salt Lake in the black night I experienced a loud noise, a drop in oil pressure and a stalled engine, and oil poured out on the road. I was sure that something serious had happened. I did not know what the term “blown engine” meant, but that was my diagnosis for the problem. Using tire chains found in the rear storage compartments, we towed the jeep behind the Audi with the flashers on, to a garage on Highland drive, and feeling crest fallen, left it there for the night. Found out the next day, that a hose clamp on the remote oil filter had failed popping the hose off and spraying oil all over the place. No big deal. The jeep was Kelly green with white combat rims, roll bar, windshield and bumpers, and a worn out white soft top. The original front bumper has been replaced. It is a good job, but is not original. A 3/16” steel plate is welded to the two side rails and bumper and makes a fine platform for the winch that was mounted later. ENGINE AND DRIVE TRAIN Within a month or so, the transfer case, which was the real source of the screaming noise, went south. I’d become acquainted with a first rate mechanic, by the name of Eric Keller, who owned a speed shop called Competition Design on Highland Drive. I’d gone in to the shop to see Eric’s red late-MB or early-CJ2A that was beautifully restored. I felt fortunate to meet Eric, who the next year was retained to work on Johnny Rutherford’s race car. I drove the jeep on and off roads in and around Salt Lake City. As various parts on the jeep failed, I had Eric rebuild them. Transfer case, engine, transmission, rear differential. The engine is an L134 flathead four cylinder out of a later model flat fender. The jeep always smelled like gasoline, and one reason was that the original Carter carburetor leaked. J.C.Whitney offered a Solex replacement carb for less than a hundred dollars so I simply replaced it. I still have the original Carter which, if the buyer desires, will be included in the sale. I also replaced the fuel pump with a new glass bowl fuel pump. As I was going through all of the jeep paraphernalia collected over the past sixteen years, I ran across a new set of Borg-Warner Select Supermag spark plug wires and four brand new Autolite 308 spark plugs, which I’ve installed. The transmission that came in this jeep when I purchased it was not the original T-84 transmission, which had a reputation for being somewhat undersized, but had been replaced with the stronger t-90, which is the one Eric rebuilt. The axles are the original Spicer (later became Dana) 25s with closed knuckles on the front axle. I added a lock-right limited slip unit to the rear (see accessories below), and have a new unit in-the-box that I purchased and never installed for the front, which is included. Compared to later model jeeps, this jeep is delicate. You finesse it over obstacles: I think of it as a grandmother. Capable but deserving of respect and requiring gentleness. I broke a front axle once in Washington by trying to power over a log. I have a complete set of four spare axles that are included. WHEELS & TIRES, SUSPENSION The jeep came with bias ply lug snow tires on combat rims. The lug holes were badly stripped and the wheels wobbled as I drove. The bias ply tires tracked poorly on the road, the steering was loose and the jeep drove all over road and was difficult to keep in the lane. I know now that I could have gotten new centers for the combat rims, but ignorantly, I tossed the wheels and tires, replacing them with 16” steel wagon-wheels painted to match, and radial off road tires, a model called a “Campaigner” from Discount tire in Salt Lake City. A vast improvement in handling. These have been stored un-driven, outdoors on the jeep in Arizona for the past five years, and although they still have more than half the tread left, because of the Arizona heat, they, most definitely, need to be replaced. Soon after I purchased the jeep, I had the springs re-arched but was unhappy with the results so had them replaced with new Rancho leaves with about 1½” of lift. All springs also have shackles that allow 2 lift positions. As shown, the shackles are set on the lower position. ELECTRICAL/ MISCELLANEOUS The jeep had already been converted to 12 volt but from the time of purchase, I had numerous electrical problems, and installed a Painless Wiring harness in about the year 2000, - BIG difference. The speedometer was replaced and works well, as well as all of the gauges: Oil pressure, gas, speedometer, temperature, and amperes, as well as the original dash lights. Head lights, tail lights, turn indicators and brake lights all work. I installed “tractor” lights on the front and rear. I installed an under dash truck heater in about 1997. There are heavy rubber floor mats in the front. I installed a new black Bestop soft top including new doors that today is worn, but in serviceable shape. The jeep came with a black bikini top that is still in good shape and included. I also added padding to the roll bar and had a vinyl cover made. I found a narrow bench seat for the rear (I think it might be the 2/3 seat out of the rear of an old jeep station wagon) and improvised mounts for the floor. I installed Audi seat belts (lap belts) front and rear, and had the 3 seats re-upholstered with a “bullet-proof” vinyl by a professional shop in Salt Lake. That too is aged but serviceable. I actually thickened the padding on the front seats around 2002: as I approached the age of 50, the stiff springs and thin foam began to take their toll on my back and on my sciatic nerves. BODY The MB is the best looking jeep ever produced. The heavy gauge steel body was original, and had Bondo in many places. The body is rough - I had purchased the jeep to “use”, not as a collected object, and It’s important to me to have the jeep look good, but most of my input was for the purposes of improving reliability and performance on and off road. At the same time I installed the Painless wiring harness, I rattle-can painted the jeep Hunt Club green with Black trim on the windshield and bumpers. In preparation of this sale, my wife graciously cleaned the body, but I have purposely not done any body or paint touch up for the sale, or within the past 5 years. 