US NAVY Willys MB Jeep in the Solomons with NAVY airplanes

John Dupre · **Posted:** Tue Aug 07, 2012 3:37 pm

Saw a trailer load of jeeps, restored and unrestored there must of been at least 4 of them in Framingham, MA today! Wish I had the money for one.

SB2C-1 · **Joined:** Wed Feb 18, 2009 12:28 am **Posts:** 128

Enemy Ace wrote:

my unsolicited .02..
...
If it's gonna be too nice to go muddin' in Cameron park in then what's the point?

I get it, that's fair. My intent after restoration is to drive it around the air park where I live and have my shop. I don't fly my warbirds in the rain and I won't go muddin'. But it WILL be driven !

Enemy Ace · **Posted:** Wed Aug 08, 2012 3:28 pm

Fair enough Chuck!!
You inspired me to buy an SNJ and now turn the heat up with a Jeep....Right when I was thinking it would be cool to have a jeep to drive around our airpark!!
I'll probably go with something OD green that looks like it just survived the Battle of the Bulge though....

Django · **Posted:** Wed Aug 08, 2012 3:44 pm

That is really neat Chuck.

SaxMan · **Posted:** Wed Aug 08, 2012 8:47 pm

rwdfresno wrote:

Quote:

What is the object on the left front fender?

Looks like a glove box door.

I can't wait to see it completed. Thanks for sharing.

I meant farther forward...it looks like another light on the fender, or is that a horn? I do see the glove box door now that you mentioned, it though!

rwdfresno · **Posted:** Wed Aug 08, 2012 10:13 pm

SaxMan wrote:

rwdfresno wrote:

Quote:

What is the object on the left front fender?

Looks like a glove box door.

I can't wait to see it completed. Thanks for sharing.

I meant farther forward...it looks like another light on the fender, or is that a horn? I do see the glove box door now that you mentioned, it though!

Ahh, ok yes, SaxMan that is a blackout light. That is the original location for the light. What is interesting though is that the light has been replaced with what looks like an M151 series (and possibly other MSeries of the era) blackout light 9someone please correct me if I'm wrong). If the paint matches identically to the paint on the light, there is a chance this jeep was painted with at least one coat of gray paint after 1959 (and likely much later when the lights were available via surplus). I guess a good way to know would be when the light bracket is removed to see what is under it and if you can see traces of the previous gray paint since the bracket is identically sized and shaped to the bracket that would have originally been on there. Anyway, something maybe worth examining to validate previous thoughts, stories regarding the jeep.

Ryan

SB2C-1 · **Joined:** Wed Feb 18, 2009 12:28 am **Posts:** 128

rwdfresno wrote:

Ahh, ok yes, SaxMan that is a blackout light. That is the original location for the light. What is interesting though is that the light has been replaced with what looks like an M151 series (and possibly other MSeries of the era) blackout light 9someone please correct me if I'm wrong). If the paint matches identically to the paint on the light, there is a chance this jeep was painted with at least one coat of gray paint after 1959 (and likely much later when the lights were available ia surplus). I guess a good way to know would be when the light bracket is removed to see what is under it and if you can see traces of the previous gray paint since the bracket is identically sized and shaped to the bracket that would have originally been on there. Anyway, something maybe worth examining to validate previous thoughts, stories regarding the jeep.

Ryan

Ryan,
Yes you are correct on the light, its a later version. Also I probably did not say it correctly when I said initially it was still original paint. What I was trying to say was it hasn't been stripped to bare metal, all layers of original paint appear to still be there all the way back to production line OD.
Chuck

SB2C-1 · **Joined:** Wed Feb 18, 2009 12:28 am **Posts:** 128

Enemy Ace wrote:

Fair enough Chuck!!
You inspired me to buy an SNJ and now turn the heat up with a Jeep....Right when I was thinking it would be cool to have a jeep to drive around our airpark!!
I'll probably go with something OD green that looks like it just survived the Battle of the Bulge though....

Gee, I didn't know I had such a far reaching influence, all the way to Germany !

rwdfresno · **Posted:** Thu Aug 09, 2012 10:33 am

SB2C-1 wrote:

Ryan,
Yes you are correct on the light, its a later version. Also I probably did not say it correctly when I said initially it was still original paint. What I was trying to say was it hasn't been stripped to bare metal, all layers of original paint appear to still be there all the way back to production line OD.
Chuck

Chuck,

Thanks for the reply, and thanks a bunch for sharing the project. I'm interested in seeing some updates on it when it gets started. I echo the great respect for originality when things are in reasonably original condition. One of my favorite MV non-restorations is the beautifuly original GPW owned by a friend of mine. Many of those who frequent the Gee will have seen it but for those of you who haven't http://g503.com/forums///viewtopic.php?f=96&t=92133.

I think in respect to this Navy jeep, while being a very nice unrestored vehicle, I'm not sure it falls in the categoy of those that are too pristinly original that restoring it would ruin it's historic value. I think a nice, faithful to the original restoration would be a respectful treatment.

Ryan

Pathfinder · **Joined:** Tue Nov 10, 2009 7:35 pm **Posts:** 342

Just curious....what is that hieroglyph on drivers side lower right front (as viewed) of the windscreen?
Looks like "Tony the Tiger" set in flower petals.

It looks more like the ESSO tiger--introduced in 1964. The Kellogg's Tony was introduced in 1951.

Pathfinder · **Joined:** Tue Nov 10, 2009 7:35 pm **Posts:** 342

In the second LIFE photo (the one after the flags) in the lower right corner---second row---jeep in the center of five....what model is that with the "brow" over the slat grill (between the head lights) and the triangular fittings on the leading edge of the fenders?

Looks like there is another one just like it in the middle of first row of the group following....

rwdfresno · **Posted:** Thu Aug 09, 2012 1:53 pm

Pathfinder wrote:

In the second LIFE photo (the one after the flags) in the lower right corner---second row---jeep in the center of five....what model is that with the "brow" over the slat grill (between the head lights) and the triangular fittings on the leading edge of the fenders?

Looks like there is another one just like it in the middle of first row of the group following....

Pathfinder,

That is a Willys MA, 1553 were delivered in 1941.

Jerry O'Neill · **Posted:** Sat Aug 11, 2012 3:37 pm

Chuck;
I know this isn't on an Island In the Pacific, but it is a Navy Jeep!
Jerry

Obergrafeter · **Posted:** Sat Aug 11, 2012 5:06 pm

All those Jeeps, is that Fort Sam? One heck of a Parade Field for sure.

Firebird · **Posted:** Sun Aug 12, 2012 5:33 am

SB2C-1 wrote:

It is my intent to restore the Jeep to an extremely accurate level. Ok, over the top restoration. I can tell you this much as of today.

As others have said, it's only original once.

But, you bought it and you're free to do whatever you want with it, it's just a shame you are going to ruin it forever.

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US NAVY Willys MB Jeep in the Solomons with NAVY airplanes

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