6 years stored outdoors in the Arizona sun shows a pretty accurate state of the body. Both the driver’s and passenger’s side floors have been patched with heavy gauge galvanized sheet metal which I’ve never removed or revised. The drivers patch is pop riveted in place and the passenger side screwed w/ sheet metal screws. I’ve simply painted the floors to match. There are support struts under the floors and under the fenders that are made up of hat channels, over wood. These are in bad shape. The front fender supports were strengthened with flat steel stock shaped to fit, but the floor struts have not been modified. One problem with the flexible jeep frame has been that the gas tank has failed on several occasions and developed a leak. I purchased a new tank on one occasion, but tolerances on the production were such that the after-market tank would not fit into the tank well of this jeep. I’ve had the tank boiled out twice and brazed only to fail again. After moving to Arizona, I took the tank to Serck radiator repair on baseline road in Mesa and they literally took it apart and re-welded all of the seams. They primed it and I’ve repainted it and reinstalled it. The MB has a small gas tank, about ten gallons, under the driver’s seat. You must remove the seat cushion, pull up the filler neck, and pump gas as you’re inside the “cab”. That took a little getting used to, and I soon installed a fire extinguisher immediately adjacent and to the left of the driver’s seat. The flathead four-banger, even with a tune-up up, gets only about 15 mpg. ACCESSORIES: I had Eric at Competition Design in SLC install a Warn overdrive unit, along with a Warn M8000 winch. The winch has the original steel cable, which is in good shape, and a hawse fairlead. The light weight of the jeep is easily handled by the winch setup. Soon after getting it I had one winch stolen, and the second I had the bolts tack welded to prevent that from happening again. A tree saver and a snatch block are included along with a heavy duty shackle, carried in a German army surplus satchel. I also installed a Lock-Right limited slip unit into the Spicer 25 rear differential; WHAT a difference! The MB was already amazing before that: afterwards it’s phenomenal. The MB came off the assembly line with a spare tire on the passenger side rear, and a five gallon jerry can on the driver’s side rear. Because of the limited range with ten gallons in the tank and five more on the back, I had a rack fabricated that bolted to the rear of the jeep that incorporated the original spare tire mount and held the spare tire behind the driver’s side, and held two (2) five gallon jerry cans on the passenger side rear. It also includes tabs to hold a 48” Hi-Lift jack, which is included. PERFORMANCE: With an 80” wheelbase, and a 48” wide track, this is a dangerous highway vehicle. I’ve heard that many jeeps were wrecked during WWII as a result of inexperienced drivers going too fast. In overdrive, the jeep will cruise at 60mph on flat terrain at sea level. With hills and altitude, this speed drops. The frame flexes enough when you are off-roading that you can actually feel it from the driver’s seat. Before we moved to Seattle, I took some springtime outings over very steep and muddy terrain in the Wasatch Mountains, and with the bias ply lug tires I was amazed at the vehicle’s capability. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced, way exceeding my expectations; at times it was frightening. Jeeping in the Cascade mountains of Washington was heaven. My friend and neighbor Jim bought an ’89 Wrangler and we started forays into the mountains on a frequent basis. We learned the land and gained confidence, exploring old logging roads, fording swift streams, and becoming adept at winching over the impassable stretches. In order to winch the heavier Wrangler with the MB, I had to use a tree saver and chain fastened to a tree to remain stationary. I rolled the MB one time, simply “flopping” over on the top of the roll bar. Just before this incident, I’d had to winch Jim out of the river where he’d stalled in deep swift water. In that situation, I chained the trailer hitch to the tree saver, waded out to him with the hook, and pulled him into shallow water. I had the top off and windshield down. Soon afterward, the rollover bent the roll bar slightly, the windshield was smashed and the hood slightly stoved in. (If I were to keep the jeep, I would definitely add a front hoop to the roll bar). We used Jim’s jeep to roll the jeep back on it’s’ wheels, and then my winch to pull it back up onto the road, and then continued wheeling for the rest of the day. (Incidentally, they happen in threes, and within 5 minutes of the rollover, we saw a black bear running up the road ahead of us). I pounded out the heavy gauge steel hood with a mallet and replaced the windshield with a brand new taller single piece CJ3A windshield. We trailered the jeep to Arizona when we moved here in 2005, where it sat outside until 2010 at which time we put it into our garage. We’ve restored the finish on the paint, which incidentally is a satin finish rather than a semi-gloss or gloss. The engine compartment has been cleaned, and the vinyl and rubber has been restored. The bad parts of the roll bar cover were replaced. CURRENT SERVICE; The jeep comes with the original MB service manual, which I’ve always followed for servicing; I checked all of the fluid levels before going out every time. I think I learned that from Moses Ludel in “The Jeep Owners’ Bible.” The 12 zircks have just been lubed, the steering box has been serviced, the steering knuckles have been emptied and refilled, the front and rear differentials have been emptied and refilled with fresh 90 weight gear oil, as have the transmission and transfer case. The engine oil and filter have been changed. The jeep has been fitted with a new optima red top battery, and the spark plug wires have been replaced. New fuel pump, newly rebuilt starter, new throttle and choke cables. The jeep starts right up and drives easily. The 3 speed transmission shifts smoothly. The overdrive goes in easily. The transfer case shifts easily from 2 to 4-wheel-drive and from Hi to Lo range. The winch works well, free spooling and spooling in and out. Good luck bidding!! Will throw in some nice Jeep books upon final sale. On May-08-13 at 19:31:56 PDT, seller added the following information: ***More pictures added showing soft top*** Added 5/8/13